Page 456 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Germany

454  NOR THERN GERM AN Y
s Street-by-Street: Goslar
Goslar, at the foot of the Harz mountains, is a captivating town with
1,500 charming, half-timbered houses, the largest number in
Germany. For 300 years the Holy Roman Emperors of
Germany resided in Goslar, a member of the Hanseatic
League also known as “the treasure chest of the
North”. Goslar’s main source of wealth was the
nearby mine in Rammelsberg, where zinc,
copper and especially silver were mined.
The townscape has remained largely
unchanged, making it a great
tourist attraction as well as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
. Rathaus
On the western side of the market
square stands the 15th-century town
hall. Its beautiful Huldigungsaal (hall
of homage) has a ceiling and walls
with Gothic frescoes.
Siemens­
haus
K A I S E R B L E E K
DOM
PL A TZ
. Marktkirche
The Gothic Church of Saints Cosmas
and Damian has Romanesque
stained-glass windows and a bronze
Renaissance baptismal font. Statue of the
Emperor
Barbarossa
Key
Suggested route
The Kaiserpfalz
The Emperors’ palace is a stone building
(1005–15), largely rebuilt in the 19th
century. The chapel and the Emperors’ hall
with its superb paintings are worth seeing.
For hotels and restaurants in this area see pp501–502 and pp529–31
454-455_EW_Germany.indd 454
L OWER SA X ON Y , HA MBURG & BREMEN  455
VISITORS’ CHECKLIST P Siemenshaus
Schreiberstraße 12. Tel (05321) 780
Guildhouse
(Hotel Kaiserworth) Practical Information 620. Closed to the public; call for
a tour.
Road map: D3. * 46,000.
Jakobikirche n Markt 7 (05321-780 60). _ This half-timbered house, one of
Goslarer Tag der Kleinkunst (Jun);
Internationales Musikfest (Aug). the most attractive, was once
owned by the Siemens family
Transport who have their roots in Goslar.
£ Hans Siemens built it in 1693.
The underground train into the mine at
R St Peter and Paul the Bergbaumuseum Rammelsberg
Frankenberger Platz. P Breites Tor
Located in the Frankenberg Breite Straße.
neighbourhood, this was one of
47 churches which once stood in Some parts of the defensive
the town. It was built in the 12th system, dating mainly from
M A R K T century, and the tympanum of around 1500, are well preserved.
This “wide gate”, seen on the
the south portal dates from this
period. Extensively refurbished, eastern approach to the town, is
the church prides itself on its the most imposing part.
magnificent Baroque furnishings.
P St Annen-Stift
R St Jakobi Glockengiesserstraße 65. Tel (05321)
Jakobi-Kirchhof. Tel (05321) 303 672. 398 700. Open 10am–noon Mon,
Open 9:30am–4pm daily. Thu, Fri.
The present appearance of this The hospice of St Anna for
H
O church, the only Catholic one in orphans, the elderly and infirm
H E Goslar, is the result of Gothic was founded in 1494 and is the
R . Historic Half- additions, although the structure oldest preserved half-timbered
Timbered Houses of the walls remains Romanesque. house in Germany. Behind its
W
E Many charming half- The famous work of art in the picturesque façade is a beautiful
G timbered buildings church is the Pietà by Hans von small chapel with superb
from various periods Witten, but it is also worth paintings on a wooden ceiling.
have survived in Goslar, looking at the wall paintings, the
creating compact rows organ and the baptismal font. E Bergbaumuseum
of houses in the streets
of the city centre. R Neuwerkkirche Rammelsberg
Bergtal 19. Tel (05321) 750 122.
Rosentorstraße 27a. Tel (05321) 228 39. Open 9am–6pm daily
Open Mar–Oct: 10am–noon & 2:30– Goslar’s mining museum is
4:30pm Mon–Sat; 2:30–4:30pm Sun. based in the 10th-century
This impressive late-Romanesque silver mine. One of the oldest
church was built in the 12th–13th industrial structures in the
centuries for the Cistercian Order, world, it is a UNESCO World
T H O M A S S T R A S S E E buildings date from the early 18th mining tools and utensils used
T H O M A S S T R A S S
St Annen Stift although the surviving monastic Heritage Site. On display are
century. Inside, the wall paintings in various periods. Visitors can
take a train ride through the
and the choir partition are of
interest. The church is surrounded mine and learn about the
by a peaceful garden.
history of mining.
0 metres 50
0 yards 50
The above-ground buildings of the silver mine in Rammelsberg
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