Delitzsch is a small town in Saxony, Germany that is worth a visit if you’re in the area. It’s conveniently located close to Leipzig, easily accessible by train, and home to a unique historic center where nearly every building is an original construction.
My trip to Delitzsch was an unexpected one. I had a Deutschlandticket, which is a special monthly pass that gives you access to all public transportation and regional (slow) trains in Germany. So, one morning in Leipzig I went to the train station and hopped on the first train that caught my eye. I then got off in the first town that appeared to have a castle… and that’s how I ended up in Delitzsch!
In this travel guide I will show you how to get to Delitzsch from Leipzig, what makes this little town in Saxony unique, and the different things to do in Delitzsch.
Delitzsch, Germany – A Brief Introduction
You won’t find Delitzsch in any travel guide books. This small town is located about 20 kilometers north of Leipzig in the Nordsachsen region of Saxony. In fact, it’s technically the northernmost town in the entire state of Saxony.
The town of Delitzsch dates back to the 1200s, and experienced almost no damage during World War 2. Thus, nearly every building you can see in the historic center is original and most are well-preserved.
The town’s two most famous historical residents are Franz Hermann Schulze-Delitzsch, who founded the first modern credit union, and Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg, a scientist who created the field of micropaleontology. Both are memorialized with monuments in the town.
How to Get to Delitzsch from Leipzig
Delitzsch is on the S2 S-Bahn line from Leipzig. The train departs from the lower level of the Leipzig Hauptbahnhof, typically every thirty minutes. The trip takes about twenty minutes and costs about €7 each way, but if you have a Deutschlandticket it is free.
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Note that in Delitzsch there are two train stations: Delitzsch unterer Bahnhof (shown above) and Delitzsch oberer Bahnhof. Walking between the stations takes a conservative 15 minutes and is quite the convoluted route. The station with service to Leipzig is Delitzsch unterer Bahnhof, and you’re unlikely to need to visit the other.
By car, Delitzsch is a thirty-minute drive from the center of Leipzig. There are several parking lots between the train station and the historic center (sorry, I wasn’t driving so I didn’t check prices).
Things to Do in Delitzsch
I recommend planning to spend half a day in Delitzsch. You could come in the morning and then return to Leipzig for a late lunch, or come after lunch and stay until the sun begins to set. Either way, just keep an eye on the train schedule (if you come by train).
The Baroque Castle
The most famous tourist attraction in Delitzsch is the Baroque Castle. According to a sign in front of the castle, it was built by none other than “William the One-Eyed”… though I can’t figure out if he actually had one eye or just adopted the nickname.
Located inside the historic center. the castle here features elements from several different eras, including an original fifteenth-century tower that is now attached to more contemporary Renaissance and Baroque buildings. The entire castle is surrounded by a moat (not filled with water at the time of my visit) and there are gardens and a cafe in the grounds.
I paid €6 to enter the Baroque Castle in Delitzsch and I spent about an hour inside. The ground floor features an exhibit about the castle’s history, including the 65-year period where it was used as a women’s prison. This is also where you’ll find the recreated kitchen, complete with rabbits hanging from the ceiling, ready to become stew.
Upstairs, the living areas have been restored, including dining halls, bedrooms and the library. There is German signage in each room that is easy to translate if you have Google Translate on your phone, otherwise there is a very brief English brochure available at the desk as you enter the castle.
The Castle Tower
As an accessibility note I wanted to mention that the Baroque Castle in Delitz is not accessible for travelers in wheelchairs or with other mobility limitations. The exhibits in the castle are primarily on the first floor (one above the ground floor) and there is not an elevator.
More importantly, though, the tower is accessed via the spiral staircase shown above. The exhibits in the tower are limited, but it does offer beautiful views of the town, surrounding regions and gardens (it’s where I took the photo below).
The Baroque Gardens
Under the Duchy of Saxe-Merseburg, the Baroque Castle in Delitzsch became a residence specifically for royal widows. Here, a Danish noblewoman who had married into the family came to spend her last years, and she had her gardener convert the palace gardens into the French-style Baroque gardens that you can now visit today. The gardens are free to visit and don’t require a castle ticket.
The Towers of Delitzsch
Delitzsch is also home to two historic red-brick towers. Both Hallescher Tower and Breiter Tower were built in the late 1300s as part of the town’s fortifications. You can’t actually go up the towers, but they’re an interesting piece of the town’s history and a testament to the extent to which the city escaped the destruction of World War 2.
The Canals of Delitzsch
For me, a huge highlight of my day trip to Delitzsch from Leipzig was simply strolling around the beautiful canal that circles the historic center. Canal probably isn’t the best word here, as these are actually historic man-made waterways that were actually built as defensive moats. The danger of invading knights on horseback has long past, but the beauty of the streams remains.
Delitzsch Historic Center
I believe I mentioned this earlier, but Delitzsch is unique in that it experienced almost no damage during World War 2. From reading the signs in German, I believe that only the train station experienced significant damage and every other building was spared. That means that when you’re walking around Delitzsch you’re walking between original buildings, many of which date back to the Middle Ages.
In the middle of the historic center, the red-brick St. Peter and Paul Church towers over the historic homes around it. It was built in the early 1400s and is home to numerous pieces of Renaissance art, as well as more contemporary (and by that I mean 1800s-ish) architectural upgrades. At publication time the church is open on Tuesday afternoons for visitors, and on Sunday mornings for mass.
Wandering through the historic center of Detlizsch you’ll also notice traditional half-timber houses, the (former!) executioner’s house and the historic market square. During the summer, the town hosts an open-air evening market on the second Thursday of the month. From June to September, about sixty vendors set up here to share and sell their locally-produced food and drink.
There is also a traditional Delitzsch Christmas Market (Advent Market) each winter, typically on a weekend in early December. In 2025, the town’s holiday market will take place from Friday, December 5th until Sunday, December 7th.
Monuments in Delitzsch
You’ll notice a number of different monuments around the city, including sculptures and engravings of significant historical figures, as well as monuments that mark important dates or places. I thought the obelisk above had to be in honor of something very serious and important, but a local told me it was just a mile marker! Do you believe him?
Schulze-Delitzsch House / German Genossenschaftsmuseum
As I mentioned, one of the most famous residents of Delitzsch was Franz Hermann Schulze-Delitzsch, who founded the first contemporary credit union. Here, in the house where he founded the Shoemaker’s Association, you’ll find the Deutsch Genossenschaftsmuseum, which roughly translates to German Cooperative Museum.
Modernized three years ago, the exhibits here explore German thinking around individualism and cooperation in the 1800s, with a focus on Schulze-Delitzsch’s ideas and life. A ticket costs €4, so even if you’re not familiar with Schulze-Delitzsch it’s not a huge expense to pop in and look around.
At publication time (August 2025) the museum is only open in the afternoon from Tuesday to Friday. Thus, I didn’t get a chance to visit as my trip was on a Saturday. However, my understanding is that the exhibits are only in German (Google Translate might help) and that it’s recommended to book a guided tour at a cost of €20 per group – confirm if the tour is available in English if you don’t speak German as I’m not sure.
Visit the Chocolate Factory Shop
Böhme Chocolates can be found all across Germany, and their origins are right here on Dübener Street in Delitzsch. This is where Albert Böhme and his brother-in-law opened a chocolate factory in 1894. Over the years (and through the wars) the company had to adapt, and today they produce chocolate and other candies under the Böhme name, as well as white-labeled sweets for companies around the globe.
As a non-German speaker I initially thought that the town’s name of Delitzsch might have some kind of connection to the word “delicious”, but in retrospect I was probably over-thinking things.
While you can’t tour the chocolate factory anymore, you can still visit their factory outlet shop. It is usually open from Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 17:00, with a brief closure for lunch, as well as on Saturday from 10:00 to 14:30. Of course I missed the memo and arrived at 16:00 on a Saturday… I guess that means I’ll have to go back to Delitzsch again to stock up on chocolates at factory outlet prices!
I spent the summer traveling around Eastern Germany by train, and visited lots of cute small towns along the way! Check out these new travel guides before you go:
🪨 The 10 Best Things to Do in Freiberg, Saxony
🚂 How to Ride the Narrow-Gauge Railway from Zittau to Oybin
💎 Terra Mineralia in Freiberg: The World’s Best Gemstone Museum
🍷 A Guide to Weinfest Chemnitz (The Secret German Wine Festival)
🏰 How to Visit Schloss Glauchau Castle in Saxony
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