Wernigerode Town Hall Festival

Sixty Years of Rathausfest in One of Germany's Most Beautiful Half-Timbered Towns

Anyone who has visited Wernigerode knows why the town calls itself the "Colorful Town on the Harz Mountains": brightly painted half-timbered houses, Wernigerode Castle perched like a fairytale castle, and the famous market square with its late-Gothic Town Hall. Every year in mid-June, this very setting becomes the stage for one of the largest city festivals in the state of Saxony-Anhalt.

Nine Stages, 250 Artists, Three Days

The Rathausfest spans three days and utilizes almost the entire historic city center in the Harz district: from the market square to Breite Straße and Westernplatz. A total of nine stages offer live music in all genres: traditional Harz folk music, folk, rock, pop, singer-songwriters, and family concerts. In between, there are market stalls, food trucks, show acts, and a historically furnished medieval market that connects to the town's over 800-year history.

A Festival with History

The Rathausfest has its roots in the 1960s — in 2026, it will be its 60th edition. What began as a folk festival (Volksfest) with a focus on crafts and local heritage has evolved into an open city festival with an international artist lineup and a strictly free admission policy. This combination — established tradition, free access, high-quality program — creates its unique charm.

Wernigerode as the Harz's Tourist Hub

Alongside Quedlinburg and Bad Harzburg, Wernigerode is one of the central tourist destinations in the Harz Mountains. The Harz Narrow Gauge Railways start their Brocken journey from Wernigerode station, the castle towers over the old town on a ridge, and its location on the northern edge of the low mountain range makes it an ideal starting point for hikes. Visitors to the Rathausfest should plan at least an extra day to explore the town itself.