Querfurt Castle

Burg Querfurt in Saxony-Anhalt is one of the largest medieval castles in Germany, a sprawling hilltop fortress said to cover enough ground to hold the famous Wartburg several times over. Romanesque towers, a cross-shaped castle church, artillery bastions and a deep dry moat make it a rewarding stop on the Romanesque Road, and film fans may recognize its walls from movies such as The Physician and Black Death.

Where it is and how to get there

Querfurt sits about 35 km (22 miles) west of Halle and roughly an hour by car from Leipzig, close to the A38 autobahn. By rail, regional trains run from Halle via Merseburg to Querfurt station, from where the castle is a short walk through the old town. Within Saxony-Anhalt, the Deutschlandticket is valid on these local trains. Leipzig/Halle Airport is the nearest major airport.

A thousand years of history

Querfurt is first recorded in the late 9th century, and a charter of Emperor Otto II called it a castellum in 979. For about five centuries the castle was the family seat of the lords of Querfurt. After the line died out in 1496, the Archbishopric of Magdeburg took over. The fortress was besieged repeatedly during the Thirty Years' War, served as the seat of the small Principality of Saxe-Querfurt from 1663 to 1815, and then became a Prussian state farm. Today it belongs to the Saalekreis district.

Things to see

• Castle church: a cross-shaped Romanesque church begun in 1162, with an octagonal crossing tower and the Gothic tomb of Count Gebhard XIV.
• Dicker Heinrich (Fat Henry): a windowless 12th-century round keep about 27.5 m tall.
• Pariser Turm: a 57 m tower with a baroque cap that served as a fire watchtower until 1969.
• West gate and bastions: 15th-century fortifications built for the age of artillery.
• Castle museum: an exhibition on knightly orders from the Middle Ages to the present, with a knights' hall and treasury.

Movie castle

The castle markets itself as the "Filmburg". Crews have shot scenes here for the last East German DEFA feature, Til Schweiger's comedy 1½ Knights, Pope Joan, Black Death and The Physician, along with many German fairy-tale films and TV documentaries.

Tickets and opening hours

As of October 2026, the castle is open Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays, 10 am to 6 pm from April to October and 10 am to 4 pm from November to March. It is closed on Mondays and on December 24 and 31; last entry is 30 minutes before closing. Admission is €6 for adults, €4 reduced, and free for under-18s. Guided tours are mainly offered in German for groups, so ask ahead if you need English.

Is it worth visiting?

If you are exploring Halle, Leipzig or the Saale-Unstrut wine region, Querfurt makes an easy half-day trip. Allow one and a half to three hours for the grounds and museum. Note that the outdoor café is closed for renovation until around April 2027.