Brunswick, Braunschweig in German, is an ancient city once said to contain the ‘largest homogeneous ensemble of half-timbered houses in Germany’. Not that you would recognise that description today. Brunswick was a major centre for military production during the Second World War, and it suffered heavily at the hands of Allied bombing. The pinnacle of which was an attack by 233 RAF bombers on the night of October 15, 1944.
The following morning Brunswick was a rubble-strewn wasteland, in many places fires still raged and the town was littered with unexploded bombs. The city was shrouded in dense smoke. So dense, the crew of an Allied plane sent to photograph the destruction returned to report they couldn’t see anything. What was abundantly clear on the ground, was that the medieval heart of this ancient city had been obliterated.
The firestorm that engulfed the city was absolutely intentional. Maximum destruction of both industrial and population centres was official Allied policy at this point in the war. Dresden and Cologne suffered similar fates. An estimated 80% of buildings in Brunswick’s historic centre were destroyed or badly damaged. The destruction was so complete that there were still piles of rubble to be cleared away in the 1960s.
Post-war reconstruction seemed determined to finish the work of the RAF, and urban planners inflicted more wounds on the city. More historic buildings were lost in the rush to rebuild and rehouse. Despite this legacy, there are some lovely areas of Brunswick to explore. Including ancient churches and palaces, and original or reconstructed examples of the once abundant half-timbered houses.
That said, it would be hard to describe it as a tourist hotspot. Brunswick’s history runs deep though. It was already well established by the time Henry the Lion, one of the most powerful German rulers, made it his capital in 1142. Henry ruled as the Duke of Saxony, and was one of the most colourful characters in this period. His second wife was Princess Matilda, daughter of King Henry II of England.
This came in handy when Henry was exiled after falling out with Holy Roman Emperor, Barbarossa. He spent a few years in England, but he left his mark on Brunswick. The lion is still the city’s symbol, and as in Henry’s day a lion stands in the Burgplatz outside Dankwarderode Palace and St. Blasius Cathedral, where Henry and Matilda are buried. Nearby is the grand Rathaus where there was a steady stream of marriages taking place.
I walked through the bustling Kohlmarkt with cafe tables spilling into the square, and arrived in another pretty square, the Altstadtmarkt. It was Saturday so there was a food market taking place. The square is surrounded by historic buildings, including the eye-catching Altstadtrathaus, the old town hall, the 12th century Church of St. Martin, and some medieval merchant houses.
One thing Brunswick doesn’t lack for is old churches, many of which have the typical two thin spires at the front. I first headed to St. Andreaskirche, an impressive church next to the Alte Waage. Although reconstructed, the Alte Waage is the tallest half-timbered building in Brunswick. I walked to another church, St. Katharinen, and then to the nearby Schadt’s Brauerei to try their home brewed Pilsner and Bockbeer.
Afterwards, I wandered through Magniviertel, a compact warren of cobblestone streets with the largest collection of half-timbered houses in the town. The house at Ackerhof 2 is said to be the oldest half-timbered house not just in Brunswick, but Germany. Weirdly it looks neither old or especially interesting. Nearby St. Magni Kirche, originally built in 1031 and rebuilt in the 13th century, is both old and interesting.
The Magniviertel is probably the prettiest area of the town, but it is also home to one of Brunswick’s strangest modern buildings. The Happy Rizzi House is an office block by American pop artist James Rizzi, who was inexplicably very popular in Germany. I’m not a qualified architectural critic, but this childlike building strikes me as more ‘one trick pony’ than magnificent Brunswick lion.
I’m surprised that anything survived the bombing, especially so many churches. Some of the buildings in your photos look glorious.
It’s a nice town, but a shame so many other glorious buildings were lost.
I once did a presentation and workshop in the seminar room on the top floor of the Alte Waage.
https://operasandcycling.com/the-old-weighing-station-in-braunschweig/
I wish I’d had the opportunity to see inside! It’s a very striking building regardless.