Haldensleber Gertrudium

A Castle Wall, Two Eras

The Gertrudium in Haldensleben offers a very unique form of medieval event. Instead of focusing on one era, in 2026 it dares to merge two worlds under the motto 'Medieval Meets the Roaring Twenties'. The venue is the Althaldensleben-Hundisburg castle wall, the historic seat of the namesake Duchess Gertrud von Haldensleben. The landscape park surrounding the castle wall provides the backdrop for a festival with over 100 participants, featuring two clearly separated zones.

Medieval Zone and Roaring Twenties Zone

The Medieval Zone gathers knights, traditional crafts, historical music groups, and figures from Haldensleben's history: Duchess Gertrud, the Haldensleben Roland, and Emperor Otto. Jugglers, camp life, sword fighting demonstrations — the full medieval program. The 1920s Zone contrasts with dance music, the Charleston, a cocktail atmosphere, and the glamour aesthetic of the twenties. Both zones offer food and drinks appropriate to their respective eras.

A Little Culturally Historic Plaything

This unusual combination — medieval times and the Roaring Twenties on the same day — is a hallmark of the Gertrudium. It makes the festival one of the most original events in the Börde district, as most medieval festivals in Saxony-Anhalt traditionally focus on a single era. The Gertrudium playfully plays with time jumps in its program — and has thus found its own profile that sets it apart from many comparable festivals.

Haldensleben, Gateway to the Magdeburger Börde

Haldensleben is the district town of the Börde district in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, located on the edge of the Ohre lowlands between Magdeburg and the Altmark. The town has around 19,000 inhabitants and is known for its Hundisburg castle complex, the zoological garden, and its long pottery tradition. The Althaldensleben-Hundisburg castle wall is part of a landscape park and is one of the most impressive archaeological sites in the region — a place where early medieval Saxony can still be sensed in the earthworks.