Peter, Paul and Uta – Travel

202 steep steps up to the Türmerwohnung, and another 40 to the observation deck. The blast is gone, but it was worth it: the Wenzelsturm's almost 54 meter-high view of the city of Naumburg and the surrounding hills is great. We look at the market with its restored town houses, see the house where the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche lived. However, one building dominates the entire landscape: Naumburg Cathedral, St. Peter and Paul, an architectural masterpiece of the Middle Ages, about 800 years old. Only last Sunday it had been announced that the cathedral was included in UNESCO's World Heritage list. Finally, the inhabitants applauded. It was the third attempt after 2015 and 2017.

There are several reasons for recognition. Especially, the twelve Gothic donors inside the cathedral. Uta, the most important of them, is not only famous because she likes to be interviewed about crossword puzzles, but also because she is always considered to be the only one. one of the most beautiful female statues in Germany today. Her bold expression, which some people think is proud, others envious or arrogant, has already given rise to many interpretations: the National Socialists mistreated her as a German ideal of women, Walt Disney served as a model for the wicked beau- mother of Snow White. At least as interesting is another of the twelve figures in the west choir of the cathedral: Reglindis, who stands by her husband Hermann von Meissen. The extraordinary: his expression extremely cheerful, almost cheeky.

The beautiful landscape reminiscent of Tuscany

The master of Naumburg, as a sculptor, whose name is unknown, calls each of the donors with individuals, bodies. These features have an unprecedented effect in the Middle Ages and still affect their appearance today.

Even longer than the cathedral, there is viticulture in the region. The first mention of vineyards dates back to 998. Green hills with rows of vines forming precise lines and cottages of whitewashed vines shining in the sun: a visit to the Unstrut bike path will certainly create a certain Tuscan atmosphere, so beautiful is the landscape here. Saale-Unstrut, which is mainly located in Saxony-Anhalt and to a lesser extent in Thuringia and Brandenburg, is the northernmost wine-growing region in Europe. On a total area of ​​760 hectares, the vines grow here. Specialties from the region include Müller-Thurgau, Silvaner, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris as well as red wines such as Spätburgunder, Dornfelder and Portugieser. They thrive on terraced vineyards with secular dry stone walls.

"Latitude 51" is not only the geographical coordinates of the region, but also the name of an association of eight ambitious winemakers whose products are among the best national. One of them is Matthias Hey. At his farm, we rest with our wheels. The mid-thirties is considered one of the shooting stars of the regional wine scene. He studied viticulture in Rheingau and Italy after finishing high school, then returned home and turned his parents' hobby vineyard into a professional wine cellar. "As more and more vineyards are fallow in other parts of Germany, more and more small vineyards are emerging," says the winemaker proudly.

Matthias Hey, like most winemakers, runs a wine business: For wine, he serves simple dishes on his farm, such as bacon bread – or Fettbemme, as they say here – soup and sandwiches . Those who love us on the Unstrut bike path, see countless of those savings that invite you to stop.

But we still have 30 kilometers to go, still along the Unstrut, which meanders gently through the vineyards. Suddenly, a glass cube appears in front of us, standing on a field like a UFO has just landed. This is Nebra Arch, a documentation center that takes care of the mysterious sky record excavated here. Not by archaeologists, but by thefts. With the help of a probe, they had tracked the metal object and tried to sell it first to the black market and finally to the museums. The police eventually summoned him with a false request for purchase.

Fortunately. Because today we know that the celestial disc, which has a diameter of 32 centimeters and is about 3600 years old, is the oldest representation of the sky in the world. The experts attach importance to it, which is even comparable to that of the pyramids in Egypt. The sun, the moon and the stars – although the bronze age disc seems simple at first glance, it is an expression of complex astronomical knowledge. This is documented in Nebra Arch.

The original disc can not be seen here, it is exhibited at the Landesmuseum Halle. Let's take a look at this on our next visit to Saxony-Anhalt

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