Here we see Westernstraße in Wernigerode, a city also nicknamed the “coloured city in the Harz mountains”. Westernstrasse is a busy shopping street that also invites for strolling along the picturesque half-timbered houses. The street runs west to east towards the market square and here we see its northern side between Westerntorturm (left) and Heidestrasse (right).
These 2-3 storey timber framed buildings present themselves in a more simple, functional way without additional ornaments or inscriptions. They are part of the listed buildings area of the old town of Wernigerode – which includes several more timber framed buildings from different centuries.
These framework houses were built afte a city fire destroyed most of the city in 1847. The street was than widened to resemble the width of the adjoining Breite Strasse (wide street).
The street now includes some shops of well known brands but also traditional local shops like the toy shop “Kinderkram”, the leather seller „Heindorfs feine Lederwaren“, the butcher Leiste and the book shop Paul Jüttners Buchhandlung in number 10, which has been there for 125 years now. Next to it we find a glockenspiel (chimes) with 18 bronze bells which plays three times a day and was installed in 2006.
