Big cities are for sure very interesting, but every time you visit a little place like a village of Lonau at the edge of the Harz Mountains, you have an impression you are in a completely different world, where even times runs much slowlier. Let me share with you a few pictures from a walk to Lonau.
In the first picture you can see two welcome boards "Welcome to Lonau and to the National Park of Harz". Lonau is indeed located on the very edge of the national park. If you are wondering about the language of the board below, it´s Esperanto, a speciality of Herzberg am Harz, a little bigger town to which Lonau belongs. In the coat of arms of the village (yes, German villages have their own coats of arms, even if they have about 200 inhabitants like Lonau) you can see in blue two rivers coming together, that´s the Little Lonau and the Great Lonau. In other words, both rivers leading to Lonau are called Lonau, but if you think of acusing the Germans of lack of imgination, don´t forget they have invented coats of arms for every place, no matter how little it is.
In the coat of arms you can also see a big black bird, which is a grouse, a species successfully bred there, a kind of leaf and a symbol for mining. There used to be brown coal mines in almost every place in Harz.
The way is the goal. So true about the road to Lonau! You walk 4km like this, in a valley between two ranges of hills. In every season it is just beatiful. On your right there is Great Lonau, so you are accomanied by the sound of water all the way.
And this one already taken in Lonau. You can´t imagine how narrow the streets are. First, there is really limited space in the valley, but the village is also really old. I once read, it was first metioned in the 13th century.
That´s inside a restaurant "Zur Quelle". You still need to have a valid Corona test to have a sit, but it´s so nice to have a cup of coffee after a walk.
The Little Lonau with hardly any water at the moment.
The church is very small, but it has so many nice details.
You can enter the church, have a look, sit down if you wish and think of all the people who used to come here all the years since it was built.
Just next to the church a little house where used to be a school in the years 1840-1910. Taking into consideration that Lonau has about 200 inhabitants now, you can expect too many children to live here now, so for more than 100 years now they have to attend a school in Herzberg.
That´s an example of a B&B, because it is so much bigger, but many houses are owned by people who come here just to spend long weekends and holidays, and they stay empty for most of the year.
There are always some hills in your backyard, if you live in a valley.
And here almost a half of the village as one can see it from a side.
I´m always impressed by all the care and love showing in all the details of house decoration.
You walk past doors like these and it´s more interesting than some art galleries.
You are being watched too. Also at night.
A quite surprising color here. Every time I see turquoise I think of my country.
A view from a bridge over the Little Lonau with the church in the background.
Lonau says good by and till the next time!
If you were wondering, if Germans still use phone boxes looking at the previous picture, yes they do, but as "book boxes" where you can always take a few books from, and once you have read them, just bring them back or replace them with some others. Another reason to go to Lonau to have a look what´s new in the book box there. I´m sure I will walk there soon again, and I hope you have enjoyed my impressions from there too.