This year, Saxony-Anhalt’s historic “Romanesque Road” will celebrate its 25th anniversary. The road connects 88 historic castles, churches and moated manors from the Middle Ages. Head to Regenstein Castle and Fortress in Blankenburg(Harz), where garrison festivals and knight’s tournaments are reenacted. Every year at Easter (April 1, 2018) the Northern warriors of the Vikings besiege this fortress, resulting in a festival with music and dance. Every Friday night a watchman walks the dark streets of Blankenburg, bringing age-old stories and historical events to life.
Another traditional event is the Walpurgis Night in Blankenburg, celebrated with a joyous torch procession and marching band (April 30, 2018). A 2 ½ hour drive from Berlin, the “Mittelalterliche Tafeley im Ritterkeller” (medieval feast in the knights’ cellar) is going to take place in the more than 800 years old moated Castle Westerburg in Dedeleben (April 7, 2018).
Minstrels will entertain with medieval instruments and rude jokes meanwhile maids serve hearty food and beer. Equally enchanting is the town of Quedlinburg with its half-timbered buildings and the UNESCO World Heritage Collegiate Church of St. Servatius and treasury.
The 1200 km Romanesque Route forms a figure eight with a northern and southern loop. With Magdeburgas its centre, it follows the footsteps of the Ottonian emperors through Saxony-Anhalt and an abundance of Romanesque architecture. Discover a region of cultural and natural treasures, a gateway to the Middle Ages when emperors and kings held court.
The Romanesque Route, which is part of the TRANSROMANICA European Cultural Route, brings together quintessential Romanesque styles. In its name is a promise of the wonders to be discovered along its paths. Nowhere else in Germany is home to as many examples of the Romanesque as Saxony-Anhalt and the regions between Harzand Elbe and Altmark and Saale-Unstrut.
In the footsteps of Otto the Great
Saxony-Anhalt was one of the world’s great hubs during the reign of Emperor Otto the Great and the Romanesque Route that goes through it is one of Germany’s most exciting – and oldest – highlights for fans of history, culture and art. Some 80 buildings in 65 towns and villages of European importance provide an in-depth perspective on the ‘stone calendar’ – the beginnings of German history – and Romanesque art and architecture.
An edifying atmosphere: the past casts its spell
The sites of important medieval events and almost 1,000 years’ worth of cathedrals, holy treasures, tranquil minsters, village churches, abbeys, imperial palaces, picturesque castles, half-timbered buildings and historic medieval cities: Saxony-Anhalt is a rich repository of medieval art and it should be remembered that none of these Romanesque treasures would have been possible if it were not for the skills of the stone masons.
Let time slip away
Concerts, medieval fairs and art projects held in a variety of Romanesque settings recreate the ambience of the Middle Ages, a time when emperors and kings held court. Exciting special exhibitions, diverse shows and insightful tours mean that there is always something new to discover along the Romanesque Route.
ROMANESQUE ROUTE
LENGTH: approximately 1200 km
THEME: culture, architecture, arts, history, nature
HIGHLIGHTS:
Bad Kösen: Rudelsburg Castle, salt-evaporation works, minster (Klosterkirche) Blankenburg: historical gardens, castle, churches Freyburg: Neuenburg Castle, sekt producer, minster Halberstadt: cathedral and treasury, museums, memorial sites Magdeburg: cathedral, abbey, citadel Naumburg: cathedral and treasury, museums, memorial sites Pansfelde: Falkenstein Castle Quedlinburg: half-timbered buildings, UNESCO World Heritage Collegiate Church of St. Servatius and treasury (Stiftskirche St. Servatius), museums Querfurt: castle, city walls, archaeological park Zeitz: Moritzburg Palace, cathedral, Underground System (unterirdische Gangsystem)
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