Tangermünde Old Town

High above the point where the Tanger flows into the Elbe lies a small town that looks almost as it did 400 years ago. Tangermünde has kept its town wall, its Gothic brick gates and a town hall whose display facade is considered a showpiece of North German Brick Gothic. Behind them stand entire streets of timber-framed houses built after the great fire of 1617. In 2019 Tangermünde was voted Germany's most beautiful small town in an online poll by a travel portal.

History: imperial town and Hanseatic town

The castle is first mentioned in 1009 and the town in 1275. From its position on a glacial moraine above the Elbe, river tolls were collected. From 1373 to 1378 Tangermünde was the second residence of Emperor Charles IV, who expanded the castle into a palace. The Hohenzollerns also initially resided here from 1415. The Hanseatic town flourished in the 15th century, when the town gates and town hall were built. After the citizens rebelled against a beer tax in 1488, Elector John Cicero moved his residence permanently to Cölln, today part of Berlin. On 13 September 1617 the town burned almost completely. The orphan Grete Minde was blamed, wrongly as is now believed, and burned at the stake in 1619. Theodor Fontane turned her story into his 1880 novella "Grete Minde".

What to see

• Town hall: Built from 1430, with a Late Gothic brick display wall and tracery rosettes. Inside, a local history museum also tells the story of Grete Minde.
• Town wall and gates: The wall encloses almost the entire old town and reaches 10 to 12 metres in height on the Elbe side. The Neustädter Tor, the Hünerdorfer Tor and the 15th-century Elbtor survive, along with the Schrotturm (shot tower), the Eulenturm and the two "Putinnen" towers.
• St. Stephen's Church: The Gothic hall church has an organ by the Hamburg organ builder Hans Scherer the Younger, an astronomical clock and the tallest tower in the Altmark region.
• Kirchstraße 23: This timber-framed house of 1619 bears an inscription on the upper-floor beam naming the fire of 13 September 1617.
• Castle grounds: A larger-than-life bronze monument to Charles IV has stood here since 1900.

Good to know

The wall survived for a practical reason: on the Elbe side it also retains the steep riverbank and protected the town from floods. In the 18th century it was even renovated, because the gates locked at night made life difficult for smugglers. Via the Steigberg, a staircase built over by a defensive tower, residents once passed through the wall to the river. In 2022 the town hall won a public vote for the most beautiful town hall in the German-speaking countries in its category.

Practical information (as of October 2026)

• The old town is freely accessible, and walking around costs nothing.
• The tourist information at Markt 2 is open in October Monday to Friday 10:00–17:00 and at weekends 10:00–14:00; from November to March Monday to Friday 10:00–17:00 and Saturday 10:00–13:00. Ask there about guided town walks.
• Parking in Tangermünde can also be paid by mobile phone.

Tripto tip

Allow half a day. Start at the market square by the town hall, walk along Kirchstraße to St. Stephen's Church and then down through the Roßfurt to the Elbe. From the far side of the harbour you can see the full length of the town wall with the church and castle, especially lovely in the evening light. If you read Fontane's "Grete Minde" beforehand, you will recognise many places.