Name: Family Festival "Up to the Castle!" – Season Opening Oberburg Giebichenstein 2026
Start: 2026-04-04T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-04-04T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Oberburg Giebichenstein, Außenstelle Stadtmuseum Halle

Up to the Castle!

About Up to the Castle!

On a Saturday in early April, Oberburg Giebichenstein opens after the winter break: Seven hours of medieval family program in the castle grounds high above the Saale river. Shield crafting, tin figure casting, glass bead making, combat demonstrations – with the Saale valley as a view.

Dates 04 Apr — 04 Apr 2026

Venue Halle (Saale) (15002)

Prices 0.00€ — 4.00€

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

Up to the Castle! — edition 2026

Season opening of Oberburg Giebichenstein with the family festival "Rauf auf die Burg!". Seven hours of hands-on Middle Ages — shield crafting, tin figure casting, wax tablet making, glass beads, combat demonstrations with INDES e.V., herb garden, and food from the cauldron.

The 2026 edition invites you on April 4th, 2026, to rediscover the castle after the winter break. The Halle City Museum has curated the program in the style of previous years — the focus is on hands-on stations for families with children. If you expect a classic castle spectacle with a Ferris wheel and market stalls, this is not the place: the format is museum-educational, with small stations and personal contact between the museum team and visitors.

Highlights Up to the Castle! 2026

Shield crafting and tin figure casting — INDES combat demonstrations — stick bread by the fire — free admission for children under 14

Programme Up to the Castle! 2026

Saturday, April 4th, 2026 — 11 AM to 6 PM

Hands-on Stations

Shield Crafting: Children build their own knight's shield from wood and felt with painting
Tin Figure Casting: Sand casting method for creating small knights, soldiers, and animals
Wax Tablet Making: Ancient writing method with stylus
Glass Bead Making: Based on archaeological models
Pottery: Traditional games and forms
Herb Garden Station: Medicinal and culinary herbs of the Middle Ages

Demonstrations

Combat Demonstrations by INDES e.V. with late medieval weapons and combat techniques (several demonstrations throughout the day)
Archery and Crossbow Shooting (for older children and adults)

Catering

Cauldron and grilled dishes from medieval recipes
Stick Bread over an open fire
Food from the clay oven

Closing

Day ends with a communal round by the campfire

Prices Up to the Castle! 2026

Children up to 14 years: free. Adults: €4. Reduced: €2.50. Material costs at some stations (tin figure, glass bead): additional €2-5.

Practical information

Practical information — Up to the Castle!

Getting there

From Halle main station, take tram line 7 or bus 26 to Kröllwitz (approx. 25 min), then walk up to Oberburg (approx. 10 min). Parking is available in Kröllwitz; the ascent is not barrier-free.

Admission

Children up to 14 years free. Adults €4, reduced €2.50. Material costs at some stations (tin figure, glass bead) are extra (€2-5).

On site

Food from the medieval cauldron: stews, bread, stick bread by the campfire. Toilets in the castle, sturdy footwear recommended. The castle grounds are rocky – a good head for heights helps.

A 1,000-year-old castle above the Saale

The Oberburg Giebichenstein rises on the northern outskirts of Halle on a rocky outcrop above the Saale bend – one of the oldest and most impressively located castle complexes in Saxony-Anhalt. First mentioned in the 10th century, with traces from several medieval construction phases, the castle is now a ruin – and an external site of the Halle City Museum, which mediates the castle and the directly adjacent Burg Giebichenstein (Unterburg). In the valley directly below lies the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design, one of Germany's most important design universities.

With the Family Festival "Rauf auf die Burg!", the City Museum opens the season every year in early April. For seven hours, the castle grounds transform into a hands-on station for families with children. The program combines craft-historical activities with demonstrations and experiential education – a format that is rare in Saxony-Anhalt but has become a fixed date in the family calendar here.

What the children can experience

At the hands-on stations, children can craft their own shields with wood, felt, and paint – and take their creation home with them. With tin figure casting, small knights, soldiers, or animals are created using the traditional sand casting method. Glass beads are made based on models from archaeological finds. In the herb garden, the museum team explains which plants the Middle Ages used for medicine and cuisine. The ancient writing method with a stylus is demonstrated on a wax tablet. The highlight is the combat demonstrations by the association INDES e.V. from Halle, who authentically and safely present late medieval weapons and combat techniques.

Halle and Saxony-Anhalt

Halle (Saale) is the largest city in Saxony-Anhalt and the region's center of education, science, and culture. With the Handel Festival, Lantern Festival, Long Night of Science, Pottery Market, and several castles and museums, the city offers an unusually broad cultural spectrum. "Rauf auf die Burg!" as the season opener for Oberburg is part of the family program – and with an admission price of €4 for adults and free admission for children under 14, it is one of the most affordable cultural offerings.