The state-recognised spa town of Gandersheim lies on the western edge of the Harz Mountains and has become famous far beyond the borders of Lower Saxony as the site of a Saxon imperial monastery founded as early as 852, the original home of the Ottonian imperial family and the first German poetess "Roswitha". Traditional half-timbering, the abbey buildings from the Renaissance and Baroque periods and the historic market square with its half-timbered ensemble and the imposing Romanesque collegiate church are definitely worth a visit.
In the impressive permanent exhibition "Portal zur Geschichte" (Gateway to History), the town's great history around the famous abbey and its treasures can be experienced with various exhibition sections in the former abbey church and in the former Brunshausen monastery complex.
A special highlight are the Bad Gandersheimer Domfestspiele (the Gandersheim open-air festival), which takes place every summer in front of the portal of the Romanesque collegiate church. The festival combines historical ambience with contemporary theatre culture for all generations.
A few minutes' walk outside the town centre is the spa, health and recreation quarter of the state-recognised brine spa. Brine has been the local remedy here since the Gandersheim spa was founded in 1878.
