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World Heritage Site – Quedlinburg

Quedlinburg is a small medieval town in the Harz Mountains of Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany. It was designated UNESCO World Heritage Status in 1994.

Quedlinburg - a world heritage site in Germany.


There are three main characteristics of Quedlinburg that led to its heritage status: the layout of the town, with the medieval streets still in existance, the abundance of half-timbered houses, and the Collegiate Church on Castle Hill.

Quedlinburg Statue.
This little guy and his dog just seemed to be welcoming us to the town.

After having visited our fair share of medieval towns like Rothenburg, Eisenach, Carcassonne, to name a few, we thought we would be well-prepared for the quaintness of the town. We didn’t realize just how cute the town could be. I was a little miffed that I didn’t wait until spring, because it would have just been that much cuter. What was I thinking?

Half-timbered houses line the river.

What was great about Quedlinburg was that it is a bit off of the beaten path. It’s in the middle of the mountains, and there really aren’t any large cities very nearby. The closest is Magdeburg, but we didn’t make it there on this trip. There were a handful of German tourists, and one obligatory Asian couple, but other than that it was quiet and deserted.

The town hall in Quedlinburg.

With the sun shining, people were outside at the cafés, enjoying a nice piece of cake and some coffee. We could take as many photos as we wanted with very few people in them. That never happens in Rothenburg!

Medieval statue.

The only problem was that the entire main square was torn up and under construction and the flowers haven’t bloomed yet. Damn! That just means we’ll have to go back.

Other World Heritage Sites in Germany:
Roman Empire Ruins
Trier, The Oldest City in Germany
Rothenburg ob. Tauber
Regensburg
Wartburg Castle

More Quedlinburg Photos

A quaint Quedlinburg street.
Designs painted under the windows.
Quedlinburg in black and white.

Author Bio: Corinne Vail is a travel photographer, food lover, and a perpetual traveler who has been travel writing for over 14 years. For many years she lived overseas in Germany, Japan, Turkey, South Korea, and the Netherlands teaching the children of the US. military. She’s visited over 90 countries, and she’s not stopping anytime soon.

Corinne Vail

Monday 1st of April 2013

True. Germany is so much prettier in the nicer months, but the tourists do flock to these quait little cities. I personally can't get enough of half-timbered houses. Where do you plan on going in Bavaria? There is so much to see!

Mary {The World Is A Book}

Friday 29th of March 2013

What beautiful town and I love that you almost had the place to yourselves. Beautiful shots! I can imagine how colorful this place looks during the warmer months. We'll be in the Bavaria Germany this summer and looking forward to seeing these charming towns but also prepared to share it with a ton of tourists :)

Andrea

Wednesday 20th of March 2013

Oh how pretty - I really want to explore more towns like this in Germany

Corinne Vail

Wednesday 20th of March 2013

There are plenty of quaint towns here in Germany, but I have to say this one was super-quaint. Thanks for the comment!