Skip the crowds, keep the charm! We all know THAT picture of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria, don’t we? It’s where nearly every American (and 99 % of Germany’s international tourists) head to for their “best medieval towns in Germany” fix. But what if you could experience the same enchanting history without the crowds? So here are five incredible alternatives of less touristy, but not less stunning, half-timbered towns in Germany – especially worthwhile visiting if your ancestors once walked these very streets.
1. Quedlinburg – A half-timbered time capsule
In the federal state of: Saxony-Anhalt (formerly East Germany)
With over 1,300 half-timbered houses (!) spanning six centuries, walking in this historic German town really feels like you stepped back into the Middle Ages.
When I was here on a weekday in February, there were not many people around either. And in some of my shots, you can see that I even walked the streets completely alone at times.
In my opinion, this added to the time traveling feeling.
But why are there still so many half-timbered houses in Quedlinburg?
Well, first for all, unlike many other German towns and cities, Quedlinburg escaped heavy bombing during World War II.
Second of all, Quedlinburg was located in East Germany when Germany was divided into East and West Germany (1949-1990).
And during that time, many of its historic buildings fell into disrepair due to the East German government’s lack of restoration funds.
That changed after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and German reunification in 1990.
Massive restoration efforts, including a special “rebuilding tax”, brought the old medieval town back to life.
In fact, back in 1994, Quedlinburg’s entire Old Town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site!
What to see in Quedlinburg:
1. Quedlinburg Castle & Abbey: Once the home of “Germany’s first king”, Henry the Fowler (Heinrich I, who lived from 876 AD to 936 AD).
2. St. Servatius Church: A stunning Romanesque church holding the town’s treasures.
3. The Old Town: Wander past half-timbered buildings, some dating back to the 1300s.
If you need a pit stop to refuel, there are many great cafés and restaurants to choose from.
On my visit to Quedlinburg, I checked out the “Café und Restaurant zum Roland (7 Häuser Café)”, which spreads out over the ground floors of seven half-timbered houses.
As they say on a sign in front of their restaurant and cafe, this layout is unique in Germany.
Bonus point: When I went from room to room in this café, or rather half-timbered house to half-timbered house, I really felt like I had literally stepped into someone’s home from the Middle Ages. 😉
Another great find on my visit was the “Vincent – Café & Käsekuchenbäckerei”, which specializes in all kinds of different variants of German cheesecakes, called “Käsekuchen”.
As a cheesecake lover, I was obviously in heaven here.
Quedlinburg Ancestry Connection:
The look and feel of Quedlinburg’s Old Town hasn’t changed much in the past few centuries.
So if your ancestors hailed from Saxony-Anhalt or indeed from Quedlinburg, they would probably have seen the same houses in the 1300s, 1400s or 1500s as you do today.
How is that for a time-traveling experience? 😉
2. Wernigerode – The “Colorful Town” in the Harz Mountains
In the federal state of: Saxony-Anhalt (formerly East Germany)
Just next to Quedlinburg, you will find another gem of underrated historic towns in Germany.
Nicknamed “Bunte Stadt” (Colorful Town), Wernigerode looks just like a medieval postcard with its vividly painted half-timbered houses and dramatic hilltop castle.
What to see in Wernigerode:
1. Wernigerode Castle: A fairytale fortress overlooking the town, which is also occasionally used as a film set.
2. Go up the Brocken mountain: Take a historical steam train (one of the few still operating in Germany) to ride up the Brocken mountain, which is northern Germany’s highest peak.
Spoiler: When you come to northern Germany because of ancestry connections, don’t expect any mountains! It’s mostly flat here, especially as you get closer to the coastlines of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.
All the high mountains, which Germany is famous for aboard, are in southern Germany (for example the Alps).
The Harz Mountain region around the towns of Quedlinburg and Wernigerode is pretty much the only exception in northern Germany!
Going up the Brocken mountain is quite a cool experience though (quite literally!). Especially if you are there in the winter as there is often a lot of snow.
I was there in February. At the time, there was no snow in my home region in northern Germany, so I headed here and went up the Brocken mountain for my “winter and snow escape”.
3. Market Square & Town Hall: Wernigerode’s town hall dates back to 1494 and is a masterpiece of half-timbered architecture.
Wernigerode Ancestry Connection:
If your ancestors lived in the Harz region, Wernigerode provides a great starting point for understanding their world.
Not only by strolling through the town, but also by visiting the inside of Wernigerode Castle.
Here, you can see the original furnished rooms of a high nobility family that lived there in the second half of the 19th century.
There are also several halls with an exhibition about the cultural and social history of the region in the 19th century.
To get to the castle, you can either walk (it’s a scenic, but steep 20-minute walk from the town center!), take the little Castle Train (Bimmelbahn) or the Schlossbus (shuttle bus).
More info about visiting the castle in English.
3. Duderstadt – A hidden gem of timber-framed beauty
In the federal state of: Lower Saxony (formerly in West Germany)
Duderstadt might not be as famous as Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
But with over 600 colorful, half-timbered buildings, this lesser-known gem is considered one of the best medieval towns in Germany.
I first came to Duderstadt in February 2022 when I had booked a short trip to a wellness hotel in the northern part of the federal state of Thuringia (“Thüringen” in German).
The hotel staff recommended to visit nearby Duderstadt, which is located just over the former border between East Germany (Thuringia) and West Germany (Lower Saxony) at the outskirts of Lower Saxony (“Niedersachsen” in German).
So why are there over 600 colorful, half-timbered buildings in Duderstadt?
First of all, Duderstadt, again, was largely spared from World War II bombings, allowing its historic architecture to remain intact.
And during the Cold War, its location still in West Germany, but near the East-West German border, led to limited economic growth and modernization efforts.
This unintentionally protected the demolition of Duderstadt’s medieval buildings.
After the reunification of Germany in 1990, restoration efforts revitalized the town, ensuring that you see so much great medieval architecture here today.
What to see in Duderstadt:
1. Rathaus (Town Hall): One of the oldest (the first parts date back to 1302!) and most beautiful in Germany.
Just the outside is impressive. But when I was there, I also visited the exhibitions inside the town hall about life in Duderstadt in the past.
This was all in German, but I think they also have some information in English. If you are interested in visiting, definitely ask the people who work at the desk on the ground floor. They were super friendly.
The view from the top floor down at the medieval city center was also stunning.
2. St. Cyriakus Church: A Gothic beauty dating back to the 13th century.
3. Westerturm Tower & City Walls: Remnants of Duderstadt’s medieval defenses.
Duderstadt Ancestry Connection:
I was indeed very surprised when I walked through the historic streets here.
Although I am from Lower Saxony myself (the western part near Osnabrück), I had never even heard of the town of Duderstadt before I came to the wellness hotel in Thuringia. 😀
And I believe that not many international travelers would know about this hidden gem either.
But when you are in the area (perhaps because you have ancestors from Thuringia or southern Lower Saxony), I would highly recommend a visit to Duderstadt!
4. Lübeck – The Hanseatic heart of northern Germany
In the federal state of: Schleswig-Holstein (formerly in West Germany)
During the last few years of World War 2, Hamburg (Germany’ second-largest city in terms of population and the most important port city), was heavily bombed.
So unfortunately, almost all of Hamburg’s historic city center was destroyed forever.
When I joined a guided tour in Hamburg once, the tour guide told us that if we want to see how Hamburg looked pre-WWII, we should head to Lübeck!
Lübeck is just about an hour away from Hamburg by (regional) train and there are frequent trains between these two cities.
Lübeck, once the most powerful city of the medieval European trade union “Hanseatic League”, was bombed as well, but spared from the really heavy bombing raids that Hamburg had suffered.
Which is why when you visit Lübeck today, you still find a city of many red-brick Gothic buildings that the rich merchants had built for themselves, and canal-lined streets that take you back to the time of the powerful Hanseatic League.
And just like Quedlinburg, the whole Old Town of Lübeck (an island surrounded by two rivers) has been declared a “UNESCO World Heritage Site”.
What to see in Lübeck:
1. Holsten Gate: Lübeck’s iconic city gate was built between 1464 and 1478 and is a symbol of its medieval power. You can also spot the gate on some of the German 2-Euro-coins.
2. St. Mary’s Church: A masterpiece of Brick Gothic architecture.
3. Salt Warehouses, Merchant Houses & Hidden Courtyards: Step into the world of 14th-century trade and the small houses of the poor – hidden in the backyards of the merchants.
These so-called “hidden courtyards” seem very romantic to us today. But they were created because of a rapid population growth and many migrants who moved to the booming Hanseatic town.
Thus, they housed mainly the poor people in very basic conditions.
Lübeck Ancestry Connection:
If your ancestors were merchants, emigrated from Hamburg or simply lived in northern Germany, Lübeck gives you an idea of what their world may have looked like.
Extra tip:
If you are planning to visit Lübeck, check out my blog post “Merchants, marzipan & more: A time traveling trip to Lübeck, northern Germany” which goes into much more detail about what to see and do in Lübeck.
5. Bremen – The fairytale port city & one of the best medieval towns in Germany?
In the federal state of: Bremen (formerly in West Germany)
Bremen, my “hometown of choice” where I live and work as a tour guide, is famous for the fairytale characters “The Bremen Town Musicians”, which you might have heard of.
It’s the four animals (donkey, dog, cat and rooster) from the fairytale by the Brothers Grimm.
So if that doesn’t make Bremen one of the best fairytale towns in Germany, I don’t know what does. 😉
But for ancestry-inspired travelers, Bremen (and its twin city Bremerhaven, which is some 40 miles away) is even more meaningful: both cities were once Germany’s major emigration ports – especially in the 19th century.
What to see in Bremen:
1. Market Square & Town Hall: The medieval square also had a lucky escape because even though Bremen was bombed in World War 2 as well, many historic buildings here survived.
For example, the UNESCO-listed Roland Statue (a medieval knight) and the UNESCO-listed Bremen town hall. Both, the Roland and the town hall, date back to 1404 and are thus more than 600 years old!
Many of my American guests are quite surprised by this because they didn’t have Bremen on their radar initially.
But if they went there because I pointed out that Bremen is so important for emigration history, they often told me afterwards that Bremen was one of the best medieval towns in Germany that they had seen on their whole ancestry-inspired trip!
My cousin’s husband even exclaimed “wow, this is how I imagined Germany to look like!” when he set foot on Bremen’s medieval market square!
2. Schnoor Quarter: A magical maze of tiny medieval houses, once home to Bremen’s fishermen and artisans.
It was also a working-class quarter and thus offered many affordable emigrant hostels, where the emigrants stayed before they headed to the harbor and their ships to America.
3. German Emigration Museum in Bremerhaven: Just a short trip away by car or train (around 1 hour) in Bremerhaven, this super interactive museum tells the story of millions of emigrants, who left for America from these exact shores.
By going through the different parts of the museum (going on board a ship, being on board, going off board in Ellis Island and passing through Grand Central Terminal in New York City), you will feel like you are re-living your ancestors’ emigration journey yourself.
Extra tip:
If you are planning to visit Bremen, check out my blog post “5 Emigration-Themed Things to Do in Bremen, Germany” which goes into more detail about what to see and do in this important emigration port city.
Bremen Ancestry Connection:
If your ancestors left from the departure port of Bremen and/or Bremerhaven, they most likely stayed in a hostel or other emigrant accommodation in Bremen for a few days.
In the early days because they needed to buy their own supplies, such as mattresses and food, and later on because of quarantine requirements.
So when you walk on the medieval market square and in the medieval Schnoor quarter today, you walk the exact same streets your ancestors would have walked before leaving the Old for the New World!
Final Thoughts: Get one step closer to your German ancestors
While Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a stunning step back in time, these alternative historic towns offer a more personal and less touristy experience – especially if you’re on an ancestry-inspired journey.
Whether it’s the half-timbered charm of Quedlinburg, the Hanseatic grandeur of Lübeck, or the emigration history of Bremen – each of these towns lets you vividly experience what life was like in Germany in the past.
And thus brings you one step closer to your German ancestors.
Quite literally, for that matter.
So, which underrated historic towns in Germany will you visit on your next ancestry-inspired trip?
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Discover the CourseUnless otherwise credited, all photos by © Sonja Irani | MyAncestorsJourney.com
