The best city hikes and walks in the Wendland

The castle tower in the Salzwedel castle garden is the oldest preserved building in the city. It is considered the historical heart and architectural landmark of the Hanseatic city. The round brick tower was built at the end of the 12th century (probably around 1160). It served as the central defensive tower (keep) of a once powerful, ring-shaped lowland castle. This castle complex had an overall diameter of about 220 meters and protected the important trade route (Salzstraße) at the crossing of the river Jeetze. The tower today has a striking height of around 24 meters. Originally, it was even higher and culminated in a steep roof spire. To withstand possible sieges, the foundation was built extremely solidly. The wall thickness at the base of the tower is an impressive 3.60 meters. Typical for medieval defensive towers, the original entrance is not at ground level, but is a so-called high entrance at a height of about 12 meters. Inside, in the lower, windowless area, lies the former dungeon. The tower is freely accessible in the park-like castle garden and is surrounded by old trees and the remains of the historic castle wall. While the garden area can be visited free of charge daily from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM, the interior of the tower is usually only open for special city events or as part of guided tours booked through the Salzwedel Tourist Information.

The Burggarten in Salzwedel is a quiet city park in the center, located on the grounds of the historic Salzwedel Castle. • Address: Burgstraße 42, 29410 Salzwedel • Opening hours: Daily from morning until evening (approx. 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM) • Admission: The park is freely accessible. • Atmosphere: Very quiet, green, and characterized by historical flair. Visitors appreciate the place for strolling and lingering. • The Keep (Castle Tower): The well-preserved defensive tower dates from the late 12th century. It is about 24 meters high with impressive wall thickness at the base. The high entrance is at a height of around 12 meters. • Memorial Hall (Hall of Honor): In 1923, a hall of honor was erected for the fallen of World War I. • Remains of St. Anne's Chapel: Remains of the old castle chapel's walls can still be seen on the grounds. • Remains of the defensive wall and castle moat: Evidence of the former ring-shaped lowland castle, which was likely built in the 9th century to protect a trade route on the Jeetze river. • Directly from the Burggarten, stairs lead down to the courtyard of the well-known Baumkuchen bakery Café Kruse, where the famous Salzwedel Baumkuchen can be enjoyed. • In summer, the park occasionally serves as a venue for open-air festivals.

The former water tower, a round tower in the Neo-Gothic style, was built in 1903. It is adorned with decorative niches and a copper spire. Planning and construction management was handled by the Salzwedel master builder and architect Albert Strauchenbruch. The 43.7-meter-high tower houses a 7-meter-high balancing reservoir at a height of 25 meters, which could store up to 35 cubic meters of water. After the completion of the then waterworks, the pipes were laid to the constructed water tower. The first households could be supplied. Initially, the supply of tap water was based on a flat-rate consumption estimate. With the increase in water consumption, however, water meters became necessary, and in 1938 an electric pump drive was added. In 1981, the city discontinued the operation of the water tower, as water storage tanks were built approximately 5 km away on the Schwarzen Berg. They made it possible to let the water flow downhill cost-effectively. https://entdecke-salzwedel.de/wasserturm/

The St. Lawrence Church is the Catholic parish church of the Hanseatic city of Salzwedel and is considered the city's oldest preserved church building. It is located on the Romanesque Road in Saxony-Anhalt. As the original church tower was dismantled over the centuries, the church today lacks a classic church tower. It is semi-circularly surrounded by picturesque half-timbered houses and blends unobtrusively into the historic cityscape. The building was constructed in the mid-13th century (approx. 1230–1250) as a late Romanesque, three-nave brick basilica. Later, craftsmen incorporated Gothic cross-ribbed vaults into the nave and choir. After the Reformation, the structure lost its function as a place of worship. From 1692, it was used for decades as a salt warehouse (Salzfaktorey) by electoral order. The salt deposits, deeply embedded in the masonry, pose enormous structural challenges for monument preservation to this day, as they attract moisture and damage the bricks. After a devastating city fire in 1705, the side aisles were demolished. It was not until the 19th century that the Catholic community took over the dilapidated building again. The northern side aisle was finally reconstructed in the 1960s on the old, medieval foundations.

Many thanks for your descriptions, which say a lot about the Jeetze.

The Jeetze (later called Jeetzel in its Lower Saxony course) is the lifeline of the Hanseatic city of Salzwedel in Saxony-Anhalt. The approximately 73-kilometer-long river originates in the Altmark and flows into the Elbe near Hitzacker. In Salzwedel, it significantly shapes the cityscape and history. Thanks to the Jeetze, Salzwedel received its Hanseatic rights in 1263. From the Middle Ages until the 19th century, the river served as an important trade and transport route, via which goods were transported by ship to the Elbe and further to Hamburg. The city even had its own harbor. Today, the Jeetze winds through the historic old town in numerous branches and small canals.

The water tower, completed in 1909, is an interesting photo motif. The tower head is no longer original; it was renewed in 1956/57. The original tower head was built of bricks and had a cylindrical shape, whereas the renewed tower head was built in a conical shape.

In the premises of the former town hall of the Hanseatic city of Salzwedel, the Salzwedel District Court is located today. The northern part, built from 1490 to 1509, is the oldest part of the historic town hall. At the beginning of the 17th century, the town hall was extended by a corner building. The use of the building as a town hall ended in 1714. Afterwards, the structure served, among other things, as a guardhouse, warehouse, and council cellar. In 1820, the judiciary moved into some of the premises of the Renaissance building. Since the middle of the 19th century, the court has been located in the entire building. The adjacent building was erected in 1867 as a prison. https://erlebnisland.de/sachsen-anhalt/hansestadt-salzwedel/sehenswuerdigkeiten/ehemaliges-rathaus-altstadt-amtsgericht-salzwedel