City of Magdeburg

Whoever suffers a case of itchy feet in Magdeburg should go to the banks of the river Elbe, which flows through the center of town. Here, you can watch colorful container ships from all over the world and imagine where they come from and where they are heading. The wonderfully green and wide Elbe riverside meadows are a cultivated landscape, intersected by hiking paths and historic parks, with a cozy beer garden here and there.

From the riverbank to the city center

It only takes a few minutes to get from the Elbe banks to the city center. The city has a lot of modern architecture and many buildings have been renovated in recent years, even though you will still find some crumbling constructions. During World War Two, this former Hanseatic League city suffered a real battering. Only a few historic baroque and art nouveau buildings were spared, including the famous cathedral and a few public buildings that house today's city council and state government. All around are modern constructions, such as the famous Gruene Zitadelle designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, and partly-renovated concrete-slab blocks, which still exude the spirit of the former socialist regime. The campus of Otto von Guericke University is located north of the city center, just a stone's throw away from the Elbe.

Junction between East and West

Magdeburg is over 1,200 years old, but it looks pleasantly vibrant in many places and astoundingly green. The city has over a dozen parks, the most beautiful of them being Elbauenpark. This is where the 60-meter-tall wooden Jahrtausendturm or Millennium Tower is located, housing a unique exhibition about the scientific achievements of the last 6,000 years. Magdeburg serves as a junction between east and west, north and south. Whoever wants to explore Germany will find a good starting point here, because many major German cities are less than three hours away.

Author: Ronny Arnold