Welcome to Torfhaus, the highest settlement in Lower Saxony in the middle of the Harz National Park. Where peat diggers once settled and Goethe stopped off before his ascent of the Brocken, our youth hostel is surrounded by hiking trails and winter magic. The spacious outdoor area with sports field invites you to play football and has an adventure playground with swings and rope slide.

As a national park education centre in a special ecological environment with unique flora and fauna, Torfhaus youth hostel offers excellent opportunities for environmental education. In close cooperation with the TorfHaus National Park Visitor Centre, we offer a wide range of programmes on the theme of nature and environmental protection and therefore recommend ourselves for

• school classes and youth groups of all ages
•  stays with an environmental education background
•  visits by kindergartens
• children's and youth camps

Our location on the Harzer-Hexen-Stieg (HarzWitches' Trail) makes us the ideal place for groups and families who enjoy hiking. Smaller hikes to the Wolfswarte or to the Oderteich, a dam with bathing facilities, are also possible. If you like, you can take advantage of guided hikes offered by the National Park Haus visitor centre.

The Torfhaus area, at an altitude of 800 to 900 m, offers cross-country skiers a variety of trails. For downhill skiers, there is a ski lift in the immediate vicinity of the youth hostel. We are happy to arrange equipment and ski lessons. A toboggan run with lift looks forward to welcoming guests of all ages. You can also toboggan in summer on the nearby Bocksberg. Or you can take the cable car, visit one of the longest cable bridges in the world or an impressive stalactite cave ... there's never a dull moment in the Harz!