On the north side of the cathedral lies the area where Paderborn and European history was written a good 1200 years ago.
The settlement at the Pader springs gained importance during Charlemagne's Saxon Wars, which began in 772 and combined the expansion of the Frankish empire and the spread of the Christian faith as a sword mission. Nine stays of the Frankish king in the Paderborn region are attested.
From 776, he built a Karlsburg castle here, the fortifications of which surrounded the present-day cathedral area. Large numbers of Saxons were baptized in this Karlsburg. In 777, the first Frankish imperial diet was held there on newly conquered Saxon soil. This year is considered the year Paderborn was founded.
The museum in the imperial palace provides an insight into the history of Paderborn and Westphalia from the 6th to 12th centuries. One of the focal points here is Charlemagne's palace, which he had built in 777 above the Pader springs as the first and only one in Saxony. Wall paintings, glass and numerous other archaeological discoveries provide an impressive picture of the appearance of this complex and its historical significance.
The reconstructed Ottonian-Salian palace with its chapels and unique spring cellar bears witness to Paderborn's heyday in the early 11th century.
