Wernigerode is very attractive to tourists. The town centre consists mainly of timber-framed houses of Lower Saxon style. The neo-Gothic castle in its prominent location way above the town can be seen by approaching visitors even from a great distance. The surroundings of our town are also quite appealing. The Harzer Schmalspurbahn (narrow-gauge railway) has its starting point here. It goes via Schierke way up to the Brocken; another line crosses the Harz and goes to Nordhausen in Thuringia.

Between April and October 2006, Wernigerode was the host of the 2nd Horticultural Show of Saxony-Anhalt. Today, the grounds are a park for Wernigerode's citizens ("Wernigeröder Bürgerpark"). In 2009, this park will be the venue of "Der kleine Harz", an exhibition of miniatures of famous buildings, churches and edifices of the Harz region.

Culture and Leisure

The Culture and Conference Centre "Harzer-Kultur- und Kongresszentrum", or HKK, is a complex of several halls and conference rooms with an integrated hotel for diverse events. It is also, and more widely, known under the name "KiK", which stands for "Culture in the Conference Centre".

The Walk of the Planets is an easily understandable visualization of our planet system: it reproduces the distances to the sun on a scale of 1:1 milliard. The tour ends at the Harz Planetarium, a perfect destination for all those who are interested in astronomy. The Remise of the Arts and Culture Association is a hot tip for sophisticated concerts on a small scale, for readings and other performances.

Wildpark Christianental: this is a Game Park situated on the rim of Wernigerode (in Nöschenrode) below the castle. This place is ideal for recreation and relaxation, and particularly worth seeing for children. Newly built in 2005, the recreational spa and vacation spot "Hasseröder Ferienpark" provides indoor pools and other leisure amenities.


Tourism in Wernigerode

Tourism is economically important in Wernigerode, and it has seen an enormous growth in the last few years. In the domain of cultural tourism, every year has a great number of attractive events and highlights, which make it a great experience to stay in our colourful town. There are the Town Hall Festivities, for example, or take the Wine Days of Neustadt, the international Johannes Brahms Choir Contest, the Castle Festival or the Harz Mountain Run, to name only a few.

Owing to its situation directly north of the Harz Mountains, Wernigerode is an ideal starting point for nature trips and hiking. Guided hikes are regularly carried out on longer and shorter routes, in the hillsides of Wernigerode, on the naturalistic geological education path, under the guidance of the Harzklub, and there are also all-inclusive holiday trips "Hiking Without a Backpack" around the Brocken or along the Harz Witches' Path. The bicycle or mountain bike is another great vehicle for exploring nature in the Harz foothills and in the Harz National Park. The Harzer Schmalspurbahnen (narrow-gauge railways) start in the town of Wernigerode, as well.

For many of our guests, a very popular "high" light is a ride with the Brocken railway up the highest summit of northern Germany, the Brocken (1142 metres). Other charming rail routes are the Harzquerbahn, which crosses the Harz on its north/south axis and the Selketalbahn, which shows you the most romantic sides of our Harz. This is why the topics of Culture and Nature are the ones that dominate touristic marketing in Wernigerode.

Visitor Statistics

In 2006, as many as 732,385 official overnight stays have been registered. On top of that, about 2 million day tourists visit our colourful town every year.
Statistics show that the proportion of foreign guests is on the rise (currently 6,0 %). Especially from our neighbouring countries, such as the Netherlands and Denmark, people come visiting us. But also Japanese, Chinese, British, North American and Swiss guests find our little town increasingly charming.

Accommodation Capacities

The following facilities are available with overnight accommodation (as per December 31st, 2006):
68 hotels, boarding houses, guesthouses, rest homes, vacation and training centres with a total of 3,318 beds
1 Holiday Park (145 holiday homes) with a total of 700 beds
99 holiday homes with a total of 404 beds
191 holiday apartments with a total of 679 beds
44 holiday lodgings with a total of 120 beds and
4 family and youth hostels with a total of 357 beds
This totals 5,578 beds for accommodation of tourists in Wernigerode.