Collegiate Church, Castle, Old Town of Quedlinburg

History was written in Quedlinburg over 1,100 years ago. In 919, the Saxon Duke Henry is said to have learned of his election as king at the Finkenherd below the Stiftsberg. The splendor and wealth of the Ottonian dynasty can still be seen today in the treasures of the cathedral treasury in the collegiate church of St. Servatii.

Quedlinburg was a high priority for the Ottonian rulers of the 10th century. The election of Duke Henry of Saxony as king laid the foundations for the first German state. He was buried in his favorite palace on the Quedlinburg Stiftsberg in 936. Founded in the same year by his widow Mathilde and his son, the future Emperor Otto I, the imperial-immediate secular convent was one of the most important institutions of its kind in the German-speaking world and had an impact far beyond the town of Quedlinburg and the Harz region through its high-ranking abbesses. The main task of the monastery was initially the memoria, the commemoration of the dead of Henry I and other members of the Ottonian family. In the 10th century, Quedlinburg was even regarded as the metropolis of the empire, the Easter palace of the Ottonian emperors and the site of important court days and synods. The castle on the Stiftsberg was the residence of the powerful abbesses. From here, the princesses ruled over their estates and possessions and determined the fate of the town at the foot of the Stiftsberg for centuries.

The World Heritage town is a wonderful place to discover on foot. If you are here for the first time, it is best to join the daily city tour through the UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can listen to explanations about the history, architecture and life in a thousand-year-old World Heritage city through the old town to the Stiftsberg.

Winding alleyways, picturesque squares and the imposing architecture of the Stiftsberg on rugged rocks in the middle of the town give Quedlinburg a unique character. The medieval town layout and large parts of the medieval buildings have been authentically preserved to this day. Cobblestone pavements, alleyways, half-timbered houses - surrounded by so much historical evidence, visitors are sure to go into raptures.

The Quedlinburg Cathedral Treasury is one of the most significant medieval church treasures in Europe and is closely linked to the history of the Ottonian rulers. In the Romanesque collegiate church of St. Servatius, visitors experience a fascinating blend of faith, power, and commemorative culture that dates back to the 10th century.

Precious works such as the Servatius Shrine or the Henry Comb tell the story of the founding of the convent and its prominent role in the Middle Ages. The impressive presentation transforms the cathedral treasury into a living place of history, where art, religion, and European culture converge in a unique way.

A visit to the Cathedral Treasury thus offers not only a glimpse of extraordinary works of art, but also a journey into the origins of European history. 

Podcast with Elmar Egner, curator of the cathedral treasury