Goslar (district)

Goslar is a Kreis (district) in the southeastern part of Lower Saxony, Germany. It comprises the northwestern part of the Harz mountains. Area 965 km², population 156,500 (2000). The capital of the district is Goslar.

There are several comparatively large towns surrounding the Harz mountains. All these towns are popular tourist resorts: Goslar, Bad Harzburg[?], Vienenburg[?], Seesen[?] and Langelsheim[?]. The towns in the mountains themselves are: Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Altenau[?], Braunlage[?], Sankt Andreasberg[?].

The Harz National Park is part of this district. The highest peak is the Wurmberg (971 m) near Braunlage, also being the highest elevation of Lower Saxony. Above the small town of Altenau there is the source of the Oker river, which runs through the picturesque Oker valley to leave the Harz at Vienenburg.