Uncover dark secrets, meet princesses, or pass the time with medieval games: the World Heritage Sites in Saxony-Anhalt are exciting even for the little ones. Children can explore these unique places in a fun and playful way through special guided tours and exhibitions. Teens can join in on vacation programs, Actionbound tours, or rallies. Here you can learn more about the best activities for children and families at the World Heritage Sites.
Ready for a family adventure?
World Heritage Region Anhalt-Dessau-Wittenberg
The FamilyCard
With the family edition of the World Heritage Card for the region, in which the World Heritage Sites Garden Kingdom, Luther Memorials and Bauhaus are embedded in the UNESCO Middle Elbe Biosphere Reserve, you can discover 130 tourist attractions relating to art, culture, nature and leisure together as a family for 24 hours or 3 days - including many offers for an exciting family vacation. The FamilyCard is valid for a maximum of 2 adults and 3 children - also available as an online version.
Actionbound
Educational and exciting digital rallies through the World Heritage Region: on the Actionbound tours, you can follow in the footsteps of princes and princesses, get to know Luther and the Bauhaus and explore the cities of Wittenberg and Dessau-Roßlau. Nature in the UNESCO Middle Elbe Biosphere Reserve is also waiting to be discovered by you. The best thing about it: the app (available in the App Store and on GooglePlay) and playing the Bounds are free of charge.
Wittenberg
Find the Bible!
Where is it now, the lost translation of the New Testament? The exhibition "Crime Scene 1522 - the escape game about the Luther Bible in Wittenberg" is structured like an escape room game in which the solution to many puzzles is the only way to freedom. On the way there, letters and pictures, clothes and fruit, sounds and smells await the sleuths. They will read, listen, feel, count and sort... Please book a time slot in advance!
"Crime scene 1522 - the escape game about the Luther Bible in Wittenberg"
(in German only)
'Twas the Monk
Accompanied by Luther's dog Tölpel, families set off on the trail of Martin Luther on that fateful October 31, 1517, the day the theses were posted. This offer takes you to a separate exhibition area on the upper floor of the Augusteum to experience how the future reformer changed the world of the Christian church and faith forever on that day.
It was the monk
(in German only)
With Magdalena through the Melanchthon House
Equipped with a key, you will go on a tour of the house of Luther's good friend Philipp Melanchthon. There you can explore everyday life as it was 500 years ago with all your senses. Children can dress up in medieval clothes, smell the kitchen aromas and take a seat at the long dining table. Would you like to know who Magdalena is? She is the ten-year-old daughter of Philipp Melanchthon. You can go on a tour with her during the regular opening hours of the Melanchthonhaus. The offer is included in the admission price.
With Magdalena through the Melanchthon House
(in German only)
Sites of the Bauhaus in Dessau
Creative at the Bauhaus
Would you like to get to know the Bauhaus creatively with paper and pencil as a family? Then pick up a drawing kit for 2 euros at the ticket offices of the Bauhaus buildings and the Bauhaus Museum and get started. The drawing sheets give you tips and suggestions on how to approach spaces and objects experimentally. Each Bauhaus site has its own drawing kit with site-specific content.
Set off yourself
With the help of the discovery booklets, which are available at the ticket offices of the Bauhaus building, the Masters' Houses and the Bauhaus Museum Dessau, children can get to the bottom of the Bauhaus secrets on their own.
ALMA, extra large
Inspired by the small shipbuilding game by Bauhaus artist Alma Siedhoff-Buscher, ALMA 100 was created as an oversized version of the small wooden game. The oversized game pieces can be found on the first floor of the Bauhaus Museum Dessau. Sometimes they function as a playscape for young visitors, sometimes as a stage, sometimes as seating.
What are we playing now?
Do the little ones find everything kind of boring? Then we have an idea for you. Head to the play machine in the Bauhaus Museum Dessau, which spits out game ideas non-stop. All the Spielomat needs is a few details such as the number of players, their age and how much time you have. It will then surprise you with a game idea. You can elicit this from the device by cranking it - it will spit it out in the format of a shopping voucher. The game machine was developed by the Büro für Sinn und Unsinn. Just give it a try ...
Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz
The Garden Kingdom for children
Young guests are invited to explore the palaces of Wörlitz, Oranienbaum, Mosigkau and Luisium every Sunday at 11 a.m. as part of the family tours. The journey back in time to the 18th century, during which the young guests also get to know former residents of the palaces, lasts one hour. A discovery booklet is available to buy for each castle, with exciting questions and answers for the children.
Falconry Wörlitz Park
Owls, vultures, steppe eagles and falcons spread their wings and glide closely over the heads of the audience. A goosebump experience at the flight shows in the Wörlitz Park falconry, directly on the road towards Coswig at the ducal forestry yard.
Naumburg
KinderDomBauhütte
Naumburg Cathedral has many exciting stories to tell - even to little people. How was such a huge church built 1,000 years ago? Who was the Naumburg Master? And why are there actually two monkeys sitting in the east choir playing chess? These and other questions are answered during the guided tours for children. From April to December, the program of the KinderDomBauhütte also includes regular creative events where children can become master builders themselves by exploring the building and its history in the late Middle Ages through creativity and handicrafts.
KinderDomBauhütte
(in German only)
Puzzles about the Cathedral
Discover the cathedral in a different way
Naumburg Cathedral not only has an audio guide for adults, but also one for children. Just ask! Or you can simply take part in the cathedral rally? It takes you through the cathedral and cathedral garden and reveals many a secret. Approx. 1 hour/1 euro per exploration booklet.
Puzzles around the cathedral
(in German only)
Backpack rally through Naumburg
18 tasks await children between the ages of 7 and 12 on the rucksack rally through Naumburg. A rucksack contains all the items and aids needed to solve the tasks. In this game, you and your children will cover 3.5 kilometers on foot and 1 kilometer by streetcar. You will also need a cell phone.
Backpack rally through Naumburg
(in German only)
Halle (Saale)
Living past
Does an amulet really have magical powers? Why do you need a dreamcatcher? And how do you make one yourself? Especially during the vacations and at weekends, the State Museum of Prehistory offers an extra program for families. It is advisable to book in advance, as the events fill up quickly.
Nebra
Listen and Join In
A little boy is afraid of the dark—until his father tells him about the mysterious ship that carries the sun through the night… The Nebra Ark Visitor Center, located at the site where the Nebra Sky Disk was discovered, offers guided tours for children of various ages. The tour for the youngest visitors, ages 4 to 7, tells the story of the Nebra Sky Disk in the form of an exciting interactive story.
Quedlinburg
On a Treasure Hunt
Embark on a journey through 1,100 years of history! From the Dread Tower to the collegiate church and the oldest half-timbered houses in the town - mascot Fink Jubilus will guide you through Quedlinburg with a treasure map, telling you the fascinating history of the World Heritage town along the way. The aim is to solve a puzzle and discover secrets. The map is available from the tourist information office or online.
On a Treasure Hunt
(in German only)
Let the Puppets Dance
Classic fairy tales and other plays are staged by puppeteer Anja Herbener and her team at the Cirqu-onflexe puppet theater in the heart of the World Heritage town of Quedlinburg. An enchanting experience for adults too.
Let the puppets dance
(in German only)
More excursions and cultural treasures for families
Giant Excavators at the Ferropolis Open-Air Museum
Marvel at the steel dinosaurs of lignite mining and even climb on some of them: The Golpa Nord mining area near Gräfenhainichen, 25 kilometers southwest of Wittenberg, is an anchor point on the European Route of Industrial Heritage. Surrounded by the newly created Lake Gremmin, the "City of Iron" is also located in a magnificent landscape.
Giant excavators in the Ferropolis open-air museum
Play like Little Martin
In Luther's childhood home in Mansfeld, young guests can try out medieval games such as ladder golf, the plate game or the rolling mill. Don't know how to do that? No problem, the games of skill can be borrowed from the museum ticket office - and of course they will also explain them to you.
Wernigerode Fairytale Trail
Families can refresh their knowledge of well-known Grimm fairy tales at several stations and climb the Rapunzel Tower at the end - on the 2.5-kilometre hiking trail with refreshments available at the Waldgasthaus Armeleuteberg. The starting point for the short tour through the Harz forest is at the Hasseröder vacation park. Once you arrive at the forest inn, you will receive a special stamp from the Harz Hiking Needle.
Dandelion Discovery Trail
How far does a wild boar jump? Why can owls hear so well? On the 1.2-kilometre-long Dandelion Discovery Trail near Drei Annen Hohne, families, children and the young at heart can discover nature with all their senses. After eight stations such as the barefoot trail, the ear owl and an Archimedean screw, the trail ends at the HohneHof nature discovery center. There is a snack bar and an adventure playground here.
Living Middle Ages
Kings and emperors once resided here - today the Königspfalz Tilleda on the Kyffhäuser is a gateway to the history of the Middle Ages in Germany. Children can experience medieval life here in a very vivid way as part of group activities. They can try out historical musical instruments, practise archery or cook old recipes.
