Ten reasons and more for Magdeburg

The Elbe River is the lifeline of Magdeburg. A trading base was established on its flat banks very early on and was first mentioned in a document in 805. When Emperor Otto I made Magdeburg an archbishopric in 968, the city's rise to becoming an important trade and cultural metropolis began.

The Magdeburg Horseman on the Old Market Square dates from the 13th century and likely depicts Otto I (912-973), the emperor to whom the city owes so much. As a favorite palatinate, Otto the Great made Magdeburg practically the first capital of the Holy Roman Empire. Otto also had the first cathedral built in which his grave can still be found today.

In the 950s the foundation stone for the first Romanesque cathedral was laid. After a devastating fire in 1207, the cathedral was rebuilt in a Gothic style. Following its consecration in 1363, Magdeburg Cathedral is the oldest Gothic cathedral on German soil.

Also a testimony to the Middle Ages: the Monastery of Our Lady. Today it houses the city's art museum and the Georg Friedrich Telemann concert hall. It was named after the famous baroque composer who was born in Magdeburg in 1681. The Telemann Festival takes place every two years in his honor.

This sculpture is reminiscent of a great spectacle: In 1661, 16 horses tried in vain to tear apart two brass hemispheres emptied of air. With this experiment, the mayor of Magdeburg, Otto von Guericke, demonstrated the force of the air pressure that pressed the hemispheres together. Today the University of Magdeburg bears Guericke's name.

Only a few traces of this illustrious past marks the cityscape today due to the fact that Magdeburg was twice razed to the ground: In 1631 during the Thirty Years' War, and in 1945 during the Second World War. The the city center today is characterized by sober, functional buildings constructed during the Communist East German era, and in the years after German reunification.

After the Second World War, the newly founded East Germany also built a Stalin Alley in Magdeburg based on the Soviet model. In the so-called "confectioner's style," a business and parade street for large-scale rallies was created. Today it bears the name of the former mayor during the Weimar Republic, Ernst Reuter, and is one of the most important traffic arteries in the city center.

The Green Citadel sets a colorful tone in the city center. It is the last and largest project of the architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928 - 2000). His design for an "oasis for humanity and for nature in a sea of rational houses" initially polarized the people of Magdeburg. Today the colorful landmark is a popular photo motif.

One hundred years ago, when the principles of the Bauhaus revolutionized architecture, the city developed its own "Magdeburg Modernism" style. One example is the Stadthalle in Rothehornpark, built in 1927, which is now a venue for concerts and sporting events. The structure is currently undergoing an extensive renovation.

13 percent of Magdeburg's city area consists of gardens and parks. In addition to the large green recreation areas such as the Rothehorn City Park (pictured) and the Elbauenpark, many smaller parks contribute to the quality of life for Magdeburg's residents.

This unusual structure was built in 1999 for the Federal Garden Exhibition and is one of the world's largest wooden structures with a height of 60 meters (197 ft.). With 250 displays, 150 of which visitors can try out for themselves, the exhibition in the tower brings 6000 years of human and technological history to life.

At 918 meters (3012 ft.) it is the longest canal bridge in Europe. It carries the Mittelland Canal across the Elbe. The waterway junction was one of the most ambitious and expensive projects (2.3 billion euros/2.73 US dollars) of German reunification. Since its completion in 2003, ships have been able to travel from the Rhine in the west of Germany to the Oder in the east.

There are surely more beautiful cities — but it is the many scars and shifting styles that make Magdeburg so interesting. There remains visible traces of 1200 years of history, as with many additions in the three decades since German reunification. The old, young city of Magdeburg is applying for "European Capital of Culture 2025" status, with the decision to be announced on October 28, 2020.