Helmstedt: History, Museums and Lappwaldsee

Romanesque architecture, the Renaissance and monastic treasures

In Königslutter, the Imperial Cathedral, cloister and Emperor Lothair’s lime tree on the former monastery grounds form a popular attraction. The ensemble offers an insight into Lower Saxony’s Romanesque architecture. The Juleum Novum in Helmstedt represents a different era: the assembly hall of the former university was built as a palace-like Renaissance building between 1592 and 1597. An architectural tour of Helmstedt introduces 1,000 years of building history, from the Romanesque period to Historicism.

The District and University Museum in the Juleum displays a model of the city of Helmstedt around 1750. Original objects from the university era include an astronomical disk, a globe and tableware from the university dining hall. You can also climb the Juleum Tower: it has 153 steps and is open from April to October on the first Saturday of each month from 11:00 to 12:00. The treasury of St. Marienberg Monastery offers another glimpse into monastic history. Located in the former chapter house, it displays precious medieval vestments. Free public tours of St. Marienberg Monastery and Church take place on the first Sunday of every month at 14:00.

The Schöningen Spears and mechanical music

At the Schöningen Research Museum, you can see the Schöningen Spears close to where they were found. They were discovered there in 1994; they had been left behind around 300,000 years ago. Excavations are still taking place at the site. The Schöningen Discovery Trail runs 2.5 kilometres from Burgplatz to the research museum. Eight stops with large information boards line the route. This lets you combine a museum visit with information along the way, without having to set aside a specific amount of walking time.

Guided tours at the Museum of Mechanical Musical Instruments offer a very different experience. The tours explain the instruments; almost all of them are in working order and ready to be demonstrated. This makes the tour enjoyable for visitors of all ages. Schöningen Castle is also an important historic monument and the city’s cultural centre. The “Schöninger Entdeckerrunde” app provides detailed information in text and images on all 24 highlights.

Exploring Lappwaldsee

Lappwaldsee is a popular destination for cyclists, runners and walkers. Guided hikes and cycling tours on your own bike introduce the history of the open-cast mine, the lake’s development and its planned use. These topics also make the lake interesting for visitors who want to learn more about the landscape and how it has changed on an outing. At the end of Büddenstedter Weg, the city of Helmstedt has provided a public car park for visitors to Lappwaldsee.

If you are interested in longer routes, Helmstedt is the starting point for a stage of the Brunswick Way of St. James: the current route runs from Helmstedt to Braunschweig; the stage from Helmstedt to Königslutter is 22 km long. An extension in both directions, from Magdeburg to Höxter, is planned. The Lübbensteine are also near the city: two megalithic tombs made of knotted quartzite on St. Annenberg, just outside Helmstedt. They are considered the most famous archaeological monuments in the Brunswick region.

When looking for a holiday apartment, you can first consider whether architectural history, museums, an outing in nature or the Way of St. James will shape your stay. The Geopark Information Centre in Königslutter offers an extensive tourism and information service for the Brunswick Land Geopark, Elm-Lappwald Nature Park and the city of Königslutter.

Discover more places

These places are also part of the wider selection: Velpke, Söllingen, Lauingen, Königslutter Am Elm, Helmstedt, Warberg, Büddenstedt, Räbke, Lehre, Schöningen, Süpplingenburg, Jerxheim, Bahrdorf, Groß Twülpstedt, Brunsleberfeld and Mariental.

For the higher-level travel overview: Lower Saxony.