Merseburg

Merseburg is a more than thousand-year-old town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Although the historic centre was largely destroyed in World War II, the town has several notable buildings, including the Merseburg Cathedral of St John the Baptist (founded 1015, rebuilt in the 13th and 16th centuries) and the episcopal palace (15th century). The cathedral-and-palace ensemble also features a palace garden (Schlossgarten). Other attractions include the Merseburg House of Trades with a cultural stage and the German Museum of Chemistry, Merseburg.

Understand
Merseburg was one of the most important cities in central Germany during the early to high Middle Ages. It was first mentioned in a written document dating from c. 890 AD. Among German history adepts it is well known for the "Merseburg Incantations" or "Merseburg Charms" (Merseburger Zaubersprüche), a collection of medieval pre-Christian, pagan magic spells written in Old High German in the 9th or 10th century. In 968 Emperor Otto I founded the Merseburg bishopric. The city which was then near Germany's eastern border, remained an important religious centre until the 16th century, being home to a Benedictine abbey and a Romanesque cathedral. Merseburg was one of Emperor Henry II's favourite palaces. The diocese of Merseburg was rather small but contained important cities like Leipzig.

In the mid 16th-century Merseburg adopted Protestantism. The Benedictine monastery was disbanded and the bishopric's territory annexed by the secular Electorate of Saxony. From the mid-17th to 18th century, Merseburg was the residence of its own branch line of Dukes. Under Prussian rule after the Vienna Congress of 1815, it was the seat of a governorate, administrating the south of today's Saxony-Anhalt (including the much bigger Halle).

In the 20th century, Merseburg and more importantly its suburb Schkopau became production sites of the chemical industry. The Buna works in Schkopau, founded in 1936 to support the Nazi policy of autarky, i.e. independence from imports of raw materials, was the first facility to industrially synthesise rubber. During the division of Germany, Plaste und Elaste ("plastics and rubber") from Schkopau was an almost proverbial household name in East Germany. Much of the historical old town was torn down to be replaced by "socialist" architecture. After the reunification, many workers lost their jobs in the now unprofitable factories, and Merseburg lost about a third of its population since the 1980s (it had some 34,000 inhabitants in 2020). The Buna works are now a subsidiary of Dow Chemical.

By plane
Leipzig/Halle airport is 25 km from Merseburg. There is however no direct rail link, so you will have to take a taxi to get into town or change trains in Halle.

By bus
From Leipzig, Bus line 100 connects to Merseburg, taking one hour from the central station (due to frequent stops). Riding the train takes about an hour as well, as you have to change in either Halle or Bad Dürrenberg.

By tram
Not a preferable option for travellers but an interesting anomaly is the 31-km-long tram line from Halle to Bad Dürrenberg via Merseburg. A tram ride from Halle's city centre to Merseburg takes about 50 minutes.

By public transport
Hallesche Verkehrs-AG (HAVAG) operates the long-distance tram line no. 5 from Halle. Personennahverkehrsgesellschaft Merseburg-Querfurt (PNVG) is responsible for a network of urban and regional buses. The MDV combi tickets are valid in all local means of transportation in the Halle-Leipzig region and you may change from (local) train to bus or tram and vice versa using the same ticket.

Walking

The ity is small enough to walk around (at least if you focus on the centre, where most sights are found).

See

 * Remains of the medieval town fortification: and
 * Remains of the medieval town fortification: and
 * Remains of the medieval town fortification: and
 * Remains of the medieval town fortification: and
 * Remains of the medieval town fortification: and
 * Remains of the medieval town fortification: and
 * Remains of the medieval town fortification: and
 * Remains of the medieval town fortification: and

Do

 * Walking aroung the historic city center - take some photos for your instagram
 * Walking aroung the historic city center - take some photos for your instagram

Buy
Shopping possibilities are mostly limited to Gotthardstraße and Mersecenter. Nothing special - just the usual shops you´ll find in every mid sized german city. Better shopping is possible in Nova-Eventis-Mall right on the way to Leipzig (https://www.nova-shopping.de/). Theres a bus that connects Merseburg with the mall and goes further to Leipzig.

Eat

 * Die Sonne - Mediterranean restaurant (mostly Italian cuisine) - highly recommended place (http://sonne-merseburg.de/)
 * Taverne Kreta - Greek restaurant, decent food and very popular among local merseburgers (https://www.taverne-kreta-merseburg.de/)
 * Various Middle Eastern eateries spread all over the center of Merseburg (Kebab, Shawarma and everything else from Syria to Turkey)
 * McDonald's outside of the city centre
 * Vietnamese Restaurant "KIM" right next to the city pond - "All You Can Eat" place

Drink
CriSyVas Bar and Restaurant (http://chrisyvas.de/) will probably offer the best way to enjoy a beer/ drink with local Merseburgers. Food and Football are both available as well.

Some smaller bars and shisha clubs are located in the main street right next to the train station. Don't expect too much: Merseburgers usually go to Halle or Leipzig to enjoy a night out drinking & partying.

Nearby

 * Geiseltalsee, 10 km southwest of Merseburg, largest lake in the Central German Lake District, created by the recultivation of former lignite open-cast mines. Basically THE place to go on a warm summer day - enjoy the beautifully recultivated landscape, clean water, amazing cycling paths and two marinas with bars and restaurants. On the north western part of the lake there´s a vineyard with a viewpoint and tavern to enjoy the view from above over the lake with fantastic locally produced wine.
 * Bad Lauchstädt, 15 km west, mineral spa with Baroque architecture, gardens and a theatre inaugurated by Johann Wolfgang Goethe (20 minutes by bus)

Go next

 * Halle, 15 km north, big neighbour, Saxony-Anhalt's most populous city, rich in history with an interesting old town, birth place of George Frideric Handel (10 minutes by train)
 * Lützen, 20 km southeast, site of an important battle during the Thirty Years War, monument to Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus
 * Naumburg, 30 km south, impressive Romanesque cathedral, home town of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, centre of the Saale-Unstrut cultural landscape and wine-growing region (20–25 minutes by train)
 * Leipzig, 40 km east, trade city, cultural metropolis and economic "boom town" of East Germany (one hour by bus line 100 or train via Halle main station)
 * Eisleben, 45 km west, Martin Luther's birth place, World Heritage site (1 hr 15 min by train via Halle main station)