Stendal: Zoo, Theater and Historic City Gates

Stendal offers a wide range of reasons to stay: the zoo is all about observing animals, while churches and city gates offer insights into history, and the theater adds to the cultural program. Tangermünde and Schönhausen provide further historical highlights. You can tailor your trip to the topics that interest you most.

Zoo, Gardens and Culture in Stendal

At Stendal Zoo, you can observe more than 500 animals from 75 species up close. The variety of animals makes a visit about more than simply seeing individual creatures. There is also an interactive activity for children: at the petting zoo, they can feed and pet goats, then enjoy the adventure playground. Here, animal encounters and play follow one another.

The monastery garden, which includes a show garden belonging to the Altmark Museum, offers a different side of the city. It is open to visitors all year round. So, alongside the zoo, you can visit a garden in any season. If you are more interested in the performing arts, the Theater der Altmark, the State Theater of North Saxony-Anhalt, offers a varied cultural program and is based in Stendal.

The city’s buildings offer a variety of points of interest, too. Stendal’s St. Mary’s Church has a gilded high altar dating from 1471, considered one of the most significant examples of woodcarving of its time in northern Germany. Its date gives the artwork a specific historical context. The Uenglingen Gate is a surviving part of the former city fortifications and offers panoramic views over Stendal and the surrounding area. The Tangermünde Gate, meanwhile, is considered the oldest city gate in northeastern Germany.

Historic Sites in Tangermünde and Schönhausen

Tangermünde is known as a tourist attraction for its fascinating city skyline and exceptionally well-preserved medieval town center. The history of the town includes Tangermünde Castle: from 1373 to 1378, it served as a secondary residence of Emperor Charles IV, complementing the Hradčany in Prague. The town center and the castle offer two distinct ways to explore Tangermünde’s history—through its preserved cityscape and through the ruler’s seat and its role at the time.

In Schönhausen, Otto von Bismarck’s baptismal church is a notable landmark for architecture enthusiasts. St. Mary and St. Willebrord Church is part of the Romanesque Road and features Baroque furnishings. The eight-meter-high altarpiece is another highlight inside. The church bears the designations “Open Church” and “Cyclists’ Church”; a guided tour follows a route marked by a total of eleven QR codes. As opening arrangements may change, it is best to check visiting conditions in advance.

The Bismarck Museum in Schönhausen displays gifts received by Otto von Bismarck, personal belongings and historical images. Its program includes public tours, group tours and events in the field of historical and political education. In addition to the exhibits, visitors can therefore explore the museum through guided tours and thematic programs.

Cycling on a Larger Scale

The approximately 500-kilometer Altmark circular cycle route passes through several towns in the district of Stendal, including Stendal, Arneburg, Tangermünde, Havelberg and Osterburg (Altmark). Its scale sets it apart from a visit to a single city gate or the zoo: the circular route passes through several towns and makes for a cycling trip in its own right. When planning, it is therefore helpful to distinguish between visiting individual cultural sites and following a regional cycling route.

When looking for a hotel in Stendal, you can start by choosing your main interest: animal watching and gardens, theater, churches and city gates, or a cycling trip. The places described offer a range of ways to explore these themes. This lets you plan your trip around the experiences that matter to you.

Discover more destinations: Stendal, Tangermünde, Hassel, Havelberg, Osterburg, Klietz, Hanseatic City of Werben, Schollene, Sandau, Arneburg, Bismark/Kläden, Hohenberg-Krusemark, Schönhausen / Elbe, Hanseatic City of Seehausen, Tangerhütte, Wust-Fischbeck, Aland, Kamern, Altmärkische Höhe, Altmärkische Wische, Goldbeck, Eichstedt, Rochau, Zehrental, Fischbeck, Wanzer, Birkholz, Storkau (Elbe), Klein Schwechten.

See the main travel overview: Saxony-Anhalt.