and the fact that Quacks’ ingenious rules (and occasionally dumb luck) can catapult players from the basement to the front of the pack at a moment's notice With each expansion, the Quacks series adds another ingredient – often both literal and metaphorical – to the cauldron and somehow comes out tasting fresh rather than overstuffed or watered down. Still, it doesn’t take a fortune teller to understand why Quacks of Quedlinburg has become one of the best family board games The simultaneous gameplay and simple yet addictive risk-reward aspects blend perfectly to create a pitch-perfect concoction While there are a couple of different potential entry points into the series most players will want to begin with the title that started it all The Quacks of Quedlinburg is a competitive board game where each player takes on the role of a medieval charlatan looking to brew the most valuable potion The beginning of the round asks players to pull ingredient chips blindly from a bag each containing a numbered value – the higher the total value are several cherry bombs; adding too many will result in an explosion meaning player actions will be restricted later in the round reaching the highest number value possible is the goal but this needs to be weighed against the risk of the cauldron exploding The trick here is that the player can stop pulling ingredients at any time How far you choose to test your luck is really up to you Quacks of Quedlinburg plays out as a sort of bizarre fantasy version of Blackjack Thanks to the money players received for their potion in the earlier phase they can now purchase up to two new ingredients to add to their bag in the next round These ingredients are each accompanied by their own set of unique rules that can affect scoring or reward the player with items the fortune telling cards drawn at the beginning of each round that apply to all players are a fun and wacky way to keep things interesting These cards may ask players to draw certain ingredients several mechanics reward players who fall a bit behind giving Quacks of Quedlinburg a sense of parity and ensuring the leader doesn’t run away with the victory While several expansions were later introduced that add various wrinkles to the core mechanics The Quacks of Quedlinburg base game includes a double-sided player board and several double-sided ingredient cards that can tweak playthroughs significantly on their own Between the variable rules and the randomized fortune teller cards it is as if The Quacks of Quedlinburg already includes a small expansion from the jump Even before moving on to full expansions like The Herb Witches or The Alchemists there is enough replayability packed into Quacks to keep players busy for a while One of the biggest selling points of The Herb Witches expansion is its ability to accommodate a fifth player The Quacks of Quedlinburg excels at higher player counts and doesn’t take up a ton of extra time for those looking for a great five-player title The Quacks of Quedlinburg along with The Herb Witches expansion is a no-brainer the introduced locoweed ingredient is a fun new chip with no set value Depending on the ingredient book played and other factors locoweed can vary in value – serving as a sort of wild card several new double-sided cards are included for even more variability And that is all before even mentioning the titular herb witches themselves the herb witch cards can be switched out during each new game but they can only be activated once per playthrough Players can even choose not to activate the witches at all during a playthrough in exchange for additional points Outside of gamers looking to add a fifth player to their Quacks experience The Herb Witches isn’t an essential add-on for those who simply enjoy The Quacks of Quedlinburg and have exhausted the base game’s variations this expansion adds even more fun to an already great tabletop experience The Quacks of Quedlinburg: The Alchemists adds patient cards and alchemist’s flasks to create the brand-new Essence Phase The ins and outs of the Essence Phase add some complexity to a relatively simple game but the bottom line is this: The Alchemists expansion incorporates an additional scoring track that rewards players with even more points and items Aiding in this new mechanic are fun patient cards that build out the game’s wacky theme with a wide range of ailments ranging from a man with a musical worm stuck in his ear to a woman who suffers from a case of nervousness Each patient is accompanied by their own set of rules but essentially offers players more options for scoring with new risk-reward choices The big knock against The Alchemists is that the expansion takes up quite a bit of space Not every table can accommodate four or five players each with their own board and alchemist’s flask add-on those who don’t mind the additional footprint are treated to even more Quacks goodness Even those who don’t want to pop on the giant flask each playthrough can still enjoy the added fortune teller cards and ingredient books with the base game These components can simply serve as a mix-and-match sort of hodgepodge that can be altered to your preferences while neither The Herb Witches nor The Alchemists are considered essential purchases they’re both beloved by fans because they add more variability to an already replayable game Because of its easy-to-teach ruleset and addictive gameplay Quacks of Quedlinburg is the type of game that can get to the table quite often While The Quacks of Quedlinburg is already a family-friendly title simplifies the game even further for a younger audience players move with their colorful animal companions from one side of the board to the other is similar to the original game in its simultaneous chip-pulling phase the simultaneous gameplay eliminates the downtime players might face in other games Kids don’t have to wait for their friends' turns to be over to get back into the action; they’re simply always playing The biggest difference outside of the theme is that Quacks & Co ditches the original’s risk-reward mechanic players simply move on from the token-pulling phase to the ingredient (or animal feed) purchasing phase is a game kids can grow with thanks to a double-sided board and an optional set of rules for advanced play The Quacks of Quedlinburg – The Duel is an upcoming standalone two-player version of The Quacks of Quedlinburg games will play out in roughly 45 minutes and the title is aimed at players ages 10 and up but it will not be an expansion to the base game The main bag-building mechanic from The Quacks of Quedlinburg remains the same but The Duel mostly plays out on a shared competitive board The Quacks of Quedlinburg is a fan-favorite press-your-luck game that has delighted audiences since it debuted in 2018 While neither of the current expansions are essential they both add depth and character to an already charming game The base package contains ample options for replayability but The Herb Witches and The Alchemists offer even more As often as this game tends to get to the table if Quacks of Quedlinburg sounds like your sort of thing perhaps consider purchasing the Mega Box bundle to save a few bucks serves as an even more accessible entry to the series with room to grow Bobby Anhalt is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering board games and LEGOs. He has more than eight years of experience writing about the gaming industry with bylines at Game Rant, Screen Rant, TheXboxHub, and Ranker. You can follow him on Twitter 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Quedlinburg has grown close to the hearts The UNESCO World Heritage city in Saxony-Anhalt was awarded the coveted Traveller Review Award by Booking.com and named Germany's most hospitable destination But Quedlinburg is not only in a leading position nationally - internationally the city is among the top 10 most hospitable places in the world The renowned travel platform Booking.com is presenting the Traveller Review Awards for the 13th time Based on more than 360 million verified guest reviews 1.71 million travel partners were recognized for their outstanding service and hospitality Quedlinburg has positioned itself as the frontrunner in Germany and is on the list of the ten most hospitable destinations in the world Attractive travel destination with devoted hosts The honor from Booking.com has been met with great enthusiasm in Quedlinburg Saxony-Anhalt's Minister of Tourism Sven Schulze emphasizes the importance of the award: "It is a great honor that Quedlinburg is now not only Germany's most hospitable destination but also ranks among the top ten worldwide This recognition consolidates the city as an attractive travel destination and underlines the importance of tourism for the region." Quedlinburg's mayor Frank Ruch is also moved: "We are officially one of the most hospitable places in the world and even number 1 in Germany This is the result of the dedication of our citizens who make Quedlinburg a true jewel with their warmth." Quedlinburg: Medieval charm and picturesque old town With around 2,000 half-timbered houses from six centuries picturesque alleys and a unique historical flair Quedlinburg offers an unforgettable travel experience The old town has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994 and attracts numerous visitors every year culture and warm hospitality makes the city a must for travelers Press Spokeswoman Sabine Kraus Tel: +49 (0) 391 / 568 99 20 | Mobil (DE): +49 (0) 172 / 322 16 94 E-Mail: Sabine.Kraus@img-sachsen-anhalt.de Do not sell or share my personal information: State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-AnhaltA bone pit containing several sets of human remains at the gallows in Quedlinburg researchers have known about the centuries-old gallows in Quedlinburg The city was a prosperous trading center beginning in the Middle Ages the city’s gallows saw the execution of untold numbers of convicted criminals researchers began excavations in the area and unearthed everything from bone pits to individual burials to the personal items of the deceased all shedding light on the execution process and the fates of those sentenced to death Wikimedia CommonsQuedlinburg was a booming center of commerce during the Middle Ages the city eventually became home to its fair share of criminals prompting the creation of a gallows in the 17th century Between the late 17th century and early 19th century Quedlinburg’s gallows was used to carry out the capital punishment of countless criminals The site likely featured a large wooden structure with an overhead beam from which a noose would hang Archaeologists initially knew about the gallows in Quedlinburg due to written records showing that the first reported execution took place in 1662 and the last occurred in 1809 a team of archaeologists from the State Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt began excavating the former gallows two years ago they ramped up excavations and uncovered a wealth of artifacts that provide invaluable insight into life and death in the Middle Ages Archaeologists uncovered several personal items from the gallows They hope that future analysis of these items might help reveal how execution victims were treated prior to death and what they were allowed to carry with them State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-AnhaltA man buried with stones on his chest to prevent him from rising from the dead archaeologists discovered a plethora of skeletons including two bone pits filled with the remains of many individuals researchers uncovered human remains stacked haphazardly on top of each other revealing a disregard for the dead buried here Meanwhile, one of the most intriguing finds was a “revenant grave,” one belonging to an individual believed to possess supernatural abilities. These graves were often reserved for people deemed to be vampires or zombie-like creatures that could rise from the dead researchers also discovered that not all of the human remains found near the gallows belonged to execution victims archaeologists discovered the remains of a man originally buried in a wooden coffin with a rosary around his neck They believe he may have been a suicide victim who was unable to be buried on consecrated ground State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-AnhaltThe remains of a man buried in a wooden coffin near the gallows “This comparatively dignified burial suggests suicide rather than execution as the reason for the place of the burial. Suicide would have excluded a person from a burial in a regular cemetery,” German news outlet IDW explained the recent excavations revealed illuminating information that written accounts of this gallows simply couldn’t include but also the personal artifacts found here researchers have gained new insights into the story of the Quedlinburg gallows and the treatment of those who met their end there After reading about this German gallows, dive into the story of the gibbet, an 18th-century execution device used to deter future criminals. Then, read about 10 medieval execution methods that define cruel and unusual punishment Germany is not just about Berlin or Munich If you’ve already been to all the "top" cities and want something new Find out where to go in Germany for a weekend to avoid crowds Here are 7 interesting and amazing towns worth visiting in Germany Quedlinburg is a town in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt that has preserved its medieval appearance almost unchanged The old town is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List and for good reason – there are over 1300 half-timbered houses representing nine centuries of architectural history The most interesting thing is to slowly wander through the narrow streets visit the castle hill with the Romanesque Church of Saint Servatius and the museum complex where royal relics are kept Quedlinburg is perfect for those seeking a fairy-tale atmosphere without the crowds This region in northern Germany is not promoted as a tourist brand which is exactly why it has retained its authenticity There are over 1000 lakes surrounded by pine forests The region is hardly developed in terms of mass tourism but that’s a plus: you can stay in a cottage on the water or simply disappear from the internet for a few days and Müritz National Park offers access to wild landscapes and rare birds and a complete detox from the noise of big cities Bamberg is a town in Bavaria often called the "Bavarian Venice" because of its many canals so nearly the entire center consists of original medieval buildings The town’s special pride is smoked beer (Rauchbier) the old town hall located right on a bridge and "Little Venice" – the fishermen’s quarter Bamberg is an ideal place to combine history Harz is a mountain range in central Germany surrounded by legends of witches where witches supposedly gathered for sabbaths according to folklore Even Goethe mentioned this area in "Faust" or ride the historic Harzer Schmalspurbahnen steam train which still runs through forests and climbs to the summit of Brocken it’s worth visiting the towns of Wernigerode and Goslar where medieval castles and the true spirit of old Europe have been preserved It is home to the Porta Nigra – the best-preserved Roman gate north of the Alps This city was once an imperial residence and practically the second capital of the Roman Empire and a unique ensemble of ancient architecture it is also famous for winemaking – tasting Riesling here is a must There are many places in Germany that will amaze even the most experienced and picky tourist (photo: freepik.com) This is a unique landscape in northern Germany – a region of heath fields that bloom in a purple carpet in August and September The area is practically free of car traffic – only horse-drawn carriages It is recommended to stay in the villages of Waldstadt or Schneverdingen Here you’ll see a Germany not mentioned in guidebooks or textbooks Augustusburg is a small town in Saxony with an impressive castle towering above the valley the castle is a prime example of Renaissance architecture and once served as a hunting residence for Saxon electors which contains a collection of over 150 models The ascent to the castle is already an adventure there is a panoramic view of the Ore Mountains – a mountain range that borders the Czech Republic This location is especially suitable for family trips or combining culture with nature Earlier, we wrote about 10 cities with the most beautiful houses in the world The Quacks of Quedlinburg board game is back baby with a fresh new look to sate your appetite for potion craft The game's having a slight rebrand from the old version and we're now getting a full-on Quacks: All-In Edition that not only gives the artwork a refresh and adds two great expansions to the bundle but also lets you play with up to 5 players let's see how this classic board game plays and what changes to expect with the new edition Quacks is a press-your-luck potion making game in which players take on the role of charlatans, or quack doctors. Many people consider Quacks an absolute classic and one of the best board games around It's all about making the most of randomly drawn tokens to create potions while trying not to let everything blow up in your face if you get a little too ambitious The gameplay is a little Potioncraft adjacent as you to place randomly-drawn tokens outward from the middle of your swirling pot to increase the potions' worth Boom berries hidden in your personal stash push your potion to the edge and can cause a cataclysmic explosion that ruins your run the game underwent a rebrand from The Quacks of Quedlinburg to just Quacks Now we'll have not only a 2025 refresh of the original game but also a Deluxe Edition that includes upgraded tokens and other components that made the game look and feel more in-line with the rebranded look Complete with all-new artwork from Ryogo Toyoda these new editions put a modern 3D twist on an all-time classic including the All-In Edition which has their gorgeous 3D graphics writ all over the game box but also The Witches and The Alchemists expansions (similarly to how the Mega Box integrated those same expansions) The All-In Edition even includes the deluxe edition's components For more recommendations, why not check out the best card games or best two player board games Besides earning a Game Art and Design degree up to Masters level and an avid TTRPG Games Master - not to mention a former Hardware Writer over at PC Gamer you will then be prompted to enter your display name The World Heritage Centre is at the forefront of the international community’s efforts to protect and preserve World Heritage partnerships for conservation Ensuring that World Heritage sites sustain their outstanding universal value is an increasingly challenging mission in today’s complex world where sites are vulnerable to the effects of uncontrolled urban development Our Partners Donate Take advantage of the search to browse through the World Heritage Centre information 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 fut une capitale du Saint Empire romain germanique à l'époque de la dynastie des Saxons-Ottoniens Elle devint une ville commerçante et prospère dès le Moyen Âge Par le nombre et la qualité de ses bâtiments à colombage Quedlinburg est un exemple exceptionnel de ville européenne médiévale Sa collégiale Saint-Servais est un chef-d'œuvre d'architecture romane كانت كفدلينبورغ، في منطقة "لاند دو ساكس- أنهالت"، عاصمة الأمبراطورية الرومانية الجرمانية المقدسة في عصر سلالة الساكسون – أتونيون وأصبحت مدينة تجارية مزدهرة منذ القرون الوسطى وتمثّل المدينة، بعدد مبانيها المبنية بالخشب ونوعيتها، مثالاً استثنائياً للمدينة الأوروبية في تلك الحقبة أما مجمّعها المعروف بسان سيرفيه، فهو تحفة فنية للهندسة المعمارية الرومانية 位于萨克森－安哈尔特(Sachsen-Anhalt)地区的奎德林堡是萨克森－奥图大帝(Saxonian-Ottonian)统治期间，东法兰哥尼亚公国(the East Franconian German Empire)的首都，从中世纪开始就一直是一个繁荣的商贸小镇。大量高水平的木结构建筑使奎德林堡成为中世纪欧洲城市的杰出典范，城中圣瑟瓦修联合教堂(the Collegiate Church of St Servatius)则是罗马式建筑的杰作。 был столицей Восточно-Франконской части Германской империи во время правления Саксонской династии Оттонов Начиная со Средних веков этот торговый город процветал Значительное количество и высокое качество фахверковых домов делает Кведлинбург выдающимся примером средневекового европейского города Серватия является одним из шедевров романской архитектуры la ciudad de Quedlinburgo fue una de las capitales del Sacro Imperio Romano Germánico en tiempos de la dinastía sajona de los Otones Desde la Edad Media se convirtió en una próspera ciudad de mercaderes la calidad y el estado de conservación de sus edificios de entramado hacen de ella un ejemplo excepcional de ciudad europea medieval La colegiata de San Servasio es una obra maestra de la arquitectura románica was a capital of the East Franconian German Empire at the time of the Saxonian-Ottonian ruling dynasty (919 to 1024) 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 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 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 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 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 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 Criterion (iv): Quedlinburg is an outstanding example of a European town with medieval foundations which has preserved a high proportion of timber-framed buildings of exceptional quality The town plan and urban fabric maintain the essentially medieval townscape intact preserving a significantly high proportion of timber-framed buildings of the Middle Ages and later periods The authenticity of Quedlinburg is irrefutable especially the timber-framed residential structures have undergone little or no modification over the course of the centuries The policy of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) which favoured the use of industrially prefabricated structures to replace buildings demolished in the late 1980s has resulted in elements within the town where all authenticity of material and construction has been lost these elements represent a relatively small proportion of the total building stock; moreover volume and window lines the overall townscape has been respected The historic town area is protected as a monument by the Law of Monument Conservation of State of Sachsen-Anhalt of 21 October 1991; the last amendment of this law (article no 770 individual buildings are protected as historic buildings Regulations relating to urban reconstruction in the inner town are included in the Construction Decree of 28 March 1991 in its textual setting of 20 December 2005 according to article 2 of the Law of Monument Conservation has been allocated as buffer zone in order to ensure the important views and visual characteristics of the property Community involvement is an integral part of the planning system The buildings included in the property vary in ownership among the local authority (Stadt Quedlinburg) Direct management of individual properties remains the responsibility of the respective owners the Town Council of Quedlinburg has initiated a number of projects designed to improve the management and preservation of the historic quarters of the town These include new evaluation and recording of monuments as required by the State of Sachsen-Anhalt Law of 1991; urban architecture studies for the preservation and development of Quedlinburg; preparation of new regulations relating to the historic sections of Quedlinburg; as well as optimisation and control of construction work in the historic part of the town The project objectives adhere in every detail to international standards and to the principles enunciated in the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention The stakeholders act in coordination with the regional and local historic monument conservation authorities A Management Plan guarantees the comprehensive and permanent protection of the historic monuments and the sustainable urban development of the World Heritage property This plan is yearly checked and updated when required Germany is renowned for its charming small towns From the half-timbered buildings of Quedlinburg to the medieval allure of Bamberg these towns provide a perfect backdrop for a tranquil weekend retreat Did you know that Germany boasts over 25,000 castles Whether you're exploring medieval streets or soaking in serene landscapes these towns make for an unforgettable escape from the everyday hustle A lovely weekend retreat in Quedlinburg is ideal if you hope to experience a mental reset from the hustle and bustle of your current reality you’ll have access to a short and sweet list of pleasant attractions is an old structure that can be traced back to 1310 visitors and locals alike are welcome to admire the centuries-old building Other museums and art galleries worth exploring in Quedlinburg include the Lyonel-Feininger-Galerie and the Schlossmuseum Anyone aiming to feel a little more connected to their faith during a weekend retreat in Quedlinburg can visit Stiftskirche St which is a church that was consecrated in 1129 The stunning Medieval appearance of the church is as picturesque as it gets A weekend retreat in a town that doesn't have incredible resort-style hotels wouldn’t exactly be worth it That's why Quedlinburg is a winning choice to make Some resort-style hotels you can book nearby include the Naturresort & Spa Schindelbruch If visiting a place like Rome without spending the same amount of money appeals to you, then Bamberg should be on your radar. This beautiful German town is often compared to Rome thanks to the structure of its buildings and the fact that Bamberg's roots trace back to the Middle Ages Sites like the Bamberg Cathedral and Michaelsburg Abbey are a prime example showcasing intricate architecture dating back to the 11th century Depending on your taste for alcoholic beverages Bamberg could be the ideal destination for your weekend getaway since it’s highly revered for its long list of incredible breweries Some of the best places adults of legal age can order tall glasses of beer include Aecht Schlenkerla A weekend getaway in Bamberg only gets more perfect with the right resort-style hotel room to unwind in and the Weinhaus Messerschmitt are undoubtedly worthwhile Lounging on the sandy beaches of Rügen is a wonderful way to relax and unwind during a calming weekend retreat Wellness enthusiasts who hope to remain active have access to gorgeous hiking trails in Rügen including the High Bank Hiking Trail Loop From Ostseebad Binz and the Great Forest Trail Loop From Hagen Hotels with spa areas for an undeniable resort-style vibe include NiXe Boutique Hotel & Spa Some travelers are convinced that a weekend retreat in a town like Marburg is reminiscent of stepping into the pages of a German fairytale That’s because the architecture in Marburg is so similar to what you'd see in old-school folklore Some buildings visitors and locals can visit include the Saint Elizabeth’s Church The botanical gardens in Marburg are also breathtakingly divine After originally being founded in the 1800s Marburg’s botanical garden is consistently in full bloom and greenhouses that keep the greenery lush and healthy and it is the legendary pathway that reminds fairytale lovers of their favorite Grimm stories ever Grimm fairytales have been circulating for centuries visitors can relax with a spa at hotel options such as the Vila Vita Rosenpark Heppenheim is a lovely German town to set your sites on for a weekend getaway thanks to its welcoming ambiance toward tourists wine lovers think of Napa Valley when roaming through the streets of town People can schedule wine tastings at one of around 400 wine-grower stops along Hessian and Badische Bergstrasse vineyards The local wine culture comes to life during the Bergsträßer Weinmarkt in late June This event is a bustling wine market where one can smell and buy their favorite drinks to take back home Sipping wine isn’t the only way to relax on a weekend getaway in Heppenheim Adventure lovers will enjoy laying eyes on the Rodenstein Castle Ruins and the Sea of Rocks a bizarre collection of rocks perfect for an outdoor hike Travelers will have much to explore if they select Brandenburg as the German town for a weekend getaway or retreat This destination is perfect for folks who appreciate eye-catching architecture and structures that have been standing for many centuries Spending a day in Brandenburg means seeing breathtaking buildings like the 1165 Brandenburg Cathedral Anyone filled to the brim with curiosity to learn more can absorb facts about the history of Germany at one of Brandenburg’s many museums These include the Industrial Museum Brandenburg and the Brandenburg State Archaeology Museum Outdoor activities such as boating and swimming are also quite common among locals and visitors in Brandenburg Top-notch bodies of water in Brandenburg include Schwielowsee As far as luxurious weekend getaway stays go the hotels in Brandenburg are also top-of-the-line If you only had 48 hours and had to choose one small town in Germany to spend your time in and the hotel options to stay in are all sublime the Meissen Cathedral on the Elbe River has a fabulous reputation for being incredibly aesthetically pleasing The oldest castle in Germany is located in Meissen Guests are welcome to take self-guided tours through the castle to lay eyes on all of its wonder and allure Dining at restaurants like The Golden Anker and Sophienkeller Im Taschenbergpalais guarantees guests the opportunity to taste authentic German food during their mini vacations A few upscale hotels where folks can rest their heads at night in Meissen are the Dorint Parkhotel Meißen the Romantik Hotel Burgkeller Residenz Kerstinghaus and the Hotel Wellness Goldenes Fass Meißen There are a handful of pleasant things to do in Cochem for travelers who need a blissful weekend getaway or retreat If you’re hoping to lay eyes on structures that will remind you of the fairytales you read as a child be sure to visit Cochem Imperial Castle as part of your itinerary Stepping inside the Moselland Museum gives guests the opportunity to understand what life was like for people living in Germany during the 1950s and 1960s Walking along the Moselle Promenade is a beautiful thing to do if you enjoy seeing lush greenery and gentle river water flowing The luxurious hotel options are impossible to ignore as well Some top names in the region are the Moselromantik Hotel Kessler Meyer and Moselstern Hotel Brixiade & Triton which have comfortable room rentals to select from If a weekend retreat in a small German town like Quedlinburg excites you with its historical charm Rügen offers a haven for those seeking spa experiences and true relaxation Wine enthusiasts will find their perfect escape in Heppenheim while Meissen's dining scene adds another layer of delight to your retreat Germany is a treasure trove of charming small towns each offering unique experiences for an unforgettable weekend retreat photos and original descriptions © 2025 worldatlas.com I would likely have never known that Quacks of Quedlinburg The once-Dicebreaker video producer has always been a keen supporter of the game heralding it as one of their favourite tabletop titles of all time and eventually introduced it to me via a version on Tabletop Simulator Whilst having friends who also love tabletop gaming is generally a great way to discover new board games I severely doubt I would have otherwise come across Quacks on my own Board games have been getting a lot more popular over the last decade largely because of modern releases designed to get newer players into the hobby: think Azul Quacks of Quedlinburg feels like it fits so perfectly into this particular category of board game - which I’d like to be entered into the dictionary as ‘gateway games’ - because it embodies its most important aspects: accessibility and addictiveness When I recently introduced Quacks to my friend group they were initially intimidated by the number of components included in the box worrying that this meant it would be a complicated game to learn their fears were soon assuaged when we actually got around to playing Quacks is a game that taps into one of our most simple pleasures: being rewarded for taking a risk It’s a more innocent version of gambling where the stakes are fairly low but the thrills are still very much there players simultaneously and randomly pull tokens from their individual bags and place them onto their boards with the number shown on the token determining whereabouts it needs to go a token with the number three on it will be placed three spaces away from the last one within their bags are also several white tokens which represent a particularly volatile ingredient which will cause a player’s potion to explode costing them rewards and possibly their lives (in the narrative of the game Should the white tokens in a player’s pot add up to more than seven - when the numbers on the tokens are added up - then their potion explodes and they must choose between one of two rewards Players can choose to stop pulling and placing tokens whenever they want with a cautious player ensuring that they gain both victory points and money at the end of the round Whilst victory points are counted and applied throughout the game - and ultimately decide the winner - you’ll often find players will take the money whenever they do explode largely because it allows them to push the chances in their favour by purchasing more ingredients to put into their bag Taking victory points may be the safer option but think of all the non-white tokens you could buy with that money Once players have recorded their victory points and/or purchased their ingredients another round begins anew and they’re off pulling out tokens once again This straightforward gameplay loop and the push-your-luck elements of Quacks makes it both a fantastic game to play and watch Even if you don’t quite know what’s going on the steps are few and simple enough that it doesn’t look all that complicated is that Quacks is the kind of game that evokes very visceral emotional reactions in its players Whether you pull out exactly the token you were hoping for or the one you were dreading both of these outcomes are guaranteed to provoke cheers or groans the components in Quacks are all wonderfully bright and colourful with the cauldron boards having such a distinctive look that your eye is immediately drawn to them Several of the ingredients also have multiple alternate boards determining what they do meaning that you can shake up every game of Quacks by swapping in different boards and having players receive their new benefits despite everything that Quacks has going for it - the addictive gameplay the colourful components and the replayability - the game continues to linger in relative obscurity I’ve rarely heard people mention it outside of hobbyist groups and it’s certainly not sold nearly the same numbers of something like Azul - which surpassed over two million sales worldwide last year - which doesn’t seem to add up with the fact that it feels like the kind of board game that should be receiving mainstream recognition The only explanation I have - besides the threads of fate in the great loom of the universe simply not aligning - is that the game’s name and artwork are preventing it from reaching a wider audience whilst possessing some fantastic alliteration doesn’t tell you much about the game besides the fact that it might involve ducks (which is a misunderstanding that I’ve witnessed happen multiple times) Its length and questionable interpretation makes for an overall confusing title that doesn’t draw new people in Don’t get me started on the front cover’s terrible artwork either which looks akin to an illustration for a cheap fantasy novel from the 1980s I believe that if Quacks of Quedlinburg was given a new coat of paint and a more appealing name it has the potential to join the ranks of the most popular gateway games of all time it continues to be one of board gaming’s most underrated modern classics About  .  Contact  .  Donation have uncovered the remains of a baptismal font from the 10th century believed to have been used by members of the Ottonian Dynasty Located in the crypt of the collegiate church of St the baptismal font is thought to be the oldest evidence of its kind north of the Alps suggests its use for baptisms within the Christian faith The font is approximately half a meter deep and two meters wide the elaborate lining of the depression with gypsum suggests it was made of high-quality material Quedlinburg holds immense historical importance particularly during the rule of the Ottonian Dynasty in the Holy Roman Empire The uncovered baptismal font is thought to have played a crucial role in the religious ceremonies of this period Experts speculate that prominent members of the ruling dynasty Matilda (daughter of Emperor Otto the Great and Empress Adelheid) and Adelheid I (daughter of Emperor Otto II and Empress Theophanu) The rarity of archaeological evidence pertaining to baptism makes this discovery particularly significant The baptismal rituals of the Ottonian period as outlined in the Roman-Germanic pontifical involved an annual collective baptism of infants or young children on Holy Saturday Candidates for baptism were immersed in water in the shape of a cross with their heads oriented towards the quatrefoils conducted by candlelight and accompanied by liturgical chants symbolized the Christian belief in rebirth and salvation Minister of Culture and Head of the State Chancellery of Saxony-Anhalt expressed his appreciation for the discovery “There is a lot that makes the UNESCO World Heritage city of Quedlinburg unique now there is another unique feature with the newly uncovered baptismal font site from the 10th century.” along with the surrounding castle and old town has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994 The collaborative efforts of archaeologists and preservationists have been instrumental in uncovering and documenting this significant piece of history and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()) Learn how to describe the purpose of the image (opens in a new tab) Leave empty if the image is purely decorative This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page This 60-mile trail through northern Germany takes in eerie folklore industrial heritage and forests recovering from a devastating pest The inscription on the wooden shelter where I stopped to eat my Käsebrötchen made quite the pledge Perhaps – but you need that sort of promise when loitering with cheese rolls in these spooky parts A hut was first built on this spot as a rest stop for medieval donkey drivers shifting goods from the nearby town of Osterode to the mines of northern Germany’s Harz Mountains Today this newer building performs the same function but for hikers – like me – following the Harzer Hexen-Stieg (Harz Witches’ Trail) Who could resist a path with a name like that A name born from centuries of local folklore but on trend now when “witch lit” is hot – top 2023 titles include Emilia Hart’s Weyward and Margaret Meyer’s The Witching Tide and a movement of older women is reclaiming the word “crone” It also seemed an ideal choice for autumn: the 60-mile well-laid trail from Osterode to Thale (usually walked over four to six days) would still be fairly dry underfoot cosy inns and hearty pork suppers would be waiting each night and ghost stories would unfold What I found was fascinating and haunting – in unexpected ways A view from Hexentanzplatz towards the Brocken Photograph: Stefan1085/Getty ImagesI’d left Osterode at noon church bells chiming over the market square’s buskers And I soon discovered that people here have leaned hard into the witching theme: pointy-hatted effigies leered from every other garden and window ledge The Upper Harz is one of the oldest and most important mining areas in Europe lead and copper since the early 13th century and now a Unesco world heritage site 195 miles of ditches and 19 miles of waterways were built to power the mines and following channels lined with berry bushes My favourite remnant was in Altenau, where I stayed the first night at the Landhaus am Kunstberg guesthouse. Here, one of the ponds has become Waldschwimmbad Okerteich when only the wagtails were around to hear me yelp the route that traces the footsteps of German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who first climbed the nearby 1,141-metre Brocken in December 1777 this landscape seeped into his works – not least Faust in which the Harz’s highest peak becomes the playground of revelling witches Not only is it wreathed in mists up to 300 days of the year The East-West German border bisected this region; after the Berlin Wall went up East German authorities closed off the Brocken’s summit plateau and used its powerful communication masts to spy on western Europe I walked past remains of the concrete barricade as well as an inscribed stone memorial marking the moment when Germans got their mountain back: “Brocken Free Again!” Atop the outcrop of the Trudenstein – named for its resemblance to a Drude, a witch-like figure linked with nightmares – I met a man on holiday from Hamburg. Together we looked out across the smitten landscape. He shook his head wistfully: “The Harz was so beautiful once.” Free newsletterGet travel inspiration, featured trips and local tips for your next break, as well as the latest deals from Guardian Holidays In many areas nature is being left to repair itself new growth sprouting among the decaying trees; some places are being actively replanted with native species such as sycamore as I continued along the Harzer Hexen-Stieg the way became less cursed and increasingly bewitching It was undeniably romantic to detour off the trail to ride the Brockenbahn train from the mountain’s summit down to Schierke and take it back up the next morning to pick up the trail the narrow-gauge line up the mountain is barely modernised The conductor walked the aisles selling schnapps from a basket while the loco’s toots and vapours drifted over the regenerating uplands as we walked beyond the station at Drei Annen Hohne the Harz started to show its brighter colours There was magic here, reaching its zenith as I crossed the Devil’s Bridge and walked below twin granite cragsGranted, it started with a storm, otherworldly thunder rumbling inauspiciously around the hills. But beyond Rübeland, joining the Bode River, the rain stopped, the valley sides started to squeeze in and leafy green feathered the banks. Then, as if from a fairytale, Bodetaler Basecamp Lodge appeared Once a retreat for staff of the GDR’s state-run TV company served me wild venison bolognese for supper I was serenaded to sleep by the Bode’s gurgle and woke to a low fog swirling above the water from Bodetaler Basecamp to Treseburg and Thale was the finest of all After walking unsteadily above the Rappbode valley on the world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge Certainly there was magic here: it reached its zenith as I crossed the Devil’s Bridge and walked below twin granite crags Legend has it that Princess Brunhilde fled a giant by leaping between these outcrops on a white stallion Half-timbered house on Market Square of Quedlinburg Photograph: Sergey Dzyuba/AlamyRavine vaulting is not my speciality In centuries past it was the site of pagan rituals to honour forest goddesses When such rituals were banned by Christian invaders Saxons dressed as witches to scare them away 15 minutes further by train – and also the end for many alleged witches It’s claimed that in 1589 as many as 133 were burned here in a single day It’s the best-preserved medieval town in Germany with more than 2,000 timber-framed houses leaning together in a pastel-painted huddle beneath a hilltop castle and the tomb of Germany’s first king But perhaps this is a story less of witches’ magic and more of Mother Nature’s This is a place were you can see the effects of the climate crisis these mythical forests – so central to German culture and identity – may grow back better than before Fill your cauldron with some potentially calamitous ingredients There are lots of great deck-building and dice-building board games around but bag-building is a less popular mechanic that some really good games utilise One of the best is The Quacks of Quedlinburg a push-your-luck bag-builder that sees you and up to three others draw tokens from their bags which they place in their cauldron to move around the board Despite its bizarre name and intimidating number of pieces inside the box, Quacks of Quedlinburg has a simple gameplay loop with lots of potential for satisfying payoffs and is one of the best board games to try in 2023 You can also grab it for just under £29 at Zatu right now: Buy Now If you're in the US and like the sound of Quacks of Quedlinburg, you can pick it up at Amazon US for $40 A game of Quacks of Quedlinburg takes place over nine rounds with each player having their own bag and their own board which takes the form of a cauldron Each turn players simultaneously take tokens from their bag and place them along the board as in the bags are volatile white tokens which will cause your cauldron to explode should you have more than seven Blowing up then stops you claiming both victory points and coins Taking victory points is the safer bet as you need those to win the game but taking the money could help you get even more tokens in the next round This sets up a very simple and satisfying gameplay loop that entices players to push their luck with the hope of getting further along their board resulting in satisfying moments when you pull a good token as well as instant regret when you get that final white token and blow yourself up Quacks of Quedlinburg hasn't become as popular as it really should be, likely because of its name, so if you've been holding off picking it up or haven't heard of it before this 31% discount is a great time to pick it up and show it to your friends If you'd like to know when other board games like this one go on sale, then follow the Jelly Deals Twitter account where we'll tweet out the best deals on board games By Evan Gatti December 6, 2022 that examines the transhistorical contexts for the reliquary casket of St Likely made two hundred years earlier as part of a pair of boxes the small ivory box (about the size of a shoebox) was later encased in a golden skeleton inlaid with precious gems The box is decorated with the 12 signs of the zodiac carved in niches above the heads of the 11 Apostles and Jesus Christ its original function and its reuse across generations remain contested Elon University Professor of History Michael Matthews explores the romantic and sexual lives of Mexico City’s poor and working class during the rule of Porfirio Diaz The 6th annual Maker Takeover featured students’ experiments business and creative works to showcase the hard work taking place in Elon University’s Maker Hub Nia James says when doctors weren’t taking her pain seriously her athletic trainer and Elon alum John Lavender ’94 was her lifesaving advocate The graduate of Elon University’s human services studies program works on policy advocacy in Washington in a prestigious fellowship with the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism Get more Elon news delivered to your inbox © 2025 Elon University | All Rights Reserved Free villagers’ minds from night terrors obsessions and irrational thoughts in Die Alchemisten the next big expansion for The Quacks of Quedlinburg Die Alchemisten - or The Alchemists, when translated into English - is the latest expansion for the potion-brewing board game released in 2018. The upcoming expansion sees players entering laboratories, using the available tools to distill rare essences into solutions to the villagers’ various ailments. (Thanks, BoardGameGeek.) the villagers’ problems are no longer restricted just to the body as patients are now complaining of experiencing terrible dreams obsessions with odd things and thoughts that are otherwise out of the ordinary Players will now be able to brew and sell potions intended to help with these new ailments The Quacks of Quedlinburg - a firm favourite of Dicebreaker’s own Alex Lolies - sees two to four players assuming the roles of charlatan healers who claim that they can cure the illnesses of the common people using their special potions As players create and brew their various wares they must ensure that their mixture remains stable - or otherwise risk their entire pot exploding and their business suffering for it Every player begins the game with their own bag filled with ingredients tokens which have varying values that determine how effective the completed potion is going to be players simultaneously draw ingredients from their bag and place them on their board with stronger ingredients enabling players to claim victory points and gain more ingredients at the end of the round Push their luck too much and the players may cause their mixtures to explode by drawing cherry bombs The first expansion for Quacks of Quedlinburg was released last year and increased the maximum player count to five people as well as adding herb ingredients and additional recipe books to the game Wolfgang Warsch is the designer behind the Quacks of Quedlinburg series, including The Alchemists, having also created co-op game The Mind and co-designed last year’s party game The Alchemists expansion is being published by Schmidt Spiele, the German publisher that’s responsible for releasing Warsch’s Ganz Schön Clever roll-and-write games, including the newly-announced third entry in the series: Clever Hoch Drei According to its listing on BoardGameGeek The Quacks of Quedlinburg: The Alchemists is set to be released later this year with Schmidt Spiele yet to confirm an official release date The Quacksalber von Quedlinburg – Kennerspiel des Jahres 2018 – is one of my favorite games and bag building is one of my favorite mechanisms It is one of the games that we love to play with people who don't play much or don't play because it is so easy to learn has hardly any downtime and can be explained while playing "The Duel" now brings the popular potion brewing game to a 2-player format Can it hold its own next to its big brother The announcement of the duel variant made me curious Does a duel variant need to be played in a game that has practically no downtime How can the more solitary bag building become more confrontational so that you're more likely to take it with you on a trip than the big quack I got an impression of the game and can answer these and a few other questions The course of the duel is not much different from that of the big quack game The fortune-telling cards have been replaced by coin tosses The person who is behind chooses one of the two coins thrown Then you can start brewing potions straight away The rat tails' catch-up mechanism has been replaced with similar effects elsewhere A person draws chips from their bag until the three spaces in the neck of the bottle are filled Then the patient is moved a number of steps towards their own market stall The firecrackers can also cause the potion to explode in a duel you have to wait until the other person also ends their turn in one way or another the person places it on their own side in the guild house the other person then receives a small bonus Whoever treats six patients first wins the game the effects of the ingredients that have “aftereffects” are activated.Next The round cards also serve as the trading platform The person who finished their potion last now places a second offer of gold pieces and chip upgrades on the other side The other person now chooses a side and the other gets what is left over The last thing you can do in a round is buy new ingredient chips Then the bags are filled with all the chips again and a new round begins If no one has managed to cure six patients I don't really understand why "The Duel" exists It doesn't convince me in the aspects that are important to me in a two-person version and in many ways it even does things worse than the big quack and it doesn't really give you the feeling of a duel The things that were changed compared to the normal Quack are not really successful The coins instead of the fortune-telling cards provide much less variety and we found them boring in the second half of the first game You can tell that they really wanted to bring interaction into the game But you will look in vain for exciting decisions here The biggest mistake the game makes is definitely the fact that there are now separate turns This leads to downtime that can become far too long you'll spend minutes watching the other person draw chips The person still brewing also tends to rush through their round as you quickly realize how boring this phase is when you're not brewing at all The excitement of drawing at the same time but ultimately not a brilliant idea that would make the game significantly more exciting The effects triggered when healing the patients ensure that the other person can catch up more easily The ingredient books also offer varied effects you can clearly see which game world you are in The artwork is again well done and captures what you already know from the other games from Quedlinburg Overall is The Quacks of Quedlinburg – The Duel a game that I don't need The basic game works great with two players (and above all much better than the duel) you have the option of playing with up to five people (with expansion) and simply find the game feel much better there Regardless of whether you're new to Quacksalber or a fan I wouldn't recommend the duel to either group and would advise playing with multiple players Your Comment *document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id" "a84451f65a855205744faa493e16d302" );document.getElementById("f21f8dc11f").setAttribute( "id" You must view the contents of reCAPTCHA load to submit the form Please note that data is exchanged with third-party providers You are currently viewing placeholder content from Facebook Please note that data will be passed on to third parties You are currently viewing placeholder content from 📸 Instagram: You are currently viewing placeholder content from X Who knew that being a snake-oil salesman was so much fun Last summer, the board game Die Quacksalber von Quedlinburg won a major award from the German press and buzz was big on both sides of the Atlantic Now out in English as The Quacks of Quedlinburg from North Star Games we've finally had a chance to put this bag-building press-your-luck game through its potion-making paces a dubious doctor brewing and selling your wares at a pleasant-looking German festival so you have nine chances to brew up something potent using ingredients pulled blindly from your bag o' goodies and even rat tails are positive contributions to the cauldron But draw too many of the white "cherry bombs" (don't ask—the picture on these chips appears to show snowberries) and your potion will explode—which means you lose out on some of the end-of-round goodies you run the risk of being out-potioned by your fellow charlatans Once each player has either busted or halted Players gain both points and "money" depending on how far around the circular potion track they went that round and "money" can be used to buy more and better ingredients for your bag going forward But what makes Quacks really shine are the ingredients which offer all sorts of crazy powers and abilities (And each ingredient comes as part of four different sets with each having a completely different ability.) the red toadstool chips in set one allow you to move extra spaces on the potion tracker depending on how many orange pumpkin chips are already part of your potion But the red toadstool chips in set three provide extra movement only if the previous chip played was one of the white "cherry bombs." The yellow mandrakes in set two double the potion tracker movement points for whatever you next draw out of your bag But the yellow mandrakes in set three change the threshold for potion explosions; the more mandrakes in the potion already most ingredients also come in three different "strengths," the highest of which move you further along the potion track when drawn and provide more powerful forms of their bonus (but which also cost significantly more to buy) Did I mention the bonus die you get to roll at the end of each round providing some little goodie to whoever brewed the best potion Or the fortune-teller cards that provide a unique bonus or power in each round of the game Or the way that two additional ingredients come into pay after a couple of rounds Or your "flask," which lets you remove a single white "cherry bomb" from your potion and throw it back into your bag which can then be cashed in to replenish an empty flask Or the modest "catch-up" system using rat tails on the scoring board to give everyone behind the game's leader a small per-round boost exciting gameplay with so many small additions and variants gives you plenty to think about beyond the basic "should I pull another chip from my bag" question You have to decide how to build your bag in a given game buying up ingredients that combo well together or that steer you in a specific strategic direction You have to decide if you value rubies and flasks or if you prefer to live without a safety cushion And is it more profitable to hang right behind the leader until near the end If the gameplay starts to feel a little same-y just swap out ingredients for another set and you will approach the game quite differently (Quacks also includes a slightly more advanced variant on the back of each player board.) I have loved every minute of my playtime so far because everything about the Quacks experience is distilled "essence of fun." Nothing is baggy or extraneous nor does game length increase much with player count (Players all build their potions simultaneously drawing ingredients as quickly as they like.) And the artwork is great While the game did win the German "Kennerspiel" award for a "complex" board game don't let that scare you if "complex" is not your jam This is a family-weight title suitable for smart kids of 9+ not a two-hour strategy slugfest characterized by players glowering in concentration as they min/max resource conversion tables This story is excerpted and adapted from Kristen J. Sollée’s Witch Hunt: A Traveler’s Guide to the Power and Persecution of the Witch published in October 2020 by Red Wheel Weiser To German witches—hexen—the Harz highlands of northern Germany is home a dazzling medieval town untouched by World War II is a place of whimsical winding streets and more than a thousand fully preserved half-timbered homes The town has a rather feminist bent to its history as women wielded great political influence here for over 800 years and the abbess of that convent would continue to hold considerable power in the town and surrounding regions until Napoleon invaded in 1802 Most descriptions of Quedlinburg in travel literature include the phrase “fairy tale,” and true to the Grimms’ classic German fairy tales—not their softened American versions—this UNESCO World Heritage Site has a dark side I didn’t see a single piece of trash carved into the beams of the aged buildings to ward off sickness and keep demons and witches at bay Quedlinburg had its own early modern witch hunts But they didn’t have nearly the impact as the propaganda that later sprang from them would for Quedlinburg is also the birthplace of one of the most misinformed assertions about the early modern witch hunts there have been divergent views on how many people were accused of and executed for witchcraft in early modern times American historian Anne Barstow estimates 200,000 people accused and 100,000 put to death but she admits to the difficulty of coming up with such numbers In Witchcraze: A New History of the European Witch Hunts Barstow writes: “Working with the statistics of witchcraft is like working with quicksand.” Australian historian Lyndal Roper estimates half of Barstow’s number in Witch Craze: Terror and Fantasy in Baroque Germany upwards of perhaps 50,000 people died,” she writes “We will never know the exact figure because in many places the records of their interrogations have simply been destroyed with allusions made only to ‘hundreds’ of witches killed.” German historian Wolfgang Behringer concurs with Roper in Witches and Witch-Hunts: “For witchcraft and sorcery between 1400 and 1800 we estimate something like 50,000 legal death penalties,” he writes adding that there were likely twice as many people who were punished with “banishment But others—including feminist writers beginning with Matilda Joslyn Gage in the late 19th century and continuing with Margaret Murray and Mary Daly in the 20th—have bandied about the absurdly large number of nine million Look no further than the quaint old town of Quedlinburg and King Arthur that the 18th-century German historian Gottfried Christian Voigt supposed that more than nine million witches were killed in Europe based on the witch hunt death toll in his hometown Voigt “had arrived at this simply by discovering records of the burning of thirty witches at Quedlinburg itself between 1569 and 1583 and assuming that these were normative for every equivalent period of time as long as the laws against witchcraft were in operation,” Hutton writes “he simply kept on multiplying the figure in relation to the presumed population of other Christian countries.” There is a method to the madness of this astronomical figure Now that historians have roundly disproved Voigt’s number focusing too much on the exact death toll can divert attention away from unpacking the lasting legacy of witch hunts in the West As I took in the thousand-year-old streets of Quedlinburg Elderly people sat outside their brown-and-white abodes A small black cat emerged from the bushes to meow sweetly as I passed But try as I might to get lost in Quedlinburg I’ve found that medieval European towns always seem to deposit you right back in the town square the city hall or Rathaus has sat since the early 1300s its stone face now masked with a thick veil of vines and flowers Restaurants and shops line all sides of the square and it was surprisingly quiet despite people sitting outside Refreshed by a tranquil ramble through Quedlinburg’s medieval paradise I was ready to continue my search for the history of early modern witches in Thale a 10-minute train ride from the charming past to the kitschy museums rife with torture devices and psychosexual drama and a notorious plateau make it a fascinating and absurd place an ahistorical bricolage of fact and fiction rubs elbows in every room A panel about the 15th-century witchcraft treatise Malleus Maleficarum a befragungsstuhl (spiked interrogation chair) and logs assembled in a witch-burning pyre were near displays featuring vampires There were so many rooms chock-full of occult paraphernalia I could barely see everything It was an apt harbinger of what was to come A sunny walk through a wooded area across from the Obscurum led me to the Funpark where my doppelgänger—a smiling blonde witch statue in a fuchsia hat and dress—welcomed me I passed a smattering of children’s rides before joining families in line for the gondola that would lift us up to the Hexentanzplatz Hundreds of feet in the air alone in my own glass car I had a panoramic view of the dense wilderness of the Harz Mountains Sinister rock formations poked up like witches’ fingers summoning me from the forest below the Hexentanzplatz is a rocky plateau with strong Saxon roots The clearing was supposedly where the Saxons once held rituals and sacrifices to their mountain gods and goddesses drawing countless revelers every year for Walpurgis Night “We know that all over Germany a grand annual excursion of witches is placed on the first night in May (Walpurgis) on the date of a sacrificial feast and the old May-gathering of the people,” writes folklorist Jacob Grimm in his 1835 exploration of Germanic myths “The witches invariably resort to places where formerly justice was administered or sacrifices were offered,” he continues “Almost all the witch-mountains were once hills of sacrifice The Upper Harz region was once described as “wilder its rock scenery more grotesque” than the Lower Harz in an 1880 travel guide published in London Society Long before the area’s commercialization inns in the Harz.” The 19th-century English travel writer goes on to describe the Hexentanzplatz as “a perpendicular cliff … which affords a yet finer view of the whole mountain chain.” I was overwhelmed by German signs pointing in all directions to different attractions The Hexentanzplatz is now part–nature preserve and many witch-themed refreshment stands and gift shops My first instinct was to follow the crowds which led me to a central area with statues of a naked Devil and witch that children were treating like jungle gyms One young girl straddled a hunched witch figure whose protruding backside was home to a large spider She steadied her baby sibling in front of her as the two giggled Another young boy studied an animal demon at the witch’s side while other children posed with the Devil manspreading (demonspreading?) on a large rock The Dark Lord’s genitals are carved in great bronze detail presumably by visitors pawing at them for good luck right near the edge of a rock overhang above a thousand-foot drop I focused on the alluring and foreboding mountain terrain and no one even tried to speak English to me when I fumbled awkwardly.) Moving away from the crush of screaming children and their parents I entered the Walpurgisgrotte section of the Harzeum It was eerily empty and offered an even stranger mix of material than the Obscurum witch stereotypes came to life through creepy mannequins set against elaborate tableaux A solitary sorceress posed in a room full of potions and bundles of dried herbs A witch mom and devil dad watched their hellspawn lie on the living room floor playing with a pentagram board game covered in snails A woman in lingerie beckoned from a house covered in hearts and beaming red light A wrinkled hag with long gray hair grinned in front of a cottage while a black cat perched on her shoulder and a demon peeked out from the window behind her All the most vilified forms of femininity associated with witches—childless women Amid more witch torture devices I saw contemporary witchcraft ephemera—tarot and spirit boards—surrounded by cobwebbed candelabras and skulls I spied what appeared to be death masks on the wall in addition to a small child wearing a turtle shell as a hat I walked by a scene with a woman in a wedding dress fanning out her credit cards and holding the leash of a man on all fours because every woman is a witch in the eyes of her husband Darkly humorous and extraordinarily weird the Walpurgisgrotte left me a bit wobbly as I transitioned back to a beautiful sunny day on a mountaintop The epitome of the mythical German forest lay below families with young children seemed not to give a second thought to the surplus of witches and devils lurking about—it was all in good fun The early modern witch—particularly in Germany—was entrancing but equally it only concealed rotting hag flesh beneath I felt this unsettling juxtaposition viscerally in the Harz when confronted with bald commercialism offset by breathtaking natural beauty and the real horrors of witch-hunting history masked by the ghoulish glee of kitschy witch attractions and overtaken by demonic cackles at the absurdity of it all We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the world’s hidden wonders Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders Quacks of Quedlinburg is a brilliant push your luck board game with some good bag-building elements - here's what we make of this much-acclaimed title One of the best luck-based board games ever made with just enough decision-making to keep things interesting The Samuhel Evangeliar from the 9th century the most valuable piece from the Quedlinburg Cathedral Treasure Just a few weeks before the collapse of the Nazi regime in Germany Joe Tom Meador sent several packages through military mail from Quedlinburg Meador’s fellow soldiers had previously seen the officer of the 87th Armored Field Artillery Battalion repeatedly emerging from a cave just outside the city gates But apparently nobody suspected they were witnessing possibly the most brazen art theft of these unsettled times The article you are reading originally appeared in German in issue 21/2023 (May 20th First Lieutenant Meador was able to send his sensitive freight without being forced to answer any uncomfortable questions And he gave his family in Texas strict instructions for dealing with one of the pilfered items if it gets home take extra good care of it I have an idea that the cover is pure gold and the jewels on the cover are emeralds But it could possible be very very valuable.” The goods that Meador sent back to the United States through military post were indeed quite valuable They included a comb from the first German king a number of millennium-old reliquaries made of rock crystal and a glorious manuscript from the Early Middle Ages And the thief’s estimation of his loot’s value was correct: Apparently without realizing it he had nabbed elements of one of the most valuable and most meaningful art treasures in all of Europe – the Quedlinburg Cathedral Treasures What ensued was an unparalleled mystery involving reliquaries from the Middle Ages of inestimable value and shady dealings in the confusions of the Cold War Characters in the story included a dedicated public servant an astute German investigator and a tenacious reporter from New York all of whom set out to track down the missing treasure – eventually locating it with decades passing by before Joe Tom Meador was identified as the culprit everybody in this story is apparently a hero," says Elmar Egner Egner has been head of the Quedlinburg Cathedral Treasury Curatorium since fall 2019 When the majority of the stolen goods returned to Quedlinburg in 1993 and Herbst had just started elementary school he sent several valuable items back home to Texas through the military postal service the two of them are shining a fresh light on the Quedlinburg theft the case still hasn’t been completely resolved Egner also finds the rather extreme "self-adulation" displayed by the hunters of the lost treasure when they finally found it adding that there are a number of "incongruities" that raise questions Doubts have arisen as to whether Meador was the bad guy that his pursuers made him out to be Did the Texan actually want to keep the artifacts out of the hands of the Nazis and their coterie Herbst and Egner have examined the testimony of contemporary witnesses and reports from those chaotic days as the Nazi empire was collapsing The facts feed suspicions that far-right circles co-curator of the Quedlinburg Cathedral Treasure One detail in particular raises questions: How would Meador have known where exactly – among the several dozen crates the Nazis had stored in the cave – to find the relics Both the city of Quedlinburg and the SS had precise inventory lists of the objects hidden there Another inconsistency: Shortly before the Americans took over control in Quedlinburg in mid-April 1945 the Nazi powers-that-be in town had posted a conspicuously inadequate security detail at the hiding place "Only two elderly men with a shotgun were standing out front," says Egner It might have been enough to scare off the normal citizenry "but not an organized unit of Nazis – or Allies." The Quedlinburg Cathedral receives 80,000 visitors per year UNESCO declared much of Quedlinburg to be a World Heritage Site 80,000 people make their way up to the hilltop cathedral to visit the treasury beneath the Quedlinburg Cathedral where many of them are told the bizarre story of the audacious robbery Herbst and Egner want to use this year’s 30-year anniversary of the return of the treasure to enrich the story visitors are told with new details Even the beginnings of the collection over a thousand years ago weren’t altogether wholesome Some of the first pieces assembled by Henry I (who died in 936) and his wife Mathilde (968) were acquired in an honest fashion The first German royal couple from the Liudolfinger lineage loved Quedlinburg and wanted to be buried here next to the holy relics So Henry had a Palatine chapel constructed which would later be expanded into a church the alleged remains of important martyrs were stored in golden and jewel-bedecked reliquaries – including a hand from Saint Denis of Paris during the persecution of Christians in France around the year 250 was allegedly first roasted in an oven before being beheaded The treasury also contained liturgical manuscripts from the Middle Ages that are priceless today many additional valuable objects were added to the collection Following Prussia’s defeat at the hands of the French in 1806 the entire treasure spent six years in the hands of Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother Servatius: What visitors to Quedlinburg come to see today is just the "external the contents were the most valuable part: the blood But it was the Nazis who committed the most foolish blunder began converting Henry I’s church into a National Socialist devotional site in 1938 The contents of the treasury stored there had to make way and were moved to a savings bank in the center of town the collection – a total of 65 objects – was then moved to the Altenburg Caves southwest of the city a site that had been used to grow mushrooms until that point After the Americans occupied Quedlinburg on April 19 A representative of the city of Quedlinburg nevertheless tried to maintain control over the valuables hidden inside officials from the city repeatedly provided instructions as to the appropriate methods for storing the treasure officials recommended that the objects be brought to the front of the cave where ventilation was better and the danger of mold not as great the thousand-year-old relics were suddenly much more accessible than they had been when they were kept deeper inside the cave in the chaotic weeks of April and May 1945 a secret rivalry developed over who would be the first to access the treasure the Quedlinburg parish received a tip that an SS unit had stolen two fingers purportedly belonging to Henry I in the final days of the war – relics that had been discovered in a local church in 1877 But nobody in East German times showed any interest in pursuing the case the Quedlinburg city archivist discovered that 12 of the most valuable pieces were missing during a routine inspection Army launched an investigation into the disappeared artifacts but the Americans pulled out of the region in July 1945 and as far as present-day researchers know A good four decades would pass before Germany picked up a new lead as to the possible whereabouts of the lost treasure a "Quedlinburg gospel book" was offered to the state library in West Berlin for $8 million and they claimed to have inherited the Middle Ages manuscript They were seeking to complete the sale through several middlemen It has since become known that the couple were actually Meador’s brother and sister The "Quedlinburg gospel book" in the description was actually the Samuhel Evangeliar a 9th century manuscript handwritten in golden ink on parchment during the Carolingian Dynasty It was the most valuable object among those items pilfered from the Quedlinburg Cathedral Treasure in spring 1945 everybody in this story is apparently a hero." The German Ministry for Intra-German Relations and the newly created Cultural Foundation of the German Federal States got involved among the foundation’s purposes is that of "sponsoring financially the acquisition of cultural objects of particular importance to German culture and worthy of preservation especially in order to prevent them from being transferred abroad or in order to reacquire them from abroad." The communist regime didn’t have sufficient cash to purchase the Evangeliar and East Berlin wasn’t interested in accepting money from West Germany as a memo from the East German Culture Ministry makes clear: "The purchase of the German cultural heritage object in question by the Federal Republic of Germany cannot be legitimized by the German Democratic Republic." But the parish in Quedlinburg It was only two years later that the case took another surprising turn: This time a Bavarian offered the Samuhel Evangeliar directly to the Cultural Foundation of the German Federal States the cover of which is covered in precious gems was being offered for a "finder’s fee" of around 5 million deutsche marks And because the Berlin Wall had fallen by then and the foundation no longer had to fear interference from East Germany Joe Tom Meador discussing the Samuhel Evangeliar a German lawyer and a journalist from the New York Times had begun looking in the U.S He had kept possession of the priceless objects from Quedlinburg up to the very end Former soldier Joe Tom Meador with his orchids He had initially kept them in his wardrobe at home later moving them to a safe in the hardware store he took over from his father He would proudly display the objects to visitors saying he had "liberated them in Germany." the former soldier led a rather modest life as a hardware store owner and as a cultivator of orchids Though he had studied art education before the war it isn’t clear if he ever realized the extreme historical value of the things he had brought home from Germany One witness statement illuminates the almost tender relationship Meador had to the objects from the Quedlinburg treasure such as the manuscript he had smuggled out of Germany: "I love to look at it and stroke my thumb across the parchment paper and simply admire it." For the curators Elmar Egner and Linda Herbst such evidence demonstrates that Meador was never interested in money And they probably thought they were well within their legal rights to do so Texas law seemed custom made for art thieves This reliquary cross is more than 800 years old and is one of the items from Quedlinburg that hasn't yet reappeared The laws not only allowed for the appropriation of stolen goods through a kind of common law they also set the statute of limitations at just two years giving potential plaintiffs barely any leeway at all the Quedlinburg authorities would have had to lodge their complaint by 1982 nobody in Germany even knew that items from the legendary Cathedral Treasure were to be found in a house in the Texan countryside Meador’s heirs likely felt they were safe in putting the "gospel book" up for sale in Germany via intermediaries in the late 1980s – and again when the Cultural Foundation sued But fate ultimately did take a turn in favor of the German plaintiffs and the help came from rather unexpected quarters the global art market had apparently become aware of the case populated as it was by all kinds of shady figures at the time nobody wanted anything to do with an internationally sought-after treasure That's the main reason why Meador’s heirs agreed to a deal For the relatively modest payment of $912,500 the bulk of the stolen items were returned to Quedlinburg But two of the 12 pieces that Meador sent to Texas still haven’t reappeared One is a reliquary made of rock crystal and the other is an enameled reliquary cross both over 800 years old and of immense value – and both have disappeared without a trace Egner and Herbst received potential leads as to their whereabouts One of the leads once again pointed to the family in Texas The father-in-law of a niece of Joe Tom Meador claimed that he had seen the pieces in a candy box belonging to his daughter-in-law but they found that the story had been made up by the man who was apparently consumed by vindictiveness The curators believe there is a simple reason for the fact that more artifacts didn’t disappear from the cave in Quedlinburg 80 years ago: There was no easy way for Joe Tom Meador to smuggle some of the items out of their hiding place – such as a staff from Saint Servatius a gold-bedecked artifact in the shape of a cane from the mid-10th century the provenance of which remains unclarified It is 132 centimeters long – and thus far too large to have been hidden under Meador’s coat Race farmyard animals to win a golden cauldron in the upcoming board game spin-off from Quacks of Quedlinburg nach Quedlinburg - which is roughly translated into English as With Quacks & Co to Quedlinburg - the game for two to four players takes place in the German town of Quedlinburg where its local children hold an annual race that sees them riding on the backs of donkeys The children’s mounts are encouraged to go faster with the promise of food with certain types of food causing the animals to race ahead will cause them to get sleepy and want to take a nap The racing children all dream of crossing the finish line first and earning the prize of the golden cauldron In a similar fashion to Quacks of Quedlinburg nach Quedlinburg sees players pulling tokens from a bag and placing them on their boards nach Quedlinburg features different farmyard food items - such as beetroot and carrots - that the players will be putting into their mount’s feedbag in the hopes that they will move further along the racetrack where players simultaneously pull tokens from their bags nach Quedlinburg each take turns to pull tokens The number of squares that a player’s animal moves is determined by the number indicated on the token they draw from their bag Each token pulled will also trigger a different effect with red tokens allowed players to earn up to three rubies - which they can then spend on buying more tokens for their bag - yellow tokens giving the player a random bonus; green tokens allowing that player to draw again or place an already drawn token back into their bag and blue chips granting players the option to move more spaces or upgrade one of their existing tokens are placed onto a player’s animal dream-board whenever they are drawn they must stop pulling tokens and spend any rubies they’ve collected at the food market buying more tokens to put into their bags to increase their chances of moving further along their boards Players cannot buy two of the same coloured chip and must spend all their rubies or will otherwise have to discard any remaining rubies A round finishes when all the players have drawn three dreamweed tokens and finished their shopping Players then begin a new round by putting all their tokens back into their bags including the ones they’ve just bought Whichever space players reach on their player board indicates how far their mounts move on the race track at the end of each round with the first player to reach the finish line of the track being the winner of the game Mit Quacks & Co. nach Quedlinburg was created by the original designer of Quacks of Quedlinburg, Wolfgang Warsch, who is also responsible for creating the co-op card game The Mind, as well as roll-and-write game Ganz Schön Clever - That’s Pretty Clever - and the party board game Wavelength German publisher Schmidt Spiele is the studio behind the Quacks series and the various expansions for Quacks of Quedlinburg such as The Herb Witches and The Alchemists Mit Quacks & Co. nach Quedlinburg is set to be released sometime this year at a retail price of €30 (£25/$34) with an English-language version yet to be confirmed the players are “miracle doctors” who flock to the bustling town of Quedlinburg to peddle questionable “cures” for ailments from smelly feet to homesickness.  Each quack brews their own medicines using the game’s push-your-luck mechanic packing ingredients into their mixing pot.  Those who can blend the best mix of ingredients without causing their concoctions to explode earn money and fame The Quacks of Quedlinburg is intended for 2 to 4 players and takes about an hour to play.  MSRP is $60.00.  The final English title In October, North Star will release the wild west themed Most Wanted (see “Gain Notoriety in ‘Most Wanted’”), and recently launched Dude through an exclusive arrangement with Target (see “North Star Games Releases ‘Dude’ Card Game”) Archaeologists in Germany have struck historical gold in Quedlinburg: the remains of a 10th-century baptismal font with possible ties to a powerful medieval dynasty located in a historically significant town is believed to be where members of the influential Ottonian Dynasty were baptized The Ottonians ruled the Holy Roman Empire during the 10th and 11th centuries and the city of Quedlinburg held significant importance during their reign found in the crypt of the Stiftsberg collegiate church and most of these have been found in ancient churches in Northern Africa from the Latin for "four leaves," is rich with Christian symbolism it is especially associated with the four Gospel writers experts carefully uncovered a large quatrefoil cut into the sandstone floor elaborately lined with remnants of an older floor The craftsmanship suggests the font's former importance Medievalists.net notes that this finding is significant for both art and architectural history The quatrefoil shape holds special meaning and the font’s location offers new clues about the history of the Stiftsberg's buildings The font’s positioning indicates its presence in an even earlier church This challenges previous assumptions that this area housed a residential building It further underscores the Stiftsberg’s religious significance during the Ottonian period To know more about this finding, you can visit Medievalists.net, or the official website of the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhaldt. Articles like these are sponsored free for every Catholic through the support of generous readers just like you Please make a tax-deductible donation today Help us continue to bring the Gospel to people everywhere through uplifting Catholic news October 10, 2018 | Max Diesenberger | HI Research Blog | Creating the past meant actively ‘forgetting’ the deeds of earlier generations talking their cultural heritage often down identifying turning points in the history of the realm or of a people and re-arranging events in order to create a new narrative It is characteristic for periods of transformation that there are thresholds between different pasts This does not correspond to the floating gap (of 80 to 100 years) which separates communicative from cultural memory The immediate past is naturally always more (socially) real In a society built around a strong dynastic center the cultivation of memory reaches very far back: old stories have a longer effect there are obligations which go back decades rhetorical understandings as to how many events are dealt with norms about what can be passed over and what can be mentioned When these obligations towards the past do not longer exist or are not longer important (at least on the surface) as does the unknown author of the Annals of Quedlinburg compiled in the first years of the 11th century Although this text only survives in the form of a 16th-century copy there are good reasons to believe that it is very close to the original in its appearance The Annals show both graphically and in terms of their content how a past is fashioned This is in no way due to some kind of lack of knowledge but rather the concern to make allowance for the beginning of a new power in the East Frankish Kingdom The entry for 873 ends with the report of a great famine in Germania Mary in Hildesheim (which was highly important for the Ottonians) had been consecrated by Bishop Altfrid The entry for 911 reports the death of Louis the Child and the succession of Conrad – the first non-Carolingian and elected king But in 913 the real important event is noted: the death of Otto the Illustrious the father of Henry I – he is labelled stemma imperatoria in the text attention is drawn to the birth of Otto the Great in the same year (Annales Quedlinburgenses from whose barren horizon only the death of the last Carolingian ruler stands out before the new material begins In the Germania plagued by famine and laid waste by locusts the most fruitful tree of the propago Otthonum took root which would be of the greatest importance for all Europa Moreover not only the length of time is important but also the scales of observation and the range of rulerships We see an expansion from ‚Germania‘ to ‚Europa‘ The unknown compiler of the Quedlinburg Annals had a clear strategy in mind when he did not fill the entries for the years 873 until 910: In doing so he distanced the Ottonian world from the late-Carolingian past Chronicon Quedlenburgense in Mscr. Dresd. Q. 133, Nr. 4 Scriptores rerum Germanicarum in usum scholarum seperatim editi Cultural Memory and Early Civilization: Writing and Political Imagination (Cambridge 2011) ‘Making the past in late and post-Carolingian Historiography’ ‘The Carolingian past in post-Carolingian Europe’ in: The Making of Europe: Essays in Honour of Robert Bartlett Institute for Medieval Research of the Austrian Academy of Sciences Contact: Dominikanerbastei 16 (Entrance Wiesingerstraße 4) 1010 Wien Spiel des Jahres is the biggest awards in board gaming ‘Die Quacksalber von Quedlinburg’ is the winner of this year’s ‘Kennerspiel des Jahres’ “The Hotness” on BoardGameGeek is a list of the currently most popular games With the results of Spiel des Jehres 2018 finally in our hands it’s not unusual to see some of the nominees jumping onto the Hotness this week only the winners of the Spiel des Jehres and the Kennerspiel des Jahres have made it onto the list we’ll be taking a look at Die Quacksalber von Quedlinburg which is not only this week’s top spot game but also the winner of the Kennerspiel des Jahres Spiel des Jahres is a German based award and is often more focused towards family-friendly titles Kennerspiel des Jahres is more often geared towards more complex games and ones that are more involved Seems those Euro-gamers don’t like overly complicated games after all Roughly translating to “The Quack of Quedlinburg” Quacksalber is a pool-building and press-your-luck game Players take the role of “quacks” charlatans or whatever similar title you’d prefer Each player is attempting to sell the most elixirs to the town of Quedlinburg over the course of 9 rounds players will draw ingredient tokens from their bag and add them to their cauldron players place the tokens a number of spaces away from the previously placed token means placing that token 2 spaces away from the token you played before that Players are aiming to get as far along their spiraling cauldron track as possible before busting and causing their cauldron to explode If too many tokens of a specific color are drawn players gain victory points and money based on how far along they were able to go without busting Money is used to purchase additional tokens from the market As the goal of each brewing is to get as far as possible on the track higher valued ingredient tokens are more valuable than lower ones These tokens also have different prices and effects and will change with each game you’re not afraid to fudge your mixture a little bit to try and give yourself a bit of an edge Along the scoring track are a number of rats For each rat tail you would have to cross to reach the players in front of you on the scoring track This allows you to start further along the brewing track to make it easier to reach those higher values on the track This is a great feature which prevents the winning player from getting too far ahead and leaving the other players in the dust While Quacksalber is currently only available in German, Bruce Voge from North Star Games announced they will be bringing the game to America later this year Wyrdos Get Ready to Celebrate - Malifaux Third Edition Announced About Us | Contact Us Names, trademarks, and images copyright theirrespective owner. 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Privacy, Terms of Use, Comment Rules How To Wear It The Cartier Tank Cintrée In-Depth Examining Value And Price Over Time With The ‘No Date’ Rolex Submariner Watches In The Wild The Road Through America, Episode 1: A Model Of Mass Production Daniel Malchert is the fourth generation in a German watchmaking family that has nearly a century of combined experience under its belt Malchert has worked with the likes of Nomos and Wempe on everything from servicing existing watches to hand-making limited edition tourbillons And today he launches the first ever watch with his name on the dial born in the heart of German watchmaking country Here we have an exclusive first look at the latest creation from Daniel Malchert The Nomos Alpha Movement Finished By Daniel Malchert Malchert's Elegant Gold Plating And Finishing Techniques The 36mm Case And Modern Dial Of Daniel Malchert's First Watch You can also visit Daniel Malchert online Business News Rolex Will Raise U.S. Prices In Response To Tariffs Six Of The Coolest CPO Rolex Watches I Saw In London's Old Bond Street Rolex Boutique Reference Points The Cartier Tank Louis Introducing The Christopher Ward C12 'Loco' (Live Pics) Hands-On Tudor's Black Bay Pro Gets A Surprisingly Dramatic Facelift With An Opaline Dial The designer behind the Quacks of Quedlinburg has designed yet another entry in the Ganz Schön Clever series of board games Warsch is the creator of a series of roll-and-write board games that began with Ganz Schön Clever – otherwise known as That’s Pretty Clever - and will continue with the newly announced Clever 4Ever. (Thanks BoardGameGeek.) Clever 4Ever will be the latest entry in the series providing players new ways to roll dice and attempt to score more points than their opponents Details surrounding Clever 4Ever are still slim, but it has been confirmed that there will be new categories for players to score points in that aren’t included in previous entries in the family board game series The categories featured in Clever 4Ever are yet to be announced In late 2022, Clever 4Ever from designer @WolfgangWarsch and publisher Schmidt Spiele will hit the market, with players once again trying to use dice for crazy scoring combinations. No details other than the cover at this point... —WEM pic.twitter.com/CgVjJvaJuf As with all the previous games in the Ganz Schön Clever franchise Clever 4Ever will see players taking turns to roll a pool of dice and deciding which one to use to fill in their respective sheets Depending on how players fill in their sheets each turn they’ll have the potential to score combo points which will boost their overall total whichever die the active player decides to use for their turn will determine which dice their opponents will be able to use Any dice that are a lower number than the active player’s chosen die can be used by the other players to fill in their sheet Besides a multiplayer mode that supports up to four players, Clever 4Ever will also feature a solo game mode wherein players can attempt to beat a previous high score by maximizing the best combos possible Besides creating Clever 4Ever and Quacks of Quedlinburg, Warsch is also known for designing the co-op game The Mind – which has players trying to play every card from their hand in numerical order without speaking to each other – The Taverns of Tiefenthal a board game that has players trying to create the best possible tavern to attract guests and for co-creating a party board game about personal opinions called Wavelength Schmidt Spiele is the studio responsible for publishing Clever 4Ever – as well as all the other entries in the Ganz Schön Clever series – and the aforementioned Quacks of Quedlinburg and Taverns of Tiefenthal Clever 4Ever is set to be released sometime later this year with a set date and retail price yet to be confirmed the so-called Magdeburg Unicorn has been a legend on the internet for years and has haunted the scientific community for centuries the fabled unicorn makes a reappearance online when people on social media use it as an opportunity to poke fun at the hilarious evolution of science with some going so far as to dub it "one of the worst fossil reconstructions in human history." This happened again in August 2022 when a photograph of the unicorn was shared on Twitter and Reddit collectively receiving more than 200,000 likes we must fully understand the complicated history of the Magdeburg Unicorn and exactly where its fabled saga began Drawings of the Guericke-Einhorn after Valentini in 1714 (a) and after Leibniz in 1749 (b). Gröning and Brauckmann/The Beef Behind All Possible Pasts The Magdeburg Unicorn — also known as the Magdeburger Einhorn or Guericke-Einhorn — was a collection of fossils unearthed in 1663 at Seweckenberge, a German steppe known to contain fossils from the ice age and beyond. What is now called the Unicorn Cave is located near the the mountain town of Quedlinburg Prussian scientist Otto von Geuricke who was best known for his invention of the vacuum pump believed that the collection of fossilized bones belonged to a unicorn von Geuricke was said to have reconstructed the bones into the form in which they are most often represented today But von Guericke's original 3D reconstruction, if there ever was one, was ultimately lost. That's where philosopher and scientist Gottfried Leibniz comes into the story Composite of Guericke (left) and Leibniz (right) Like von Guericke, Leibniz was a scientist of his time who held both legitimate and fantastical theories. Some of his work was called into question in the 20th-century scientific literature and he has been described as a "sober but one who is prepared to concede the possibility of many strange phenomena." science 400 years ago was a different era of understanding and tended to lean more on the philosophical side What we would call mathematical sciences today Leibniz referred to as the "philosophy of imaginable things." The Quedlinburg monster was described in chapter 35 of Leibniz' book "Protogaea," which was a posthumously published treatise on earth sciences that debuted in 1749 The book was the philosopher's attempt to develop "the seeds of a new science called natural geography"— unicorns included "Concerning the horn of the unicorn and the monstrous animal dug up at Quedlinbury," is a brief mention of the Magdeburg Unicorn: Since it has been demonstrated by Bartholin that unicorns (once one of the most curious and rarest ornaments of natural history cabinets but now surrendered to the people's admiration) come from fish from the Northern ocean we are allowed to think that the unicorn fossil found in our countryside has the same origin This skeleton was broken and extracted by pieces because of the ignorance and the carelessness of the diggers The drawing published in "Protogaea" had originally been printed in 1704 by Michael Bernhard [Valentini] who drew it from notes and sketches by von Guericke and descriptions by Johann Mayer One such image was reproduced by Leibniz and published in his 1749 book 3D model of the Guericke-Einhorn on display at the Museum für Naturkunde (Natural History Museum) in Magdeburg, Germany. Michael Buchwitz/The Beef Behind All Possible Pasts Just as the bones confounded 17th-century naturalists, the origination of the reconstruction, both in a 3D version and in print, continues to perplex scientists today. What came first, the drawings or the model? That is a contentious question of whodunnit that is still debated in the scientific literature of today with some arguing that it was neither von Guericke nor Leibniz: The author of the first report with a figure was Johannes Meyer astronomer and treasurer of the Abbes Superior of Quedlinburg; and his German text had been translated by both partly in different ways (Guericke's Experimenta nova printed in 1672 and used by Leibniz; Leibniz's Protogaea salvage and reconstruction of the unicorn were ascribed to Guericke only by Othenio Abel (for the first time in 1918 and thereafter on many occasions) without indicating any source for that His story of the supposed discovery since then has been embellished with a lot of imagination further and further that a figure of the unicorn skeleton (which Guericke does not reproduce) had been sent to him together with a report (by J Meyer from Quedlinburg); and this figure he and his engraver Nicholas Seeländer 'corrected' and completed in accordance with their own imagination of a unicorn's build in 1716 to illustrate the Protogaea (M Valentini printed a copy of Meyer's original in 1704) Scientists do have a better idea of what exactly the unicorn was made up of Though many news publications have reported that it was the misaligned remains of a woolly rhinoceros these claims are only half-true — and may never be conclusively confirmed The horn is most probably the "tusk" from a narwhale (Monodon monoceros) a medium-sized whale that lives in the Arctic waters around Greenland The left upper canine of the narwhale males form a spirally twisted long tusk with a length up to more than 3 m The skull of the unicorn looks like a fossil skull of a Woolly rhinoceros and the shoulder blades and the bones of the two front legs are from the extinct Woolly mammoth The original species to which the other bones belong is as uncertain and intriguing as the rest of the mysterious creature's history Reconstruction of a woolly rhino. Public Domain "Leibniz on the Unicorn and Various Other Curiosities." Early Science and Medicine "In Retrospect: Leibniz's Protogaea." Nature "The Woolly Rhinoceros ( Coelodonta Antiquitatis ) from Ondorkhaan "Otto von Gericke (1602-1686) and His Pioneering Vacuum Experiments." Aviation "Https://Twitter.Com/Brianroemmele/Status/1558807744924094466." Twitter https://twitter.com/brianroemmele/status/1558807744924094466 "Https://Twitter.Com/Markus_macd/Status/974722895153893376." Twitter https://twitter.com/markus_macd/status/974722895153893376 "Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz." The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2020/entries/leibniz/ "Thijs van Kolfschoten." Leiden University https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/staffmembers/thijs-van-kolfschoten "This 350-Year-Old Reconstruction Of A 'Unicorn' Skeleton Is Totally Hilarious." IFLScience https://iflscience.com/this-350yearold-reconstruction-of-a-unicorn-skeleton-is-totally-hilarious-51122 "Travels through the Southern Provinces of the Russian Empire in the Years 1793 and 1794 / Translated from the German [by F.W https://wellcomecollection.org/works/wtfwhr9g The Woolly Rhinoceros from Seweckenberge near Quedlinburg (Germany) https://doi.org/10.11588/PROPYLAEUM.868.C11306 the Partial Fossilised Skeleton of a Woolly Rhinoceros Was Discovered in Germany One of the Worst Fossil Reconstructions in Human History." R/Damnthatsinteresting www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/wovjfo/in_1663_the_partial_fossilised_skeleton_of_a/ Madison Dapcevich is a freelance contributor for Snopes This material may not be reproduced without permission Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time Evening falls at Quedlinburg’s heritage-listed Market Square.Credit: Alamy which fall on every Wednesday and Saturday and follow that rich aroma through the winding streets to the bustling market square There you will find the stand selling a delicacy found only in Quedlinburg – harzer fichteln pork and veal sausages flavoured with an unusual ingredient "One of the locals found his grandfather's sausage recipe which included pine needles," says Sabine Houben "He passed the recipe on to our butcher who now sells them on every market day." It is no surprise that the sausages are a hit and rightly so – they certainly have a lot of it learnt that he had been chosen to be king of East Francia the territories which under Henry became known as Germany It's why Henry is considered to be the first German king The Brauhaus Lüdde brewery makes traditional beers using historic recipes.Credit: Alamy Quedlinburg went on to flourish under a series of rulers most notably a succession of powerful abbesses who controlled the town for more than eight centuries Quedlinburg's one-time wealth is evident in the impressive collection of heritage buildings lining its streets Few cities in Europe can match the Old Town's 80 hectares of historic streetscapes recognised by their inclusion on UNESCO's World Heritage list Walking the cobblestoned streets past narrow half-timbered houses and ornate baroque mansions glowing in soft shades of pink and green it is not immediately obvious that two things set Quedlinburg apart from Germany's many other picturesque towns The first is that all of these buildings are original as Quedlinburg escaped bombing during World War II It also escaped the threat that plagued towns throughout medieval Europe – fire fires regularly destroyed towns in the Middle Ages," Houten says "Quedlinburg was almost unique in that it never suffered a devastating fire thanks to its advanced system of night watchmen and firefighters." And unlike towns such as Germany's Rothenburg ob der Taube Quedlinburg is still well off the tourist trail thanks to its location in what was once East Germany Thirty years after the Berlin Wall came down much of the country's eastern portion remains under-explored by tourists the few travellers who do make it here have plenty of room to make their own discoveries such as the extraordinary feats of engineering that support the town Quedlinburg was built on the banks of the River Bode where the groundwater is high and the riverbed is up to 100 metres wide in places Not bad for a piece of 13th-century infrastructure Our walking tour culminates at the town's highest point an ancient castle and abbey flanked by gardens and a small vineyard (the respected wine-growing area of Saale-Unstrut lies nearby) The church was founded by the first King Henry and he was buried in the crypt both for its decorations – the beautifully carved capitals of the columns lining the nave include vivid depictions of hunting dogs and sinuous Celtic motifs – and for the treasures displayed in its museum including a ninth-century gospel written in gold ink on parchment English-speaking local Sabine Houben conducts walking tours of Quedlinburg. shoubenqlb@outlook.com The writer travelled courtesy of the German National Tourism Office To read more from Good Weekend magazine, visit our page at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Brisbane Times Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now. If you can, visit Quedlinburg on market days, which fall on every Wednesday and Saturday, and follow that rich aroma through the winding streets to the bustling market square. There you will find the stand selling a delicacy found only in Quedlinburg \\u2013 harzer fichteln, pork and veal sausages flavoured with an unusual ingredient, pine needles. "One of the locals found his grandfather's sausage recipe, which included pine needles," says Sabine Houben, a town tour guide. "He passed the recipe on to our butcher, who now sells them on every market day." It is no surprise that the sausages are a hit. Quedlinburgers are proud of their past, and rightly so \\u2013 they certainly have a lot of it. In the 10th century, this small town was where Henry, Duke of Saxony, learnt that he had been chosen to be king of East Francia, the territories which under Henry became known as Germany. It's why Henry is considered to be the first German king. Quedlinburg went on to flourish under a series of rulers, most notably a succession of powerful abbesses who controlled the town for more than eight centuries. Quedlinburg's one-time wealth is evident in the impressive collection of heritage buildings lining its streets. Few cities in Europe can match the Old Town's 80 hectares of historic streetscapes, recognised by their inclusion on UNESCO's World Heritage list. Walking the cobblestoned streets past narrow half-timbered houses and ornate baroque mansions glowing in soft shades of pink and green, it is not immediately obvious that two things set Quedlinburg apart from Germany's many other picturesque towns. The first is that all of these buildings are original, as Quedlinburg escaped bombing during World War II. It also escaped the threat that plagued towns throughout medieval Europe \\u2013 fire. "With most buildings made of wood, fires regularly destroyed towns in the Middle Ages," Houten says. "Quedlinburg was almost unique in that it never suffered a devastating fire, thanks to its advanced system of night watchmen and firefighters." And unlike towns such as Germany's Rothenburg ob der Taube, Quedlinburg is still well off the tourist trail thanks to its location in what was once East Germany. Thirty years after the Berlin Wall came down, much of the country's eastern portion remains under-explored by tourists. As a result, the few travellers who do make it here have plenty of room to make their own discoveries, such as the extraordinary feats of engineering that support the town. Quedlinburg was built on the banks of the River Bode, where the groundwater is high and the riverbed is up to 100 metres wide in places. The street called Steinbr\\u00FCcke \\u2013 literally, stone bridge \\u2013 is just that, a bridge of 23 subterranean arches, each with a seven-metre span. Not bad for a piece of 13th-century infrastructure. Our walking tour culminates at the town's highest point, an ancient castle and abbey flanked by gardens and a small vineyard (the respected wine-growing area of Saale-Unstrut lies nearby). The church was founded by the first King Henry and he was buried in the crypt, although his tomb is now empty It is still worth a visit, both for its decorations \\u2013 the beautifully carved capitals of the columns lining the nave include vivid depictions of hunting dogs and sinuous Celtic motifs \\u2013 and for the treasures displayed in its museum, including a ninth-century gospel written in gold ink on parchment. English-speaking local Sabine Houben conducts walking tours of Quedlinburg. The writer travelled courtesy of the German National Tourism Office, IMG Sachsen-Anhalt and Rail Europe. To read more from Good Weekend magazine, visit our page at, and . including artistically landscaped gardens and modern Bauhaus architecture.Image: Roman Sigaev/Zoonar/picture alliance Dessau-Wörlitz Garden RealmThis magical park landscape was one of the first and finest English gardens in Germany Dating back to the 18th century and located between the city of Dessau and the town of Wörlitz The gardens are also home to the famous Wörlitz castle and the entire ensemble has UNESCO World Heritage site status The small town of Quedlinburg is located north of the Harz mountains It is famous for its magnificent cathedral perched on a hill that can be seen from miles around The historic town center with its cobbled streets and 2,000 half-timbered houses is like an open-air museum taking you back in time Magdeburg has some fine examples of modern architecture The Green Citadel was one of the final projects by Austrian architect Friedrich Hundertwasser and was completed in 2005 The famous composer Georg Friedrich Handel was born here in 1685 The city on the River Saale failed in its attempt to be renamed "Handelstadt," however it does celebrate its famous prodigy with a monument to the composer Tourists can also visit the house where he was born witches come to the Harz Mountains every year on the last day of April to dance through the night German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe immortalized this legend in his famous tragedy Faust Nowadays people dress up as witches and party in various locations in the Harz region The River Elbe flows right through Saxony-Anhalt This largely unspoiled stretch of the river is home to many endangered species of animals and plants UNESCO named the Middle Elbe a Biosphere Reserve in 1997 The bike path beside the river is popular with visitors and locals alike art and design was founded in Weimar by Walter Gropius in 1919 But in 1925 it moved to Dessau and the building from that year remains a prime example of modern architecture Visitors can visit the Bauhaus workshops and spend the night here reformist Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg he attacked the sale of indulgences and papal abuses Luther’s protest is widely regarded as the initial catalyst for the Protestant Reformation Today the city is home to a bronze statue of Luther who sternly watches visitors and locals as they pass by The Saale-Unstrut region is one of Germany's lesser-known wine-growing areas It is home to the nation's most northern vineyards and looks back on a 1,000 year history of wine production It now boasts around 60 vineyards dedicated to improving the fine wines from the region Strip mining left scars on the Saxony-Anhalt's landscapes But creative minds have turned some of them into tourist attractions this industrial cultural site regularly hosts a number of concerts and festivals It features huge excavators left over from more than 100 years of industrial heritage If you have any questions or need help you can email us the quaint town in Saxony-Anhalt will celebrate 30 years of world heritage status Tanit Koch “If you look for the bad in people expecting to find it if you look for bad people you will surely find those So when my train last week from Berlin stopped in Magdeburg I didn’t get off to witness the AfD’s party conference ahead of the 2024 European election (“For the true Europe to live I stayed on for another 50 minutes to look for beauty I wanted to check out a Unesco world heritage site at the edge of the Harz mountains: Quedlinburg You basically walk through a Disney fairytale; I expected a pumpkin carriage to come around every corner rightfully mentioned in the travel guide 1000 Places to See Before You Die Revelling in half-timbered houses – Fachwerk – quickly turns boring I’ll get to the Nazi-cult-meets-Indiana-Jones part in a bit because you can indeed find it pretty much anywhere in Germany Quedlinburg has more than 2,000 half-timbered buildings in total the youngest are examples of Jugendstil buildings (our art nouveau) you see small blue-white plaques identifying houses as listed monuments The Saxon is often labelled the first German king although his time is one of the most sparse in the entire European Middle Ages historians agree he did play a decisive part in unifying what was to become a German empire eventually Enter from the extreme right Heinrich Himmler the Reichsführer SS – who was said to have thought himself a reincarnation of the other Heinrich He used the millennial anniversary of Henry’s death in 1936 to create a mythical cult around the Germanic “Führer from a thousand years ago” Henry’s mortal remains had somehow gone missing from his hilltop chapel grave because an SS underling dug up bones near what was by now the impressive hilltop church St Servatius Himmler declared them to be Henry’s and ritually buried them in the crypt next to his wife In 1938 the Nazis had seized and desecrated the whole church and turned it into a weird SS votive site The bones Himmler placed next to her are certified non-royal; Heinrich’s remains are still missing But his widow is surrounded by her treasures again Lutheran authorities had hidden them in a mineshaft on the outskirts of town They were later found and guarded by the US army but objects went missing: among them the Samuhel Gospel a ninth-century Latin manuscript with a jewel-encrusted cover; the 1513 Evangelistar with a couple of jewels on the cover precious reliquary flasks and boxes and a carved ivory comb (allegedly from Henry’s powder room) For more than four decades the whereabouts were unknown until an investigator traced the lost treasure to Texas home to a former army lieutenant who had sent the items to the US through the military mail in 1945 and whose heirs were trying to sell them Most were returned in the 1990s and are on display paintings by Bauhaus artist Lyonel Feininger saved from Nazi destruction by a Quedlinburg collector Quedlinburg will celebrate 30 years of world heritage status as one of the best-preserved mediaeval and renaissance towns in Europe Quedlinburg escaped major damage during the war because the ancient houses weren’t in great shape had specific plans to tear down most of the old town and build socialist Plattenbauten (large panel-system buildings) And the end of the GDR came just in time for capitalism to save the half-timbered houses from falling apart If you have any questions or need help you can email us. Brexit has made touring a logistical nightmare for artists. Just ask Kate Stables, aka This Is The Kit Instead, we have dumbed-down political and commercial interests masquerading as purveyors of news, lurching from one spasm to another The latest Entertainment breaking news, comment, reviews and features from the experts at T3 Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Ancient church treasures of gold, silver, ivory and rock crystal; enamelled, filigreed, and bejewelled, which were stolen from Quedlinburg by a US army lieutenant in 1945, have been returned to Germany, and the whole contents of the treasury—some 50 works— has just gone on display in the Kunstgewerbemuseum until 30 May 1993. Quedlinburg is now an unimportant town in the formerly East German Land of Sachsen-Anhalt, but it had its decades of glory in the early Middle Ages when it was closely connected with the German imperial court. From the tenth to the thirteenth centuries, the abbesses were all from the imperial family or the highest nobility. It was then that the church treasury was showered with gifts of the finest reliquaries and liturgical items goldsmiths could make. The Samuel Gospels from the treasury of the church of St Servatius in Quedlinburg Photo: Domschatz Quedlinburg The whole is a tribute to the diplomatic skills and national divisions of the Generalsekretär of the Kulturstiftung, Klaus Maurice, whose view of German culture transcends normal politics, as his recent enabling of the British Library to buy the complete series of Tauchnitz classics shows; for at the time when he retrieved the first piece of the treasure, Quedlinburg was still behind the Wall. • Originally appeared in The Art Newspaper under the headline "World War II ends for a small town in eastern Germany" archive1 February 1991The sacking of GermanyWhere is the world-famous antique glass from the Berlin Antiquarium What has happened to the coin collection of the Royal Prussian Mint Where is the precious antique jewellery from the Zahn-Bibliotek archive1 November 1995US indicts war booty sellersBrother and sister of the US soldier who stole the Quedlinburg treasure to face possible imprisonment Pani Garmyder / Shutterstock Goslar Tours The medieval mining town of Goslar was founded back in 922 AD and has a fascinating history involving knights its adorable cobbled streets endlessly lined with half-timbered guild houses are a meanderer’s dream come true The huge Zwinger Tower and the Imperial Palace of Goslar dominate the skyline of Goslar while the beautiful Gustav Adolf Stave Church never fails to stop travelers in their tracks and boasts of the rare history of being ruled by women for 800 long years It houses steep-roofed half-timbered buildings from at least five centuries and a medieval Old Town all still preserved in their original condition as the town was lucky enough to escape destruction during the war If there was ever a contest for the most quaint town the UNESCO World Heritage town of Quedlinburg would be an unrivaled contender import PrebidBidService from "/v1/js/PrebidBidService.js"; import AmazonBidService from "/v1/js/AmazonBidService.js"; window.addEventListener('intersecting',async (e) => { const element = document.querySelector('[data-id="in_article_1"]'); const slot = element.getAttribute('id'); if(e.detail.slotName !== slot) { return; } let promises = []; if(window.canRunPrebid) { const prebidService = new PrebidBidService(); promises.push(prebidService.requestPrebidBids(null [slot])); } if(window.canRunAmazon) { const amazonService = new AmazonBidService(); promises.push(amazonService.fetchBids(null [slot])); } if(promises?.length) { await Promise.all(promises).then(() => { googletag.pubads().refresh([window.addSlot[slot]]); }); } else { googletag.pubads().refresh([window.addSlot[slot]]); } }); Wernigerode Historical Landmark as it has incredible routes waiting with the promise of adventure and discovery A romantic narrow-gauge steam railway passes through Wernigerode on its way to Brocken Photo by Max Payload on Unsplash From a tiny mining village around year 1250 to a much-loved spot for winter sports lovers, Braunlage has come a long way. This picturesque town offers incredible opportunities for skiing and tobogganing and offers breathtaking views over its panorama from its 400m-high Wurmbergseilbahn Braunlage is also a popular health resort housing several spa gardens The picture-postcard town of Blankenburg sits shyly by the Goldbach stream it is hard to imagine that it was hit hard by a devastating fire in 1836 and once housed a hard labor camp The 12th-century Schloss Blankenburg nestled in a lush baroque garden tells the story of medieval times while the ruins of Schloss Regenstein still stand witness to almost eight centuries of history Sign up to our newsletter to save up to $800 on our unique trips See privacy policy Markus Muller / Unsplash A walk around the Old Town of Duderstadt is like a stroll through the pages of history The cityscape of this town dating from 929 AD is adorned by St and the gorgeous Town Hall protected by ancient towers An aerial view of Duderstadt would reveal a sea of red roofs crowning half-timbered houses wrapped tightly by lush green fortifications Deny Hill / Unsplash The town of Eisleben was christened Lutherstadt Eisleben in honor of Martin Luther who was born here and also breathed his last in this town Various monuments dedicated to Martin Luther are still today immaculately maintained and proudly shown off Andrew’s Church (where he held his last sermons) Eisleben also has rows of adorable half-timbered houses that are so typical of Harz towns German Trips and Tours Want to continue your germanic adventure Germany has plenty to offer from their iconic Christmas markets fairy tale-esque Black Forest and mystical castles to the urban cities of Berlin and beyond import PrebidBidService from "/v1/js/PrebidBidService.js"; import AmazonBidService from "/v1/js/AmazonBidService.js"; window.addEventListener('intersecting',async (e) => { const element = document.querySelector('[data-id="in_article_4"]'); const slot = element.getAttribute('id'); if(e.detail.slotName !== slot) { return; } let promises = []; if(window.canRunPrebid) { const prebidService = new PrebidBidService(); promises.push(prebidService.requestPrebidBids(null [slot])); } if(promises?.length) { await Promise.all(promises).then(() => { googletag.pubads().refresh([window.addSlot[slot]]); }); } else { googletag.pubads().refresh([window.addSlot[slot]]); } }); If you click on a link in this story All recommendations have been independently sourced by Culture Trip Read Next See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in October Guides & Tips The Best European Cities to Visit in December See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in Summer See & Do Germany's Most Beautiful Abbeys and Monasteries Art 10 Masterpieces You Can Only See in Munich See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in September See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in July Guides & Tips The Best European Cities to Visit in November Design The Most Beautiful Churches in Berlin See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in Autumn See & Do The Best Weekend Trips From Heidelberg See & Do A Guide to River Cruises in Germany: What to Know US: +1 (678) 967 4965 | UK: +44 (0)1630 35000 tripssupport@theculturetrip.com © Copyright 2025 The Culture Trip Ltd