Stadt Oberharz Am Brocken

What Stadt Oberharz Am Brocken does

Stadt Oberharz Am Brocken is a German municipal tourism destination management organization headquartered in Hasselfelde, Saxony-Anhalt, operating under the consumer-facing brand "OBEN im HARZ." It functions as the public-sector tourism authority for a region comprising 13 towns and villages (Benneckenstein, Elbingerode, Elend, Hasselfelde, Königshütte, Neuwerk, Rotacker, Rübeland, Sorge, Stiege, Susenburg, Tanne, and Trautenstein) situated at 460–560 meters elevation between the Brocken peak and Bodetal valley in the Harz mountains. The organization serves leisure travelers — primarily domestic German hikers, families with children, dog owners, and cultural/heritage tourists — through a hybrid distribution model combining three physical Tourist Information Offices (Elbingerode, Elend, Hasselfelde) and a centralized digital presence.

The technology footprint consists of two primary digital properties: the main tourism portal (oberharzinfo.de), which provides themed content covering hiking trails, family activities, dog-friendly travel, cultural events, and excursions, and the online booking system (buchen.oberharzinfo.de), a self-serve accommodation marketplace covering holiday homes, apartments, private rooms, and hotels. The organization aggregates content on long-distance hiking trails (Harzer Hexen-Stieg, Selketal-Stieg, Via Romea) and curated attractions (Rübeland cave system, mining heritage, Harzer Wandernadel stamping network). No app, public API, SDK, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed.

The business model combines three revenue streams: (1) Kurtaxe, a mandatory tourist tax levied under municipal ordinance on overnight guests, bundled with an Urlauber-Ticket benefit package; (2) marketplace commissions on accommodation bookings transacted through the platform; and (3) event organization and destination promotional services. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and rate-setting is governed by the Kurtaxsatzung (tourist tax ordinance), which is updated periodically by municipal decree. The entity operates as a German public-law entity rather than a commercial company, with no external investors, funding rounds, or disclosed financial statements.

Name

Stadt Oberharz Am Brocken

Legal name

Stadt Oberharz am Brocken

Website

https://hasselfelde.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stadt Oberharz Am Brocken is a German municipal tourism authority operating the "OBEN im HARZ" destination brand across 13 Harz mountain villages, serving leisure travelers via three tourist information offices and a centralized online booking and information platform, funded through tourist tax, booking commissions, and event services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tourism Destination Management

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Resort & Branded Residence Vacation Rental Management (BPAJAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

National Park & Protected Area Tours (THAJAIAA)

Keywords

• Regional destination marketing
• Accommodation booking services
• Tourism information services
• Hiking trail promotion
• Municipal visitor services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hasselfelde

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tourist Tax (Kurtaxe): Mandatory visitor tax charged to tourists staying in accommodations within the Oberharz am Brocken municipality. Includes Urlauber-Ticket (visitor ticket) benefits.
2. Accommodation Booking Commission: Online booking platform for accommodations (ferienhaus, ferienwohnung, apartment, hotel, ferienzimmer) generating commission revenue from bookings made through the platform.
3. Event and Tourism Services: Revenue from event organization, destination marketing, and promotional materials for the tourism region.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Stadt Oberharz Am Brocken operates as a municipal tourism destination management organization for 13 towns and villages in the Harz mountains of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It provides regional tourism information, accommodation booking via an online platform, and in-person visitor services through three tourist information offices in Elbingerode, Elend, and Hasselfelde. The organization markets the region under the brand 'OBEN im HARZ' for hiking, family vacations, and nature-based tourism.

Product overview

Stadt Oberharz Am Brocken operates a unified tourism portal offering online accommodation booking and regional tourism information. The product portfolio consists of the main 'Oberharz am Brocken' tourism information website (oberharzinfo.de), the integrated online booking system (buchen.oberharzinfo.de) for accommodations, and physical Tourist Information Offices in Elbingerode, Elend, and Hasselfelde. The portal covers 13 towns/villages: Benneckenstein, Hasselfelde, Rübeland, Stiege, Elbingerode, Königshütte, Rotacker, Susenburg, Elend, Neuwerk, Sorge, Tanne, and Trautenstein.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Oberharz am Brocken Tourism Portal Regional tourism information portal covering 13 towns/villages (Benneckenstein, Hasselfelde, Rübeland, Stiege, Elbingerode, Königshütte, Rotacker, Susenburg, Elend, Neuwerk, Sorge, Tanne, Trautenstein) with content on hiking, family vacations, dog-friendly travel, excursions, culture, and events. Targeted at individual travelers planning visits to the Harz mountains region.
• Online Booking System (Buchen) Online accommodation booking platform enabling visitors to search and reserve holiday homes (Ferienhaus), apartments (Ferienwohnung), private rooms (Ferienzimmer), and hotels across the Oberharz region. Functions as a marketplace aggregating multiple local accommodation providers under one platform.
• Tourist Information Offices Physical tourist information centers in Elbingerode, Elend, and Hasselfelde providing in-person visitor guidance, booking assistance, and local tourism advice. A central administrative office (Geschäftsstelle Tourismusbetrieb) in Hasselfelde coordinates overall operations.
• Urlauber-Ticket (Visitor Ticket) Visitor benefit package tied to payment of the local tourist tax (Kurtaxe), providing guests staying in accommodations with benefits and services during their stay in the Oberharz region.

Quantifiable outcome

• 13 distinct localities served under one tourism brand
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Harz GmbH: The umbrella destination management organization for the broader Harz region. Directly comparable as both promote hiking, nature tourism, and accommodation booking across the same mountain range, with overlapping trail content and regional branding.
• Bayerischer Wald Tourismus: DMO for the Bavarian Forest, a German nature-park tourism region. Comparable as a regional nature-tourism destination with similar long-distance hiking infrastructure, family tourism programming, and multi-town coordination model.
• Tourismusverband Erzgebirge e.V. Regional DMO for the Erzgebirge mountains in Saxony. Directly comparable as a German low-mountain-range tourism authority operating a destination portal, booking platform, and trail network with similar product mix (hiking, family tourism, cultural heritage).
• Naturpark Thüringer Wald e.V. Nature park authority for the Thuringian Forest, a German low-mountain range adjacent to the Harz. Directly comparable as a nature-park-based DMO promoting hiking trails, themed routes, and regional accommodation networks.
• Schwarzwald Tourismus GmbH: DMO for Germany's Black Forest, a much larger regional nature destination. Comparable as a mountain/forest tourism authority with hiking networks, themed trails, family offerings, and an integrated accommodation booking platform.
• Tourismusverband Sächsische Schweiz: DMO for Saxon Switzerland near the Oberharz in eastern Germany. Directly comparable as a regional nature-tourism authority with sandstone rock formations, hiking-focused content, and a destination portal serving a multi-town geography.

Others

• HRS Group: Hotel booking platform with strong presence in German-speaking markets. Indirect competitor in the accommodation distribution layer that competes with regional DMO booking portals for hotel and Ferienwohnung inventory.
• Booking.com: Global OTA that aggregates accommodation demand for German mountain destinations including the Harz. Indirect competitor for accommodation booking, capturing direct-booking traffic that could otherwise flow to buchen.oberharzinfo.de.

Broad incumbents

• Tourismus Marketing GmbH Baden-Württemberg: State-level tourism marketing organization for Baden-Württemberg. Broader incumbent covering multiple regions including Schwarzwald and Schwäbische Alb; comparable destination-marketing role but at state scale rather than sub-region scale.
• Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus (DZT): National tourism board for Germany. Operates at country scale, promoting Germany as a destination including Harz-region content. Comparable tourism-promotion function but with vastly larger budget and broader remit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stadt-oberharz-am-brocken

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

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