Even those who do not know what country it is in have heard about Magdeburg. Magdeburg Law – the right of individual cities to autonomy – is widely known, but the city is famous not only for this. In the past, it was a famous trading and imperial city, from the former luxury of which the Imperial Cathedral, the monastery of the Holy Virgin Mary and other ancient architectural monuments remained. Modern Magdeburg is a very pretty and green city, there are more than 20 parks, one of which, Herrenkrug, has been preserved since the 17th century.
One of the brightest and most popular city events is the city festival, or Idol Burning Night, which takes place on Easter night, and many tourists come here for this event.
How to get to Magdeburg
According to Wholevehicles, Magdeburg has its own airport, which accepts both domestic and international flights. Leipzig Airport is also located 100 km from the city. Magdeburg is connected to the outside world via the federal highways A2 and A14 and by rail.
Shopping: shops
The main shopping alleys of the city are Breiter Weg, Ernst-Reuter-Allee, as well as shopping arcades on Halberstädter Strasse and in the Sudenburg quarter.
Entertainment and attractions of Magdeburg
On the Domfelsen (Cathedral Rocks) rises the Cathedral of St. Catherine and Mauritius (Dom St. Katharina und Mauritius), founded by Emperor Otto I, the oldest building in the city. Together with the Kaiserpfalz (Imperial Square), the cathedral was once the center of the so-called Third Rome.
The Monastery of St. Virgin Mary (Kloster Unser Lieben Frauen) is one of the main reasons why Magdeburg is called the pearl of the “Romanesque Architecture Route” (Straße der Romanik). The northern part of the monastery borders on Domplatz (Cathedral Square).
In front of the town hall (Rathaus) on Alter Markt (Old Market) stands a copy of the famous monument Magdeburg Horseman (Magdeburger Reiter). The original is in the historical and cultural museum (Kulturhistorischen Museum), which is described below.
Museums of Magdeburg
The Historical and Cultural Museum (Kulturhistorisches Museum) houses a collection of arts and crafts: 40,000 archaeological finds and medieval valuables, 10,000 exhibits about the history of the city, more than 11,000 coins and medals, 1,400 military items, 800 pieces of furniture, about 1,100 paintings, etc. Opening hours: Monday closed, excursions by appointment.
The Technical Museum (Technikmuseum) contains exhibits that tell about the economic and social history of the city. Opening hours: Monday closed, excursions by appointment.
The steamship Württemberg, after its last voyage along the Elbe in 1974, anchored for a long time near the island of Rotehorn. Now it functions as a museum (Museumsschiff), where you can see its interior, an exhibition about shipping on the Elbe.
The permanent exhibition of the Museum of Art (Kunstmuseum) covers works from ancient times to the modern era, German sculpture of the 20th century, as well as contemporary art.
The Jahrtausendturm (Thousand-Year Tower, 60 m), which is located in the Elbauenpark park, is the tallest wooden building in Germany. Here in five exhibition halls you can see: the pyramids of Giza, the ancient Roman road, the medieval swivel crane, Newton’s mirror telescope and fiberglass optical sensors. Opening hours: from April to October, closed on Mon.
The Museum of Art in the Monastery of St. Mary is the most important exhibition hall for contemporary art in Saxony-Anhalt. The collection contains works by: Castellani, Anselmo, Tsorio, Holzner, Brelo and Ikemura. Opening hours: Monday closed, excursions by appointment.