Querfurt Castle

Querfurt Castle, which is over 1000 years old, rises on the outskirts of the town of the same name near Halle on the Saale in southern Saxony-Anhalt. With its three towers (Marterturm, Dicker Heinrich and Pariser Turm), two ring walls and imposing fortifications, it is visible from all directions and is one of the oldest, largest and best-preserved castle complexes in central Germany.

On the 3.5-hectare site, there are traces from various historical epochs, from Romanticism to Gothic and Baroque. The multifaceted history of the castle, its builders and everyday life at the time are presented in a vivid exhibition in the castle museum.

Location of famous films

By now, the astonishingly well-preserved castle complex has served as a backdrop for numerous films, such as "The Physician", "Pope Joan" and "Black Death", and also for some series, reports and documentaries, which earned it the nickname FilmBurg Querfurt.

Visitors to the castle can take a guided tour to explore the different areas of the complex and the museum in detail, experience interesting themed areas in various exhibitions, have light refreshments in the historic castle café and enjoy selected films in a medieval ambience at the summer cinema. There are also special programmes for children during the summer holidays, projects and guided tours.

Querfurt Castle was first mentioned in a document in the Hersfeld tithe register in 866-899, but its origins probably go back even further.

The influential noble family of the noble lords of Querfurt, related to the Saxon emperor, had its ancestral seat there since the 10th century. After the death of the last lord of the castle, Bruno IX von Querfurt, in 1496, the castle was confiscated as a fief by the archbishopric of Magdeburg, and since then the owners have changed frequently. During the Thirty Years' War, the fortress, which until then had been considered impregnable, was besieged and was the scene of numerous battles.

In 1663, the princes of Saxony-Querfurt made the castle their residence, and in 1815 it passed into Prussian ownership, where it became an agricultural domain. A few years after the domain was dissolved in 1936, extensive research began on the site, and today the castle belongs to the Saalekreis district.

By car

The best way to reach the castle by car is via the A38 from Göttingen or Leipzig, and from the south via the A71 or the B180 and B250 to Querfurt. The castle car park is directly in front of the castle on the Burgring.

By public transport

You can take the ICE to Halle/Saale and from there to Röblingen am See. Then take the bus directly to Querfurt.