Wernigerode Castle

Wernigerode Castle

A castle above a fairytale town

At the northern edge of the Harz mountains, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, a romantic castle of towers and turrets looks down from a wooded hill over one of Germany's prettiest towns. Wernigerode, with its winding streets of colourful half-timbered houses, makes the perfect setting for its castle above — together they look like an illustration from a book of fairy tales.

From medieval fortress to romantic palace

A castle has stood on this hill since medieval times, when it guarded the counts of Wernigerode and watched over the routes through the Harz. Over the centuries it was rebuilt several times in different styles, as fortresses gave way to more comfortable residences.

The castle's present romantic appearance, however, comes mainly from the 1800s. In that age, when Germans fell in love with the Middle Ages and with dramatic, picturesque architecture, the count of Wernigerode had the castle grandly rebuilt and extended in a historicist style, adding the towers, turrets, oriels and battlements that give it such a storybook look today. It became a textbook example of German castle Romanticism — a real old castle reimagined as a romantic dream.

A noble residence

Inside, Wernigerode Castle was fitted out as a grand and comfortable home for the count and his family, with richly furnished rooms reflecting the tastes of the German nobility in the 1800s. Today these rooms form a museum, letting visitors see how an aristocratic family lived in the age of the German Empire, surrounded by fine furniture, art and family treasures.

Gateway to the Harz

Wernigerode is often called the "colourful town in the Harz", and it is a popular gateway to the Harz mountains, a region of forests, peaks and legends. Nearby runs a famous narrow-gauge steam railway that climbs to the Brocken, the highest peak in the Harz, long associated in folklore with witches and their gatherings on Walpurgis Night.

The castle, the charming town and the surrounding mountains make Wernigerode one of the most delightful places to visit in central Germany.

A much-loved landmark

With its romantic silhouette against the wooded hills, Wernigerode Castle has become a beloved symbol of the region and a favourite for visitors and photographers. It has also featured in films, its fairytale looks making it a natural choice for stories set in storybook lands.

Visiting today

Visitors can climb to the castle to tour its richly furnished rooms and museum, enjoy views over the colourful town and the Harz mountains, and explore the beautiful old town below with its half-timbered houses. The nearby steam railway into the mountains adds to the adventure. Romantic, turreted and beautifully set, Wernigerode Castle is one of the most charming castles in northern Germany.