Halberstadt

A small historic town, which was the capital of the eponymous bishopric and the principality of Halberstadt from the 9th century to 1807. In 1815 the town was annexed by Prussia, and in 1871 passed to Germany.

Despite the destruction during World War II, half-timbered buildings can be found in the centre.






All the most important sights are located around the Cathedral Square (Domplatz), all the photos in this article were taken while walking around the square, so you can get around pretty quickly.

The square is bounded on one side by the Cathedral of St Stephen and St Sixtus (Dom zu Halberstadt), a cross-shaped basilica built in the 13th-15th centuries in the North French Gothic style, which today serves as a Protestant church.








And on the other is the Church of the Virgin Mary (Liebfrauenkirche), one of the few surviving four-towered Romanesque basilicas in central and northern Germany. Its 1000th anniversary was celebrated in 2005.




Another religious building, is the St. Martin's Church (St. Martini) in the Gothic architectural style. It was originally built in the late 13th to the first half of the 14th century, but was destroyed during World War II and rebuilt later. The tower has an observation deck, though at the time of our visit, all entrances were closed.




Like the cathedral, the design of the former residence of the abbot of the cathedral (Dompropstei) is also atypical of Germany, looking more like Italy. The building was constructed between 1591 and 1611.






City museum.


The wall behind the museum








Houses on the cathedral square.




Memorial to the Jewish victims near the cathedral.


Cathedral Square is elevated, this is clearly visible from the car park.


Near Halberstadt lies a small but very pleasant hilly area perfect for walks - the Spiegelsberge district (parking: 51.874028, 11.046750). It is not a “mountain” in the classical sense, but rather a wooded hill where several interesting sites are clustered together.

Count Ludwig Christoph Spiegel zu Bilenburg developed this area in the 18th century, and his mausoleum is also located on the grounds. In fact, the entire park, the hunting lodge, and the landscape design owe their existence to him.

The Spiegelsberge area was conceived not merely as a forest, but as an “English-style” landscape park, featuring viewing points, ornamental features, and various architectural structures.

First, we visited the zoo (Tiergarten Halberstadt)










Then we checked out the Jagdschloss Spiegelsberge restaurant, located in an 18th-century hunting lodge - a classic example of an aristocratic “forest residence.”


A little further on is the unusual Heinrichshöhe / Belvedere structure




Next comes a large lawn with a nice playground. And further on is the Bismarckturm Halberstadt observation tower. It was built in the early 20th century and is dedicated to Otto von Bismarck. You can visit the tower, but you have to pick up the keys at the zoo - something we didn’t know.




Getting there: parking 51.896556, 11.045917. Halberstadt Hbf train station is 2 km from Cathedral Square.