Quedlinburg, in eastern Germany, is the best-preserved medieval town in Europe, with 2,000 or more half-timbered houses around the town. You could spend days seeing them all. I’ve created this guide to the most beautiful streets in Quedlinburg to help you see the best of it.
Quedlinburg was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, largely because it has such an extraordinary number of well-preserved timber-framed houses. That’s a lot of walking, especially on cobbled streets.
So if you’re short of time, this guide will help you get around the highlights comfortably within a few hours.
I’ve divided up the streets in the article into areas – the Old Town, Schlossberg (Castle Hill) and New Town. I hope you find this magical place as inspirational as I did. Enjoy!
Most Beautiful Streets In Quedlinburg – Old Town
Markt
The Market Square of Quedlinburg has one of the most iconic buildings in the town, the gabled house next to the Rathaus (Town Hall) which is home to the Boulevard Café.
It’s also home to several fine half-timbered buildings. These include the Hotel Theophano, Hotel Zum Bär and several cafes, including the popular Gelbke Café at number 11.
The square is also home to two tourist information offioces next door to each other. It’s the starting point for guided walks around Quedlinburg, and several of the streets in the rest of the article radiate from the square or one of the neighbouring streets.
Word and Wordgasse
This short but stunning street is a wonderful journey through the centuries. You begin on the Markt, Quedlinburg’s main square, passing some fine top-heavy timbered leaning edifices along the way. You then continue past the Ständerbau, or Half-Timbered House Museum, on your right, before turning left to cross the Mühlgraben stream.
As you turn left across the bridge, you’ll see one of the finest of Quedlinburg’s höfe (courtyards), the Adelshof, on your right. The street narrows for about twenty metres, passing between more half-timbered houses, before emerging into an open area with a section of the town wall on the right.
The street continues left, past a series of small timber-framed houses, some of which have been restored in recent years. This section is the most colourful street in Quedlinburg, without a doubt! The green building across the street from the end of the street is an Irish pub. And the great Wordgarten playground is a few metres away across the street.
Schuhhof
This narrow passageway is the smallest street in Quedlinburg. You reach it via a short tunnel just off the Markt (main square). Its name means ‘shoe court’ so it was probably home to some of the cobblers of Quedlinburg in centuries gone by.
You emerge from the small tunnel into an alleyway with tiny half-timbered houses. The street is only 40-50 metres long, but contains some of the quirkiest houses in Quedlinburg. One black and white house on the south side of the street is so tiny that I would have to sit down to get through the front door – I’m 6’3’’ (1.90 metres) tall, and it must have been only around 5 feet tall.
There is also a gorgeous, intimate little bookshop (see my article on Things To Do In Quedlinburg for a longer description) and a few brightly painted half-timbered houses now used as guesthouses. You then exit the street via an archway, which leads into Hölle
Breite Strasse
Breite Strasse means ‘Broad Street’, and is one of the busier streets in Quedlinburg Old Town. It leads north from the Markt, passing the Rathaus (Town Hall) before heading north towards the town wall.
The first house, number 53, is one of the most beautiful. It dates from around 1560, and is one of the best examples of Renaissance architecture in the town. The façade is one of the most detailed in Quedlinburg, with pink painted feather motifs and wooden fan rosettes.
Further up the street on the right you’ll find another of the most striking Quedlinburg house fronts. The Gildehaus zur Rose, at number 39, was a wealthy merchant’s house, believed to have been built around 1612. The façade is one of the most striking in Quedlinburg, with carved flowers and coats of arms on the lower part of the red top level of the building.
The street also passes some beautiful half-timbered houses on Hoken, which are home to cafes and shops. A narrow passageway between them leads to the Marktkirche St Benedikti (St Benedict’s Church).
Stieg
Stieg is a short, narrow street off Breite Strasse, to the east of the main square (Markt) in Quedlinburg.
Most of the buildings are half-timbered, and there are outstanding examples all along the street. Many houses in Quedlinburg have carved inscriptions on the wooden beams above the door. Sometimes they consist of the names of the builder and the year it was built. And they also can have religious meaning.
The house at number 16 Stieg is unusual in that it has an inscription in Greek, something I didn’t encounter anywhere else in my many long walks around Quedlinburg.
I found Stieg especially beautiful at dusk. At this time the street is subtly lit, and the stained-glass window of the Rathaus (Town Hall) is lit from the inside. Together they make a magical sight.
Hölle
Quedlinburg has some fascinating street and building names, none more so than Hölle, which simply means ‘Hell’.
The short street is packed with half-timbered houses, which were built between the 16th and 18th centuries (1500s to 1700s). An archway leads off it to Schuhhof (see above) in one direction. And the street ends at the junction with Stieg (also see above).
It’s also home to one of the best restaurants in Quedlinburg, Himmel und Hölle, whose name means Heaven and Hell.
Schmale Strasse
Schmale Strasse – which means ‘narrow street’ – dates back to at least the early 14th century, but the street has undergone a lot of renovation work in recent decades.
It’s in the northwestern part of the Old Town, and the reason I was drawn to it is the view along it with the spire of St Aegidii Church behind it. It’s one of the most iconic views of Quedlinburg, and the restored red half-timbered house is what makes it.
Take a closer look at the house, which has the wonderful carving (pictured) of a man’s head.
Goldstrasse
This small side street at the northern end of the Old Town came as a wonderful surprise. I first went there while researching the seldom-open St Aegidii Church for my Churches in Quedlinburg article.
Instead I found one of the most unusual of Quedlinburg’s town wall towers, the Schreckerturm (pictured). Its name – meaning ‘Tower of Horror – is enough to scare some off. But the windows built into it – and some signs near the bottom – suggest it has been used as holiday accommodation, and possibly a permanent residence.
There are also some great 17th-century half-timbered houses in the vicinity. And the church of St Aegidii? It’s hardly ever open, but I stumbled across the view above from a modern courtyard off Goldstrasse.
Most Beautiful Quedlinburg Streets – Around Castle Hill (Schlossberg)
Finkenherd
The first sight that greets you as you walk up the hill to Finkenherd is the narrow gabled house (pictured) that’s one of the most famous houses in Quedlinburg. The house stretches up the hill to the other end of the square, and looks just the sort of place where you’d find elves and pixies hiding out.
This particular house was built around 1530, making it one of the older surviving houses in Quedlinburg. According to legend, Duke Heinrich I of Saxony was offered the Kingdom of the East Franks while hunting for birds on this square.
There are several more fine buildings on Finkenherd. Café Kaiser is one of the best cafes in Quedlinburg, with an outdoor garden around the side ideal for warmer weather.
Wassertorstrasse
This is one of my favourite streets in Quedlinburg, a narrow cobbled lane running along the southern side of Quedlinburg Castle.
It’s only about 200 metres long but packed with magic. As you reach the highest point on the street, you’ll find one of the most improbable ensembles of houses you’ll ever see. Who needs geometry when you can cram houses of different shapes and sizes together like this?
It’s pure fairytale charm, straight out of a medieval fairytale. And the views of the Castle and Collegiate Church of St Servatius are fantastic too.
Schlossberg
Schlossberg is both the name of the Castle Hill in Quedlinburg and a street on the Hill. It winds its way up from Finkenherd, past the Lyonel Feininger Galerie and Klopstockhaus Museum, then runs along the north side of the Castle, before a gentle finale, narrowly squeezing between two sets of houses before emerging down a flight of stairs onto Wassertorstrasse.
It’s full of half-timbered houses, as you’d expect, and it also offers access to the Parson’s Steps, a flight of stairs used by visitors to access the top of the hill while the Castle Museum is being restored during 2024. Even after normal access is restored, walk up the 60-odd stairs anyway for the views from the gardens below St Servatius Church.
Most Beautiful Streets In Quedlinburg – New Town
Neustädter Kirchhof
This square around the Nikolaikirche is one of the most characterful corners of Quedlinburg. The spacious square around the church is packed with large and small timber-framed houses, with some wonky angles along the way.
The area around the Nikolaikirche is one of the less-frequented in Quedlinburg, and it’s well worth a stroll around the area to see more of these wonderful houses.
It’s part of Quedlinburg New Town but very little is that new. The area was built from the 13th century onwards to accommodate people from the overcrowded Old Town.
Reichenstrasse
Reichenstrasse is a short street in the northern part of Quedlinburg New Town. The street is wider than many in the Old Town, but the houses are just as old. I did a quick walk up and down the street and the houses I looked at were built between 1660 and 1760.
In most towns this would be nothing more than a quiet residential side street. Instead it’s full of these wondrous centuries-old houses. My favourites among them are the characterful cluster pictured above. I just hope the people living in the second house on the right aren’t claustrophobes!
Most Beautiful Streets in Quedlinburg – Final Words
I hope you have enjoyed my guide to the best streets in Quedlinburg, and that it has given you some inspiration to explore further.
To me, there’s no reason why Quedlinburg shouldn’t be as widely known as Rothenburg ob der Tauber, many people’s most iconic, almost idealised, vision of Germany.
The only reason I can see why it hasn’t caught on with international visitors is its location, in a quieter, less-explored part of Germany. You have to catch two trains there from Berlin, or three from Leipzig. Hardly insurmountable, but not very convenient, it’s true. Take a look at my guides to the best things to do in Quedlinburg and churches in Quedlinburg if you need further convincing.
Besides, the notion that Quedlinburg isn’t near anywhere else is a myth. It’s on the doorstep of the Harz Mountains, which you can reach via the wonderful Harz Steam Railway. The beautiful village of Gernrode, with the incredible 10th-century church of St Cyriakus, is right on its doorstep. The gorgeous medieval town of Wernigerode is less than an hour away, and the World Heritage mining city of Goslar is a short train ride beyond. Check out my guide to the best things to do in Goslar – I heartily recommend a visit to this amazing town.
I have included Quedlinburg on my Germany Half-Timbered Towns Itinerary along with Wernigerode and Goslar. This also allows time to see more of the Harz Mountains, including the steam train ride up to the range’s highest summit, the Brocken. Quedlinburg is also on two of the best tourist routes in Germany, the Half-Timbered Road and the Romanesque Road.
For further inspiration, I suggest taking a look at my guide to the best places to visit in Eastern Germany. This covers everywhere from Goslar to Görlitz, and highlights from Berlin landmarks to the Bastei Bridge and Frauenkirche Dresden.
If you’re thinking of travelling further across Germany, then check out my guide to the best places to visit in Germany. And for more articles and inspiration, take a look at my Germany Travel Guide page.
And finally, why not spread the net even further and check out my guide to the 23 Most Beautiful Streets In Europe?
David Angel is a British photographer, writer and historian. He is a European travel expert with over 30 years’ experience exploring Europe. He has a degree in History from Manchester University, and his work is regularly featured in global media including the BBC, Condé Nast Traveler, The Guardian, The Times, and The Sunday Times. David is fluent in French and Welsh, and can also converse in Italian, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Czech and Polish.