Station 1 ‘Scholmwehr Bridge’

Are Harz dwarves different from other dwarves? Well... Erm... How many dwarves do you know? Are there really dwarves? And where do they live? Do they like children? And what do dwarves do all day? Well, I don't know... I only know Friedel, and I want to tell you about him:

Friedel is small, or perhaps as big as you... He lives in the Harz Mountains, more precisely in Bad Lauterberg on the ‘Scholben’. Can anyone see him? Well... I don't think so... Can you see him? Maybe, I think so. The only problem is that when he realises that people don't believe that dwarves exist, he turns into wood - as camouflage. And the big people are then delighted and tell the little people that someone has carved a dwarf out of a tree trunk.

Friedel does this as a precautionary measure, because there were times when the big people persecuted the dwarves. They wanted to steal their treasures, the precious stones and minerals they found in the mountains and forests. As a result, there are only a few of them left, and Friedel only knows a few who work further afield.

Dwarves work? Yes - they guard the treasures of the mountain. They are the guardians of the forests, they look after the plants, the roots, the fruits of the forest and make sure that all the forest dwellers are doing well. And if something is wrong, they report it to the great dwarf king... but that's another story...

Go ahead, walk along the dwarf path and discover what Friedel does to pass the time on the Scholben. Listen into the forest...maybe you'll hear Friedel's friends - the forest birds, the squirrels or the little crawling beetles... and who knows, maybe Friedel will peek out from behind a tree or a bush... because he's quite a curious little chap...