Discover 6 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Helmstedt (Germany). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Türkentor, Juleum, and St. Ludger's Abbey. Also, be sure to include Militärbegleitwaggon in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Helmstedt (Lower Saxony).
Table of Contents
Türkentor
The Türkentor is a triumphal arch and gateway in Helmstedt in Lower Saxony in Germany. The main entrance to the former St. Ludger's Abbey and a gateway to the Domänenhof, the arch was built in 1716 to celebrate the victory over the Ottomans by Prince Eugene of Savoy at the Battle of Petrovaradin earlier that year, in which Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg had also been instrumental. Originally sited in line with the Taubenhaus on what is now Bundesstraße 1, it was severely damaged by bombing in the Second World War and resited to its present location in 1986.
The main pediment bears the arms of the Habsburg emperor and the side-arches bear the arms of the abbey's abbot and prior, who had the arch built in celebration of the victory, of family connections to the House of Brunswick and of links between the abbey and the emperor. The architrave also bears the Roman numerals for the year 1716 and above the double pilasters on either side are a sun (symbol of the Habsburg Empire) and a crescent moon (symbol of the Ottoman Empire).[1]
Address: Magdeburger Tor, Helmstedt
Juleum
The Juleum, also Juleum Novum, is a multi-story lecture hall and library building of the former university in the Lower Saxony district town of Helmstedt in Germany. The structure was built between 1592 and 1612 in the Weser Renaissance architectural style and is one of the most important secular buildings of this era in northern Germany.
Address: Collegienpl. 1, 38350 Helmstedt
St. Ludger's Abbey
Also known as: Kloster St. Ludgeri
Monastery in Helmstedt, Germany. St. Ludger's Abbey was a former monastery of the Benedictine Order in Helmstedt, Lower Saxony, founded by Saint Ludger around 800. Until it was secularised in 1802 it was an Imperial Abbey, with sovereignty over the whole town of Helmstedt until the 15th century.[2]
Militärbegleitwaggon
Museum
Hausmannsturm
The Hausmannsturm is located on Neumärker Straße in Helmstedt. It is the oldest preserved city gate in the Braunschweig region. The Hausmannsturm was built in a square shape and has a height of 36 meters. The gate passage is characterized by a cross vault. The Hausmannsturm was already mentioned in 1286, but it received its present appearance only in the first half of the 15th century as the last gate of the city wall ring. The Helmstedt city wall once had eight towers. Today, four of these eight towers still exist in remnants.
The tower guard of the city of Helmstedt was the Helmstedt Hausmann. He lived in the Hausmannsturm, with two journeymen and an apprentice boy at his side. He had to "blow the hours" with his horn, to watch over fire safety and to report impending dangers. On special occasions he was obliged to "play the bugle" together with his helpers in the town.
Even today, a Helmstedt Hausmann traditionally blows off the week every Saturday from April to October from the Hausmannsturm at 12:00.
In 2002, the city council had a wedding room installed in the tower as part of a renovation project. In 2008, the city of Helmstedt installed a webcam on the building that shows the course of Neumärker Straße from the Hausmannsturm in the direction of the market.
Address: Neumaerker Strasse, Helmstedt
Amtsgericht
Helmstedt District Court is one of nine district courts in the district court district of Braunschweig. It has its seat in Helmstedt.
The court has a total of 67 employees, including nine judges and ten judicial officers. The judicial district of Helmstedt Local Court covers the area of Helmstedt County. The district court of Helmstedt thus has about 96,000 court residents. The higher-ranking court is the Regional Court of Braunschweig.
Address: 46 Bötticherstraße, Helmstedt