Winding alleyways, half-timbered houses from different eras, medieval squares, modern art behind centuries-old walls and the Stiftsberg with its castle and Romanesque collegiate church, which towers above everything for miles around: Quedlinburg is the only UNESCO World Heritage town in Saxony-Anhalt. It is a living monument that attracts visitors from all over the world to the northern Harz foreland and captivates everyone.
Powerful Women. Treasures of Faith. History of Europe.
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.
A New Presentation - The Quedlinburg Cathedral Treasury
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
The Castle Museum will open on October 3, 2026
In recent years, the historically significant buildings on the Stiftsberg have undergone extensive structural restoration. They will feature a completely new museum exhibition—accessible and of international standard. At this fascinatingly authentic site of German history, the opening of the new castle museum on October 3, 2026, will offer visitors the opportunity to learn everything about the convent that stood here for 866 years and shaped the city of Quedlinburg, the region, and the history of Saxony-Anhalt for centuries. Spanning over 2,300 square meters of exhibition space, a continuous chronological tour will allow visitors to rediscover this highly significant site, its majestic buildings, its fascinating works of art, its compelling history, and its powerful women—all within the interplay of faith, power, and memory. This journey through time spans more than 1,100 years of art and cultural history: from King Henry I and his wife Matilda to Napoleon, from the foundation to the end of the convent, from the plundering of the significant church treasure to the return of touching everyday objects. The exhibition also depicts the transformation of the commemoration of the dead and the culture of remembrance, the handling of the imperial abbey’s cultural heritage in the 19th and 20th centuries, and Quedlinburg’s path to becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
With the architectural and museum-related revitalization of the Stiftsberg, this remarkable World Heritage site will once again present itself as a central location in European history—magically situated, with blooming gardens and sweeping views of the surrounding landscape.
The medieval town with its more than 2,000 half-timbered houses dating back eight centuries and the Stiftsberg has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994.
Visitor Information
Half-Timbered House Museum in the Ständerbau,
Wordgasse 3,
06484 Quedlinburg
Quedlinburg Castle
Museum Schlossberg 1
06484 Quedlinburg
Quedlinburg
Collegiate Church Schlossberg 1g
06484 Quedlinburg
Münzenberg Museum,
Münzenberg 16,
06484 Quedlinburg
Half-Timbered House Museum
April – October:
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Closed
on Thursdays; open on holidays (including Thursdays)
November – March:
On the first three weekends of Advent (“Advent in the Courtyards”):
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Closed all other days
Quedlinburg Castle Museum
Currently closed for renovation. Reopening on October 3, 2026.
Quedlinburg Collegiate Church
Closed on Mondays
Tue – Fri: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sat: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sun: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Holidays (including Saturdays): 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Public tours:
Sat and Sun: 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
Last admission 30 minutes before closing
Münzenberg Museum
April – October
Fri – Tue: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Wed – Thu: closed
November – March
Fri – Mon: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Tue – Thu: closed
The museum is closed on Dec. 24, 25, and 26, and on Jan. 1.
Half-Timbered House Museum in the Ständerbau
Adults: €5.00
Reduced rate: €4.00
Children (up to age 18): Free admission
Guided tours: €30.00 / 45-minute tour, max. 15 people due to the small size of the museum rooms
Quedlinburg Castle
Museum New prices upon opening.
Quedlinburg
Collegiate Church Adults: €6.00
Reduced rate: €4.50
Children up to age 18 and "birthday children" (with proof) receive free admission
Münzenberg Museum
Admission is free.
Group tours for 10 or more people: €1.00 donation per person
Municipal Museums
of the World Heritage City of Quedlinburg
Markt 1
06484 Quedlinburg
Phone: 03946 90 56 80
E-Mail:museen@quedlinburg.de
Quedlinburg
Collegiate Church Phone: 03946 709900
Email: post@domschatzquedlinburg.de
Web: www.domschatzquedlinburg.de
Münzenberg Museum
Phone: 0178 80 42 592
Email: st.marien-quedlinburg@gmx.de
Website: www.klosterkirche-muenzenberg.de