Quedlinburg: Women’s Land

Quedlinburg has the seeds of the Germany that we have at the moment.

On a cold winter day, I visited the Quedlinburg, which is a historic city in Germany. Although the weather was cold, the team’s energy was high. And, we let it go. One of the most excellent people I have ever met in Germany organized this touristic visit. I want to thank her, in the first place.

There are three interesting points that I would like to share as a reflection from the visit to Quedlinburg. First, it is a place that tells you how a woman dominance shaped such good land to live. Second, I saw and felt there that how the administration was so sensitive about preserving the historical monuments. The third one is that Quedlinburg has the seeds of the Germany that we have at the moment.

The Stadtführerin (the guide) started to tell about the Quedlinburg history by describing Saint Matilda who was the widow of the King Henry the Fowler in the first place. After Henry’s death, she founded a something like a religious community. In this community, daughters of higher noble people were educated. The Stadtführerin told that Saint Matilda lived to see the Western Imperial rule restored when his eldest son Otto crowned Roman Empire. It was striking that various richness of the Quedlinburg Abbey is because of Saint Matilda’s governing talent as a woman, said the stadtführerin. That is interesting that now a woman rules Germany. After Angela Merkel, it is probable that another woman whose name is Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer seems to lead the country in the years to come. In this visit, while I was listening to the stadtführerin, I thought that having two promising women to lead the country was not a coincidence in Germany.

Quedlinburg is such a place that has very very old houses and other historical monuments. The stadtführerin told that the church, Quedlinburg Castle and the old town were listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Because of this, the administration there enacted stringent laws to protect all historical places. Even if it is your own house, you are not allowed to change or fix your house’s structure. Although people get permission to do that, it is so expensive and has some specific rules that regulate how the construction processes will be done.

One of the most important points that the stadtführerin told us was that Quedlinburg could be counted as the first capital city of Germany. The memories of King Henry granted a legendary story for the next leaders. Heinrich Himmler, for example, regarded himself as the reincarnation of the most German of all German rulers. Nazi regime also used Henry’s memories as a cult to underpin its promises for gaining political power. The stadtführerin also talked about a belief that in every a thousand year a man comes to rebuild German lands. She also told that Adolf Hitler’s accession to the power in Germany considered in line with this belief. That was interesting. Besides, the church in the Quedlinburg was the center for Nazi SS to swear. That was another interesting point I have never heard before. Concerning the cult attributed to memories of King Henry, it could be stated that the seeds of Germany lied in the Quedlinburg.

Quedlinburg is a beautiful place, and worth to visit it. As being the cradle to modern Germany, you might start from here to your trip. Enjoy it!

Note:

Last but not least, if you have to bring your children with you during the visit, you must have something that motivates them till the end of the tour. Otherwise, it could be tough to keep them happy and silent. You can drive them with hot chocolate or ice cream until the stadtführerin keeps silent. I did it, and it worked. :)

13.01.2019