26 Dec 2025
Brick Gothic and Decorated Doors - Tangermünde in the Altmark
Tangermünde at the Elbe river
Tangermünde – situated on a plateau at the confluence of the Tanger river into the Elbe – is first mentioned in the chronicle of Thietmar von Mersebug in the year 1009. There was a castle to protect the river crossing which soon attracted a settlement. The market town Tangermünde is first mentioned in a charte dating to 1275.
Tangermünde Castle
Today, Tangermünde may be a no more than a minor town, albeit with an unusual amount of historical buildings, but once it was the capital of the German provinces of the Holy Roman Empire, which at the time included not only Germany, but also Austria, Czechia, Slovenia and western Poland, most of Belgium and the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and northern Italy.
Tangermünde Castle, Chapter Tower
Emperor Charles IV of House Luxembourg, who resided mostly in Prague, intended to establish Tangermünde as his second main seat. He named his son Wencel as Prince Elector of the duchy of Brandenburg in 1373 and set him up in Tagermünde, which already had a castle dating back to the 11th century that could be turned into a fortified palace.
Tangermünde, the town hall
After Charles‘ death, there was some trouble about the succession of the prince elector of Brandenburg until the title finally went to the House Hohenzollern. The princes resided in Tangermünde until one of the family, Johann Cicero, got into cahoots with the citizens over the beer tax which the latter didn't want to pay, and moved his residence to Cölln near Berlin in 1488.
Tangermünde, the Neustadt Gate, closeup of some decorations
Despite those problems, the 15th century was a golden age for the town due its situation at a river confluence and road crossing, and the trade that came with it – the likely reason the citizens got strong enough to stand up against a duke. The town hall and the beautifully decorated Neustadt Gate were built during that time.
A pretty door
Tangermünde was hit by an incendie in 1617 which destroyed most of the town (only some of the brick buildings survived). A woman, Grete Minde, was accused of arson and executed, though she likely was innocent. She was the daughter of a patrician exiled for manslaughter and disowned by the family, fell in with a thief and eked out a living by working as a herb woman; the perfect culprit in the eyes of the town council. German author Theodor Fontane (1819-1898) wrote a novelette about her and made her fate known to the public.
Half timbered houses
The town was rebuilt after the fire, mostly with half timbered houses; a number of them magnificent buildings with carved embellishments and beautiful doors. So Tangermünde today is a mix of those half timbered houses and the lovely decorated brick buildings of the Gothic or even Romanesque period, situated at the Elbe river which adds some extra sparkle to the place on a sunny day. I hope it won’t get popular on Instagram any time soon.
Lane with half timbered houses
But the town lost ist role as important trade hub during the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), though it did not see any major action. In the 17th century, Tagermümde was no more than a county town.
After the Napoleonic Wars, Tangermünde became part of the Prussian province Sachsen (Saxony; today the county of Saxony-Anhalt). New industrial and living areas developed north of the town in the 19th century, but the historical centre was left unchanged – unlike many other towns – since the fortifications along the Elbe river also serve as embankment of the slope, so there was no need to improve anything.
Tangermünde, town fortifications at the Elbe side
The Second World War fortunately left few traces in Tangermünde; there were no major bombings, only a bridge across the Elbe was party destroyed but still serviceable for people on foot. During the last months of the war, tens of thousands people, military and civilian, including victims from the concentration camps in the east who were force marched away from the advancing allied armies, crossed the bridge to the west bank of the Elbe river.
Town square
More damage to the buidling structures was done during the GDR regime which neglected most houses except for a few historical sites. After the reunion, the old town of Tangermünde was restored, and is now one of the places in Germany that keeps a bit of a Medieval atmosphere (with modern cars and such, though).
I did a little tour to the Altmark in September 2022. Got to photograph some pretty Romanesque and Gothic brick architecture, and found a lovely little town, Tangermünde, which is still somewhat flowing beneath the tourist radar. It was my second visit to the Altmark, I’d already been there in 2016.
This is one of the posts mentioned below that I'm going to rewrite (as I did here). The original was but a collection of six photos with no text, which is not what I usually do on this blog.
Tangermünde – situated on a plateau at the confluence of the Tanger river into the Elbe – is first mentioned in the chronicle of Thietmar von Mersebug in the year 1009. There was a castle to protect the river crossing which soon attracted a settlement. The market town Tangermünde is first mentioned in a charte dating to 1275.
Today, Tangermünde may be a no more than a minor town, albeit with an unusual amount of historical buildings, but once it was the capital of the German provinces of the Holy Roman Empire, which at the time included not only Germany, but also Austria, Czechia, Slovenia and western Poland, most of Belgium and the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and northern Italy.
Emperor Charles IV of House Luxembourg, who resided mostly in Prague, intended to establish Tangermünde as his second main seat. He named his son Wencel as Prince Elector of the duchy of Brandenburg in 1373 and set him up in Tagermünde, which already had a castle dating back to the 11th century that could be turned into a fortified palace.
After Charles‘ death, there was some trouble about the succession of the prince elector of Brandenburg until the title finally went to the House Hohenzollern. The princes resided in Tangermünde until one of the family, Johann Cicero, got into cahoots with the citizens over the beer tax which the latter didn't want to pay, and moved his residence to Cölln near Berlin in 1488.
Despite those problems, the 15th century was a golden age for the town due its situation at a river confluence and road crossing, and the trade that came with it – the likely reason the citizens got strong enough to stand up against a duke. The town hall and the beautifully decorated Neustadt Gate were built during that time.
Tangermünde also had become a member of the Hanseatic League, but they had to leave the league in 1488, after the – finally unsuccessful – beer tax uprising which had spread all over the Altmark.
Tangermünde was hit by an incendie in 1617 which destroyed most of the town (only some of the brick buildings survived). A woman, Grete Minde, was accused of arson and executed, though she likely was innocent. She was the daughter of a patrician exiled for manslaughter and disowned by the family, fell in with a thief and eked out a living by working as a herb woman; the perfect culprit in the eyes of the town council. German author Theodor Fontane (1819-1898) wrote a novelette about her and made her fate known to the public.
The town was rebuilt after the fire, mostly with half timbered houses; a number of them magnificent buildings with carved embellishments and beautiful doors. So Tangermünde today is a mix of those half timbered houses and the lovely decorated brick buildings of the Gothic or even Romanesque period, situated at the Elbe river which adds some extra sparkle to the place on a sunny day. I hope it won’t get popular on Instagram any time soon.
But the town lost ist role as important trade hub during the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), though it did not see any major action. In the 17th century, Tagermümde was no more than a county town.
After the Napoleonic Wars, Tangermünde became part of the Prussian province Sachsen (Saxony; today the county of Saxony-Anhalt). New industrial and living areas developed north of the town in the 19th century, but the historical centre was left unchanged – unlike many other towns – since the fortifications along the Elbe river also serve as embankment of the slope, so there was no need to improve anything.
The Second World War fortunately left few traces in Tangermünde; there were no major bombings, only a bridge across the Elbe was party destroyed but still serviceable for people on foot. During the last months of the war, tens of thousands people, military and civilian, including victims from the concentration camps in the east who were force marched away from the advancing allied armies, crossed the bridge to the west bank of the Elbe river.
More damage to the buidling structures was done during the GDR regime which neglected most houses except for a few historical sites. After the reunion, the old town of Tangermünde was restored, and is now one of the places in Germany that keeps a bit of a Medieval atmosphere (with modern cars and such, though).
