Forschungsstätte für Frühromantik und Novalis-Museum Schloss Oberwiederstedt

About the museum

Georg Philipp Friedrich von Hardenberg, known as the poet Novalis, was born at Oberwiederstedt Castle on 2 May 1772. The site was previously occupied by a convent, built up by Dominican nuns from 1256 and dissolved in 1540. After 1687, the present castle developed from the provostry and remained in the possession of the von Hardenberg family for generations.

In 1945 the family was expropriated and the castle was looted; it was later used as a home for the elderly and nursing home. It had to close in 1981, and at the end of the 1980s it faced demolition. A citizens' initiative saved and restored it through volunteer work; on 2 May 1989, a Novalis memorial opened on the ground floor. The International Novalis Society was founded in 1992, and the foundation "Wege wagen mit Novalis" in 2001.

Today the house is regarded as the only literary museum of Romanticism in Saxony-Anhalt. The permanent exhibition shows portraits from the Hardenberg family gallery, which returned as a long-term loan in 2010, and personal items such as the poet's christening cap. The affiliated research center for early Romanticism carries out scholarly work on Novalis, and a MuseumsAkademie offers events for adults and children.

Highlights

• Birthplace of the poet Novalis
• Hardenberg ancestral gallery and christening cap in the permanent exhibition
• Research center for early Romanticism with library
• Castle park with lime avenue, Blue Garden and Fairy Tale Rose Garden
• MuseumsAkademie with concerts, readings and children's programs

Permanent exhibition

• Dauerausstellung zur Familie von Hardenberg – Portraits from the Hardenberg family gallery and personal items such as the poet's christening cap tell of the Oberwiederstedt line of barons and of Novalis.

Founded

1989

Operated by

Landkreis Mansfeld-Südharz

Director

Dr. Steffen Schmidt

Admission & discounts

Please register group tours in advance.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

An elevator and a ramp to bridge steps are available.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The MuseumsAkademie is explicitly aimed at children too; they can explore and learn in the park, the garden and on the orchard meadow (Green Classroom). Programs for daycare centers and schools up to lower secondary level by arrangement.

Getting there & parking

Enter "Schäfergasse 6 in Wiederstedt" in your navigation system, as the address under Arnstein is often not found. By car, take the A 14 and exit at Plötzkau (from the north) or Könnern (from the south), then continue via Alsleben and Sandersleben; the castle is on the L 152 between Hettstedt and Sandersleben.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop with publications, catalogs, children's books, music and souvenirs.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties: not available
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 70 guests.

Civil wedding ceremonies on certain dates in the Great Hall (up to 70 people, with ancestral gallery) or in the Small Salon (up to 30 people); arrange with the Quenstedt registry office and then with the museum; a fee applies. Private celebrations are not possible.

Plan your visit