More than 1,050 years after his death, Emperor Otto the Great has once again been laid to rest in Magdeburg Cathedral. The medieval ruler’s remains were placed in a specially designed titanium coffin and ceremonially reinterred on September 1, bringing a major conservation and archaeological project at his tomb to a close.
Otto I, who ruled as King of East Francia from 936 and was crowned emperor in Rome in 962, died in 973. His tomb occupies a prominent position in the High Choir of Magdeburg Cathedral, the city that became closely associated with his reign and imperial ambitions.
The September 1 reburial was accompanied by an ecumenical service and attended by around 600 guests. Afterwards, hundreds of people were given the opportunity to pass by the still-open tomb before it was closed again. Otto’s remains were lowered into the restored stone sarcophagus in a new coffin created specifically for the reburial. Once the public viewing was complete, the burial site was resealed with its ancient marble cover.
“What we are experiencing today is a very rare moment,” said Wolfram Weimer, Germany’s Minister of State for Culture. “We are making world history. We are burying a great king and emperor who lived long before our time, and the place could not be more fitting.”
A new coffin for a medieval emperor
Photo by Romy Buhr, City of Magdeburg,
The new coffin is a strikingly modern addition to Otto’s medieval tomb.
When the stone sarcophagus was opened, conservators found that the historic wooden coffin inside had deteriorated badly, particularly in its lower sections. A replacement was therefore needed before Otto’s remains could be returned to the tomb.
The Saxony-Anhalt Art Foundation organised a competition to find a design. Ten former scholarship recipients working in fields including jewellery, sculpture, installation art, glass and design were invited to submit proposals.
The artists met at Magdeburg Cathedral last September for a colloquium with archaeologists and materials scientists, where they discussed the construction of the coffin, the materials that could be used and the technical requirements of placing it inside the historic sarcophagus. Even the Latin inscription and its typography were considered.
Coffin for Emperor Otto the Great. Photo by Matthias Ritzmann for the Saxony-Anhalt Art Foundation
In November, a jury of specialists in art history, archaeology, heritage conservation and the church selected jewellery artist Silke Trekel’s design, Torsion and Consolidation. Rather than attempting to reproduce a medieval coffin, Trekel created a contemporary design using titanium, fine silver, fine gold and gold leaf. The coffin is approximately one metre long, with a subtle twist incorporated into its lid and a golden band marking the royal symbolism of the object.
The materials were chosen partly for their longevity. Research carried out during the project indicated that they could survive for well over another millennium.
Manon Bursian, director of the Saxony-Anhalt Art Foundation, explained the unusual nature of the commission: “When the request came that we should design a coffin for this great emperor, we felt almost awe – it’s a once-in-a-lifetime task. The new coffin design demonstrates how vibrant our cultural heritage becomes when we re-examine it through the medium of contemporary art.”
Saving Otto’s tomb
Photo by Romy Buhr, City of Magdeburg,
The reburial concludes an extensive conservation project prompted by serious problems discovered during an inspection of Otto’s tomb at the end of 2024. Conservators found cracks, corrosion and damaging salts that threatened the stability of the limestone sarcophagus. One particular problem was the enormous marble slab covering the tomb. Weighing around 300 kilograms, it had pressed directly onto the relatively thin walls of the stone sarcophagus for centuries.
Corroded iron clamps installed during earlier repairs had created additional cracks, allowing air and moisture to penetrate the tomb. The wooden coffin inside had also deteriorated considerably.
Doing nothing was no longer an option. The Saxony-Anhalt Cultural Foundation, which owns the cathedral, and the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt began a major programme to document, investigate and conserve the monument.
As part of the restoration, the ground beneath the tomb was stabilised. The stone sarcophagus was repaired and fitted with an invisible stainless-steel support structure designed to carry the weight of the heavy marble cover rather than allowing it to continue bearing down directly on the historic stonework. “The tomb of Otto is now secured for the long term,” said Saxony-Anhalt’s Minister of Culture Rainer Robra.
A rare opportunity to investigate Otto
Opening the tomb also provided researchers with an unusual opportunity to investigate both the emperor’s remains and the medieval archaeology beneath his burial place. An interdisciplinary team carried out anthropological and genetic analysis of the bones, while also examining textiles, organic material and sediment recovered from the coffin. The research concluded with a very high degree of probability that the remains were indeed those of Otto the Great.
The investigation also produced new information about the emperor himself. Researchers found evidence that Otto had been muscular and physically active, had suffered from mild arthritis and was missing three teeth. Further research is continuing even after the reburial, including work that could eventually produce facial and bodily reconstructions of the medieval emperor.
Archaeologists also investigated the area beneath and around the tomb, revealing previously undocumented passages beneath the High Choir and evidence for several phases in the cathedral’s medieval development.
However, one mystery remains unresolved: where Otto was originally buried. According to medieval tradition, Otto was laid to rest at Magdeburg in 973 beside Editha, who had died more than two decades earlier. The precise location of that tenth-century burial has not been identified. Otto’s tomb has occupied its present position only since the construction of the current cathedral beginning in the 13th century.
“Today’s reburial of Otto’s remains in the sarcophagus in which he most likely already rested in the 10th century is a fitting conclusion to the restoration of a monument of significance far beyond the borders of the state,” says Harald Meller. State Archaeologist of Saxony-Anhalt. “Behind the scenes, however, the work is far from over: research by various archaeological, medical, and scientific disciplines into the burial site is continuing and is expected to yield numerous important findings in the coming months and years.”
Otto the Great and Magdeburg
Photo by Romy Buhr, City of Magdeburg,
Otto’s burial at Magdeburg reflects the exceptional importance the city held for him. Born in 912, Otto succeeded his father, Henry I, as king in 936. His long reign saw him consolidate royal authority, intervene repeatedly in Italy and defeat the Magyars at the Battle of Lechfeld in 955. In 962, Pope John XII crowned him emperor in Rome.
Magdeburg became one of Otto’s favoured centres of power. He developed an imperial palace there and worked for years to establish the city as an important ecclesiastical centre. His efforts culminated in the creation of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg in 968.
Otto died at Memleben on May 7, 973, aged 60. His body was brought to Magdeburg for burial, while his internal organs were buried at Memleben according to contemporary practice.
More than a millennium later, the medieval emperor has now returned to his resting place.
For the people of Magdeburg, organisers deliberately made the final stage of the process public. After Otto’s new titanium coffin had been lowered into the stone sarcophagus, residents were allowed to enter the cathedral and pass the open tomb one last time.
Albrecht Steinhäuser, the representative of the Protestant churches to the German government, highlighted the connection between the cathedral and the people of Magdeburg: “It was important to us that the people of Magdeburg, for whom the cathedral is truly a central part of their city’s identity, also have the opportunity to pay tribute to their emperor in this way.”
Top Image: Photo courtesy State Chancellery of Saxony-Anhalt
More than 1,050 years after his death, Emperor Otto the Great has once again been laid to rest in Magdeburg Cathedral. The medieval ruler’s remains were placed in a specially designed titanium coffin and ceremonially reinterred on September 1, bringing a major conservation and archaeological project at his tomb to a close.
Otto I, who ruled as King of East Francia from 936 and was crowned emperor in Rome in 962, died in 973. His tomb occupies a prominent position in the High Choir of Magdeburg Cathedral, the city that became closely associated with his reign and imperial ambitions.
The September 1 reburial was accompanied by an ecumenical service and attended by around 600 guests. Afterwards, hundreds of people were given the opportunity to pass by the still-open tomb before it was closed again. Otto’s remains were lowered into the restored stone sarcophagus in a new coffin created specifically for the reburial. Once the public viewing was complete, the burial site was resealed with its ancient marble cover.
“What we are experiencing today is a very rare moment,” said Wolfram Weimer, Germany’s Minister of State for Culture. “We are making world history. We are burying a great king and emperor who lived long before our time, and the place could not be more fitting.”
A new coffin for a medieval emperor
The new coffin is a strikingly modern addition to Otto’s medieval tomb.
When the stone sarcophagus was opened, conservators found that the historic wooden coffin inside had deteriorated badly, particularly in its lower sections. A replacement was therefore needed before Otto’s remains could be returned to the tomb.
The Saxony-Anhalt Art Foundation organised a competition to find a design. Ten former scholarship recipients working in fields including jewellery, sculpture, installation art, glass and design were invited to submit proposals.
The artists met at Magdeburg Cathedral last September for a colloquium with archaeologists and materials scientists, where they discussed the construction of the coffin, the materials that could be used and the technical requirements of placing it inside the historic sarcophagus. Even the Latin inscription and its typography were considered.
In November, a jury of specialists in art history, archaeology, heritage conservation and the church selected jewellery artist Silke Trekel’s design, Torsion and Consolidation. Rather than attempting to reproduce a medieval coffin, Trekel created a contemporary design using titanium, fine silver, fine gold and gold leaf. The coffin is approximately one metre long, with a subtle twist incorporated into its lid and a golden band marking the royal symbolism of the object.
The materials were chosen partly for their longevity. Research carried out during the project indicated that they could survive for well over another millennium.
Manon Bursian, director of the Saxony-Anhalt Art Foundation, explained the unusual nature of the commission: “When the request came that we should design a coffin for this great emperor, we felt almost awe – it’s a once-in-a-lifetime task. The new coffin design demonstrates how vibrant our cultural heritage becomes when we re-examine it through the medium of contemporary art.”
Saving Otto’s tomb
The reburial concludes an extensive conservation project prompted by serious problems discovered during an inspection of Otto’s tomb at the end of 2024. Conservators found cracks, corrosion and damaging salts that threatened the stability of the limestone sarcophagus. One particular problem was the enormous marble slab covering the tomb. Weighing around 300 kilograms, it had pressed directly onto the relatively thin walls of the stone sarcophagus for centuries.
Corroded iron clamps installed during earlier repairs had created additional cracks, allowing air and moisture to penetrate the tomb. The wooden coffin inside had also deteriorated considerably.
Doing nothing was no longer an option. The Saxony-Anhalt Cultural Foundation, which owns the cathedral, and the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt began a major programme to document, investigate and conserve the monument.
As part of the restoration, the ground beneath the tomb was stabilised. The stone sarcophagus was repaired and fitted with an invisible stainless-steel support structure designed to carry the weight of the heavy marble cover rather than allowing it to continue bearing down directly on the historic stonework. “The tomb of Otto is now secured for the long term,” said Saxony-Anhalt’s Minister of Culture Rainer Robra.
A rare opportunity to investigate Otto
Opening the tomb also provided researchers with an unusual opportunity to investigate both the emperor’s remains and the medieval archaeology beneath his burial place. An interdisciplinary team carried out anthropological and genetic analysis of the bones, while also examining textiles, organic material and sediment recovered from the coffin. The research concluded with a very high degree of probability that the remains were indeed those of Otto the Great.
The investigation also produced new information about the emperor himself. Researchers found evidence that Otto had been muscular and physically active, had suffered from mild arthritis and was missing three teeth. Further research is continuing even after the reburial, including work that could eventually produce facial and bodily reconstructions of the medieval emperor.
To learn more, see Scientists Confirm Remains of Medieval Emperor Otto the Great
Archaeologists also investigated the area beneath and around the tomb, revealing previously undocumented passages beneath the High Choir and evidence for several phases in the cathedral’s medieval development.
However, one mystery remains unresolved: where Otto was originally buried. According to medieval tradition, Otto was laid to rest at Magdeburg in 973 beside Editha, who had died more than two decades earlier. The precise location of that tenth-century burial has not been identified. Otto’s tomb has occupied its present position only since the construction of the current cathedral beginning in the 13th century.
To learn more, see: Medieval Finds Emerge Beneath Otto the Great’s Tomb in Magdeburg Cathedral
“Today’s reburial of Otto’s remains in the sarcophagus in which he most likely already rested in the 10th century is a fitting conclusion to the restoration of a monument of significance far beyond the borders of the state,” says Harald Meller. State Archaeologist of Saxony-Anhalt. “Behind the scenes, however, the work is far from over: research by various archaeological, medical, and scientific disciplines into the burial site is continuing and is expected to yield numerous important findings in the coming months and years.”
Otto the Great and Magdeburg
Otto’s burial at Magdeburg reflects the exceptional importance the city held for him. Born in 912, Otto succeeded his father, Henry I, as king in 936. His long reign saw him consolidate royal authority, intervene repeatedly in Italy and defeat the Magyars at the Battle of Lechfeld in 955. In 962, Pope John XII crowned him emperor in Rome.
Magdeburg became one of Otto’s favoured centres of power. He developed an imperial palace there and worked for years to establish the city as an important ecclesiastical centre. His efforts culminated in the creation of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg in 968.
Otto died at Memleben on May 7, 973, aged 60. His body was brought to Magdeburg for burial, while his internal organs were buried at Memleben according to contemporary practice.
More than a millennium later, the medieval emperor has now returned to his resting place.
For the people of Magdeburg, organisers deliberately made the final stage of the process public. After Otto’s new titanium coffin had been lowered into the stone sarcophagus, residents were allowed to enter the cathedral and pass the open tomb one last time.
Albrecht Steinhäuser, the representative of the Protestant churches to the German government, highlighted the connection between the cathedral and the people of Magdeburg: “It was important to us that the people of Magdeburg, for whom the cathedral is truly a central part of their city’s identity, also have the opportunity to pay tribute to their emperor in this way.”
Top Image: Photo courtesy State Chancellery of Saxony-Anhalt
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