Gernrode is a town in
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
, in the
district of Harz- History :The district was established by merging the former districts of Halberstadt, Wernigerode and Quedlinburg as well as the city of Falkenstein as part of the reform of 2007.-Towns and municipalities:...
,
Saxony-AnhaltSaxony-Anhalt is one of the sixteen Bundesländer that make up the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of , and a population of 2.45 million...
. The town was first mentioned in 961 and became a city (received
Stadtrecht) in 1539. Gernrode is 9 km south of Quedlinburg in the
HarzThe Harz is a mountain range in central Germany. It is the highest mountain chain in northern Germany occupying parts of the German states of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The name Harz derives from the Middle High German word Hardt or Hart...
mountains and has state recognition as a
spa townA spa town — or simply a spa — is a town situated around a mineral spa . Patrons resorted to spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word comes from the Belgian town Spa. In continental Europe a spa was known as a ville d'eau...
, where one may take the cure and recuperate in general (
staatlich anerkannter Kur- und Erholungsort). It is perhaps best known today for the
OttonianThe Ottonian dynasty was a dynasty of Germanic Kings , named after its first emperor but also known as the Saxon dynasty after the family's origin. The family itself is also sometimes known as the Liudolfings, after its earliest known member Liudolf and one of its primary leading-names...
/
RomanesqueRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe, characterised by semi-circular arches, and evolving into the Gothic style, characterised by pointed arches, beginning in the 12th century...
church of St. Cyriacus, and as the start of the
SelketalbahnSelketalbahn is the name given to the railway in the lower Harz mountains that originally belonged to the Gernrode-Harzgeroder-Eisenbahn AG . The Selketalbahn track passes through:*Quedlinburg - Gernrode - Alexisbad - Harzgerode...
narrow gauge railway.
The city is also known as 'Gernrode/Harz', because of its location in the Harz mountains, and to distinguish it from the other Gernrode in the district of
EichsfeldEichsfeld is a district in Thuringia, Germany, and part of the historical region of Eichsfeld. It is bounded by the districts of Nordhausen, Kyffhäuserkreis and Unstrut-Hainich, and by the states of Hesse and Lower Saxony .- History :In medieval times the Eichsfeld, which is larger than the...
in
ThuringiaThe Free State of Thuringia is located in central Germany. It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen
Bundesländer...
, also called 'Gernrode (Eichsfeld)'.
Gernrode is the seat of the
Verwaltungsgemeinschaft ("collective municipality")
Gernrode/HarzGernrode/Harz is a Verwaltungsgemeinschaft in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The seat of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft is in Gernrode....
.
History
MargraveA Margrave was a medieval hereditary nobleman with military responsibilities in a border province of a kingdom. Border provinces usually had more exposure to military incursions from the outside, compared to interior provinces, and thus a margrave usually had larger and more active military forces...
GeroGero I , called the Great , ruled an initially modest march centred on Merseburg, which he expanded into a vast territory named after him: the marca Geronis. During the mid-10th century, he was the leader of the Saxon Drang nach Osten.-Succession and early conflicts:Gero was the son of Count...
founded the convent of St. Cyriacus (
St. Cyriakus) in 960 (within the grounds of the fortifications built about the same time). Gero also founded the collegiate church of St. Cyriacus for the convent, which the
Holy Roman EmperorThe Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a Middle Ages ruler, who as German King had in addition received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope of the Holy Roman Church, and after the 16th century, the elected monarch governing the Holy Roman Empire, a Central...
Otto I, the Great took under his special protection in 961. Gero brought back
relicA relic is an object or a personal item of religious significance, carefully preserved with an air of veneration as a tangible memorial. Relics are an important aspect of some forms of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Shamanism, and many other religions....
s of St. Cyriacus for the church from his second trip to
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
in 963. The convent was disbanded in 1570, when the last abbess married. The collegiate church of St. Cyriacus still contains the grave of Gero, and is one of the oldest and best preserved examples of
ottonianThe Ottonian dynasty was a dynasty of Germanic Kings , named after its first emperor but also known as the Saxon dynasty after the family's origin. The family itself is also sometimes known as the Liudolfings, after its earliest known member Liudolf and one of its primary leading-names...
and romanesque architecture in Germany. The church was restored from 1858 to 1874.
Additions to the church in the 11th and 12th centuries, include the west
cryptIn architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a church usually used as a chapel or burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
, side galleries, and the two-storey cloisters. There is a chapel from about this time period in the southern
aisleAn aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on either side or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other. Aisles can be seen in airplanes, certain types of buildings such as churches, Cathedrals...
of the
naveIn Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
with a copy of the grave of Christ (a representation of the Holy Sepulcher in
JerusalemJerusalem is the capital of Israel and its largest city in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if disputed East Jerusalem is included...
), which is one of the oldest of its kind in Germany. The church was the first north of the
AlpsThe Alps are one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east; through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany; to France in the west....
to have a
triforiumA triforium is a shallow gallery of arches within the thickness of inner wall, which stands above the nave in a church or cathedral. It may occur at the level of the clerestory windows, or it may be located as a separate level below the clerestory. It may itself have an outer wall of glass rather...
gallery in the
naveIn Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, and also the first to have alternating columns and pillars (a hallmark of Saxon churches).
Emperor
BarbarossaFrederick I Barbarossa was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March, crowned King of Italy in Pavia in 1154, and finally crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV on 18 June 1155. He was crowned King of Burgundy at Arles on 30 June 1178...
, who stayed in Gernrode in 1188, donated a bell in that year to the St. Stephan church (
Stephanikirche, also known as the Market church or
Marktkirche), the second historical church in the city. The church was built in 1046, and has been an elementary school since 1847.
Gernrode received brewing rights in 1545. Beer brewing has since stopped, but a distillery is still present in the city. The city was traditionally part of the duchy of
AnhaltAnhalt is a historical county in Germany, located between the Harz Mountains and the river Elbe in Middle Germany. It now forms part of the state of Saxony-Anhalt.-Dukes of Anhalt:...
and a district of
BallenstedtBallenstedt is a town in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is situated at the northern rim of the Harz mountain range, about 10 km southeast of Quedlinburg. The municipality includes the villages of Badeborn and Oppenrode. It is the seat of the...
. From 1037 to 1740
leadLead is a main-group element with symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal, also considered to be one of the heavy metals. Lead has a bluish-white color when freshly cut, but tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed to air...
and
silverSilver is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
were mined here. Matches and guns were also made in Gernrode.
The
Protestant ReformationThe Protestant Reformation was a Christian reform movement in Europe which is generally deemed to have begun with Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses in 1517 although a number of precursors such as Jan Hus predate that event...
came to Anhalt and Gernrode in 1521. A Protestant elementary school was founded in 1533. The building was used as a school until 1847, and may be the oldest such school in Germany. Parts of Gernrode were burnt in the
Thirty Years' WarThe Thirty Years' War was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. The war was fought primarily in Germany and at various points involved most of the countries of Europe...
(twice, in 1631 and 1635). It had 2,533 Protestant inhabitants in 1885.
In 1945, at the end of the Second World War, Gernrode was taken by American troops without a battle, followed by occupation by Soviet troops. Gernrode celebrated its 1,000th year in 1961 and 450th year as a city in 1989. It was part of East Germany from 1949 until German Reunification in 1990. In 2001, celebrations to honour Otto I were held.
Gernrode today and the Selketalbahn
Gernrode is nationally recognized for its health facilities and is the seat of the integrated administrative region of
Gernrode/Harz.
Gernrode lies 215 m above sea level, at the foot of the
StubenbergStubenberg is a municipality in the district of Rottal-Inn in Bavaria in Germany....
mountains. It is the starting point of the
SelketalbahnSelketalbahn is the name given to the railway in the lower Harz mountains that originally belonged to the Gernrode-Harzgeroder-Eisenbahn AG . The Selketalbahn track passes through:*Quedlinburg - Gernrode - Alexisbad - Harzgerode...
(or
Selke valley railway), a narrow-gauge railway which is interesting both technically and for tourists. The line was built in 1887 and after initially climbing through the mountains, follows the
Selke-People:*Frank J. Selke, Canadian hockey manager*Margrit Selke, Agriculturist*Walter Selke, German physicist-Awards:*Frank J. Selke Trophy *Frank J. Selke Memorial Trophy...
river valley and the line of the Trasse de Harz. The line passes through the communities of Mädgesprung (where the line joins the river Selke) and
AlexisbadAlexisbad is a small spa town of Germany, in the municipality of Harzgerode, and the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, lying in the outskirts of the Harz Mountains, 1000 ft. above sea level, on the narrow-gauge steam railway from Gernrode to Harzgerode. Pop...
and beyond to
StiegeStiege is a municipality in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany....
. The total length from Gernrode to Stiege is 35 km. There are branch lines to
HarzgerodeHarzgerode is a municipality in the district of Harz in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Its localities include:*Harzgerode*Alexisbad*Mägdesprung*Silberhütte*Dankerode*Güntersberge*Königerode*Schielo*Siptenfelde*Straßberg...
(from Alexisbad) and
HasselfeldeHasselfelde is a town in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated in the eastern Harz, approx. 17 km south of Wernigerode. It is part of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Brocken-Hochharz....
(from Stiege, where there is also a link to the narrow gauge
HarzquerbahnThe Harzquerbahn was formerly the mainline of the Harzer Schmalspurbahnen and runs from Wernigerode to Nordhausen. The tourist potential of the Brocken is so great that the Brockenbahn is effectively the mainline. The Harzquerbahn joins up with the Selketalbahn to Quedlinburg at Eisfelde Talmüle...
). It is the oldest narrow-gauge railway in the Harz mountains and is served by a combination of old and more modern diesel locomotives. It is not just a tourist line, as freight is also transported. This line was extended to Quedlinburg in 2006, by rebuilding the standard gauge railway previously operated by the
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...
.
Newer attractions include the giant
cuckoo clockA cuckoo clock is a clock, typically pendulum-driven, that strikes the hours using small bellows and pipes that imitate the call of the Common Cuckoo in addition to striking a wire gong...
(whose cuckoo appears every fifteen minutes), which was listed in the Guinness Book of Records in 1998. This is part of a clock factory, which also incorporates a giant
weather houseA weather station is a facility with instruments and equipment for observing atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, and...
indicating current weather conditions. Other local attractions include a 7.45 m giant wood
thermometerA thermometer is a device that measures temperature or temperature gradient using a variety of different principles. A thermometer has two important elements: the temperature sensor A thermometer (from the Greek θερμός (thermo) meaning "warm" and meter, "to measure") is a device that measures...
, and the largest
SkatSkat, one of the world's great trick-taking card games, is an early 19th century game devised in Germany. Along with Doppelkopf it is the most popular card game in Germany and Silesia, also played in areas of America with large German populations, such as Wisconsin and Texas.Skat features...
table in the world.
External links