Braunschweig (ˈbʁaʊnʃvaɪk;
Low GermanLow German or Low Saxon is an Ingvaeonic West Germanic language spoken mainly in northern Germany and the eastern part of the Netherlands...
:
Brunswiek ˈbrɔˑnsviːk; Brunswick), is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of
Lower SaxonyLower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, Germany. It is located north of the
HarzThe Harz is the highest mountain range in northern Germany and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The name Harz derives from the Middle High German word Hardt or Hart , latinized as Hercynia. The legendary Brocken is the highest summit in the Harz...
mountains at the farthest navigable point of the
OkerThe Oker is a river in Lower Saxony, Germany, that has historically formed an important political boundary. It is a left tributary of the River Aller, in length and runs in a generally northerly direction.- Course :...
river, which connects to the
North SeaIn the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
via the rivers
AllerThe Aller is a river, long, in the states of Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony in Germany. It is a right-hand, and hence eastern, tributary of the River Weser and is also its largest tributary. Its last form the Lower Aller federal waterway...
and Weser.
History
The date and circumstances of the town's foundation are unknown. Tradition maintains that Braunschweig was created through the merger of two settlements, one founded by
Bruno IIBrun , was count in the Derlingau, the Nordthüringgau, the Hastfalagau, the Salzgau, the Gau Gretinge, and the Gau Mulbeze, with Brunswick as his residence. Brun was a member of the Brunones dynasty....
, a Saxon count who died before 1017 on one side of the river Oker – the legend gives the year 861 for the foundation – and the other the settlement of a legendary Count Dankward, after whom
Dankwarderode CastleDankwarderode Castle on the Burgplatz in Brunswick is a Saxon lowland castle. It was the residence of the Brunswick dukes for centuries and, today, is part of the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum....
(Dankward's clearing), which was reconstructed in the 19th century, is named. The town's original name of
Brunswik is a combination of the name Bruno and Low German
wik, a place where merchants rested and stored their goods. The town's name therefore indicates an ideal resting-place, as it lay by a ford across the Oker River. Another explanation of the city's name is that it comes from
Brand, or burning, indicating a place which developed after the landscape was cleared through burning. The city was first mentioned in documents from the St. Magni Church from 1031, which give the city's name as
Brunesguik.
In the 12th century Duke
Henry the LionHenry the Lion was a member of the Welf dynasty and Duke of Saxony, as Henry III, from 1142, and Duke of Bavaria, as Henry XII, from 1156, which duchies he held until 1180....
made Braunschweig the capital of his state and built the
Cathedral of St. Blasius. He became so powerful that he dared to refuse military aid to the emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, which led to his condemnation and fall.
Braunschweig was a member of the
Hanseatic LeagueThe Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
from the 13th century to the middle of the 17th century. In the 18th century Braunschweig was not only a political, but also a cultural centre.
Emilia GalottiEmilia Galotti is a play in five acts by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing , which premiered on 8 March 1772 in Brunswick . The work is a classic example of German bürgerliches Trauerspiel . Other works in this category include Schiller's Kabale und Liebe and Hebbel's Maria Magdalene...
by Lessing and
GoetheJohann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...
's
FaustJohann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust is a tragic play in two parts: and . Although written as a closet drama, it is the play with the largest audience numbers on German-language stages...
were performed for the first time in Braunschweig.
Braunschweig was at times one of the residences of the rulers of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, which was a constituent state of the
Holy Roman EmpireThe Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
until 1806 and of the
German EmpireThe German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
from 1871. At the end of
World War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the Duchy became the
Free State of BrunswickThe Free State of Brunswick was the republic formed after the abolition of the Duchy of Brunswick in the course of the German Revolution of 1918–19. It was a state of the German Reich in the time of the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany.-History:...
within the
Weimar RepublicThe Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
.
During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
thousands of forced Eastern workers were brought to the city. During the years 1943–1945 at least 360 children taken away from the workers died in the
Entbindungsheim für OstarbeiterinnenAusländerkinder-Pflegestätte , also Säuglingsheim, Entbindungsheim, were Third Reich institutions where babies and children, abducted from Eastern European forced laborers from 1943 to 1945, were kept.-Nazi policy:...
.
In
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Braunschweig was a Sub-area Headquarters (Untergebiet Hauptquartier) of Military District (Wehrkreis) XI. It was also the garrison city of the 31st Infanterie Division, which took part in the invasions of Poland, Belgium, France, and Russia, and was largely destroyed during the German withdrawal from Russia. The city was severely damaged by Anglo-American aerial attacks. The
air raid on October 15, 1944During World War II Braunschweig was attacked by Allied aircraft in 42 bombing raids.The attack on the night of 14/15 October 1944 by No. 5 Group Royal Air Force marked the high point of the destruction of Henry the Lion's city in the Second World War...
destroyed most of the
Altstadt (old town), which had been the largest ensemble of half-timbered houses in Germany, as well as most of the churches. The Cathedral, which had been converted to a
National shrine (German:
Nationale Weihestätte) by the
NaziNazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
-Government, still stood.
After the war, Braunschweig ceased to be a capital when the Free State of Brunswick was dissolved by the
Allied occupying authoritiesThe Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative purposes during 1945–49. In the closing weeks of fighting in Europe, US forces had pushed beyond the previously agreed boundaries for the...
(most of its lands were incorporated in the newly formed state of
Lower SaxonyLower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
). The Cathedral was restored to its function as a Protestant church. The rebuilding of the city was intended to make it modern and automobile-oriented. A small section of the Altstadt survived the bombing and remains quite distinctive. In the 1990s efforts increased to reconstruct historic buildings that had been destroyed in the air raid. Buildings such as the "Alte Waage" (originally built in 1534) now stand again in their pre-war glory.
Main sights
- The Burgplatz (Castle Square), comprising a group of buildings of great historical and cultural significance: the Cathedral (St. Blasius, built at the end of the 12th century), the Burg Dankwarderode (a 19th-century reconstruction of the old castle of Henry the Lion), the Neo-Gothic Town Hall (built in 1893–1900), as well as some picturesque half-timbered houses
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
, such as the Gildehaus (Guild House), today the seat of the Craftsman's Association. In the centre of the square stands a copy of the Burglöwe, a Romanesque statue of a Lion, cast in bronze in 1166. The original statue can be seen in the museum of Dankwarderode Castle. Today the lion has become the true symbol of Braunschweig.
- The Altstadtmarkt ("old town market"), surrounded by the old town hall (built between the 13th and the 15th centuries in Gothic style), and the Martinikirche (church of Saint Martin
Martin of Tours was a Bishop of Tours whose shrine became a famous stopping-point for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela. Around his name much legendary material accrued, and he has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints...
, from 1195).
- The Kohlmarkt ("coal market"), a market with many historical houses and a fountain from 1869.
- The Magniviertel (St Magnus' Quarter), a remainder of ancient Braunschweig, lined with cobblestoned streets, little shops and cafés, centred around the 13th-century Magnikirche (St Magnus' Church). Here is also the Rizzi-Haus, a highly distinctive, cartoonish office building designed by architect James Rizzi
James Rizzi is an American pop artist who was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He currently resides and works in a studio/loft in the SoHo section of Manhattan.-Education and Technique:...
for the Expo 2000.
- The Romanesque and Gothic Andreaskirche (church of Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...
), built mainly between the 13th and 16th centuries. The church was heavily damaged in World War II, and is expected to enter into its final stage of restoration in 2009 after some sixty years of intermittent work.
- The Gothic Aegidienkirche (church of Saint Giles
Saint Giles was a Greek Christian hermit saint from Athens, whose legend is centered in Provence and Septimania. The tomb in the abbey Giles was said to have founded, in St-Gilles-du-Gard, became a place of pilgrimage and a stop on the road that led from Arles to Santiago de Compostela, the...
), built in the 13th century, with an adjoining monastery, which is today a museum.
- The "Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum
The Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum is an art museum in the German city of Braunschweig, Lower Saxony.Founded in 1754, the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum is one of the oldest museums in Europe. It houses a collection of masters of Western art, including Cranach, Holbein, Van Dyck, Vermeer, Rubens, and...
", a well known art museum and the oldest public museum in Germany (founded 1754). (Closed for renovation until 2014)
- The Staatstheater (State Theatre), newly built in the 19th century, goes back to the first standing public theatre in Germany, founded in 1690 by Duke Anton Ulrich.
- The royal palace of Braunschweig was bombed in World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and demolished in 1960. The exterior was rebuilt to contain a palace museum and shopping centre, which opened in 2007.
Automobile
Two main autobahns serve Braunschweig, the
A2 (Berlin—Hannover—Dortmund) and the
A39is an autobahn in northern Germany. It currently connects the cities of Salzgitter, Braunschweig and Wolfsburg, with a planned extension to Lüneburg.The A 39 begins north of Wolfsburg and ends at the A 7 close to Salzgitter...
(Salzgitter—Wolfsburg). City roads are generally wide, built after
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
to support the anticipated use of the automobile. There are several car parks in the city.
Bicycle
Many residents travel around town by bicycle using an extensive system of bicycle-only lanes. The main train station includes a bicycle parking area.
Train
The city is on the main rail line between
FrankfurtFrankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
and Berlin.
Deutsche BahnDeutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
(German Railways) serves the city with local, inter-city and high-speed
InterCityExpressThe Intercity-Express or ICE is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany and neighbouring countries. It is the highest service category offered by DB Fernverkehr and is the flagship of Deutsche Bahn...
(ICE) trains, with frequent stops at the
Hauptbahnhofis the Hauptbahnhof of the German city Braunschweig. It is about 1.5 km to the southeast the city center and was opened on October 1, 1960, replacing the old passenger station on the southern edge of the old town.-History:...
(main train station).
Tram
The city has an inexpensive and extensive 35 km electric tram system. First opened in 1897, it has been modernized, including a 3.2 km extension in 2007. The system is unique as the only European railway or tram system to use the 1100 mm gauge, this being supplemented with in stages with a 1435 mm third rail, to allow future connections to the main railway network.
Tram lines:
M1: Wenden – Stöckheim
M2: Siegfriedviertel – Heidberg
M3: Volkmarode – Weststadt Weserstraße
M4: Radeklint – Helmstedter Straße
M5: Hauptbahnhof – Broitzem
International relations
Braunschweig has 8 sister cities:
BandungBandung is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia, and the country's third largest city, and 2nd largest metropolitan area in Indonesia, with a population of 7.4 million in 2007. Located 768 metres above sea level, approximately 140 km southeast of Jakarta, Bandung has cooler...
,
IndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
(since 1960)
NîmesNîmes is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
, France (since 1962) Bath, England, United Kingdom (since 1971)
SousseSousse is a city in Tunisia. Located 140 km south of the capital Tunis, the city has 173,047 inhabitants . Sousse is in the central-east of the country, on the Gulf of Hammamet, which is a part of the Mediterranean Sea. The name may be of Berber origin: similar names are found in Libya and in...
,
TunisiaTunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
(since 1980)
Qiryat TivonKiryat Tiv'on is a town in the Haifa District of Israel, in the hills between the Zvulun and Jezreel valleys. Kiryat Tiv'on is situated southeast of Haifa, on the main road to Nazareth. On the outskirts of Tiv'on is a Bedouin township called Basmat Tab'un...
,
IsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
(since 1985/1986)
MagdeburgMagdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
, Germany (since 1987)
KazanKazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...
,
Russian FederationRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(since 1988)
OmahaOmaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
,
NebraskaNebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, United States (since 1992)
Name
Many other geographical locations are named after Braunschweig such as
New BrunswickNew Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
in Canada due to the
personal unionA personal union is the combination by which two or more different states have the same monarch while their boundaries, their laws and their interests remain distinct. It should not be confused with a federation which is internationally considered a single state...
of the Duchy of Hanover with Great Britain from 1714 to 1837 (see
House of HanoverThe House of Hanover is a deposed German royal dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , the Kingdom of Hanover, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
, also referred to as the House of Brunswick, Hanover line). For a list of places named after Braunschweig see Brunswick (disambiguation).
Government offices
The offices of the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Investigation (BFU) are located in Braunschweig.
Research and science
Braunschweig has been an important industrial area.
Today it is known for its University and research institutes, mainly the
Johann Heinrich von Thuenen Institute, until the end of 2007 named
Federal Agricultural Research Centre, and the
Physikalisch-Technische BundesanstaltThe Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt is based in Braunschweig and Berlin. It is the national institute for natural and engineering sciences and the highest technical authority for metrology and physical safety engineering in Germany....
(PTB). The PTB Braunschweig maintains the
atomic clockAn atomic clock is a clock that uses an electronic transition frequency in the microwave, optical, or ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum of atoms as a frequency standard for its timekeeping element...
responsible for the
DCF77DCF77 is a longwave time signal and standard-frequency radio station. Its primary and backup transmitter are located in Mainflingen, about 25 km south-east of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is operated by Media Broadcast GmbH , on behalf of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Germany's...
time signal and the official German time. The region of Braunschweig is the most R&D-intensive area in the whole
European Economic AreaThe European Economic Area was established on 1 January 1994 following an agreement between the member states of the European Free Trade Association and the European Community, later the European Union . Specifically, it allows Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to participate in the EU's Internal...
investing 7.1% of its GDP for research & technology. Braunschweig was named Germany's
City of Science 2007 .
Education
Also located in Braunschweig is the "Martino-Katharineum", a secondary school founded in 1415. It had such famous pupils as
Carl Friedrich GaussJohann Carl Friedrich Gauss was a German mathematician and scientist who contributed significantly to many fields, including number theory, statistics, analysis, differential geometry, geodesy, geophysics, electrostatics, astronomy and optics.Sometimes referred to as the Princeps mathematicorum...
, Hoffmann von Fallersleben,
Richard DedekindJulius Wilhelm Richard Dedekind was a German mathematician who did important work in abstract algebra , algebraic number theory and the foundations of the real numbers.-Life:...
and
Louis SpohrLouis Spohr was a German composer, violinist and conductor. Born Ludewig Spohr, he is usually known by the French form of his name. Described by Dorothy Mayer as "The Forgotten Master", Spohr was once as famous as Beethoven. As a violinist, his virtuoso playing was admired by Queen Victoria...
. Since 2005, Braunschweig has an
international school.
Lower SaxonyLower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
's only university of art, founded in 1963, can be found in Braunschweig. Its German name is "Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig".
Economy
Braunschweig is the home of two
pianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
companies, both known worldwide for the high quality of their instruments:
SchimmelSchimmel is a German piano maker. The company was founded in 1885 in Leipzig by Wilhelm Schimmel. This company is especially popular for its high quality concert grand pianos. In August 2009, the biggest piano maker in Germany became insolvent and was protected from its creditors in a manner...
and Grotrian-Steinweg (cf.
SteinwaySteinway & Sons, also known as Steinway , is an American and German manufacturer of handmade pianos, founded 1853 in Manhattan in New York City by German immigrant Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg...
). Both companies were founded in the 19th century.
Culture
Braunschweig is famous for
Till EulenspiegelTill Eulenspiegel was an impudent trickster figure originating in Middle Low German folklore. His tales were disseminated in popular printed editions narrating a string of lightly connected episodes that outlined his picaresque career, primarily in Germany, the Low Countries and France...
, a medieval jester who played many practical jokes on its citizens.
It also had — and still has — many breweries, and still a very peculiar kind of
beerBeer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
is made called
Mumme (see :de:Braunschweiger Mumme), first quoted in 1390, a malt-extract that was shipped all over the world.
Near Braunschweig at Cremlingen-Abbenrode, there is a large medium wave transmitter, which transmits the program of "Deutschlandfunk" on 756 kHz, the
Cremlingen transmitterThe Cremlingen transmitter is a large mediumwave transmission facility established in 1962 for transmitting the program of Deutschlandfunk on 756 kHz near Cremlingen-Abbenrode....
.
The
Braunschweig Airport-See also:* Advanced Landing Ground-External links:*...
(BWE / EDVE) is located north of the city at 52°19′N 10°33′E, elev. 295 ft (89.9 m)
BraunschweigerBraunschweiger is a type of liverwurst which, if stuffed in natural casings, is nearly always smoked...
liverwurstThe German , that translates literally as "liver sausage," is the typical sausage served in Germany, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden and Romania . Liverwurst normally contains pigs' livers, rather than calves' livers and also contains veal...
is named after the city.
Music
The
Braunschweig Classix FestivalThe Braunschweig Classix Festival is an annual classical music festival held in South East Lower Saxony , in an area around Braunschweig located between Hannover and Magdeburg, Wolfsburg and Fürstenberg.-History:...
is an annual classical music festival. It is the largest promoter of classical music in the region and one of the most prominent music festivals in
Lower SaxonyLower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
.
Sandberg Guitars headquarters is in Braunschweig.
Sports
Braunschweig's local football team is
Eintracht BraunschweigEintracht Braunschweig is a German association football club based in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony. The club was one of the founding members of the Bundesliga in 1963 and won the national title in 1967.-History:...
. Founded in 1895, the club can look back on a long and chequered history. It won the German football championship in 1967. Despite playing the German 2nd Soccer division now (2011-2012 season), the club still attracts a large number of supporters.
The
Braunschweig LionsThe New Yorker Lions are an American Football team from Braunschweig, Germany. Until late 2010, the team was known as the Braunschweig Lions....
is the city's
American footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team, seven times German Bowl Defender and two times Eurobowl champion.
External links