Why visit Wolfenbüttel
Townapedia lists 170 museums and landmarks, 39 parks and trails, 161 places to eat, 10 places to stay and 22 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Filmpalast, Lessingtheater Wolfenbüttel, Gedenkstätte in der JVA Wolfenbüttel and Großes Weghaus.
Weather in Wolfenbüttel
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel (German pronunciation: [ˌvɔlfn̩ˈbʏtl̩] ; Low German: Wulfenbüddel) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel District. It is best known as the location of the internationally renowned Herzog August Library and for having the largest concentration of timber-framed buildings in Germany, numbering around 1,000. It is an episcopal see of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick. It is also home to the Jägermeister distillery, houses a campus of the Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, and the Landesmusikakademie of Lower Saxony.
From the Wikipedia article Wolfenbüttel (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Wolfenbüttel on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Photos of Wolfenbüttel
Things to do22
Lessingtheater Wolfenbüttel
Cinema and theater
16 Lange Straße, Wolfenbüttel
Campusfilm Wolfenbüttel
Cinema and theater · 1.4 km
Campus.film - Wolfenbüttel ist euer studentisches Hörsaalkino an der Ostfalia Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften. Die...
Tu 19:30-21:00
10 more on the map.
Museums and landmarks170
Großes Weghaus
Monument and historic site · 5.1 km
232 Leipziger Straße, Braunschweig
closed
Lessinghaus
Museum · 0.7 km
2 Lessingplatz, Wolfenbüttel
Mo off; Tu-Su 10:00-17:00
Kleines Schloss
Monument and historic site · 0.8 km
14 Schloßplatz, Wolfenbüttel
Neue Kanzlei
Monument and historic site
3 Kanzleistraße, Wolfenbüttel
Reiterstandbild Herzog August
Monument and historic site
Stadtmarkt, Wolfenbüttel
Rokoko Pavillon
Monument and historic site · 5.0 km
234 Leipziger Straße, Braunschweig
Schloss Wolfenbüttel
Monument and historic site · 0.8 km
13 Schloßplatz, Wolfenbüttel
Wasserturm
Monument and historic site · 0.8 km
Wasserturm, Harztorwall in Wolfenbüttel
Vita-Villa
Museum
Wechselnde Ausstellungen überwiegend lokaler Künstler. Gelegentlich Lesungen, Konzerte.
9 Kleiner Zimmerhof, Wolfenbüttel
Tu, Th 11:00-18:00; Sa 11:00-15:00
158 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds39
Stadtbad Okeraue
Sports field and stadium · 0.8 km
21 Lange Straße, Wolfenbüttel
Mo-Fr 09:30-21:00; Sa-Su 09:30-20:00
27 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes161
Hotel Bayrischer Hof
Restaurant
5 Brauergildenstraße, Wolfenbüttel
Tu-Fr 11:30-15:00,17:30-22:00; Sa 17:30-22:00; Su 11:30-15:00; Mo off
KOMM Beach Club
Bar and pub · American, German
6 Landeshuter Platz, Wolfenbüttel
Mo-We 15:00-23:00; Th 12:00-23:30; Fr-Sa 12:00-23:55; Su 12:00-22:00
Veränder Bar - Bühne. Theke. Sofa.
Cafe · Coffee Shop
Gemütliches Cafe, welches als Ehrenamtsprojekt der Stadt gehört. Kleine Preise und nette Menschen, die viel Herzblut in dieses Projekt stecken.
13 Kreuzstraße, Wolfenbüttel
Tu 10:00-19:00,We-Th 10:00-22:00, Fr-Sa 15:00-22:00, Su-Mo off
Vinum Italicum
Restaurant · Mediterranean
3 Schiffwall, Wolfenbüttel
Mo-Fr 12:00-14:30, Mo-We 18:00-21:30, Sa 12:00-15:00, Th-Sa...
Café „Katzenwald“
Cafe · Cake, Coffee Shop · 0.6 km
5 Löwenstraße, Wolfenbüttel
Tu-Su 10:00-18:00; Mo,PH off
China Restaurant Wan Bao
Restaurant · Chinese
9a Kommißstraße, Wolfenbüttel
Mo off; Tu-Su 11:30-15:00,17:30-23:00
Restaurant Marco Polo Pizzeria
Restaurant · Italian · 5.7 km
191 Leipziger Straße, Braunschweig
We-Mo 12:00-22:00
Richters Altstadt-Bäckerei
Cafe · German · 1.0 km
15 Elmweg, Wolfenbüttel
Mo-Fr 06:00-18:00; Sa 06:00-12:30; Su 07:00-12:30
Samos
Restaurant · Griechisch, Syrisch · 0.8 km
5a Ahlumer Straße, Wolfenbüttel
Tu-Fr 17:00-23:00; Sa-Su 12:00-15:00; Sa-Su 17:00-23:00
Hotel Forsthaus
Restaurant · German
5 Neuer Weg, Wolfenbüttel
Mo 07:00-12:00,16:00-22:30;Tu 07:00-12:00;We-Sa...
Odysseus
Restaurant · Greek · 2.3 km
23 Harzburger Straße, Wolfenbüttel
Mo off; Tu-Th 17:00-24:00; Fr-Su,PH 11:30-14:00,17:00-24:00
149 more on the map.
History
A first settlement, probably restricted to a tiny islet in the Oker river, was founded in the tenth century. It was mentioned in 1118 as Wulferisbuttle, when the Saxon count Widekind of Wolfenbüttel erected a water castle on the important trade route from Brunswick to Halberstadt and Leipzig. Destroyed by Henry the Lion in 1191, and again by his great-grandson Duke Albert I of Brunswick-Lüneburg in 1255, the fortress and town, as well as nearby Asseburg Castle, were seized in 1258 by Albert I from the House of Asseburg, the descendants of Widekind. The castle was rebuilt by the Welf duke Henry I of Brunswick from 1283 onwards.
By 1432, the town became the permanent residence of the Brunswick Princes of Wolfenbüttel. Devastated in the 1542 Schmalkaldic War, it was largely rebuilt in a Renaissance style under Duke Julius of Brunswick-Lüneburg, including several gracht waterways laid out by Hans Vredeman de Vries. The duke vested the citizens with market rights in 1570 and founded the Ducal Library (Herzogliche Bibliothek, the later Bibliotheca Augusta) two years later.
Read more of the history
During the Thirty Years' War, Danish troops under King Christian IV occupied the fortified town in 1626. Upon the nearby Battle of Lutter, they were besieged by the Imperial forces of General Gottfried Heinrich Graf zu Pappenheim. Re-conquered in 1627, the Wolfenbüttel fortress remained under the command of Gottfried Huyn von Geleen. In June 1641 the Battle of Wolfenbüttel was fought here, when the Swedish forces under Wrangel and the Count of Königsmark defeated the Austrians under Archduke Leopold of Habsburg, however, they failed to occupy the town.
Over two centuries, especially under Duke Julius' successors Henry Julius and Augustus the Younger, Wolfenbüttel grew to be a center of the arts and science: already in 1604, the composer Michael Praetorius (1571–1621) served as Kapellmeister of the Brunswick dukes. From 1682, the composer Johann Rosenmüller (1619–1684), who had to flee Germany due to allegations of homosexuality, spent his last years in Wolfenbüttel. Gottfried Leibniz (1646–1716) and Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729–1781) directed the Ducal Library, and established one of the first lending libraries in Enlightenment Europe. However, the ducal court eventually returned to Brunswick in 1753 and Wolfenbüttel subsequently declined in importance.
During World War II, the city prison became a major execution site of prisoners of the Gestapo. Most of those executed were members of various Resistance groups. Victims include Marguerite Bervoets and Fernande Volral, and a Dom Lambert, a monk of Ligugé Abbey in France, who was beheaded there on 3 December 1943.
Roughly 14% of Wolfenbüttel are foreigners and 27.2% of the town has a migration background.
From the History section of Wolfenbüttel on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Wolfenbüttel
Geography
The town center is located at an elevation of 77 ft (23 m) on the Oker river near the confluence with its Altenau tributary, about 13 km (8.1 mi) south of Brunswick and 60 km (37 mi) southeast of the state capital Hannover. Wolfenbüttel is situated about half-way between the Harz mountain range in the south and the Lüneburg Heath in the north. The Elm-Lappwald Nature Park and the Asse hill range stretch east and southeast of the town.
With a population of about 52,000 people, Wolfenbüttel is part of the Hannover–Braunschweig–Göttingen–Wolfsburg Metropolitan Region and Braunschweig's urban agglomeration. It is the southernmost of the 172 towns in Northern Germany whose names end in büttel, meaning 'residence', 'settlement'.
Arts and culture
Wolfenbüttel is home of several departments of the Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences and the Lessing-Akademie, an organisation for the study of Lessing's works. It is also home to the Niedersächsisches Staatsarchiv, the state archives of Lower Saxony, as well as the renowned Biblioteca Augusta. Beginning in 2009 the Landesmusikakademie Niedersachsen is located in the Seeliger Park and sponsored by the state of Lower Saxony to promote music education at various levels.
The herb liqueur Jägermeister's headquarters of Mast-Jägermeister are still located in Wolfenbüttel, as are some of its distillation sites.
Wolfenbüttel hosted the three-day International German Bus Pulling Championships in May 2009, where five-person teams pull a 15-tonne (16-short-ton) bus 30 metres (98 ft).
Every year starting in late November, Wolfenbüttel stages a Christmas market with food and drinks. Locals often come and enjoy the pre-Christmas atmosphere.
From the Wikipedia article Wolfenbüttel, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Wolfenbüttel
Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-WolfenbüttelPrince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgPhoto: Johann Georg Ziesenis, Public domain
Juliana Maria of Brunswick-WolfenbüttelQueen consort of Denmark and NorwayPhoto: Vigilius Eriksen, Public domain
Duchess Anna Amalia of Brunswick-WolfenbüttelGerman princess, composer, editor (1739-1807)Photo: Johann Ernst Heinsius / After Johann..., Public domain
Arnd PeifferGerman biathletePhoto: Wikijunkie, CC BY-SA 3.0
Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-BevernQueen of Prussia and Electress of Brandenburg (1715–1797)Photo: Antoine Pesne, Public domain
Charlotte Christine of Brunswick-LüneburgGrand Duchess of Russia (1694-1715)Photo: Unidentified painter, Public domain
Princess Antoinette of Brunswick-WolfenbüttelGerman duchess (1696-1762)Photo: Christoph Bernhard Francke, Public domain
Sophie Antoinette of Brunswick-WolfenbüttelDuchess consort of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld from 1764 to 1800Photo: Unidentified painter, Public domain
Duchess Luise of Brunswick-WolfenbüttelPrussian princess (1722-1780)Photo: Antoine Pesne, Public domain
Sophia Hedwig of Brunswick-LüneburgGerman noblewoman (1592-1642)Photo: Attributed to Wybrand de Geest /..., Public domain- Louis Rudolph, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgDuke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1671-1735)
- Karl MollweideGerman mathematician
Born in Wolfenbüttel, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay10
Jugendgästehaus Wolfenbüttel
Motel and hotel · 1.0 km
1 Am Seeligerpark, Wolfenbüttel
Hotel Garni "Gaststätte Sultan"
Motel and hotel · 1.1 km
8 Rosenmüllerstraße, Wolfenbüttel
Churches and places of worship35
Shopping60
Gas and EV charging17
Schools, colleges and libraries43
Bibliothek der Ostfalia Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften
Library · 2.3 km
8 Am Exer, Wolfenbüttel
Healthcare23
Zentrum für Sozialpsychatrie und Nervenheilkunde am Ostebogen GmbH
Clinic and pharmacy · 0.7 km
1 Bahnhofstraße, Wolfenbüttel
Map of Wolfenbüttel
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Forschungsflughafen Braunschweig-Wolfsburg (BWE) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 17 km away.
- Salzgitter 9 km west, about 9 min by car
- Broitzem 9 km northwest, about 9 min by car
- Sickte 9 km northeast, about 9 min by car
- Braunschweig 11 km north, about 11 min by car
- Cremlingen 12 km northeast, about 12 min by car
- Vechelde 16 km northwest, about 16 min by car
- Lengede 17 km west, about 17 min by car
- Schladen 16 km south, about 16 min by car
- Schöppenstedt 16 km east, about 16 min by car
- Liebenburg 18 km southwest, about 18 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Wolfenbüttel
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Gedenkstätte Wolfenbüttel Eingang 20260703 162401, ScheWo, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Am Herzogtore 1 Wolfenbüttel, Clemensfranz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- JVA Wolfenbüttel Eingang 20260703 161915, ScheWo, CC BY-SA 4.0
- JVA Wolfenbüttel, Reise Reise, CC BY-SA 4.0
- House on Lange Herzogstr., Wolfenbüttel, Anastasiya Lvova, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Дверь дома Enge Str. 13, Wolfenbüttel, Anastasiya Lvova, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wolfenbüttel Beatae Mariae Virginis Sakristeitür, Rabanus Flavus, CC0
- Wolfenbüttel, Haus Lohenstraße 5, Dguendel, CC BY 4.0
- Wolfenbüttel, rotonde bij Am Herzogtore IMG 5420 2018-07-08 08.44, Michielverbeek, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wolfenbüttel, die Häuser Lohenstraße 5 und Okerstraße 7, Dguendel, CC BY 4.0
- Am Herzogtore 7 Wolfenbüttel, Clemensfranz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Искажённый временем дом, Kreuzstraße 7, Wolfenbüttel, Anastasiya Lvova, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wolfenbüttel, Haus Kreuzstraße 12, Dguendel, CC BY 4.0
- Am Herzogtore 5 Wolfenbüttel, Clemensfranz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Am Herzogtore 6 Wolfenbüttel, Clemensfranz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wolfenbüttel, Haus Kreuzstraße 11, Dguendel, CC BY 4.0
- Wolfenbüttel, die Kreuzstraße, Haus Breite Herzogstraße 25, Dguendel, CC BY 4.0
- 2026-02-28 115834 Wolfenbüttel Breite Herzogstraße 27, Tim Rademacher, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wolfenbüttel, das Haus Okerstraße 7, Dguendel, CC BY 4.0
- Wolfenbüttel, die Häuser Okerstraße 5 und 6, Dguendel, CC BY 4.0
- Wolfenbüttel, Okerstraße und Haus Okerstraße 17, Dguendel, CC BY 4.0
- 2026-02-28 115626 Wolfenbüttel Stolperstein Kurt Kramer, Tim Rademacher, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2026-02-28 115554 Wolfenbüttel Stolperstein Otto Kramer, Tim Rademacher, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2026-02-28 115616 Wolfenbüttel Stolperstein Marianne Kramer, Tim Rademacher, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2026-02-28 115544 Wolfenbüttel Stolperstein Emil Kramer, Tim Rademacher, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2026-02-28 115549 Wolfenbüttel Stolperstein Marianne Kramer, Tim Rademacher, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2026-02-28 115622 Wolfenbüttel Stolperstein Otto Kramer, Tim Rademacher, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2026-02-28 115527 Wolfenbüttel Stolpersteine Breite Herzogstraße 27, Tim Rademacher, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2026-02-28 115602 Wolfenbüttel Stolperstein Kurt Kramer, Tim Rademacher, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2026-02-28 115613 Wolfenbüttel Stolperstein Emil Kramer, Tim Rademacher, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2019-12-08 155420 Wolfenbüttel Stolpersteinverlegung, Tim Rademacher, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2019-12-08 160321 Wolfenbüttel Stolpersteinverlegung, Tim Rademacher, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2019-12-08 160204 Wolfenbüttel Stolpersteinverlegung, Tim Rademacher, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2019-12-08 155502 Wolfenbüttel Stolpersteinverlegung, Tim Rademacher, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2019-12-08 155535 Wolfenbüttel Stolpersteinverlegung, Tim Rademacher, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2019-12-08 155355 Wolfenbüttel Stolpersteinverlegung, Tim Rademacher, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2019-12-08 155604 Wolfenbüttel Stolpersteinverlegung, Tim Rademacher, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Oesel Westen, Vanellus Foto, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Wolfenbuettel Herzog August Bibliothek Innen2 (2006), User:Brunswyk, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Fassadenansicht, GWF-Sarah Kunte, Historian2022, CC BY-SA 4.0
- WeghausVonNorden2014, Okernick, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Aerial image of Schloss Wolfenbüttel (view from the east), Carsten Steger, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Lessingtheater Wolfenbüttel, Carsten Schrader Lessingtheater, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Marienkirche (Wolfenbüttel)01, Chris06, CC BY-SA 4.0
- St.Thomas-Kirche- wf-1, Autor1956, CC BY-SA 3.0
- St.-Trinitatiskirche (Wolfenbüttel) IMG 1376, Losch, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Versoehnungskirche-wf-glockenturm, Autor1956, CC BY-SA 3.0
- LindenbergVonSüdOst, Okernick, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Salzgitter-Thiede - Stiftskirche Steterburg - Südseite 2015-07, Johamar, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wolfenbüttel Theodor-Heuss-Gymnasium, Reise Reise, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Wolfenbuettel Wasserturm-01, Radler59, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Klinikum Wolfenbüttel, Reise Reise, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Apostelkirche von Großstöckheim (Wolfenbüttel) IMG 0568, Losch, CC BY-SA 3.0
- LeiferdeKirche N 201212, Okernick, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Stoeckheim ev 2, Kirchenfan, CC0
- Filmpalast Wolfenbüttel, Reise Reise, CC BY-SA 4.0
- BS Rokokopavillon 1, TeWeBs, CC BY-SA 4.0
- August II-Marktplatz Wolfenbuettel, Burkhardm at German Wikipedia, Public domain
- Lessings Hofbeamtenhaus von 1738 in Wolfenbüttel IMG 1418, Losch, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Haus Vredeman de Vries, TacoTichelaar, CC BY-SA 3.0 de
- Wolfenbüttel Kirche Ansgar, Kirchenfan, CC0
- Braunschweig Kirche Dreifaltigkeit, Kirchenfan, CC0
- Herzog August Bibliothek Wolfenbüttel IMG 1422, Losch, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Wolfenbuettel Schloss (2006), User:Brunswyk, CC BY-SA 3.0
- St-Johannes-wf-1, Autor1956, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Wolfsburg Fachhochschule, Reise Reise, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, tian, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, u14183, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, andreas1974, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, u14183, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, Schmarvis, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, murmeldin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, murmeldin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, tian, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, andreas1974, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, andreas1974, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, andreas1974, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, andreas1974, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, u14183, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, u14183, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, bvblers, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, hotteliene, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, Schmarvis, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, u14183, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, murmeldin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, andreas1974, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, andreas1974, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, Schmarvis, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, u14183, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, Schmarvis, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, u14183, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, tian, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, bvblers, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, u14183, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, chuck, CC BY-SA 4.0
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