Wernigerode - The City of Fog, Castles and Legends

Hi friends. Today I want to share another trip I took to a small town in Germany called Wernigerode. It is located in the Harz region. This is also where Brocken, the highest mountain in this part of Germany is located. From where we were standing, we could see it quite clearly. When we arrived, the weather was sunny. But in the early morning the mountain was wrapped in fog. We were able to observe Brocken from Wernigerode Castle.

Wernigerode Castle was originally built as a fortress. This happened at the beginning of the tenth century. Later in the fifteenth century, it was redesigned in the late Gothic style. During the same century, Renaissance elements were added. After the destruction of the Thirty Years War, the castle underwent extensive restoration and gained Baroque features during this period. The largest renovation was commissioned by Count Otto zu Stolberg-Wernigerode. Today, we see the castle in the form it took after this major renovation, in the North German historicist and Neo-Gothic style.

All these layers of history and different architectural styles come together in a very impressive way and create a unique architectural whole. Another interesting architectural feature is the circular layout of the residential sections. At the center of this circle is a charming inner courtyard. Here you can see half-timbered structures, a Renaissance tower and richly carved facades side by side. In the colder months, the dark burgundy ivy adds a special mood to this courtyard.

As for the interiors, the castle has around 250 rooms in total and about 50 of them are open to visitors. The visit is organized along two circular routes. On the first route, we saw the private rooms used by the count’s family, including the count’s study, living room and bedroom, as well as Countess Anna’s bedroom and study. The second route includes more formal and grand spaces, such as the reception hall, the art gallery and a very rich nineteenth-century art collection. There are also the so-called royal apartments, since kings stayed here as well. In the Middle Ages, this place was used as an imperial hunting lodge. During Count Otto’s time, for example, Prussian King Wilhelm I stayed here.

This place has an amazing view. The region is also famous for its legends and beliefs about witches, ghosts and supernatural beings. Some people even believe that these beings still live in the castle. One fun visual reflection of this mystical atmosphere is a little dwarf figure. It was first made of wax by the count’s daughter and later carved in wood by a local craftsman.

This mystical mood also played a role in the castle being chosen as a set for various fairy-tale and ghost-themed films. Some people compare the castle to Neuschwanstein, but to me this comparison feels a bit forced. Neuschwanstein was built from scratch as a romantic fairy-tale castle. Wernigerode Castle, on the other hand, reached its current form by transforming over centuries.

When it comes to witch hunts, the real champion is the nearby town of Quedlinburg. There, 39 women accused of witchcraft were executed within a single century.

Wernigerode also has many half-timbered houses, though not as many as Quedlinburg. One interesting detail that caught my eye is that many houses are covered with wooden cladding. Some neighborhoods even remind me of small Scandinavian towns in Finland or Sweden. The gables being covered with wood, tiles or sometimes slate is also very characteristic.

The smallest house in Wernigerode was built in 1792 for a shoemaker’s family. It is tiny. The total area is about 40 square meters. Its width is 2.95 meters and its height is 4.20 meters. The ground floor ceiling is only 1.70 meters high. The kitchen is on the ground floor, the living room on the second floor and the bedroom on the third floor. How many people lived there, can you guess? Ten. And the toilet was in the inner courtyard. Yes, even this tiny house has its own courtyard.

Right next to it stands a modern sculpture called The Thinker. It looks as if he is reflecting on how fleeting life is and how little we actually need to be happy.

Another curious building is the Crooked House. According to legend, the shoemaker who lived here used to lie a lot. One day, a spirit appeared and said, If you keep lying, your house will become crooked. The shoemaker kept lying and the house really did become crooked. The spirit returned and warned, If it happens once more, the house will collapse. After that, the man stopped lying and the house stayed as it was. Of course, there is also a more realistic explanation. There used to be a water mill here and over time the water eroded the foundation, causing the building to lean. Today, it functions as a museum.

To get up to the castle, you can take a nostalgic horse-drawn carriage or small tourist trains. You can also walk up if you like, but especially on nice days, taking the train up and then walking back down through the forest paths is a lovely experience.

After that, we stopped by the Marktplatz, the market square. This is where the town hall, the Rathaus, is located. Unfortunately, it was under restoration when we visited.

The fact that the town suffered almost no damage during World War II is linked to a tragic but important story. An SS officer named Gustav Petri opposed Hitler’s order to defend the town to the last bullet and managed to have Wernigerode declared a hospital city. He was executed for this decision, but thanks to him, the town was saved.

Houses with wooden decorations are very common in Wernigerode. One of the most impressive buildings is the Krumelsches Haus, built at the end of the fifteenth century. It stands out with its rich wooden carvings. The facade depicts figures representing Asia, Europe, America and Africa, along with local legends.

I hope you enjoyed our walk through Wernigerode. For me, it felt like a childhood dream coming true, because ever since watching the Münchhausen film, I had always wanted to see these places. If you ever get the chance, definitely visit Wernigerode and experience this medieval fairy-tale atmosphere for yourself. See you next time and let’s meet again on another journey.