Burg Querfurt: A Historic Medieval Castle in Germany

Visitor Information

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Official Website: www.burg-querfurt.de

Country: Germany

Civilization: Unclassified

Remains: Military

History

Burg Querfurt is situated in the municipality of Querfurt in present-day Germany. The castle was initially established by the noble family of Querfurt, serving as their ancestral seat from the 10th century onward. Its location reflects a long history of human settlement, with archaeological evidence showing earlier occupation during the early Bronze Age.

The earliest surviving written records mention Querfurt between 881 and 899, when it appeared as a community required to pay tithes, according to a register from Hersfeld monastery. By 979, the site was identified as a castellum—a fortified place—in a document issued by Emperor Otto II. This marked the first known recognition of the castle’s strategic and administrative value during the early medieval period.

During the 11th and 12th centuries, the site developed further with the construction of stone buildings and fortifications. A castle chapel and a collegiate foundation were established around 1004, highlighting the site’s growing religious significance. From 1162, a Romanesque church was built within the castle courtyard, signaling the community’s evolving ecclesiastical presence. In the 14th century, it was expanded by the addition of a burial chapel that became the resting place of Count Gebhard XIV of Querfurt.

By the 12th and 13th centuries, Burg Querfurt’s defenses were strengthened. The prominent “Dicke Heinrich” round tower was erected in the 12th century, while the Marterturm was initially built in the early 13th century and raised further in the 14th century. The late 14th century saw the construction of the Pariser Turm, which functioned as both a watchtower and a dungeon. Around 1350, the outer ring wall encircled the site, and between 1385 and 1479, the West Gate complex was added. In the later 15th century, the fortifications were enhanced by bastions to better protect the castle.

Following the death of Bruno IX, the last lord of Querfurt, in 1496, the castle reverted to the control of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg. In the 16th century, Albrecht of Brandenburg implemented significant structural modifications in 1528 and again in 1535. The castle experienced military conflict during the Thirty Years’ War, being besieged multiple times between 1640 and 1642, and underwent Swedish occupation until 1650.

Starting in 1663, Burg Querfurt became the residence of the princes of Saxony-Querfurt, transforming the site into the capital of their territory. During this period, the Fürstenhaus (prince’s house) was constructed between 1660 and 1668. Around 1700, the castle’s defenses were modernized with new artillery positions placed on a widened berm above the zwinger, a fortified enclosed courtyard. After the death of Adolph III of Saxony-Weißenfels, the castle returned to the Electorate of Saxony.

In 1815, the castle and town became part of the Kingdom of Prussia, serving as a state domain until the mid-20th century. Over the centuries, the castle church received baroque remodeling during the 17th and 18th centuries, with restorations in the 19th and early 20th centuries preserving its historical character. Beginning in the 1970s and continuing into the 2000s, extensive restoration and archaeological research helped to better understand and preserve the castle’s features. Throughout its history, Burg Querfurt has fulfilled various roles, including religious center, administrative seat, military fortress, and noble residence.

Remains

Burg Querfurt is one of Germany’s largest medieval castles, notable for its extensive layout and robust fortifications built primarily from local materials like shell limestone. Its construction spans several centuries, illustrating the evolution of defensive architecture from the 10th to the 18th century.

At the heart of the castle stands the “Dicke Heinrich,” a massive Romanesque round tower from the 12th century. Rising 27.5 meters tall, it features a sturdy base measuring 14 meters across, with walls 4.35 meters thick. Originally built without windows, chimney, or latrine, it gained a crenellated crown with arrow slits during the 15th century, enhancing its defensive capability.

The Marterturm began as a residential tower in the early 13th century, with its upper floors added in the 14th century. After the turmoil of the Thirty Years’ War, it was repurposed as a granary, demonstrating adaptive reuse over time. Nearby, the Pariser Turm, also known historically as the Hausmannsturm, dates to the late 14th century. Standing 57 meters tall, this tower housed a dungeon and was topped with a baroque roof added in 1659. It served as a fire observation point until 1969 and presently offers visitors panoramic views from its interior.

Encircling the main courtyard is the outer ring wall constructed around 1350. Nearly two meters thick and ten meters high, it was designed with arrow slits to allow defenders to repel attacks effectively. Rather than a traditional water-filled moat, the castle is protected by a wide, dry moat carved into the permeable shell limestone bedrock. This moat measures roughly 11 meters across and 5 meters deep, creating a formidable barrier against siege efforts.

Defensive bastions were added in the latter half of the 15th century, including large shell-shaped towers called “Rondelle.” These monumental structures, built between approximately 1450 and 1479, feature robust lower floors fitted with small openings called loopholes, intended for handguns—a reflection of evolving military technology of the period. Historical records note that some loopholes still show preserved wooden planks that served as bullet protection. After suffering damage during the Thirty Years’ War, these bastions underwent thorough restoration.

The Western Gate complex, constructed between 1385 and 1479, stands out for its massive size, comparable to that of Wartburg Castle. It includes specialized arrow slits designed to cover a wide range of angles, enabling defenders to secure the gatehouse effectively.

Religious architecture within the castle includes the chapel dedicated to “Our Dear Lady of Querfurt.” Built beginning in 1162 on earlier foundations, it features a cruciform plan with an octagonal crossing tower dating to the late 12th century. The southwest side chapel, added in the 14th century, houses the tomb of Count Gebhard XIV, a notable example of late medieval Bohemian-influenced sculpture. The chapel’s interior was transformed through baroque remodeling between 1698 and 1716, with decorative shell-shaped openings in the crossing tower, paintings by Andreas Mateyerlein, stuccowork by Georg Friedrich Hopffe and the Minetti brothers, and several richly restored ceiling paintings. Elements such as consoles beside the north portal bear a tympanum originating from the nearby Marienzell monastery. The castle organ, originally installed in 1887 by the Gebrüder Rühlmann firm, was replaced in 1994 with a modern instrument crafted by Schuke, maintaining the chapel’s musical heritage.

In the courtyard center lies the castle well, which historically provided the castle’s sole water supply. Filled in 1945, it was later excavated in 1973 and again in 2000, reaching a depth of approximately 33 meters. The current water level is located about 2.5 meters below the surface.

Adjacent to the main fortress is the Fürstenhaus, constructed as part of the residential complex for the princes of Saxony-Querfurt between 1660 and 1668. This building incorporates remnants of an earlier Romanesque palace known as the Ottonenkeller and underwent Renaissance remodeling in 1528 before its baroque transformation.

The Korn- und Rüsthaus, or granary and armory building, dates back to a 1535 construction but rests on earlier structures from the 10th century, including northern gatehouse remains as well as Ottonian and Romanesque residential elements. Its basement originally served as an armory, while the building’s current appearance stems from renovations between 1680 and 1685.

Other historic buildings include the castle barn, which appears in records from 1469, and the Amtshaus and Pächterhaus, late baroque administrative buildings whose original appearances have changed due to later functional adaptations.

A commemorative plaque honoring Saint Bruno of Querfurt, founder of the castle chapel who died in 1009, was placed on the castle church in 1909, highlighting the site’s long-standing religious significance.