Buxtehude
Fantast
ic things:
From afar one can see the steeple of the old Petri Church, dominating the horizon and Buxtehude's Old Town. When the weather is agreeable and the staircase to the tower open, a viewing platform offers spectacular panoramas. Extend your gaze far to the north and you can even watch ships passing on the Elbe river. As the historical centre of Buxtehude, this 13 to 14th century church is an excellent place to start a tour.
The church itself is well worth visiting: the well-lit interior is inviting, it has a splendid altar and many interesting paintings. The museum opposite the Petri Church provides much information about Buxtehude's history.
Always playing an influential role in this Hanseatic town, the town hall (Rathaus) occupies the dominant position on the city squar
e. The building has been painstakingly reconstructed after flames of the 1911 fire destroyed nearly one third of the Old Town. The town hall is often open to visitors weekdays and one can view images of the well-documented event in the council chambers.
Fortunately, not all was destroyed; many beautiful half-timbered houses remained standing and have been fully restored or rebuilt. The atmosphere is especially attractive along the Fleth, the canal-like waterways in the western part of the Old Town. Reminding us of the importance of the waterways for trade is the restored flat-bottomed boat "Ewer Margareta" from 1897. The so-called Giek-Ewer is a typical style of those times.
Other architectural treasures await discovery in the old Church Quarters (Kirchenquartier). In these half-timbered buildings, up to 500 years old, many a restaurant is thriving, and a rich variety of foods and drinks are offered.
Enchanting places:
Do you want to know more about the hare and the hedgehog? Visit the local historical museum for an astonishing variety of exhibits relating to this world-famous fable. There is even a small theatre showing 
an animated puppet film.
The tale is enacted over and over upon the stage, usually in connection with traditional celebrations as the Altstadtfest or a flea market (Hökermarkt). The Christmas season is especially enchanting, when the illuminated images of fairy tales add to the magic in the Old Town.
Buxtehude also has an official Fairytale Storyteller, depending upon the vote either female or male. The competition is held every two years.
Every two years in September, the Buxtehude Fairytale Society hosts a gathering of fairytale characters, who come from all over Germany to participate. The public affair ends with a fanfare trumpet march through the Old Town. To find out more, see www.buxtehuder-maerchengesellschaft.de.
Phone: 04161/501-2345
Fax: 04161/501-52345
eMail: stadtinfo@stadt.buxtehude.de
www.buxtehude.de
