Quedlinburg, Germany: My Kind of Town
Simon Winder on Quedlinburg's rambling street pattern, charming red-roofed houses, and beautiful Romanesque abbey.
Why Quedlinburg?
I have been criss-crossing Germany for years researching my new book but always at the back of my mind is the sheer beauty and pleasure of the daft little Harz Mountain town of Quedlinburg, ruled as a semi-independent mini-state by a group of aristocratic abbesses for more than 800 years. The town's entire economic purpose was to support the nuns and allow them to spend their lives praying for the soul of the great Saxon emperor Henry the Fowler, who was buried there. The town eventually got gobbled up by Prussia some 200 years ago and then became just a small town in Germany, but like so many such places, it still feels like a proudly separate, Ruritanian spot.
What do you miss most when you're away?
The rambling street pattern, the beauty of the countless, red-roofed half-timbered houses and, of course, the "pocket Schloss" perched on its hill with a beautiful Romanesque abbey, like something made from children's bricks. Plus the strange way that the town always seems to have something else to reveal: a church, a square, a peculiar old watchtower.
What's the first thing you do when you return?
Head for the abbey church: in any season its exterior and views are astonishingly lovely and peaceful. Bizarrely, Heinrich Himmler converted it into an SS temple and the smashed remains of the Third Reich eagle that briefly filled the abbey's window is now in the extraordinary museum (which also includes a little wooden mobile prison of great antiquity).
Where's the best place to stay?
I really like the Hotel Zur Goldenen Sonne (Steinweg 11; 0049 394 696 250; www.hotelzurgoldenensonne.de; from £49 per night). It is in a beautiful building though the rooms are fairly stark. More expensive and grand in every way is the Hotel Theophano (Markt 13; 96300; www.hoteltheophano.de; from £70), which is just a magnificent old place with a great restaurant (see below).
Which are your favourite places for lunch?
Shamefully, I tend to look out for street bratwurst sellers whose wares are very cheap but delicious for anyone immersed in German culture. However, the Brauhaus Lüdde, on Blasiistrasse (705206), makes a range of its own excellent beers.
And for dinner?
The great restaurant is the Palais Salfeldt owned by the Hotel Theophano, a scarcely credible vaulted chamber serving spectacular and mouth-watering German and Mediterranean goodies and with a great wine list. Reservations via the hotel and same website.
Where would you send a first-time visitor?
The short train ride to Thale and the walk into the mountains, along a famous Romantic trail pioneered by Heine and Goethe, past the rocky crag of the "Witches' Dancing Place", an ancient site of pagan worship with great views.
What would you tell them to avoid?
Some streets are duller than others, but from medieval to Renaissance to Jugendstil, there is always something to enjoy.
Public transport or taxi?
Buses are cheap and easy and there are reasonable train links to Magdeburg.
Handbag or moneybelt?
You could probably drop your handbag repeatedly and have it picked up and returned by helpful Quedlinburgers.
What should I take home?
This is the epicentre of all things broomstick, including baffling witch dolls. But also you can buy quality German outdoor wear and fruit-infused schnapps.
* 'Germania: A Personal History of Germans Ancient and Modern' by Simon Winder is published by Picador (£18.99)
Simon Winder, The Telegraph 09-02-2010
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