Tom`s travels: Hundisburg & Haldensleben (13/07/2024)

Ania and I decided to go on a trip to Saxony-Anhalt. After leaving Berlin by train we then switched to a bus and reached the small town of Hundisburg. Walking through we passed what is known as Boitzturm, a 13th-century residential tower built, alongside six other such towers, for the knights entrusted with protecting the nearby castle. The tower, with its thick walls and battlements, was originally used for defense, but as it also features ornamental windows it was also a prestigious dwelling. Not far from it we then reached Schloss Hundisburg, considered one of the most beautiful baroque castles in Saxony-Anhalt. Originally dating to the early middle ages the castle was then rebuilt between 1693 and 1712 in a baroque style. Unfortunately, right after WWII, in 1945, the castle which had served as quarters for Soviet soldiers occupying that area of Germany was hit by a tremendous fire that destroyed much of it. Efforts to rebuild it were postponed and eventually starting in 1994, were carried out. Once there we first walked through the rear part which consists of service buildings around a central courtyard on the highest spot which the castle used to occupy. From here we could admire the two towers flanking the main castle structure, both looking the same in style but made from different stones. Then we headed over to the eastern side where we admired the reconstructed baroque palace. The complex was even nicer as it had a large garden extending eastwards with an elaborate terracing from the hill to the west all the way to the baroque gate to the east. It featured an array of low and tall hedges, an ad topiary decoration set in an orderly fashion as was typical with baroque gardens. A nice reconstruction as well, considering that after the destruction a soccer field had even been built there. We walked around the grounds enjoying the view and then once we had done a large loop through the garden we headed out and into town. Here we passed by the church of St Andrew built in stone in the 13th century. As it was closed we continued on and exited town heading westwards until we reached what is the ruins of the Nordhusen church. Consisting of only the outer shell of the tower still standing it was an impressive sight, due to its size, standing tall in its stone structure isolated and surrounded by fields. Dating to the 12th century it used to serve the village of Nordhusen, however, due to the construction of the nearby castle the inhabitants of the village increasingly moved to it eventually deserting the settlement. We decided then to have a break there and sat on a bench right next to the church ruins where we had our lunch. After that, we headed on and started walking through the open countryside until we reached a nice forest. We followed it for a bit until we got to a town called Althaldensleben, where once a former Cistercian monastery used to stand. The complex which was thoroughly changed now hosts a vocational school center. From there we then walked on, and after crossing the Mittelland Canal we reached the town of Haldensleben. As we approached the old town we admired the nice timber-framed and other houses, many of which old and well preserved. At the center of town we reached and entered the church of St Mary, Originally from the 12th century, it was then built in a Gothic style starting in the 14th century but then destroyed by fire in 1661. The church was rebuilt thereafter, with just the exterior shell and arches in the Gothic while the rest including the interior fittings in the Baroque style. After visiting it we walked to the nearby main square, the Marktplatz. Here was the 19th neoclassical town hall and in front of it the statue of Roland, a knight with a drawn sword, signifying the town privileges of a medieval city. Curiously this is the only statue of Roland sitting on a horse. From the square we continued through the rest of town, passing by the Bülstringer Torturm, one of only two surviving medieval towers that once encircled the old town together with the medieval walls. After walking the rest of the old town streets we eventually headed back to the train station from where we took a ride back to Berlin.