Altenburg
A small Thuringian residence town that gave the world a card game
Altenburg is a small town in eastern Thuringia, the seat of the Altenburger Land district, about 40 kilometres south of Leipzig. About 31,000 people live there.
The masthead year is 976, when Altenburg is first recorded in a document. Its castle, on a porphyry rock above the town, was an imperial palace that Frederick Barbarossa visited several times, and the twin brick towers called the Red Spires survive from the church of the monastery founded in his time. In 1455 the castle was the scene of the Prinzenraub, when the knight Kunz von Kaufungen abducted the two young Saxon princes, Ernst and Albrecht, from their beds; they were soon recovered, and grew up to divide Saxony between them. Altenburg was later the capital of the duchy of Saxe-Altenburg, which lasted until 1918. In the GDR it was a district town in a lignite-mining region, and after 1990 it became part of the restored state of Thuringia.
The town is compact and climbs from the market square up to the castle. The square is lined with burghers' houses and the Renaissance town hall; above it, the Brühl is an older square with the Skat fountain, and a short walk away the Red Spires and the Nikolai tower stand over the oldest part of the town. The Residenzschloss, the ducal castle, holds the castle church with its organ, state rooms and the playing-card museum. Below it, on a park terrace, is the Lindenau Museum, founded on the collection of the statesman Bernhard von Lindenau and known above all for its early Italian paintings. To the south the Großer Teich, a large pond, has a small zoo on an island, and the GDR-era estate of Altenburg-Nord spreads across the northern edge of town.
Altenburg's claim to fame is Skat. The three-player card game, now Germany's national card game, was developed here in the 1810s by a circle of local card players, and the town has kept the connection ever since: the Skat fountain, the playing-card factory founded in 1831 and still producing, and the International Skat Court, which settles disputes over the rules, all make their home here. The food is Thuringian: grilled bratwurst, dumplings and roasts, and the Altenburger Ziegenkäse, a soft goat's and cow's milk cheese with a protected designation of origin. The Altenburger Land around the town is farming country, with old four-sided farmsteads in the villages.
Like many small towns in eastern Germany, Altenburg lost a large share of its population and much of its industry after reunification, and empty buildings in the old town and demolished blocks on the estates are part of the picture. The town has responded with restoration and by leaning on its heritage. The Lindenau Museum closed its main building in 2020 for a long renovation, financed by the federal and state governments; it shows its collection in temporary premises in the town meanwhile, and the main building is due to reopen in 2029. Altenburg is on the S-Bahn network of central Germany, so Leipzig is within easy commuting distance, and the former military airfield outside town, once used by budget airlines, no longer has scheduled flights.
Where People Live
Markt & the Altstadt
The market square with its Renaissance town hall and burghers' houses, and the streets of the old town around it, many restored since 1990 and some still awaiting work.
Brühl & the Skat fountain
The oldest square in the town, with the Skat fountain of 1903 and some of the oldest houses in the town.
The castle hill
The Residenzschloss on its rock, with the castle church, the playing-card museum and the ducal state rooms, reached by steps from the town below.
Rote Spitzen & the Nikolai quarter
The twin brick towers of the medieval monastery church, a landmark of the town, and the old streets around the Nikolai tower.
Großer Teich
The large pond south of the centre, with its island zoo, walking paths and the town park, a favourite in summer.
Altenburg-Nord
The large prefabricated housing estate built in the GDR years on the northern edge, partly thinned out by demolition since 2000.
Where to stay
Feienwohnung "Schöne Aussicht" Treben Altenburg
Am bhf 26A, 04617 Treben, Germany · booking.com
Hotel Pension Treppengasse Altenburg
Treppengasse 5, 04600 Altenburg, Germany · hotelpension-treppengasse.de
Appartement Ferienwohnung & Pension Schmidt Kosma / ab 20,00 Euro/ WLAN kos
Am, Schenkenberg 2, 04600 Altenburg, Germany · pension-schmidt-kosma.jimdoweb.com
AWG Wohnungsgenossenschaft eG Altenburg
Heinrich-Heine-Straße 56, 04600 Altenburg, Germany · awg-altenburg.de
Gasthof Zur Schweiz - Sabine Ring Altenburg
Paditzer Str. 38, 04600 Altenburg, Germany · gasthof-zur-schweiz.de
Landhotel Garni Kertscher Hof & Familienfeiern
Gleina 1, 04603 Nobitz, Germany · kertscher-hof.de
Meyner´s Pension - Inh.: Ilka Tischendorf Altenburg
Rasephaser Dorfanger 6, 04600 Altenburg, Germany · meyners-pension.de
Pension am Schloss Altenburg
Pauritzer Str. 21, 04600 Altenburg, Germany · pension-am-schloss-abg.de
Pension Deparade Altenburg
An d. Schmiede 8, 04600 Altenburg, Germany · pension-deparade.de
Teichhaus Gasthof u. Pension Altenburg
Teichhaus 1, 04654 Frohburg, Germany · gasthof-teichhaus.de
Jugendherberge Altenburg Windischleuba
Pestalozzipl. 1, 04603 Windischleuba, Germany · windischleuba.jugendherberge.de
Hofgärtnerei Pension und Weinstube Altenburg
Schloßberg 1A, 04600 Altenburg, Germany · hofgaertnerei-altenburg.de
Mason Boutique Hotel Altenburg
info@lemimaison.de, Johannisstraße 27, 04600 Altenburg, Germany · reservations.hotel-spider.com
Parkhotel Altenburg
August-Bebel-Straße 16/17, 04600 Altenburg, Germany · parkhotelaltenburg.de
Hotel Am Rossplan Altenburg
Roßplan 8, 04600 Altenburg, Germany · hotel-rossplan.com
Hotel Astor Altenburg
Bahnhofstraße 4, 04600 Altenburg, Germany · hotelastor-altenburg.de
Ferienwohnung Pfarrhaus Altenburg
Hauptstraße 25, 04600 Altenburg, Germany · pension-pfarrhaus.de
Pension Neue Welt Altenburg
Rousseaustraße 24, 04600 Altenburg, Germany · pensionaltenburg.de
Rittergut Schwanditz Altenburg
Im Rittergut 1, 04626 Göllnitz, Germany · rittergut-schwanditz.de
Campingpark Pahna Altenburg
Zeltpl., 04617 Fockendorf, Germany · camping-pahna.de
Ilona Scheibe Altenburg
Kotteritzer Str. 19, 04603 Nobitz, Germany · pension-scheibe.com
Landhof Schnelle Altenburg
Untermolbitzer Str. 12, 04617 Rositz, Germany
Restaurants & places to go
Airports
Leipzig–Altenburg Airport (AOC) 4.4 km to the centre
Nobitz, TH, DE — Indoor waiting areas, but some gates board by bus or on foot across the apron — plan for the weather on the day.
Sprossen (Zeitz) Airfield 16 km to the centre
Zeitz, ST, DE
Göpfersdorf Airfield 15 km to the centre
Göpfersdorf, TH, DE
Local transit
Erfurter Verkehrsbetriebe AG
Bus · Bayern · Schedules & GTFS data
Mitteldeutscher Verkehrsverbund GmbH (MDV)
Bus · Halle, Sachsen · Schedules & GTFS data (official feed)
Verkehrsverbund Mittelthüringen (VMT)
Bus · Thüringen · Schedules & GTFS data
Trains & rail
Starkenberger Baustoffwerke GmbH
Rail operator
Deutsche Bahn
National rail
Rennsteigbahn GmbH & Co. KG
National rail
Coaches & shuttles
FlixBus
Intercity coach
Living Here
Getting about
- Altenburg station is on the line between Leipzig and Zwickau, and S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland trains run directly to Leipzig.
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Leipzig/Halle; Leipzig-Altenburg airfield outside town has had no scheduled services since 2011.
- Local buses link the town with the villages of the Altenburger Land. The old town is small and best seen on foot, though the climb to the castle is steep.
Health
- The Klinikum Altenburger Land is the local hospital; larger specialist care is at the university hospital in Leipzig.
- Dial 112 for fire and ambulance and 110 for police. Pharmacies post the one on night duty.
- EU visitors should carry a European Health Insurance Card; others need travel insurance.
Work & study
- Local employers include the playing-card factory, small manufacturers, the district administration, health care and retail; many residents commute to Leipzig.
- There is no university in the town; Leipzig's universities are within easy reach by train.
- EU citizens may work freely; others need a residence permit. German is the working language and English is less widely spoken than in the big cities.
Money & manners
- Germany uses the euro. Cash is still widely used in small shops and cafés here.
- Learning the rudiments of Skat is a good way into local life; clubs and tournaments are common.
- Winters are cold and summers warm. Shops close on Sundays and many on Saturday afternoons.
News
Situations Vacant
Classified
Property
Sport
Display Advertising
Sources
- Geoverts Local — Altenburgthe local directory, the people-and-company index, and who is hiring
- Better Mapping — Altenburgthe intelligence map — parcels, boundaries and what is actually where