Magdeburg

Magdeburg cathedral was begun in 1209 after a fire and is generally identified as the first Gothic cathedral built on German soil, using the new French style; it holds the tomb of Otto I, who died in 973. Nearby stands the Grüne Zitadelle, completed in 2005 to designs by Friedensreich Hundertwasser and his last project, a pink block with uneven floors, irregular windows, grass on the roof and trees growing out of the walls, built as a deliberate protest against straight lines and grey cities. The two stand a few hundred metres apart. The Elbe waterway crossing north of the city carries a canal over the river on a bridge.

History

Charlemagne founded Magdeburg as Magadoburg in 805, and King Henry the Fowler fortified it in 919; in 929 Otto I gave it to his English-born wife Edith, who often lived here and was buried in the abbey of St Maurice, later rebuilt as the cathedral, and Otto, who held a royal assembly here in 937, was buried there too. The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was founded in 968, with Adalbert as its first archbishop, and in 1035 the town received rights to hold fairs that formed the basis of the Magdeburg law adopted across Central and Eastern Europe; it burned in 1188, and in the 13th century, with more than 20,000 people, it was one of the largest cities of the Empire and a member of the Hanseatic League. Martin Luther went to school here around Easter 1497 and preached here in 1524, the city turned Protestant, and it withstood a siege by Maurice of Saxony in 1550-1551 (Wikipedia, Magdeburg).

What you'll find

• The 1209 cathedral - the first Gothic cathedral built in Germany.
• The Green Citadel - Hundertwasser's last building, finished in 2005.
• Otto I's tomb - the emperor's burial in the cathedral choir.
• The water bridge - a canal carried over the Elbe north of the city.

When to go

April to October; the cathedral closes during services and the tower climb is seasonal. The Green Citadel is residential and commercial with a courtyard open to visitors.

Things to know

The Green Citadel is mostly private apartments and offices; only courtyards and shops are open. Much of the city is postwar rebuilding.

Nearby

The Harz lies southwest; Wörlitz is southeast.