Heilbad Heiligenstadtis aspa towninThuringia,Germany.It is the capital of theEichsfelddistrict.
Heilbad Heiligenstadt | |
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Location of Heilbad Heiligenstadt within Eichsfeld district | |
Coordinates:51°22′44″N10°08′19″E/ 51.37889°N 10.13861°E | |
Country | Germany |
State | Thuringia |
District | Eichsfeld |
Government | |
•Mayor(2024–30) | Thomas Spielmann[1] |
Area | |
• Total | 91.49 km2(35.32 sq mi) |
Elevation | 255 m (837 ft) |
Population (2022-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 18,682 |
• Density | 200/km2(530/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00(CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00(CEST) |
Postal codes | 37308 |
Dialling codes | 03606 |
Vehicle registration | EIC, HIG, WBS |
Website | www.heilbad-heiligenstadt.de |
Geography
editHeiligenstadt is approximately 14 km east of thetripointwhere the states of Thuringia,HesseandLower Saxonymeet. It lies on the upper course of the riverLeine(a tributary of theAller) that flows through the town from east to west and is joined near the centre of the town by theGeislede.
South of the town is the Iberg, a 453.2 m tall peak located in the Heiligenstadt Stadtwald, which forms part of the Naturpark Eichsfeld-Hainich-Werratal.
Local subdivisions
editThe municipality of Heilbad Heiligenstadt consists of the central town and the following villages (Ortsteile):[3][4]
- Bernterode
- Flinsberg,the geographical centre of Germany.
- Glasehausen
- Günterode
- Hohes Kreuz
- Kalteneber
- Rengelrode
History
edit- Heiligenstadt was first mentioned in 973.
- In 1022 it was acquired by thearchbishop of Mainz.[5]
- In 1227, the town receivedtown rightsfrom the archbishop of Mainz.
- In 1333 it was destroyed by fire.[5]
- In 1525 it was captured byHenry the Middle, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg.[5]
- In 1540 Heiligenstadt became the capital ofEichsfeld.
- In 1581 aJesuitcollege was established, operating until 1773.[5]
- In theThirty Years' Warof 1618–1648, the city was devastated several times.
- In 1803 it came into possession ofPrussia.[5]
- In 1929 thesalt-waterhydropathic baths were built and in 1950 the town was designated a spa.
- On 9 November 1938, the town synagogue was desecrated. The event is commemorated in a plaque on the building, which is now a residence.
- In October 1989, demonstrations began in Heiligenstadt as part of thePeaceful RevolutioninEast Germany.
- In 1994, Heiligenstadt became the capital of the new district of Eichsfeld, formed by the amalgamation of the districts of Heiligenstadt and Worbis.
Historical Population
editPopulation(31 December):
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- Data since 1994: Thüringian state office of statistics
Name of the town
editDespite the official designation of the town as a spa in 1929 and a 1950 decision by the town council to append the wordSoleheilbad(salt-water spa) to its name, it remained officially "Heiligenstadt" (literally Holy City) during the East German years. In 1990 the city government still used only Heiligenstadt.
However, the post office used Heilbad Heiligenstadt, as did postcard companies and the local savings bank. In fact between 1950 and 1990, the town had the distinction of being referred to in three different ways: as Heiligenstadt, Heilbad Heiligenstadt, or Heiligenstadt (Eichsf.) (for Eichsfeld).
In 1990, the town council and especially the mayor began expanding the spa business and it took on increasing importance. In addition, afterGerman reunification,there were several Heiligenstadts in Germany. Initially the government declined to rename the town Heilbad Heiligenstadt because of a lack of evidence that it was a spa, but the town lodged an appeal and used the one and a half years before an official visit and the relative lack of oversight immediately after reunification to create spa facilities and integrate the wordHeilbadinto official usage. Permission for the renaming was then granted since the town was evidently a spa and using that name.
Culture and sights
editTheatre
edit- Eichsfeld Kulturhaus
Museums
edit- Theodor StormLiterary Museum
- Eichsfeld Heimatmuseum (local history collection)
- Heiligenstadt (Ost) Station Museum
- TheBorderland Museum Eichsfeldis located a few miles outside the city of Heiligenstadt and deals with theinner-German borderand the history of theGDR
Buildings and monuments
edit- Mainz Schloss, seat of the administrator for Eichsfeld when it was a dominion of the Archbishopric of Mainz
- Klausmühle (1748Fachwerkmill on the site of the birthplace ofTilman Riemenschneider)
- EinheitsdenkmalGerman Unity Monument in front of the town administration building, 2009
Churches and chapels
edit- St. Aegidius, also known as theNeustädter Kirche(new-town church): begun in the 13th century
- St. Mary's, also known as theAltstädter Kirche(old-town church),Liebfrauenkirche(Our Lady's) andPropsteikirche(abbey church): a 14th-century monastic foundation which replaced a 13th-century Romanesque building
- St. Anne's chapel, possibly built as an ossuary, facing the north portico of St. Mary's
- St. Martin's, also known as theBergkirche(mountain church)[6]
- Monastery of theCongregation of the Most Holy Redeemerand St. Gerhard's church, also known as thePaterkloster
- St. Nicholas', also known as theKlausbergkirche
- Klöppelsklus
- Convent of theSisters of Mary Magdalene Postel,with convent church and school church
Cemeteries
edit- The Jewish cemetery in Ibergstraße was last used for burial in 1940. The deportation of six Jewish residents toTheresienstadt concentration campin September 1942 put an end to a Jewish community in the town which was first mentioned in writing in 1212 and which had built a synagogue and their own school in the 19th century.
- TheSovietcemetery and monument in Dingelstädter Straße commemorate 70 Soviet prisoners of war and impressed workers who died in the town due to forced labour during World War II.
Parks
edit- Heinrich HeineKurpark (spa park)
Regular events
editHeiligenstadt, like the rest of Eichsfeld, is traditionallyRoman Catholic,so there are several annual religious events, in particular the procession through the old town onPalm Sundaywith life-size figures from thePassion of Christ,which attracts numerous believers from the region and the rest of Germany.
Ibergrennen
editThe Ibergrennen is an annual road race held since 1994 on the last weekend in June on Landesstraße 2022 (Holzweg) in the western foothills of the Iberg. Sponsored by the German Mountain Cup and German Mountain Championship, it has included sports and touring cars since 1998, when the road surface was renewed and the barriers reinforced. In 2000, the course was extended from 1.96 km to 2.05 km. The climb remains 200 m. It is thus one of the shortest mountain race routes in Germany, but not without challenges.
The drivers' encampment is traditionally set up near the centre of Heiligenstadt, next to a filling station and a supermarket which is open on Sundays.
The first race was held in 1925, but only for motorcycles.
People associated with Heilbad Heiligenstadt
editHonorary citizens
edit- Johann Vinzenz Wolf(1743–1826), Jesuit historian[7]
- 1991:Hugo Dornhofer,Christian labour union official and CDU politician
Natives
edit- Tilman Riemenschneider(c.1460–1531), sculptor
- Johann Melchior Birkenstock(1738–1809), Austrian politician and school reformer
- Josepha von Siebold(1771–1849), gynaecologist, the first credentialled midwife in Germany.
- Eduard Strecker(1822–1894), politician
- Ludwig Loewe(1837–1886), politician
- Helene Keßler(1870–1957), writer, under the pseudonym Hans von Kahlenberg
- Siegfried Loewenthal(1874–1951), chief justice inWest Berlin1945–1951, honorary citizen of Heiligenstadt 1948–1951
- Horst Sannemüller(1918–2001), violinist andleaderof the LeipzigGewandhaus Orchestra
- Wilhelm Friese(1924–2008), professor of Scandinavian studies
- Karl-Hermann Steinberg(1941-2021), chemist and politician
- Wolfgang Thüne(born 1949), Olympic medallist in gymnastics
- Joachim Knape(born 1950), professor of rhetoric
- Bernhard Germeshausen(born 1951), Olympic medallist in bobsleigh
- Dietrich Klinge(born 1954), sculptor and graphic designer
- Angelika Weiz(born 1954), singer
- Dieter Althaus(born 1958), politician (CDU) Ministerpresident of Thuringia 2003–09
- Peter Pysall(born 1960), handball player and coach
- Sebastian Haupt(born 1985), skeleton racer
Others
edit- Saint Aureus of Mainz(5th century), Bishop of Mainz: some of his remains were reinterred in Heiligenstadt and he is thepatron saintof the town.
- Burchard of Worms(c.965–20 August 1025), consecrated Bishop of Worms in Heiligenstadt in 1000.
- Adolf I of Nassau(1353–1390), Archbishop of Mainz, died in Heiligenstadt.
- Athanasius Kircher(1602–1680), Jesuit scholar, taught in Heiligenstadt.
- Hadrian Daude(1704–1755), Jesuit theologian, taught in Heiligenstadt.
- Friedrich Christian Adolf von Motz(1775–1830), Prussian statesman, was Director of Finance in Heiligenstadt.
- Heinrich Heine(1797–1856), poet and journalist, was baptised a Protestant in Heiligenstadt in June 1825.
- Johann Carl Fuhlrott(1803–1877), natural historian, taught in Heiligenstadt.
- Heinrich Maria Waldmann(1811–1896), theologian and teacher in Heiligenstadt, a representative in theFrankfurt Parliamentof 1848/49.
- Theodor Storm(1817–1888), author, judge in Heiligenstadt from 1856 to 1864.
- Friedrich Wilhelm Grimme(1827–1887), author and botanist, was director of the Catholicgymnasiumin Heiligenstadt.
- Werner Hagedorn(1831–1894), surgeon, educated in Heiligenstadt.
- Anton Thraen(1843–1902), astronomer, educated in Heiligenstadt.
- Karl Wisniewski(1844–1904), composer, worked in Heiligenstadt from 1885 on.
- Hermann Iseke(1856–1907), poet
- Andreas Huke(1876–1962), politician, worked and lived in Heiligenstadt.
- Ludolf Hermann Müller(1882–1959), Protestant Bishop of Saxony, had been a minister in Heiligenstadt.
- Karl Paul Haendly(1891–1965), author and politician, died in Heiligenstadt.
- Erich Gerberding(1921–1986), actor, member of the Heiligenstadt theatre.
- Johannes Dyba(1929–2000), Bishop of Fulda, educated in Heiligenstadt.
- Joachim Meisner(born 1933), Archbishop of Cologne, previously chaplain at St. Egidius' church in Heiligenstadt.
- Georg Sterzinsky(born 1936), Archbishop of Berlin, previously chaplain at St. Egidius' church in Heiligenstadt.
- Heinz-Josef Durstewitz(born 1945), Catholic dissenter in the GDR, now Provost of Heiligenstadt.
- Reinhard Hauke(born 1953),Auxiliary bishopof Erfurt, previously chaplain at St. Egidius' church in Heiligenstadt.
- Manfred Grund(born 1955), politician, active in Heiligenstadt.
References
edit- ^Gewählte Bürgermeister - aktuelle Landesübersicht,Freistaat Thüringen. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
- ^"Bevölkerung der Gemeinden, erfüllenden Gemeinden und Verwaltungsgemeinschaften in Thüringen Gebietsstand: 31.12.2022"(in German).Thüringer Landesamt für Statistik.June 2023.
- ^Hauptsatzung der Stadt Heilbad Heiligenstadt,March 2022
- ^Thüringer Gesetz zur freiwilligen Neugliederung kreisangehöriger Gemeinden im Jahr 2024,Gesetz- und Verordnungsblatt für den Freistaat Thüringen, 2023 Nr. 15, p. 348
- ^abcdeChisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). .Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 212.
- ^Thomas T. Müller, ed.,Die St.-Martins-Kirche zu Heiligenstadt,Heiligenstädter Schriften 2, Heiligenstadt 2003(in German)
- ^H. Scholle,Ein Denkmal für den Ehrenbürger der Stadt Heiligenstadt Johann Wolf in Kreuzebra,Eichsfeld 9, Heimat- und Verkehrsverband Eichsfeld e.V, 1997(in German)
Sources
edit- Johann Vinzenz Wolf.Geschichte und Beschreibung der Stadt Heiligenstadt mit Urkunden.Göttingen: Beyersche Universitätsdruckerei, 1800.At Google Books
- Hans Patze (Ed.) "Heiligenstadt". In:Thüringen: Handbuch der historischen Stätten Deutschlands,Volume 9. Stuttgart: Alfred-Kröner-Verlag, 1989.ISBN3-520-31302-2.pp. 186–190.
- Carl Duval. "Heiligenstadt". In:Das Eichsfeld.Repr. Hannover-Dören: Harro von Hirschheydt Verlag, 1979.ISBN3-7777-0002-9.pp. 422–489.
- Karl J. Hüther.Vom Jesuitenkolleg zum Staatlichen Gymnasium in Heiligenstadt.Heiligenstadt: F.W. Cordier,1995.ISBN3-929413-25-6.
- Enno Bünz. "Heiligenstadt als geistliches Zentrum des Eichsfeldes. Das Kollegiatstift St. Martin und seine Kanoniker".Zeitschrift des Vereins für Thüringische Geschichte62 (2008) 9-48.
- Bernhard Opfermann.Gestalten des Eichsfeldes: Ein biographisches Lexikon.Heiligenstadt: Cordier, 1999,ISBN3-929413-37-X.
External links
edit- www.heilbad-heiligenstadt.de- official homepage of Heilbad Heiligenstadt