Merseburg

The royal seat Merseburg enchants with history, art and culture.

With Merseburg, the old residence and today's cathedral and university city, the castle-rich wine region of the Saale-Unstrut valley opens up to you.
Here, imposing buildings along the "Romanesque Road" fascinate, rivers and lakes along the "Blue Ribbon" open up new paths, "garden dreams" invite you to linger and "heavenly paths" arouse curiosity. Unforgettable impressions are offered by the art and cultural sites in Halle, Leipzig and the residence towns of Weißenfels and Zeitz in the Saale-Unstrut region, a must for every visitor.
Those seeking active recreation can explore this charming cultural landscape on well-developed cycle, hiking and waterways. Today's district town of Merseburg is considered by many to be the mother of the Central German towns: Continuously settled for more than 6000 years, the mighty Stone Age castle on the mountain spur above the Saale grew from a strategically important border town between Germanic and Slavic peoples to a residence where peace treaties were negotiated and weddings celebrated when Leipzig was still a village and Stade was unknown. However, like other towns, both are first mentioned in the chronicle of Thietmar von Merseburg, written between 1015 and 1018. The impressive castle complex with the Merseburg imperial cathedral, which also houses the famous Merseburg magic spells in its vaults, bears witness to the city's eventful history of well over 1200 years. A special stop on the "Street of Garden Dreams".

Between the Renaissance castle, which today houses the museum, and the baroque castle garden salon with its orangery, the castle garden spreads out. The park with its outstanding group of obelisks and other monuments captivates visitors with its unique line of sight between the Cathedral Palace ensemble and the Palace Garden Salon, as well as with the picturesque view across the Saale River into the floodplain landscape. The Merseburg Castle Garden is open all year round.