Bad Gandersheim
Encyclopedia

Bad Gandersheim is a town in southern Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower 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
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, located in the district of Northeim
Northeim (district)
Northeim is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Holzminden, Hildesheim, Goslar, Osterode and Göttingen, and the state of Hesse .-History:...

. , it had a population 10,572.

Bad Gandersheim has many half-timbered houses and is located on the German Framework Road
German Framework Road
The German Timber-Frame Road is a German tourist route leading from the river Elbe in the north to Lake Constance in the south. Along the road you can find nearly 100 cities and towns with remarkable timber-framed houses...

 (Deutsche Fachwerkstraße).

Geography

The town of Bad Gandersheim lies between the Leine Uplands
Leine Uplands
The Leine Uplands is a region in Germany's Central Uplands which forms a part of the Lower Saxon Hills and lies along the River Leine between Göttingen and Hanover...

, Weser Uplands and Harz Foreland in the valley of the River Gande
Gande
Gande is a village in the Assoli Prefecture in the Kara Region of north-eastern Togo.-External links:**...

, into which its tributary, the Eterna, empties within the town's territory. To the north lies the Heber
Heber (hills)
The Heber is a hogback ridge, relatively small in area and up to 313.5 metres high, in the Lower Saxon Hills within the districts of Goslar, Northeim and Hildesheim in the German state of Lower Saxony.- Geography :...

 ridge. The borough is predominantly hilly. The Harz Mountains begin about 10 kilometres east of the town whilst, 5 kilometres to the west is the Leine trough.

Borough divisions

The borough of Bad Gandersheim consists of the following sub-divisions based on the surrounding villages:
  • Ackenhausen
  • Altgandersheim
  • Clus
  • Dankelsheim
  • Dannhausen
  • Ellierode
  • Gehrenrode
  • Gremsheim
  • Hachenhausen
  • Harriehausen
  • Heckenbeck
  • Helmscherode
  • Seboldshausen
  • Wolperode
  • Wrescherode

  • History

    The town dates back to 852, when Gandersheim Abbey
    Gandersheim Abbey
    Gandersheim Abbey is a former house of secular canonesses in the present town of Bad Gandersheim in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was founded in 852 by Duke Liudolf of Saxony, progenitor of the Liudolfing or Ottonian dynasty, whose rich endowments ensured its stability and prosperity.The "Imperial...

    , a house of secular canonesses, was created in nearby Brunshausen by Liudolf, Duke of Saxony
    Liudolf, Duke of Saxony
    Liudolf was a Saxon count, son of one count Brun and his wife Gisla von Verla ; later authors called him duke of the Eastern Saxons and count of Eastphalia...

     and his wife Oda. The first abbey church (Stiftskirche) in the town proper was begun in 856. In 990 the abbey received the market and tax rights. During the 10th century, Gandersheim was one of the most important towns of Saxony
    Duchy of Saxony
    The medieval Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian stem duchy" covering the greater part of Northern Germany. It covered the area of the modern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt and most of Schleswig-Holstein...

    ; the first German poet Hrosvit
    Hrosvit
    Hrotsvitha , also known as Hroswitha, Hrotsvit, Hrosvit, and Roswitha, was a 10th-century German secular canoness of the Benedictine Order, as well as a dramatist and poet who lived and worked in Gandersheim, in modern-day Lower Saxony...

     lived and worked here until 973. In 1159 Gandersheim was first mentioned as a city.

    When a mineral spring was discovered in 1240, Pope Gregory IX
    Pope Gregory IX
    Pope Gregory IX, born Ugolino di Conti, was pope from March 19, 1227 to August 22, 1241.The successor of Pope Honorius III , he fully inherited the traditions of Pope Gregory VII and of his uncle Pope Innocent III , and zealously continued their policy of Papal supremacy.-Early life:Ugolino was...

     initiated the erection of the Holy Spirit
    Holy Spirit
    Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...

     hospital. Around 1330, the Dukes of Brunswick built a castle as a secular counterbalance to the abbey church. This building serves today as the magistrates' court and youth correctional facility.

    In the late 19th century, the city began to become known for the curative powers of its mineral springs and in 1932 the Gandersheim received the official right to call itself a spa town
    Spa town
    A spa town 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...

    , thus 'Bad' Gandersheim, on account of these springs.

    In the summer of 1926 there was a three-day "Roswitha Memorial Celebration in 1000-year old Gandersheim". This was the first time the medieval author was used as a symbolic figure for the city. Similar celebrations took place in 1930 and 1933; these had clear national-socialistic themes — 'German Culture' versus 'Jewish-Communist Decadence'.

    In 1952, the city celebrated the 1100 year jubilee of the founding of the monastery by Liudolf. A history play "The Song of Gandersheim" was presented on the market square. This was the unofficial prelude to the summer festival Gandersheimer Domfestspiele
    Gandersheimer Domfestspiele
    Gandersheimer Domfestspiele is a theatre festival in Germany....

    , which has been presented yearly on the plaza in front of the Stiftskirche since 1959. Since this time, it has established itself as Lower Saxony's largest professional summer theatre festival. In 2006, its four major productions were attended by approximately 55,000 theatre visitors.

    Twin towns — sister cities

    Bad Gandersheim is twinned
    Town twinning
    Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...

     with: Rotselaar
    Rotselaar
    Rotselaar is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish-Brabant, near the convergence of the Demer and the Dijle. Since January 1, 1977 the municipality comprises the towns of Rotselaar proper, Werchter and Wezemaal. On January 1, 2006 Rotselaar had a total population of 15,068...

    , Belgium
    Belgium
    Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

     Skegness
    Skegness
    Skegness is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. Located on the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, east of the city of Lincoln it has a total resident population of 18,910....

    , United Kingdom
    United Kingdom
    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

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