Halberstadt(Eastphalian:Halverstidde) is atownin theGermanstate ofSaxony-Anhalt,the capital ofHarz district.Located north of theHarzmountain range, it is known for itsold towncenter, which was largely destroyed by Allied bombings in the late stages ofWorld War IIafter local Nazi leaders refused to surrender. The town was rebuilt in the following decades.
Halberstadt | |
|---|---|
Liebfrauenkirche St. Martini Timber framedhouses in the city centre Cathedral treasure Halberstadt city centre | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Halberstadt within Harz district  | |
  Halberstadt  Halberstadt | |
| Coordinates:51°53′45″N11°2′48″E/ 51.89583°N 11.04667°E | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Saxony-Anhalt |
| District | Harz |
| Subdivisions | 7Ortschaften |
| Government | |
| •Mayor(2020–27) | Daniel Szarata[1](CDU) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 142.97 km2(55.20 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 119 m (390 ft) |
| Population (2022-12-31)[2] | |
| • Total | 40,457 |
| • Density | 280/km2(730/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00(CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00(CEST) |
| Postal codes | 38820 |
| Dialling codes | 03941 |
| Vehicle registration | HZ, HBS, QLB, WR |
| Website | www.halberstadt.de |
In World War I Halberstadt was the site of a German military airbase and aircraft-manufacturing facilities. In World War II Halberstadt was a regional production center forJunkersaircraft, which also housed anSSforced labor camp.Halberstadt now includes the area where theLangenstein-Zwiebergeconcentration camp was situated.
Today the city has around 450timber framedhouses in its city centre and timber framed old villages likeLangenstein.[3][4]
Geography
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Halberstadt is situated between the Harz in the south and theHuyhills in the north on theHoltemmeandGoldbachrivers, both left tributaries of theBode.Halberstadt is the base of the Department of Public Management of theHochschule HarzUniversity of Applied Studies and Research.
The town center retains many important historic buildings and much of its ancient townscape. Notable places in Halberstadt includeHalberstadt Cathedral,the Church of Our Lady (Liebfrauenkirche) and St Martin's, churches built in the 12th and 13th centuries. Halberstadt is the site of the first documented large, permanentpipe organinstallation in 1361.[5]The cathedral is notable among those in northern European towns in having retained its medieval treasury in virtually complete condition. Among its treasures are the oldest surviving tapestries in Europe, dating from the 12th century.[6][7]The town is also a stop on the scenicGerman Timber-Frame Road.
Divisions
editThe town of Halberstadt consists of Halberstadt proper and the followingOrtschaftenor municipal divisions:[8]
These are all formerly independent municipalities: Emersleben was absorbed into Halberstadt in 1995, Klein Quenstedt in 1996 and Aspenstedt, Athenstedt, Langenstein, Sargstedt and Schachdorf Ströbeck in 2010.[8]
History
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In 814 theCarolingianemperorLouis the Piousmade the Christian mission in the German stemduchy of Saxonytheepiscopal seeof theDiocese of Halberstadt.It was grantedmarket rightsby KingOtto IIIin 989. The town became the administrative centre of the SaxonHarzgauand an important trading location. The Halberstadt bishops had the Church of Our Lady erected from about 1005 onwards. In his fierce conflict with EmperorFrederick Barbarossa,the forces of the Saxon dukeHenry the Liondevastated the town in 1179.[citation needed]
On Henry's downfall, the Halberstadt diocese was elevated to aprince-bishopricabout 1180. Its cathedral was rebuilt from 1236 and consecrated in 1491. Halberstadt,QuedlinburgandAscherslebenjoined aleague of towns(Halberstädter Dreistädtebund) in 1326; from 1387 the city was also a member of theHanse.[citation needed]
From 1479 the diocese was administered by theArchbishops of Magdeburg.While the Halberstadt citizens turnedProtestantaround 1540, the cathedral chapter elected PrinceHenry Julius of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttelfirst Lutheran bishop in 1566. During theThirty Years' Warthe town was occupied by the troops ofAlbrecht von Wallensteinin 1629 and temporarily re-Catholicized according to the imperialEdict of Restitution.According to the 1648Peace of Westphaliathe prince-bishopric was finallysecularizedto thePrincipality of Halberstadtheld byBrandenburg-Prussia.The first secular governor wasJoachim Friedrich von Blumenthal.[citation needed]
Halberstadt became part of the newly establishedKingdom of Prussiain 1701. From 1747Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleimworked here as a government official and made his home an intellectual centre of theEnlightenment(Aufklärung) movement. Under the 1807Treaty of Tilsitthe town became part of theKingdom of Westphalia,aNapoleonicclient-state and administrative seat of the WestphalianDepartmentofSaale.On 29 July 1809 a Westphalian regiment was defeated by theBlack Brunswickersunder PrinceFrederick William of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttelin theBattle of Halberstadt.[9]
After the defeat of Napoleon the town was restored to Prussia and subsequently administered within theProvince of Saxony.From 1815 Halberstadt was home to the Prussian7th (Magdeburg) Cuirassiers "von Seydlitz"regiment, withOtto von Bismarckin the rank of an officerà la suitefrom 1868. The town's economy was decisively promoted by the opening of theMagdeburg–Halberstadt Railwayin 1843. The tramway was inaugurated in 1903.[citation needed]
In 1912 theHalberstädter Flugzeugwerkeaircraft manufacturer was founded followed by the opening of a military airbase, providing the GermanLuftstreitkräfteinWorld War I.After the war it had to close down in accordance with the regulations of theTreaty of Versailles,until in the course of theGerman re-armament,it opened again in 1935 as a branch of theJunkerscompany inDessau.The aircraft factory was the site of anSSforced laborcamp, one of severalsubcampsofBuchenwald;the production facilities and the nearbyLuftwaffeairbase were targets ofAllied bombingduring the 'Big Week' in February 1944.[10]
In the last days ofWorld War II,in April 1945, US forces approached Halberstadt as they attacked remaining Nazi troops in the short-lived Harz pocket. They dropped leaflets instructing Halberstadt's Nazi ruler to fly a white flag on the town hall as a token of surrender.[11]He refused, no white flag was raised and on 8 April 1945, 218Flying Fortressesof the8th Air Force,accompanied by 239 escort fighters, dropped 595 tons of bombs on the center of Halberstadt. This killed about 2,500 people and converted most of the old town into some 1.5 million cubic meters of rubble, which American troops briefly occupied three days later.[12]Around 450 of 1600timber framedhouses survived in the city centre.[13]By June 1945, the town and its garrison was handed over to the3rd Shock Armyof the SovietRed Armyforces.
Halberstadt was part of newly establishedSaxony-Anhaltfrom 1945 to 1952, after which it was withinBezirk MagdeburginEast Germany.During thePeaceful Revolutionin Autumn 1989 St Martin's Church was a centre of theSwords to ploughsharesmovement. After thereunification of GermanyHalberstadt became part of the restored state of Saxony-Anhalt.[citation needed]
Jewish culture
editHalberstadt's Jewish community is mentioned in records from the 13th century and the town had a synagogue in 1464.[14]In the early 18th century, Halberstadt had one of the largestJewishcommunities in central Europe and was known as a center of theology and learning afterBerend Lehmann(1661–1730) founded abeth midrashthere in 1703. The building, called the "Klaus", included a library and living quarters for scholars to study theTalmud.[15]Lehmann also financed an impressiveBaroquesynagogue that was completed in 1712.[14]
Halberstadt's synagogue was ransacked and burned in the 9 November 1938Kristallnachtpogrom.[16]The synagogue's Torah scrolls were removed and burned in the street. On 18 November 1938, the local building authority ordered the demolition of the synagogue and required the Jewish community to pay the cost of the work.[17]
Today theMoses MendelssohnAcademy is based in the "Klaus", providing exhibitions, presentations, and information aboutJewish culture.
One of the world's slowest, longest "concerts"
edit
A performance ofJohn Cage'sorganpieceAs Slow As Possiblebegan in the Burchardikirche in Halberstadt in September 2001; the performance is scheduled to take 639 years. The concert began on 5 September 2001 with a rest lasting 17 months. On the dates of the sound changes the church is usually well visited.[citation needed]
Education
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Halberstadt is site of theHarz University of Applied Studies.
Transport
editThe town can be reached via theBundesstraße 6n(since 2019 calledBundesautobahn 36), 79,81,and245federal highways.Halberstadt stationis an important railway hub on theMagdeburg–ThaleandHalle–Vienenburglines, mainly served byTransdev Sachsen-Anhalt.
Halberstädter Verkehrs-GmbHoperates the city's public transport system, comprising theHalberstadt tramway networkof two lines, and six city bus lines.
Sport
editGermania Halberstadtis a football club that plays in Halberstadt.
Notable people
edit- Caspar Abel,theologian, historian, and poet
- Albert of Saxony (philosopher),logician, physicist, and Bishop of Halberstadt from 1366 to 1399
- Gabriel Bach,(1927 - 2022), a German-born Israeli jurist, who was a judge of theSupreme Court of Israeland deputy prosecutor in the prosecution of Adolf Eichmann
- Johann Christian Josef Abs,teacher and school administrator
- August Binkebank,Trompeter der Halberstädter Kürassiere,FreiligrathsTrompeter von Mars-la-Tour
- Lily Braun,feminist writer
- Wibke Bruhns,journalist and author, author ofMy Father's Country
- Gottfried August Bürger,poet
- Oscar Carré,Circus director, founder of theCarré Theatre
- Karl Friedrich von Dacheröden,lawyer
- Johann Augustus Eberhard,theologian and philosopher
- Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim,poet
- Adalbert of Hamburg,Archbishop ofHamburg-Bremen
- Ferdinand Heine,ornithologist
- Azriel Hildesheimer,rabbi
- Gustav Eduard von Hindersin,general
- Johann Georg Jacobi,poet
- Israel Jacobson,philanthropist and father ofReform Judaism
- Alexander Kluge,film director and author
- Issachar Berend Lehmann,banker, merchant, diplomatic agent and army contractor
- Paul Laurentius,theologian
- George Müller,Christian evangelist and administrator of orphanages
- Emil D. Munch,American politician
- Adolf Reubke,organ builder
- Eberhard Graf von Schmettow,general
- Jürgen Sparwasser,footballer and manager
- Adolf Stoecker,theologian and politician
- Friederike Vohs(1777–1860), operatic soprano
- Friedrich Voss,composer and pianist
- Helmut Weidling,general
- Andreas Werckmeister,organist and music theorist, from 1696 to 1706
- Walter Wislicenus,astronomer
- Carl Zillier,American politician
- Martin Bormann,private secretary toAdolf Hitlerone of the fiercest criminals and anti-Semites of the 1900s
Twin towns – sister cities
editHalberstadt istwinnedwith:[18]
Banská Bystrica,Slovakia
Náchod,Czech Republic
Villars,France
Wolfsburg,Germany
See also
edit- Bishopric of Halberstadt,a Roman Catholic diocese and state of the Holy Roman Empire until the Peace of Westphalia
- Principality of Halberstadt,the secularized successor to the Bishopric of Halberstadt after the Peace of Westphalia
- Gebrüder Büttner Kaffeegroßrösterei,a former Halberstadt-based coffee roastery and import
- Halberstädter Würstchen
References
edit- ^Bürgermeisterwahlen in den Gemeinden, Endgültige Ergebnisse,Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen-Anhalt,accessed 8 July 2021.
- ^"Bevölkerung der Gemeinden – Stand: 31. Dezember 2022"(PDF)(in German).Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen-Anhalt.June 2023.
- ^"Die Rettung der historischen Bausubstanz in Halberstadt | MDR.DE".
- ^https://www.halberstadt.de/de/ortsteile.html[bare URL]
- ^Kennedy, Michael (Ed.) (2002). "Organ". InThe Oxford Dictionary of Music,p. 644. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- ^Hourihane, Colum (2012).The Grove Encyclopedia of Medieval Art and Architecture.Oxford University Press. p. 274.ISBN978-0-19-539536-5.
- ^N.Y.), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York; Cavallo, Adolph S. (1993).Medieval Tapestries in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 73.ISBN978-0-87099-644-3.
- ^abHauptsatzung der Stadt Halberstadt,March 2020.
- ^*Gill, John H (2010),With Eagles to Glory: Napoleon and His German Allies in the 1809 Campaign,Frontline Books,ISBN978-1848325821(p. 450)
- ^LIFE.Time Inc. 1944-04-10. p. 94.
- ^Simon Winder.Germania: in wayward pursuit of the Germans and their history.page 435. Picador 2010.ISBN9781135963422.
- ^Roger A. Freeman:Mighty Eighth War Diary.JANE´S. London, New York, Sydney 1981.ISBN0 7106 00 38 0.page 483
- ^"Ist Austritt aus der" Deutschen Fachwerkstraße "eine notwendige Einsparung oder der Verlust einer guten Werbeplattform für Halberstadt?".
- ^ab"Communities - Saxony - Anhalt - Halberstadt – Saxony-Anhalt (English)".synagogues-eastgermany.anumuseum.org.il.Retrieved2021-09-06.
- ^Vashem, Yad (2001).The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust: A-J.NYU Press. p. 483.ISBN978-0-8147-9376-3.
- ^Weiner Holocaust Library."List of synagogues burned down in Berlin, Cologne and Halberstadt".-, Anonymous person(s): List of synagogues burned down in Berlin, Cologne and Halberstadt, -: - -.Retrieved2021-09-06.
- ^"The Baroque Synagogue Of Halberstadt - Moses Mendelssohn Academy Halberstadt".www.moses-mendelssohn-akademie.de.Retrieved2021-09-06.
- ^"Partnerstädte".halberstadt.de(in German). Halberstadt.Retrieved2021-02-12.
External links
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