Burg-Beats — Concerts in the Wettin Castle Courtyard

Burg-Beats — School Music Against a Medieval Backdrop

Wettin is one of the oldest castle towns in Saxony-Anhalt. The complex on the rocky spur above the Saale river is one of the ancestral seats of the Wettin dynasty — the same dynasty that later provided the Saxon Electors and Kings. Today, the former castle complex houses, among other institutions, the Burg-Gymnasium Wettin, a grammar school with an artistic focus, renowned regionally for its musical and artistic education.

Burg-Beats is the school concert of this grammar school — but not an ordinary one. Instead of performing in the assembly hall, the young musicians play outdoors in the courtyard of the lower castle (Unterburg), a walled inner courtyard that carries the sound while creating an intimate, almost campfire-like setting. Parents, friends, neighbours from the region, as well as interested music lovers from Halle gather on a spring evening for this concert.

School Choir, Fushie Brothers, Echoes of the Castle

The program traditionally consists of several ensembles formed during the school's musical activities. Often, a supporting act kicks things off — in 2026, it will be the Fushie Brothers, a student formation. Then, the School Choir takes over with a repertoire of pop, classical arrangements, and original pieces. The highlight is the school band Echoes of the Castle, which has been the school's musical flagship for years. In between, soloists perform — voices, piano, strings, wind instruments.

Discover Wettin

Visitors attending the concert can easily combine it with a short tour of the Saale valley. Wettin Castle itself is accessible via the castle stairs from the market square; a hiking trail runs along the Saale river around the castle, and the town itself offers several cafés and restaurants. Since 2010, Wettin has been part of the town of Wettin-Löbejün, belonging to the Mansfeld-Südharz district, and thus part of the region in Saxony-Anhalt shaped by mining history, the Saale valley, and Luther sites.