Goslar Old Town

The old town of Goslar on the northern edge of the Harz mountains has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992, together with the Rammelsberg mine and the Upper Harz water management system. More than 1,500 half-timbered houses, slate-clad roofs, guild halls and a Romanesque imperial palace make this former Free Imperial City one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Germany. Silver and copper from the nearby mine once made Goslar rich, and that wealth still shows in the facades around the market square.

Where it is and how to get there

Goslar lies in Lower Saxony, about an hour's drive south of Hanover and roughly 45 minutes from Braunschweig. The train station sits right at the edge of the old town, so almost every sight is within walking distance. Regional trains connect Goslar with Hanover, Hildesheim, Braunschweig and Halle, all covered by the Deutschlandticket; long-distance ICE connections are available in Hanover, Braunschweig or Halle. If you stay overnight, your guest card with the HATIX logo gives you free travel on all buses in the Harz region.

History: an imperial town built on mining

Goslar is first mentioned in 979 as a mining settlement at the Rammelsberg. Around 1025, Emperor Conrad II is said to have laid the foundation stone of the Imperial Palace, and for centuries German emperors held court and imperial diets here. In 1290 Goslar became an imperial city, a status it kept until 1802, which is why an eagle crowns the market fountain. The Rammelsberg mine, closed in 1988, is now a museum.

Things to do in Goslar

• Market Square: the Gothic town hall, the fountain with its bronze eagle and the red Kaiserworth guild hall from 1494, now a hotel.
• Glockenspiel: daily at 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., moving figures on the Kaiserringhaus tell the story of mining in the Harz.
• Hall of Homage (Huldigungssaal): a council chamber from the early 1500s whose walls, ceiling and window niches are covered in late Gothic panel paintings, viewed through a glass window. Admission is €6 for adults (as of October 2026).
• Historic houses such as the Brusttuch (1521), St. Anne's House (1488) and the Siemens House (1693), ancestral home of the Siemens family.
• Imperial Palace (Kaiserpfalz), one of the most important secular Romanesque buildings in Germany.

Practical tips

The streets are free to explore at any time. The tourist office in the town hall on the market square is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from April to October and in December, and Monday to Saturday in the other months. In the same building, the free World Heritage Information Center explains the Harz heritage sites with a 3D landscape model. An English audio guide is available, and city tours can be booked through the tourist office. Allow three to four hours for the old town, or a full day with the palace and the mine. In December, the Christmas market and an illuminated "Christmas forest" on the Schuhhof square draw many visitors.

Is it worth visiting?

Absolutely. Goslar combines medieval townscape, imperial history and mining heritage in a compact, walkable center, and it makes a great base for exploring the Harz. Nearby you can visit the Rammelsberg Mine Museum, the Upper Harz water management trails, the Oker Valley, the spa town of Bad Harzburg, or day-trip to Hildesheim.

Christmas market 2026

The Christmas market and Christmas forest run from 25 November to 30 December 2026, with around 70 wooden huts framed by the market square. Opening hours are 11 am to 8 pm daily, with the Christmas forest open until 10 pm. On Christmas Eve it opens 11 am to 2 pm, on 25 and 26 December 12 noon to 7 pm and on the last day 11 am to 6 pm. More in our guide Goslar Christmas market 2026.