From Old Town to Contemporary Art: Sights in the World Heritage City
Quedlinburg is a vibrant city in the field of tension between past and future. Immersed in the beautiful nature of the Harz there is a lot to see and experience. Culture lovers will enjoy themselves as much as active tourists.
Museums
Whether city history or contemporary art – Quedlinburg’s museums offer interested visitors a variety of exciting permanent and touring exhibitions. Go on tracking and dive into another millennium or be inspired by the works of contemporary artists.
Churches
Did you know that there are a total of 14 preserved churches and chapels in Quedlinburg? Each one is worth seeing – no matter if it is one of the two collegiate churches, the little St. John’s Chapel or the Old Church of Bad Suderode.
Town Hall
The town hall was first mentioned in documents in 1310. The early Gothic building has been preserved in its core to this day. By medieval standards, the single-story stone building with its high gabled roof is an exceptionally large structure—a sign of the economic power of the up-and-coming city. The pointed arch windows were replaced by Renaissance forms in the 17th century.
Bad Suderode
The health resort Bad Suderode welcomes its guests with an idyllic location and picturesque architecture. Those who spend their holidays here benefit not only from the bathing facilities of the spa, but also from the Behringer Brunnen, a healing spring which, with around 2,500 milligrams of calcium per litre, is one of the strongest calcium springs in Europe.
Gernrode
In addition to its winding old town, Gernrode surprises visitors with historic buildings, above all the Collegiate Church St. Cyriacus, which is located on the southern route of the Romanesque Road. Moreover, Gernrode is popular with hikers and Nordic Walking fans because a well-developed network of trails starts nearby.
Monuments
The World Heritage City Quedlinburg is full of history and stories. Small and large monuments are reminiscent of famous people who once lived in the city and shaped its character. Get to know Dorothea Christiane Erxleben, the first female German doctor, or be there when Henry I, Duke of Saxony, gets offered the imperial insignia. There is so much to discover!
History
With its more than 1000 years of history, Quedlinburg is popular with many visitors, as the traces of the Middle Ages can still be seen and experienced in many places: Ancient cobblestones and half-timbered houses from eight centuries characterize the cityscape. High up on the massive sandstone cliff of the castle hill is still the Collegiate Church St. Servatius. It is the place, where German history began more than 1000 years ago.
Surroundings
The location of Quedlinburg was already considered attractive in the Middle Ages. The immediate proximity to the Harz as a hiking paradise and the good transport connections make the city an ideal starting point for discovering other tourist highlights in the area. You can reach the Brocken with the Harzer Schmalspurbahnen, for example. One of them, the Selketalbahn, stops in Gernrode and Bad Suderode. The Romanesque Road, one of the most famous tourist routes in Germany, also runs through Quedlinburg. If you follow its course, you can visit other buildings in the nearby towns Halberstadt or Blankenburg.
Feldwarten
The fear of being attacked was omnipresent in the Middle Ages. The medieval defense system in Quedlinburg consisted of watchtowers and moats. The watchtowers, known locally as Feldwarten, were probably built from the second half of the 13th century onwards on the municipal boundary as an early warning system.