Golden October in Wernigerode

by Thomas Bugdoll

The castle in Wernigerode was originally a medieval fortress designed to secure the path of the German emperors of the Middle Ages on their hunting trips to the Harz Mountains. The first castle complex was built above the town of Wernigerode at the beginning of the 12th century. Over the course of its history, the complex has undergone various far-reaching changes.
Wernigerode Castle took on its current form at the end of the 19th century and became a leading building of North German historicism. Today it houses a much-visited museum and a branch of the Saxony-Anhalt Cultural Foundation.

The popular town of Wernigerode with its historic town centre and lavishly restored and colourful half-timbered houses is located on the northern edge of the Harz Mountains. The nickname "Colourful town on the Harz" was coined by the German writer Hermann Löns towards the end of the 19th century. The town hall on the market square, the leaning house, the smallest house and the oldest house are just some of the special features that make up Wernigerode's rich half-timbered idyll.

Particularly worth seeing are the remains of the town fortifications, the Krummel House, whose front is completely covered with a carved wooden façade and, of course, Wernigerode Castle®, which towers majestically over the town and provides visitors with interesting facts about the 800-year history of the counts and princes in Wernigerode in some of the original living rooms of the German high nobility.