No matter which direction you come from, the silhouette of the 1200-year-old bishop’s town with its incomparable church buildings never fails to impress. If you ask Halberstadt residents today what they are particularly proud of, they will probably name the town hall, the new town centre and the renovated old town.
The new buildings fill the painful gap left by the bombing of Halberstadt on 8 April 1945. A city with history Halberstadt is a city with a long history, as evidenced not only by the important religious buildings such as the Church of Our Lady and the Cathedral or the Martini Church. Archaeological excavations in the city centre have provided unequivocal proof that the area south of St. Martin’s Church was already inhabited in the 9th and 10th centuries. Not to mention the earliest mentions of the city from the year 804, when Charlemagne designated Halberstadt as the episcopal see. As early as 989, Otto III granted the bishop of Halberstadt, Hildeward, market, minting and customs rights as well as jurisdiction over history. In 1068, the bishop assured Halberstadt merchants freedom from customs duties throughout the German Empire.
Halberstadt, often apostrophised as the “gateway to the Harz”, is much more than an ideal starting point for destinations in the nearby Harz mountains. The historic town centre, for example, boasts numerous art-historical sights. The Domplatz (Cathedral Square) may be considered one of the most beautiful squares in Germany. Bordered by the cathedral to the east and the Liebfrauenkirche church to the west, magnificent curiae on the north side point to Halberstadt’s former importance as a bishop’s town.