Ballenstedt Castle and Castle Park

You can still visit the burial place of the famous Margrave Albrecht the Bear and his wife Sophie here, as well as the world-famous founder figure Uta von Ballenstedt, chiseled in stone by the Naumburg master himself. The 29-hectare palace park is considered an important example of garden art of the 18th and 19th centuries. Various European garden styles have been incorporated into its design. The castle theater is also part of Ballenstedt Castle. The historic building from the classicist period is the oldest theater still in use in Saxony-Anhalt and also houses a film museum with exhibits from over 100 years of film history.

The baroque three-winged complex of Ballenstedt Castle dates largely from the first half of the 18th century, incorporating parts of the former monastery complex from the 11th and 12th centuries. In 1748, the present church wing was built on the foundations of the monastery church, whose former west wing (castle tower) and crypt were included in the new building. The tomb of Margrave Albrecht the Bear (around 1100 - 1170), probably the most important Ascanian of the Middle Ages, and his wife Sophie are located in the former monastery church. With the world-famous founder figure Uta of Ballenstedt, which was immortalized in stone by the Naumburg master and can be seen at Ballenstedt Castle, one can look back on a noteworthy historical past.

Outstanding park element is the water axis embedded in the landscape park with five water basins in the style of Italian villa gardens, planned by Peter Joseph Lenné. Also worth seeing are the renovated castle mill and the cast-iron lion by Gottfried Schadow. From the castle tower there are charming views of the park and the surrounding Harz landscape as well as to the hunting lodge "Röhrkopf".