The central German village of Tilleda was where we started our hike to the impressive Kyffhäuser Monument, but we realized that there are a couple of good reasons to visit in its own right.

The biggest of these is the open-air museum Königspfalz Tilleda, which consists of a partly reconstructed royal palace from the Early and High Middle Ages. As an archaeologist, I obviously had to check it out, but I can really recommend it to anyone who wants to get a glimpse into the royal way of life from that period.

Here’s everything you need to know about visiting this fascinating site.

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Some Historical Background

To properly understand the site, you need to know a little bit about medieval German history first. The Holy Roman Empire, which comprised the area of present-day Germany as well as parts of surrounding countries, did not have a permanent capital city for centuries.

Instead, the king and his retainers traveled from palace to palace all over the realm in a form of government that is known as itinerant kingship. In the respective palaces, the king would hold court for a couple of weeks and decide questions of law and religion, before moving on to another palace.

Most of these were continually inhabited by the steward, as well as groups of craftspeople to keep the place running and prepare for the next royal visit. Countless palaces were dotted over the area of the Holy Roman Empire and only a few of them have been found so far.

Even fewer have been properly examined by archaeologists. The palace at Tilleda, which was in use from the 8^th to the 12^th century, is to date, the only such site that has been completely excavated.

Visiting the Königspfalz Tilleda

The open-air museum contains a host of reconstructed buildings, especially in the outer palace area, the artisans’ quarter and the so-called Slavic settlement. In the inner palace area, the remaining foundation walls of the buildings have been mostly left as they were unearthed during excavation.

I’m always a fan of that, as you get a realistic picture of the information that we archaeologists base our assumptions on (instead of a reconstruction, which is inevitably speculative). Of course, you get that, too in the other parts of the museum, so you can still get an immersive historical experience there, if that’s what you’re after.

The signage in the museum is exclusively in German, so I’ll do my best to explain the main point of interest.

Main Gate Area

You enter the compound through the reconstruction of a pincer gate with a watchtower placed at the end. This form of gate construction has been well known since antiquity and was supposed to give defenders the upper hand in the case of an invasion, as anyone entering was forced to walk through the narrow gap and could potentially be attacked from three sides.

The three houses to the north of the gate contain some artefacts found in the area and information on the concept of Itinerant Regime.

The two wooden figures and a tree containing animal skulls are meant to represent the persistence of pagan beliefs in a society that officially had been Christianized centuries earlier.

Artisans’ Quarter

Turn right after entering through the gate, and you’ll come to a couple of reconstructed houses with exhibits that explain the history of the site. The longhouse at the western end displays some artefacts and a few reconstructed tools that show you the different crafts that were practised in Tilleda.

These include weaving, spinning, pottery production and woodturning. Outside is a small area where plants are grown that were used to dye cloth.

Around the corner you’ll find reconstructions of a device that was used to mix mortar, a medieval crane and a battering ram (not really the artisan’s domain, but I guess they had to put it somewhere:)

Slavic Settlement

The cluster of buildings in the centre of the open area is a reconstruction of a Slavic settlement. People speaking Slavic languages settled in the area of today’s eastern Germany from the 6^th century onward and were quickly integrated into the Holy Roman Empire.

There are both reconstructions of living quarters and places of daily work, like a blacksmith’s workshop. The house on stilts functioned as a granary, which was built to keep the corn dry by avoiding contact with the ground.

The pit house on the opposite side of the hedge is supposed to be both a workplace and storage building, which used the natural coldness of the ground to keep food from spoiling. Storing food in pits to preserve it longer is something that has been practised since at least the beginning of the Neolithic.

If you enter the longhouse at the southern end of the compound, you’ll see a hatch in the ground leading to a small chamber, which had the same function.

Central Palace Area

To the east of the Slavic settlement is a processional way that leads through a gap in the rampart and finally through another reconstructed gate building and into the central palace area.

This contains the remaining foundation walls and archaeological features that show the former location of the Palas (a kind of representative building containing a large meeting hall), the chapel and two tower keeps.

Next to the southern keep, we also noticed the remains of an underfloor heating system. This was used to keep the rooms as warm as possible without too much smoke, like an open fireplace would give off. The system has been copied from the ancient Romans.

Other Sights in Tilleda

Apart from the Royal Palace, the main reason to visit Tilleda is the impressive Kyffhäuser Monument, which you can see from all over the village (and the open-air museum). You can hike up to it in about an hour. If you plan to do that, check out my guide to the Monument.

The first part of the hike leads through an extensive apple orchard that was especially beautiful in the springtime, when we visited.

The village also has an Orchard Centre (Ger. Streuobstzentrum), that has some information on this kind of horticulture, plus you can also try some local juice and other products from the area.

Finally, we thought Tilleda’s cute medieval church, directly south of the main square, to be worth a peek, especially for the pretty surrounding garden.

Map of Tilleda and Surroundings

You can check this map for the layout of the museum (red pins) and some other sights in the village (orange pins).

Practicalities

How to Get to Tilleda

We visited the area from Sangerhausen, from where we took bus VGS-453 to Tilleda. The bus goes regularly from Monday to Friday, but has only one connection each way on Saturday and Sunday. Again, you can check the current connection here.

Where to Stay Near Tilleda

As Tilleda is a small village, the best option is to stay in nearby Sangerhausen and do a day trip from there. In Sangerhausen, we stayed at the Pension Rüsselpub, which is a bit out of the centre of town, but good value, plus the adjacent pub is a great place for a drink or two in the evening.

There are a couple of other cheapish guesthouses in town, such as Pension Rosengarten, as well as some mid-range options like Hotel-Pension am Rosarium. You can have a look at the map below for more options.

Where to Eat in Tilleda

There are a couple of restaurants around the small market square. If you need to grab a bite in the morning before setting off to the museum or the Kyffhäuser Monument, there’s also a small bakery on the western side of the square.

Closer to the Royal Palace Museum, you’ll find the pretty Kirschcafé on the grounds of the Streuobstzentrum (Orchard Centre).

Other Things to Do in the Area

Hiking up to the Kyffhäuser Monument