Discover Saxony-Anhalt

In Saxony-Anhalt, World Heritage sites, river landscapes and a wide variety of natural environments lie side by side: you can explore Bauhaus history, travel along long-distance cycling routes or discover floodplains and forests. Six UNESCO World Heritage sites shape the region’s cultural offerings.

Bauhaus, the Nebra Sky Disc and World Heritage

In Dessau, the Bauhaus Dessau UNESCO World Heritage site offers guided tours, workshops and discussions about design and society. The site includes the Bauhaus Building, the Masters’ Houses and the Törten Estate. At the Bauhaus Museum Dessau, the collection “Bauhaus Experimental Site. The Collection” tells the story of the Bauhaus school in Dessau through more than 1,000 exhibits. The different locations offer a chance to explore design from a range of perspectives: as architecture, as a collection and through discussions about its social significance.

Another cultural highlight is the Arche Nebra: the visitor centre is located at the site where the Nebra Sky Disc was found. The planetarium screens “A Journey into the Universe of the Bronze Age,” a show produced especially for the visitor centre, twice an hour. If you would like to combine your visit with this screening, check the current schedule in advance. This way, the find site and a journey into Bronze Age ideas offer two different approaches to the subject.

Natural landscapes from the Harz to the Elbe

With more than 560 kilometres of hiking trails, Harz National Park offers plenty of scope for walks and hikes; guided ranger tours are also available. The protected natural area covers more than 240 square kilometres and provides a refuge for rare species such as black storks, wildcats, lynxes and pygmy owls. Nature and wildlife enthusiasts will find both an extensive network of trails and a chance to gain first-hand insights into this protected landscape.

The UNESCO Middle Elbe Biosphere Reserve has a different character: it protects one of Central Europe’s last near-natural floodplain landscapes and stretches for 300 kilometres along the Elbe. Floodplain trails, cycling and canoeing offer different ways to explore this river landscape. In the Drömling, ditches, wet meadows and wooded islands shape a water-rich cultural landscape. It is a resting and breeding ground for cranes, storks, white-tailed eagles and more than 400 endangered species. Observation towers, nature centres and guided tours make the area accessible all year round.

The southern Harz also has its own distinct character: the South Harz Karst Landscape Biosphere Reserve is one of Europe’s most important gypsum karst landscapes. The Karst Hiking Trail runs through it for more than 230 kilometres. Families have another option in the well-signposted Heath and Beaver Trail, which passes beaver dams, birdsong and quiet forest paths. At Lake Goitzsche, activities include swimming, sailing and cycling.

Compare cycling routes by distance and theme

For cycling holidays, the routes described here differ both in length and in what they offer. In Saxony-Anhalt, the Elbe Cycle Route follows the Elbe for just under 350 kilometres, from Havelberg in the north to Lutherstadt Wittenberg in the south. The Saxony-Anhalt section of the Saale Cycle Route is around 180 kilometres long and runs between Saaleck and Barby. The 71-kilometre Sky Disc Cycle Route connects Halle (Saale) and the Arche Nebra.

A useful comparison of route lengths is offered by two shorter themed routes: the Sky Disc Cycle Route is 71 kilometres long, while the Garden Realm Tour by Prince Franz is 72 kilometres. Their themes are quite different: one connects Halle and the Arche Nebra, while the other links parks and castles. When choosing, you can consider both the distance and the theme that interests you most. For detailed stage planning, you should also check for possible route updates.

Wine country and a suitable base for your trip

In the Saale-Unstrut-Triasland Geo-Nature Park, vineyards, limestone cliffs and historic cultural landscapes meet. Hiking trails lead through open woodland, over sunny slopes and past orchards. Saale-Unstrut is Germany’s northernmost wine-growing region. This combination of wine country and nature gives the region a different character from the river floodplains or the Harz.

To choose a base for your trip, you can start by deciding which visits matter most: are Bauhaus and museums your main focus, would you like cycling routes to shape your stay, or do you want to combine hikes with wildlife watching? Saxony-Anhalt is connected to Deutsche Bahn’s ICE network; Halle (Saale) and Magdeburg are major railway hubs. If you are travelling by train, include these places in your planning and check the latest connections before setting off. With your planned activities and arrival point in mind, you can search for accommodation more purposefully.

Discover more destinations: Anhalt-Bitterfeld, Burgenlandkreis, Börde, Harz, Jerichower Land, Mansfeld-Südharz, Saalekreis, Salzlandkreis, Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, Stendal, Wittenberg, Halle, Dessau-Roßlau, Magdeburg.