The officially recognized resort Ballenstedt is a small town on the northern edge of the Harz Mountains with a large history. Ballenstedt is the former headquarter and residence of the Dukes of Ascanians of Anhalt-Bernburg.
The main attraction is the majestic castle with its castle park designed by Peter Joseph Lenne. The castle offers an insight into the history of Saxony-Anhalt and shows changing exhibitions by contemporary artists. It is part of the 'Romanesque Road', a scenic route connecting village churches, monasteries, cathedrals and castles built between 950 and 1250 in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. The impressive fountains in the laid out in the style of an Italian villa, rare trees and plants plus the "breathing dragon" and the "water axis" invite for a stroll through the Castle Gardens.
The town of Ballenstedt has also become famous by the works of many painters and writers. The local museum displays, among other things, interesting exhibitions of the chamberlain and court painter Wilhelm von Küngelgen, who lived in Ballenstedt from 1833 to 1867, as well as of the painter Caroline Bardua and her sister Wilhelmine. Unique items from the past can be found in the duke’s section of the Fürstin Pauline-Bibliothek (Princess Pauline Library), which is located in the old town. Furthermore, the Palace Theatre, which was built in 1788 and where Albert Lortzing and Franz Liszt performed, is worth visiting.
The Roseburg garden complex is located in Rieder, a district of Ballenstedt. It was built in 1907 by the well-known architect Bernhard Sehring in the style of a medieval German castle. The later mausoleum with observation tower and the park combine elements of the Italian Renaissance, the Baroque and the style of English landscape gardens. The historical architecture and the park give the Roseburg a fairytale character.
