ESCAPADE TO MAGDEBURG
One-Day Trip From Berlin
You want to escape for a day from the agitated Berlin life? We have the little cheap tips for you!
Our first suggestion is a day in Magdeburg, the capital of Sachsen-Anhalt, 150km away from Berlin (1h30 by bus, less than 20€ return trip, departure from Berlin ZOB with the Flixbus company). The Magdeburg train station is only 10min away from the city centre on foot. Don’t forget your student card to benefit from the attractive prices for the visits! And beware, in Germany, most of the museums are closed on Monday, and are closing rather early (as well as the churches).
Magdeburg was really hurt during the Second World War in 1945 by the American bombs, and the reconstruction by the communists isn’t a brilliant success for some buildings and neighbourhoods but there are indeed little treasures in the town, that are worth the trip.
Our first stop is the church of Saint John - Johanniskirche - where Luther delivered a speech (statue on the parvis) and where you can climb at the top of one the two towers and enjoy a full panorama of the town, crossed by the Elbe river. The church was so damaged by the war that it is transformed today into an auditorium. The crypt is also open, as well as the vault of the former Magdeburg mayor and physician Otto von Guericke. Price of the entry: 2€.
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The city hall - Rathaus - and the main place have a certain character, with chiming clock ringing every hour and the golden statue of the knight of Magdeburg. Sometimes there is even a little market.
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Then you can go and see the Peter hill “Petriberg” with the three churches: Saint Madeleine chapel, Saint Peter church and Wallons church, aged from the 13th century.
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The Green citadel - Grüne Zitadelle - is without a doubt the most stunning thing to see during our day. The building was designed by the Austrian architect Hundertwasser, whose goal was to create a whole living place where there are apartments, shops, kindergarten, theatre, parking… in harmony with nature because trees and plants are supposed to cover the façade and the fensters in spring and summer, hence the name of “Green” citadel. The very interesting visit (just two per day during the week, more on the weekends) tells you about the philosophy, the conception of the citadel, the life of Hundertwasser and shows you an apartment.
Price of the visit: 6€, around one hour, only in German but flyers are available in many languages.
Don’t hesitate to take a break in the café Alt Magdeburg, inside the citadel.
Finally, the Saint Maurice and Saint Catherine Cathedral - Dom - is breath-taking facing the place of the Cathedral. It is the first German gothic cathedral, taking model after the French ones.
Price of the guided visit: 3,50€ at 2 pm.
If you didn’t have enough: the Elbe Park by a beautiful day is really delightful. Our Lady Abbey with its Beaux-Arts Museum and the museum of cultural history deserve also a glance.