I spent a long weekend with two friends at Birki, and we loved it. We stayed in the top-level apartment, Berg, for three nights and it was a dream of a retreat to come back to every evening during our getaway in the Harz. We live in Berlin and took the train down via Magdeburg, an easy, pleasant trip of just over 3 hours. The house is gorgeous even from the outside, tucked away in a quiet street right on the foothills of the Harz. The interiors are flooded with light and furnished with minimalist design pieces in a subtle colour palette. All very high quality and it all goes together beautifully. What’s more, it’s cosy without feeling cramped; you’re given space to fill this house with your own sense of life. It was cool and airy in July, but feels like a place you could just as easily come back to in winter – and we might just do that You can set out on walks up to the Roßtrappe, Hexentanzplatz and other valley hikes from the doorstep. It seems like this is a great destination for kids, as there’s a whole adventure park just 10 minutes away. And we also checked out Quedlinburg on our last day, a lovely and quaint little town with historical “fachwerk” architecture that is a must-visit. Can’t recommend Birki highly enough!