Ferienwohnungen Altstadtherz Wernigerode — The Location and Nearby Tourist Attractions
In the Altstadtherz holiday apartments you will be staying right in the middle of the medieval old town and can therefore leave your car for the duration of your stay in our courtyard. There are many restaurants, cafés, beautiful shops and special sights in the immediate vicinity.
The present-day town centre of Wernigerode, consisting of the medieval old and new town, has 78 half-timbered buildings, which are protected historic buildings. Our house is one of these. A further 968 buildings, mostly half-timbered buildings, belong to the historic area and are specially protected. Although the city fortifications of the 13th century were for the most part dismantled between 1820 and 1867, the town centre is still influenced by the position of the town fortifications and several large town fires (in the years 1326, 1455, 1528, 1751, 1833 and 1847).
Situated close to our house, the following tourist attractions are within easy reach:
The “Kleinste Haus” (“Smallest House”) Museum
The “Kleinste Haus” (“Smallest House”) Museum is located around the corner (140 metres from the apartments) at Kochstrasse 43. The house was built in 1792 in a 2.95m wide gap between two neighbouring houses. Allegedly, eleven people lived here on three floors.
The “Schiefes Haus” (“Crooked House”) Museum
The “Schiefes Haus” (“Crooked House”) Museum is located 190 metres away from the apartments at Klintgasse 5. The building was built around 1680 as a textile mill on the site of an old mill, which was first mentioned in a document as early as the 13th century. The water wheel was fed by a mill race from the Zillierbach (Zillier stream). This race continued to flow through the “Klares Loch” (“Clear Hole”) to the River Holtemme. From the middle of the 19th century, the building served as a flour mill and in 1890 it was converted to a residential house. Between 2010 and 2012, the town of Wernigerode organised the renovation of the protected building and its conversion to a museum. The house has a lean greater than that of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
The Town Hall and Benefactors’ Fountain
The town hall (240 metres away from the apartments) of Wernigerode is a very popular and impressive building. First referenced in 1277, there was originally a music hall (“Spelhus”) on this site, belonging to the local count. Shortly before his death in 1427, the last Wernigerode count gave the building to the town. Two years later, the town built a more solid construction with a wine cellar and a large guest room. In 1494, a half-timbered floor was built onto what is today’s Wernigerode town hall. The town council decided in 1528 to convert the music hall into a town hall. Since 1848 the so-called benefactors’ fountain has stood in the historical market place in front of the town hall to honour those residents of Wernigerode who have made significant services to the town.
The “Westerntorturm” (Western Gate Tower)
The “Westerntorturm” (450 to 550 metres from the apartments) is part of the former Western Gate of Wernigerode. Until the 19th Century, the western gate complex had a further, outer gate, a curtain wall and another tower. The outer gate was demolished in 1853 and the smaller outer tower was demolished after 1865. When the wealthy citizens bought the count’s entire town fortifications and could then collect duties, it served as a debtor’s tower (i.e. those citizens who did not pay their debts had to sit out their punishments in the tower).
The Church of our Lady Concert Hall
The old Church Of Our Lady (approximately 200 metres from the holiday apartments) has been transformed in the last few years into a Concert Hall (opens a new browser window). Since December 2021 the concert hall has been the home of the Wernigerode Philharmonic Ochestra. The concert hall runs a first class, rich cultural programme (opens a new browser window) throughout the year.
The Oldest House
The oldest house in Wernigerode is at Hinterstraße 48 (550 metres away from the apartments). This house and its neighbours, which are also protected buildings, form a very beautiful row of historic houses.
The Fire Service Museum (Feuerwehrmuseum)
The Fire Service Museum of Wernigerode is located in Steingrube 4a (350 metres from the apartments). In Wernigerode, a town that was shaped by several large city fires, the fire department was always very important.
The Harz Museum (Harzmuseum)
The Harz Museum, at Klint 10 (270 metres from the apartments), has an exhibition area of about 300 square metres, where in the permanent exhibition the history of the Harz can be viewed in a journey through time from the beginning of the earth’s history up to modern times. The Harz Museum also hosts an interesting series of special exhibitions.
“Klares Loch” (The “Clear Hole”)
The “Clear Hole” is on the Hinterstraße (460 metres from the apartments), opposite the Heidestraße. The “Clear Hole” was the lowest part of the old town. The water from the millrace flowed here through an opening in the city wall to the River Holtemme. As a weak spot in the town wall, the opening was protected with an iron grill. The name “Clear Hole” probably arose from the enigmatic Harz humour. Whenever during heavy rain the mill stream carried the medieval town rubbish away, the water was anything but “clear”.
The fortified tower on “Am Vorwerk”
The fortified tower on “Am Vorwerk” (430 metres away from the apartments) features a childens’ play area. From here you have a beautiful view of the castle.
The fortified tower and the town wall on “Am Burgberg”
The fortified tower and the city wall on “Am Burgberg” (470 metres from the apartments) is the longest surviving section of the town wall.
On a slightly longer walk (1 km, or about 15 – 20 minutes) you can also reach the castle. Or from the Marktstraße (just around the corner from the apartments) you can ride up to the castle with the tourist “Mini Train” (“Bimmelbahn”) or with a horse-drawn carriage.
Wernigerode Castle
The castle, the former home of the Stolberg-Wernigerode family, is located on the flank of the Agnesberg, east of the town centre and about 90m higher than the rooftops of the old town.
The present style of the building is a result of the comprehensive historical renovations carried out between 1862 and 1885. During these years, Count Otto of Stolberg-Wernigerode was first Governor of the Prussian Province of Hanover, later German Ambassador to Vienna and finally deputy to Chancellor Bismarck as Vice-Chancellor of the German Empire. The artistic principle of the renovations is expressed in the interior and exterior architecture. When the castle is circumnavigated, every 45° it offers a new exterior silhouette, which also looks very impressive from a distance.
Since 1998, the castle has developed into the premier German centre for Art and Cultural History of the 19th Century. Inside the castle there are nearly 50 rooms which can be visited in two tours which start from the courtyard.
Wernigerode Castle (opens a new browser window) together with the three associated gardens and parks (pleasure garden, terraced gardens and zoological garden) has been a national valuable cultural monument since 1999 and is part of the Saxony-Anhalt State Project “Gartenträume®” (Garden Dreams).
During the year several events (opens a new browser window) take place in Wernigerode Castle. Among these are the “Schloßfestspiele” (open air opera in the inner courtyard), “Schloßrocknacht” (open air rock music in the inner courtyard) and the castle’s “Walspurgis” (The Eve of May) and “Ritterfest” (Knights’ Festival).
A tip – board game connoisseurs can purchase a special edition of the well-known game Monopoly® in the Castle Souvenir Shop. Wernigerode Castle has replaced “The Strand“ of the classic Monopoly® board.
Tourism Wernigerode
The Tourist Information Office (opens a new browser window) (215 metres away) is located next to the town hall. There you will find more information about the many sights and tourist attractions in Wernigerode and the surrounding area. We have also listed some tourist attractions in the area on our Surrounding Area page.
Date: 23/06/2023