UNESCO Heritage Site St Servatius in Quedlinburg

Quedlinburg is a small town of just less than 24,000 to the north of the Harz Mountains in Central Germany. Visiting this town today, it is hard to believe that it was once one of the four most important in the German-speaking world.

Quedlinburg was an important town even before the events of 919 but after that date, it was central to European power politics for two centuries. On a fateful day in 919 – no one knows for sure exactly when (or to be honest if it was indeed in Quedlinburg) – Heinrich, duke of Saxony, was busy catching finches when a deputation from the Reichstag (Imperial Parliament) arrived bearing the imperial insignia. Unexpectedly, the duke of Saxony was elected German king (or emperor of what was later called the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation but that really only came later). Heinrich I der Vogler (Henry I the Fowler) became the first Saxon ruler of Germany (as oppose to previous Frankish rulers) and his preferred residence, Quedlinburg, became the center of power politics in an empire that at times included most of present day Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, and parts of France and Italy. Quedlinburg was by no means the capital of Germany but it was the preferred residence of the early Saxon kings and even when they moved elsewhere, they maintained their primary residences in the northern Harz region. Only in 1024, when power moved back to the Franks (Salier) the center of power moved south too but Quedlinburg remained important for at least a century more.

In 1993, three years after Germany reunited, Quedlinburg became one of
Germany's more than 30 UNESCO World Heritage Sites for two reasons: its marvelous half-timbered old town and the historically important Stiftkirche St Servatius (Collegiate Church). It is hard to decide which of the two is the more interesting.

The Stiftkirche is important for its architecture and very impressive treasury. It is a mostly High Romanesque construction dating from around 1100. Together with the Renaissance Schloss (castle) it forms a very impressive ensemble on a small rocky hill. The church belonged to a nunnery founded in 966 who often counted emperor’s wives and daughters as abbesses.

Quedlinburg has more than 1,200 half-timbered buildings of which almost 800 is listed as historically important. Most of these "medieval" buildings are actually post mid-17th century but very impressive nonetheless.

Quick Tips:

The best thing to do in Quedlinburg is to stroll the streets and enjoy the remarkable half-timbered buildings. Many alleys are very narrow and it is easy to imagine yourself back into the Middle Ages. Many visitors are on day trips so things quiet down significantly later in the afternoon (presumably early morning too but I cannot claim to have witnessed a sunrise in years.)

The top sights are on Schlossberg, the small hill where the castle and church are located. It is a steep but short stroll uphill to one of the most impressive Romanesque churches in Germany with an equally impressive treasury. The Renaissance Schloss is architecturally less important but it does look the part and the eclectic collection in its museum is worth seeing. The restaurant serves mostly German food and has wonderful views of the old town from its garden.

The streets between the Schlossberg and the Markt (market square) are littered with half-timbered buildings with the small squares just below the hill impressive and full of restaurants and cafés. It was here, at the Finkenherd, where Heinrich according to tradition received the imperial calling. A surprise is a modern gallery housing works by the American Bauhaus artist Lyonel Feininger.

The elongated Markt is lined with restaurants and a pleasant place to have a meal and enjoy the passing show – music is often played here. It is also the center of all markets and festivals. At the north end of the square is the Rathaus (Town Hall) with a Roland. Behind it is some narrow alleys worth exploring as well as the St Benedikt Church with its two non-matching towers.

Around 7 km southeast of Quedlinburg towards the Harz Mountains is the small town Gernrode. It is worth detouring here to see the marvelous Stiftskirche St Cyriakus, one of the best examples of Ottonian Romanesque architecture in Germany.

Best Way To Get Around:

Public transportation in Germany is generally excellent but a car certainly makes exploring the Harz region easier. However, driving in Quedlinburg itself is a nightmare with one-way streets, dead ends, and pedestrian zones making the old town a challenging maze. Most hotels will provide clear maps to their parking lots – often not next to the hotel itself or otherwise visit the town’s website – www.quedlinburg.de – for updated maps with driving instructions and one-way streets clearly marked. Once in Quedlinburg itself, park and walk. If staying in a town in the center, book parking in advance as it is not unlimited even at the better hotels.

Most of Quedlinburg is flat and easy to stroll in although medieval town planners of course did not do square of straight. Bring a map or even better, get lost and enjoy it. It is a steep but short incline to the top of Schlossberg – walking up is the only way to enjoy the St Servatius Church and Castle as well as fantastic views.

We left reservations a bit late, which ruled out most of the better hotels in die center of Quedlinburg, but we were fortunate to still find a room in the Romantik Hotel am Brühl. The hotel is located pleasantly quiet and easy to reach by car on modern roads at the far side of the Schloss.

On arrival, we parked close to the front door and as we did not move the car during our three-day stay had an easy time unloading and reloading. (As with most hotels in the center, the hotel’s main parking lot is a few yards down the road.) The hotel has two main buildings with the non-smoking rooms in the main building apparently the more pleasant. We obviously stayed there.

The receptionist at check in acted surprised that we had a child in tow – the Romantikhotel group used to charge children over 2 as adults so they are obviously not that welcome – and claimed that a baby bed could not fit in the room. To our pleasant surprise, the room turned out reasonably spacious but of course sans the semi-lounge of the suites that the brochures feature. I have no idea how large their baby beds are but our child slept just fine on the floor on one of the duvets (although I had to drag here head from under the furniture a few times during the night). Since this trip, we got into the habit of taking our own folding mattresses with for the children – they are inevitably less bulky than an extra bed and you can simply stuff them back into the closets until they are actually needed. Apart from check-in, all personnel were very friendly towards the child.

The room had two single beds pushed together like a double bed – as is fairly common in Germany, or as a Swiss friend told me: "it is not that romantic but everybody sleeps better." The furniture was green-painted wood – it can probably be described as country-style – with lovely white duvets and a modern, clean bathroom. We had a corner room allowing for views towards the hotel entrance with small parking lot and fountain as well as the courtyard between the two main buildings. We were expecting a fine view of a string quartet concert scheduled there but unfortunately, it was cancelled. Rooms in the opposite site of the hotel should have views of the Schlossberg. Breakfast was a typical German cold buffet – a decent, high-quality spread.

The hotel is a few minutes stroll to the Schlossberg and it is also possible to walk to the old town around this hill on level ground if preferred. Either way, it is around a 20-minute stroll to the Markt via picturesque streets lined with half-timbered buildings.

Romantik Hotel am Brühl
Billungstraße 11
D-06484 Quedlinburg
Tel: +49 (0) 3946 - 9 61 80
Fax: +49 (0) 3946 - 9 61 82 46
Internet: www.hotelambruehl.de

The Schlosskrug is well located as is clear from the name and the address: it is actually part of the castle and directly opposite the cathedral. The oldest part of the castle forms the basement of the restaurant building. These cellars, not open to the public, are the only parts that date back to the original castle erected by Heinrich I, the first Saxon German king, at the beginning of the tenth century.

It is a short but steep walk uphill to reach the restaurant. It is on the same level as the entrances to the cathedral and castle and one has to enter the castle gardens, open until 10pm to reach the restaurant. The restaurant has several indoor rooms but the weather was excellent so everyone sat in the beer garden instead. In addition, it advertised rooms with a view of the castle but the view of the roofs of Quedlinburg is even better and would make a better selling point.

The cuisine on offer is decidedly German with many regional specialties. Meat, especially pork, features strongly. Local wines are also on offer although beer seems more popular. I can’t comment on the wine but the local draft beer, Hasseröder, was most refreshing. There seemed to be only one waiter but he managed well taking orders swiftly and producing the drinks and food at a rapid pace. We ordered a baked potato with herbed-sour cream, a Thüringer Rotbratwurst mit Sauerkraut, a large local draft beer and a cola. We hardly had time to start on the drinks and admire the view when the food arrived. It was a hearty serving and filling as expected. Not low fat but in general German food is much less fattening than many foreigners think. The walks up and down the hill pre and post-dinner obviously burn calories too.

Restaurant Schlosskrug am Dom is a very pleasant place to have dinner or even just drinks especially on a sunny afternoon. The views are magnificent and the atmosphere congenial. Service was fast and friendly and the total bill for our repast came to less than € 20.

Schlosskrug am Dom
Am Schlossberg 1
06484 Quedlinburg
Tel: 03946-2838

I do not know what attracted me more to Quedlinburg – the 1,200 half-timbered building of which nearly 800 are listed as historic buildings, or the Schlossberg with its important role in early Holy Roman Empire history. After two visits, I still do not know but there is absolutely no reason to not enjoy both.

In 918, German King Konrad I did the unthinkable on his deathbed and recommended that the German dukes elect his great adversary, Heinrich duke of Saxony, rather than his own brother to succeed him. Heinrich was not present at the subsequent election and according to legend was busy catching finches when the deputation arrived with the royal insignia. For the next century, Quedlinburg and other towns north of the Harz Mountains would be the center of German power politics. It is hard to imagine that now but during this period, Quedlinburg was on of the four most important cities in the German-speaking world.

Heinrich I had his favored Pfalz (Imperial Palace) on the rocky hill known as Schlossberg to the west of the modern-day town center. It is a short but steep hike up to the castle and the even more impressive church – see separate entry. Of Heinrich’s original castle only a few cellar vaults survived – the section that is below the restaurant. The rest of the castle is mostly Renaissance with some later additions.

A small museum in the castle has an eclectic but interesting exhibition that deals with the history of the castle and the region. A popular exhibit is a large wooden crate known as the Robber Baron Box. Graf Albrecht von Regenstein was publicly imprisoned in it for several weeks after being found guilty of breaking the peace of the land – stealing and maiming in modern language. In addition to the exhibits, including some staterooms from the 18th century, numerous flights of stairs, towers, and balconies add some interests and would be fun for children too. The views from some windows and balconies are absolutely marvelous.

On a lower level, near the castle restaurant is a large herb garden. It can be enjoyed for free and also offer some fine views of the western parts of Quedlinburg. The half-timbered buildings here were due for demolishing and were only saved by the timely ending of the division of Germany. For communist central planners, modern concrete simply had more attractions that any historical half-timbered buildings.

The Schloss is one of
Germany's more than 30 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The most impressive building in Quedlinburg is surprisingly not a half-timbered structure but rather the Stiftkirche St Servatius (Collegiate Church), an impressive, mostly Romanesque building that dominates the Schlossberg to its western side. It was built around 1100 and considered one of the most important examples of High Romanesque architecture in Germany.

The Gothic choir was added in the mid-14th century and is best appreciated from the outside as the Nazis constructed a wall inside the church to hide all non-Romanesque elements. In the crypt below the choir are the graves of Heinrich I and his wife Mathilda. When she was declared a saint, his bones were chucked out as it was common practice that a saint could not share a grave with a mere mortal, emperor or the not. (Heinrich also did not endear himself to the church by refusing a blessing from a church high office on his coronation – a highly unusual refusal for the era and attributed to his desire that the church should not have unnecessary influence in politics and to underscore his claim to be the king of the people. The divine right of kings was still some way off.) A fire destroyed the original Carolingian church in 1070 and presumably consumed Heinrich’s actual bones in the process. Nonetheless, this link to the first empire, was simply too strong an attraction to the rulers of the Third Reich, who probably had designs for Quedlinburg that exceeded the building of the choir-hiding wall and grand staircase at the front of the church.

On my first visit, all museums in the region were open for free for the weekend, meaning that guided tours were cancelled and the church’s treasury could be seen at will for free. As it can usually only be seen on a guided tour, no explanations of what was on view were available. On a subsequent visit, we enjoyed – although that place more weight on the word that it can be reasonably be expected to bear – a guided tour with explanations. Although I generally prefer to enjoy sights on my own with the aid of an audio guide or simple guidebook, the knowledge of a well-educated guide can be a pleasure especially in answering some of the less obvious questions. However, on this occasion we had a young guide who looked straight ahead and slightly up and spewed out the words in rapid succession and presumably without variation from what she learned by heart – no one dared a question. In the treasury, it was as if someone read aloud the typical museum card with the briefest of descriptions – "on the left, golden comb used by Heinrich I. Next, carpet, knotted, around 1200."

This was a pity as not only does this wonderful church has interesting architectural features but the treasure itself is loaded with interesting pieces and an interesting history – even into the modern era. In the dying days of the Second World War, the US Army reached Quedlinburg but withdrew soon after as per prior agreement for the Russian Army to occupy the land. It was long assumed that twelve of the most valuable parts of the treasure were stolen by the Russians upon arrival but at the end of the twentieth century, it was discovered that the American lieutenant who had to guard the treasury, stole the items and mailed it back to Texas. ("Trust a Texan!" as some IgoUgo guide, who will remain unnamed unless requested otherwise, observed when I first told her the story.) After the death of the lieutenant, his family tried to sell the items and the whole story came out. In Germany, it is a requirement by law that a percentage of anything found must be paid by the owner to the finder, unless the finder is prepared to wave his rights. In 1993, Germany paid $3 million to the family as a "finder’s fee" – a highly controversial payment, as the items were clearly stolen, but that was considered the fastest and cheapest way to ensure the return of ten of the items. A further two items are still missing.

The Stiftkirche is one of

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