GERMANY - Collegiate Church, Castle and Old Town of Quedlinburg

Postcard sent by Eule in a Unesco tag.

Sent 30 of November of 2017.

INSCRIPTION/INSCRITO: 1994

Quedlinburg, in the Land of Sachsen-Anhalt, was a capital of the East Franconian German Empire at the time of the Saxonian-Ottonian ruling dynasty. It has been a prosperous trading town since the Middle Ages. The number and high quality of the timber-framed buildings make Quedlinburg an exceptional example of a medieval European town. The Collegiate Church of St Servatius is one of the masterpieces of Romanesque architecture.

Quedlinburg, in the State of Sachsen-Anhalt, was a capital of the East Franconian German Empire at the time of the Saxonian-Ottonian ruling dynasty (919 to 1024). It has been a prosperous trading town since the Middle Ages. The number and high quality of the timber-framed buildings make Quedlinburg an exceptional example of a medieval European town.

The extraordinary and worldwide cultural importance of Quedlinburg is based on the close link between its history and architecture, which is intertwined with that of the Saxonian-Ottonian ruling dynasty. Following the coronation of Henry I (876 to 936), the first German King from the Saxonian dynasty, the royal residence of Quedlinburg became the capital of the East Franconian German Empire, the "metropolis of the Reich" of the first German state. A visible testimony to this dynasty is the Collegiate Church dedicated to St Servatius, which was one of the most highly esteemed churches of the Empire during the Middle Ages. Its crypt, with cross vaults, capitals, tombs, and murals, constitutes one of the most significant monuments in the history of art from the 10th to the 12th century. The crypt of the original building is included in the impressive church, which was built on a basilica floor plan from 1070 to 1129.

Quedlinburg is of interest in a variety of ways. For medievalists, the town is an outstanding example of Middle Age history. It illustrates the typical development of a medieval town, originating from a castle village and several separate settlements. Its value as a monument of urban architecture is based on the preservation of the town wall of 1330, its surviving urban relations of the old parishes of St Aegidius, St Blasius, St Benedictus, and St Nicolas, and the urban building patterns with medieval and post-medieval timber-framed houses.

The splendour of the metropolis of Quedlinburg from the 10th to the 12th century can be seen in the buildings on the castle hill. The ground plan and very likely some original pieces inside the house have survived from the surrounding residential town of that time. The market settlement with merchants and craftsmen to the west, and later to the north, of the castle hill combined with smaller settlements to form the town of Quedlinburg. Its foundation and development until the 18th century under rule of the Imperial foundation contributed significantly to the town’s overall structure and appearance. Quedlinburg experienced an economic boom during and immediately after the Thirty Years' War, and as a result, more timber-framed houses were built from the period of 1620 to 1720 than any comparable town in the region. This was the heyday of this type of architecture in Quedlinburg, and a number of special building types developed during this time. 

 Thank you Eule!