affiliated municipalities, Bergstadt Altenau, Bergstadt Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Bergstadt Wildemann and Schulenberg im Oberharz, were dissolved by state law and the new mining and university town of Clausthal-Zellerfeld was formed from the previously independent municipalities. Previously, 62% of the Altenauers who voted had spoken out against it in a public survey; however, according to a clause in the statutes, the result was not binding on the council. Since then, the previous mountain town of Altenau and the previous community of Schulenberg in the Upper Harz have formed the joint village of Altenau-Schulenberg in the Upper Harz with a local council. Demographics Sights Altenau is today a climatic health resort. The city is characterized by old miners' houses from the time when Altenau was a free mining town. The use of wood as a building material is typical of the region. In the town is the small wooden church of St. Nikolai , which was built in 1669. The architectural style of the houses is well adapted to the harsh winters and has an architectural style typical of the Harz region. To the south of the town center is the Schützenklippe, from which there is a panoramic view of the town. In 2004 the largest herb park in Germany was opened in Altenau . Many thousands of tourists visit the year-round cultivated botanical garden, which shows a multitude of varieties . Other sights can be reached on foot via hiking trails. One comes across the Harz Witches to Dammgraben with the Dammhaus and the Polsterberg Pumphouse . Furthermore, hiking trails lead to the Kellwassertal at the Vorsperre to the Okertalsperre and to Torfhaus in the Harz National Park. The Heimatstube in Altenau offers an insight into the history of the Upper Harz. The exhibition there is dedicated to the presentation of the living conditions in the Upper Harz, which were strongly influenced by mining and the professions that depend on it - metallurgy, forestry, charcoal-burning and haulage. An important focus of the collection is the life's work of the artist Karl Reinecke-Altenau . Regular events Walpurgis Night (every April 30) Hubertus Week (mid-September) Torchlight walks Altenauer Heimatfest (every five years) Oktoberfest of the fire brigade Overall Harz yodelling competition (took place in Clausthal-Zellerfeld until 2019) The place is one of the eight places in which the tradition of the finch maneuver in the Harz, which has been recognized as an intangible world cultural