Altstadt Goslar

The town of Goslar in Lower Saxony is located in the north-west of the Harz Mountains and was first mentioned in a document in 979. The original mining town held the status of imperial immediacy from 1290 until 1802. Since 1992, the historic centre of Goslar, the Rammelsberg mine and the Upper Harz Water Management System have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites. For more information on the town's history, we recommend a visit to the Goslar Museum. In addition, the tin figure museum, which is well worth a visit, presents the town's history in miniature form.

The old town of Goslar

Goslar's old town is home to over 1500 half-timbered houses built between the 15th and 19th centuries. In addition, the historic houses of Goslar's old town are spread over an area of just one square kilometre and are dominated only by the two towers of the Romanesque church. The market square forms the centre of Goslar's old town. Numerous small alleyways branch off from it, where you should simply lose yourself. The oldest square in the town is the old Schuhhof, where the market church is located.

Sights in Goslar's old town centre

Goslar's town hall has been extended again and again over hundreds of years. The oldest part of the town hall is the eastern wing of the building. This was built in the 15th century. The Hall of Homage was built next to it. This consists of late Gothic panel paintings and carvings from the walls to the ceiling.

Right next to the town hall is the striking red guildhall, which was built by the merchants in 1494. As this building was built by the wealthiest people in the city at the time, it looks very striking and imposing with its imperial figures hanging in the Gothic niches.

The towers of the market church of St Costas and Damian rise up behind the town hall. This was built in the 12th century in the form of a three-nave, cross-shaped pillar basilica. The most striking feature of the church are the different-looking west towers, of which you can walk up the north tower to the tower room. Inside the church, the wood-carved altar, the old library, the wall paintings, the bronze baptismal font and the Gothic windows are particularly worth seeing. The latter depict scenes from the lives of Saints Costas and Damian.

Other buildings worth seeing in Goslar's Old Town are the bakers' guild house, the Röver bower and the old Siemenshaus, which is the family's ancestral home. Outside the Old Town, you can also visit the imposing Imperial Palace.

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