Altmärkisches Museum

The Altmärkisches Museum sits in Stendal’s old town, housed in the former Katharinenkloster. Its neogothic brick building stands beside the late-gothic Katharinenkirche, which now serves as a concert hall. Parts of the medieval cloister still link the two structures, and behind them lies a small garden open to visitors. The museum’s name recalls the Altmark region whose history it presents. The collection centres on romanesque and gothic church objects such as the 1530 Johannes-Altar made for the drapers’ guild. A highlight is the original 1525 statue of the Stendaler Roland, saved from wartime destruction. The displays trace the town’s past from its first mention in 1022 through its brick-gothic heyday to early industry and garrison life. Temporary exhibitions and school programmes add variety each year. Inside, visitors walk through vaulted rooms of the old monastery. The gothic church opposite hosts concerts and exhibitions. Beyond the cloister walls, the quiet garden offers a place to pause. The building itself, with its pointed windows and red brick, shows how Stendal’s medieval identity survives.