Discover Chess Village Ströbeck

Chess Village Ströbeck combines several cultural themes with chess: living chess, chess as a compulsory subject at the primary school and the Chess Museum. Europa Park offers a different focus with its design as a map of Europe. There is one important distinction for your trip planning: while chess tradition shapes the village’s culture, the Chess Museum is currently closed to visitors.

Chess Tradition in Ströbeck

Chess has been a compulsory subject at the primary school in Ströbeck since 1823. Living chess is a game with live pieces; its introduction is documented as having taken place in 1908. These are two distinct aspects: a school tradition and a game with live pieces. This means the cultural role of chess can be viewed both through educational history and through the game itself. If you are planning to see living chess on a particular day of your trip, check the latest dates in advance.

Europa Park as a Map of Europe

Europa Park in Ströbeck is designed in the shape of a map of Europe. A tree typical of each country stands at the location of each participating country in the “Cultural Villages of Europe.” Its design can be understood through two elements: the map as a whole and the trees at the respective country locations. This gives the park a different focus from the village’s chess themes: Europa Park centres on representing the participating countries through the map and the assignment of trees to each country.

The Chess Museum: Visitor Information

The Ströbeck Chess Museum has been closed since November 2019 because of a fire and cannot be visited until its planned reconstruction in 2028. 2028 is a target, not a guarantee. If visiting the museum is important to your travel plans, check the latest situation before making arrangements.

Culture in Halberstadt

Halberstadt has its own cultural focus. St. Stephen and St. Sixtus Cathedral was built between 1236 and 1486, modelled on French cathedrals, and is considered one of Germany’s most important Gothic cathedrals. The Halberstadt Cathedral Treasury contains more than 300 valuable exhibits, including goldsmith work, liturgical vestments, sculptures and textiles such as the Abraham Angel Tapestry. It, too, is considered one of the world’s most important medieval ecclesiastical treasuries.

The Berend Lehmann Museum’s permanent exhibition “Kosher, Klaus & Copper” presents the history of Jews in Halberstadt. The Gleimhaus in Halberstadt is one of Germany’s oldest literary museums. It was established in 1862 in the former home of Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim, near Halberstadt Cathedral. These offer distinct cultural interests: cathedral architecture and the cathedral treasury alongside Jewish history and literature.

A guided tour of Halberstadt’s Jewish history starts at the Klaus Synagogue in the former Jewish quarter. It continues via Peter’s Staircase, Cathedral Square and the Hascharat Zwi Jewish school. The tour concludes with a visit to the art project “And the Living One Should Take This to Heart…” at the site of the destroyed Baroque synagogue, as well as to the Berend Lehmann Museum in the Mikwenhaus. Check the tour’s booking details and date before your trip.

Discover more destinations: Langenstein.

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