Bad Harzburg
Encyclopedia
Bad Harzburg is a town in central Germany
, in the Goslar district
of Lower Saxony
. It lies on the northern edge of the Harz mountains and is a recognised saltwater spa
and climatic health resort.
mountain range on the edge of the Harz National Park
. To the east of the borough
is the boundary between the states
of Lower Saxony
and Saxony-Anhalt
, the former Inner German Border. The small Radau
river, a tributary to the Oker
, has its source in the Harz mountains and flows through the town. Nearby are the towns of Goslar
to the west, Vienenburg
to the north, Braunlage
to the south and Ilsenburg
and Osterwieck
in the east.
Population: as at 31 December 2008
, after the conquest of the area in the course of the Saxon Wars
, had a chapel built on the Burgberg
a hill overlooking the town. It may have stood on the site of a sacred grove
dedicated to a Saxon
god named Krodo
, whose statue Charlemagne had overthrown.
King Conrad I of Germany
is believed to have established a college of canons
here in 916, in order to strengthen his rule in the Duchy of Saxony
under Henry the Fowler. King Henry III
had it transferred to his Kaiserpfalz
in Goslar
in 1039. Still on bad terms with the Saxons, his son and successor Henry IV
between 1065 and 1068 had a sizable castle, the Harzburg
, built on the Burgberg to control the region, where he was besieged in 1073 by the forces of Duke Otto of Nordheim
during the Great Saxon Revolt
. Henry managed to escape from the castle, which after the Peace of Gerstungen
was badly damaged by its attackers. Emperor Frederick Barbarossa
had it rebuilt after he had defeated his rival, the Saxon duke Henry the Lion
in 1180. Henry's son Otto IV
, crowned Holy Roman Emperor
in 1209, died at the castle on 19 May 1218.
Archaeological findings of a first, later abandoned
, settlement beneath the castle called Schulenrode (Old Saxon
for "hidden (cf. skulk) clearing") date back to the 10th century. Another locality nearby named Hartesborch was first mentioned in a 1314 deed by the Benedictine
abbey of Ilsenburg
. The present-day town itself, then called Neustadt ("new town"), was first documented in 1338.
, though spatially separated from the residence of the prince at Wolfenbüttel
by the neighbouring Prince-Bishoprics of Hildesheim
and Halberstadt
. About 1569, Duke Julius of Brunswick promoted the development of a saline water
well to extract salt. The well was called Juliushall and since 1852 the brine
has been used for saline
baths as well as other medical purposes.
In 1892 the townspeople changed the town's name from Neustadt to Harzburg. It was given the title "Bad" (German for "bath", i. e. spa
), received town privileges
in 1894 and has since become an important spa town
and tourist attraction.
The Harzburg Front
of a united "national
opposition" against the German
government of Heinrich Brüning
was initiated by Alfred Hugenberg
, the national-conservative German National People's Party
(DNVP), the leadership of the Nazi Party (NSDAP), the Stahlhelm
paramilitary association and the Alldeutscher Verband pressure group and constituted on 11 October 1931. Both the People's and Nazi parties participated in the government of the Free State of Brunswick
from 1930, with the leading Nazi politician Dietrich Klagges
as Minister of the Interior from September 1931.
During World War II
, military hospitals were established in several hotels. The town surrendered without a fight to the 83rd US Infantry Division on 11 April 1945.
After the war, Bad Harzburg with the lands of Brunswick belonged to the British zone of Allied-occupied Germany and from 1949 was part of West Germany
. Before reunification
, its railway station was the eastern terminus of a major railway route just west of the Inner German border.
Year
Inhabitants
1961
25,946
1968
26,256
1970
25,334
1975
25,780
1980
24,924
Year
Inhabitants
1985
23,662
1990
23,882
1995
23,599
2000
23,100
2005
22,734
(Bürgermeister) Ralf Abrahms (Greens) was elected in a two-round system
on 22 September 2002 with 53.8 % of the votes. Abrahms is the first Green
mayor in Lower Saxony. He is the successor of the long-serving Mayor of Bad Harzburg, Klaus "Jockel" Homann (SPD).
From 1981 to 1986 Jürgen Dorka (CDU) was the mayor.
with: Wilhelmshaven
, Germany
, 1988 Port-Louis
, France
, 1993 Szklarska Poręba
(Schreiberhau), Poland
Ilsenburg
, Germany
federal highway runs through Bad Harzburg, connecting the town with the A 395 motorway to Brunswick
in the north and with Nordhausen
and Erfurt
in the south. In the east-west direction the B 6 federal road
leads to the A 14 motorway
at Bernburg and to Hanover
.
Rail services are provided at Bad Harzburg station by RegionalExpress
and RegionalBahn
trains of the Deutsche Bahn
running to Hanover, Brunswick, Holzminden
and Halle
.
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...
, in the Goslar district
Goslar (district)
Goslar is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Osterode, Northeim, Hildesheim and Wolfenbüttel, the city of Salzgitter, and by the states of Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia .-History:The history of the district is linked with the city of Goslar.The district of Goslar...
of 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...
. It lies on the northern edge of the Harz mountains and is a recognised saltwater spa
Spa
The term spa is associated with water treatment which is also known as balneotherapy. Spa towns or spa resorts typically offer various health treatments. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters goes back to prehistoric times. Such practices have been popular worldwide, but are...
and climatic health resort.
Location
Bad Harzburg is situated at the northern foot of the HarzHarz
The 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...
mountain range on the edge of the Harz National Park
Harz National Park
The Harz National Park is a nature reserve in the German federal states of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. It comprises large portions of the western Harz mountain range, extending from Herzberg and Bad Lauterberg at the southern edge to Bad Harzburg and Ilsenburg on the northern slopes...
. To the east of the borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
is the boundary between the states
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
of 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...
and Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...
, the former Inner German Border. The small Radau
Radau
The Radau is a river in the German state of Lower Saxony and is a right tributary of the Oker.It rises at around in the Harz mountain range, in a bog known as the Torfhaus Moor east of the Torfhaus village in the municipality of Altenau...
river, a tributary to the Oker
Oker
The 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 :...
, has its source in the Harz mountains and flows through the town. Nearby are the towns of Goslar
Goslar
Goslar is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mines of Rammelsberg are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.-Geography:Goslar is situated at the...
to the west, Vienenburg
Vienenburg
Vienenburg is a town in the district of Goslar, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the north of the Harz mountain range on the river Oker, approx. northeast of Goslar...
to the north, Braunlage
Braunlage
Braunlage is a town and health resort in the Goslar district in Lower Saxony in Germany. It lies within the Harz mountain range, south of the Brocken.Nowadays Braunlage's main business is tourism, particularly ski tourists...
to the south and Ilsenburg
Ilsenburg
Ilsenburg is a town in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt in Germany. It is situated under the north foot of the Harz Mountains, at the entrance to the Ilsetal valley of the small Ilse river, a tributary of the Oker, about six north-west of the town of Wernigerode. It received town privileges...
and Osterwieck
Osterwieck
Osterwieck is a historic town in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is situated on the river Ilse, north of Wernigerode and the Harz mountain range. On 1 January 2010 the municipalities of the former Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Osterwieck-Fallstein merged in Osterwieck.The...
in the east.
Town districts
The districts within the borough of Bad Harzburg, with their population in brackets, are:- Bad Harzburg (10,502)
- Bettingerode (467)
- Bündheim (5,.746)
- EckertalEckertalEckertal is a village of about 160 inhabitants in the borough of Bad Harzburg in central Germany, just north of the Harz mountains. Its nearest neighbour is the village of Stapelburg in the state of Saxony-Anhalt....
(161) - Göttingerode (1,039)
- Harlingerode (3,210)
- Schlewecke (1,832)
- Westerode (1,109)
Population: as at 31 December 2008
Climate
Climatically Bad Harzburg is a transition zone to a pure alpine region with a pronounced local climate.Mediaeval times
According to legend, about 780 AD the Emperor CharlemagneCharlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
, after the conquest of the area in the course of the Saxon Wars
Saxon Wars
The Saxon Wars were the campaigns and insurrections of the more than thirty years from 772, when Charlemagne first entered Saxony with the intent to conquer, to 804, when the last rebellion of disaffected tribesmen was crushed. In all, eighteen battles were fought in what is now northwestern Germany...
, had a chapel built on the Burgberg
Großer Burgberg
The Großer Burgberg is a 483 metre high hill on the northern slopes of the Harz mountains in central Germany which lies right on the edge of the town of Bad Harzburg. In front of it is the Kleiner Burgberg. From both peaks there are sweeping views over the town and the Harz Foreland. On the...
a hill overlooking the town. It may have stood on the site of a sacred grove
Sacred grove
A sacred grove is a grove of trees of special religious importance to a particular culture. Sacred groves were most prominent in the Ancient Near East and prehistoric Europe, but feature in various cultures throughout the world...
dedicated to a Saxon
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
god named Krodo
Krodo
According to Konrad Botho's Chronicle of the Saxons or Saxon Chronicle from 1492 Krodo was a Germanic god of the Saxons who is supposed to have been similar to the Roman god Saturn and in 780 was overthrown at Harzburg by Charlemagne during the defeat of the East Saxons.The Saxon Chronicle ...
, whose statue Charlemagne had overthrown.
King Conrad I of Germany
Conrad I of Germany
Conrad I , called the Younger, was Duke of Franconia from 906 and King of Germany from 911 to 918, the only king of the Conradine dynasty...
is believed to have established a college of canons
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
here in 916, in order to strengthen his rule in the Duchy 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...
under Henry the Fowler. King Henry III
Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry III , called the Black or the Pious, was a member of the Salian Dynasty of Holy Roman Emperors...
had it transferred to his Kaiserpfalz
Kaiserpfalz
The term Kaiserpfalz or Königspfalz refers to a number of castles across the Holy Roman Empire which served as temporary, secondary seats of power for the Holy Roman Emperor in the Early and High Middle Ages...
in Goslar
Goslar
Goslar is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mines of Rammelsberg are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.-Geography:Goslar is situated at the...
in 1039. Still on bad terms with the Saxons, his son and successor Henry IV
Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry IV was King of the Romans from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 until his forced abdication in 1105. He was the third emperor of the Salian dynasty and one of the most powerful and important figures of the 11th century...
between 1065 and 1068 had a sizable castle, the Harzburg
Harzburg
The Harzburg, also called Großer Harzburg, is a former imperial castle on the edge of the Harz mountains directly above the spa resort of Bad Harzburg in Goslar district in the German state of Lower Saxony....
, built on the Burgberg to control the region, where he was besieged in 1073 by the forces of Duke Otto of Nordheim
Otto of Nordheim
Otto of Northeim was Duke of Bavaria from 1061 until 1070. He was one of the leaders of the Saxon revolt against Emperor Henry IV....
during the Great Saxon Revolt
Great Saxon Revolt
The Great Saxon Revolt was a civil war between 1077 and 1088 early in the history of the Holy Roman Empire led by a group of opportunistic German princes who elected as their figurehead the duke of Swabia and anti-king Rudolf of Rheinfeld, a two-way brother-in-law of the young Henry IV, Holy Roman...
. Henry managed to escape from the castle, which after the Peace of Gerstungen
Treaty of Gerstungen
The Treaty of Gerstungen was concluded on 2 February 1074 in Gerstungen Castle on the River Werra in what is now Germany. It required King Henry IV to restore the Duke Otto of Northeim to the Duchy of Bavaria. In 1073 the latter had successfully headed the rebellion of the Saxons...
was badly damaged by its attackers. Emperor Frederick Barbarossa
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa was a German Holy Roman Emperor. He 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 1155, and finally crowned Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV, on 18 June 1155, and two years later in 1157 the term...
had it rebuilt after he had defeated his rival, the Saxon duke Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion
Henry 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....
in 1180. Henry's son Otto IV
Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto IV of Brunswick was one of two rival kings of the Holy Roman Empire from 1198 on, sole king from 1208 on, and emperor from 1209 on. The only king of the Welf dynasty, he incurred the wrath of Pope Innocent III and was excommunicated in 1215.-Early life:Otto was the third son of Henry the...
, crowned Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
in 1209, died at the castle on 19 May 1218.
Archaeological findings of a first, later abandoned
Abandoned village
An abandoned village is a village that has, for some reason, been deserted. In many countries, and throughout history, thousands of villages were deserted for a variety of causes...
, settlement beneath the castle called Schulenrode (Old Saxon
Old Saxon
Old Saxon, also known as Old Low German, is the earliest recorded form of Low German, documented from the 8th century until the 12th century, when it evolved into Middle Low German. It was spoken on the north-west coast of Germany and in the Netherlands by Saxon peoples...
for "hidden (cf. skulk) clearing") date back to the 10th century. Another locality nearby named Hartesborch was first mentioned in a 1314 deed by the Benedictine
Order of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
abbey of Ilsenburg
Ilsenburg
Ilsenburg is a town in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt in Germany. It is situated under the north foot of the Harz Mountains, at the entrance to the Ilsetal valley of the small Ilse river, a tributary of the Oker, about six north-west of the town of Wernigerode. It received town privileges...
. The present-day town itself, then called Neustadt ("new town"), was first documented in 1338.
Modern period
From 1488 on, the Harzburg with its surrounding estates was part of the Principality of Brunswick-WolfenbüttelPrincipality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
The Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was a subdivision of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, whose history was characterised by numerous divisions and reunifications. Various dynastic lines of the House of Welf ruled Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel until the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806...
, though spatially separated from the residence of the prince at Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, located on the Oker river about 13 kilometres south of Brunswick. It is the seat of the District of Wolfenbüttel and of the bishop of the Protestant Lutheran State Church of Brunswick...
by the neighbouring Prince-Bishoprics of Hildesheim
Bishopric of Hildesheim
The Diocese of Hildesheim is a diocese or ecclesiastical territory of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in Germany. Founded in 815 as a missionary diocese by King Louis the Pious, his son Louis the German appointed the famous former archbishop of Rheims, Ebbo, as bishop...
and Halberstadt
Bishopric of Halberstadt
The Bishopric of Halberstadt was a Roman Catholic diocese from 804 until 1648 and an ecclesiastical state of the Holy Roman Empire from the late Middle Ages...
. About 1569, Duke Julius of Brunswick promoted the development of a saline water
Saline water
Saline water is a general term for water that contains a significant concentration of dissolved salts . The concentration is usually expressed in parts per million of salt....
well to extract salt. The well was called Juliushall and since 1852 the brine
Brine
Brine is water, saturated or nearly saturated with salt .Brine is used to preserve vegetables, fruit, fish, and meat, in a process known as brining . Brine is also commonly used to age Halloumi and Feta cheeses, or for pickling foodstuffs, as a means of preserving them...
has been used for saline
Saline (medicine)
In medicine, saline is a general term referring to a sterile solution of sodium chloride in water but is only sterile when it is to be placed intravenously, otherwise, a saline solution is a salt water solution...
baths as well as other medical purposes.
In 1892 the townspeople changed the town's name from Neustadt to Harzburg. It was given the title "Bad" (German for "bath", i. e. spa
Spa
The term spa is associated with water treatment which is also known as balneotherapy. Spa towns or spa resorts typically offer various health treatments. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters goes back to prehistoric times. Such practices have been popular worldwide, but are...
), received town privileges
Town privileges
Town privileges or city rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium.Judicially, a town was distinguished from the surrounding land by means of a charter from the ruling monarch that defined its privileges and laws. Common privileges were related to trading...
in 1894 and has since become an important 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...
and tourist attraction.
20th century
The election results for the Nazi Party in the Bad Harzburg district had been below-average so far.The Harzburg Front
Harzburg Front
The Harzburg Front was a short-lived right-wing political alliance in Weimar Germany, formed in 1931 as an attempt to present a unified opposition to the government of Chancellor Heinrich Brüning...
of a united "national
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
opposition" against the German
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
government of Heinrich Brüning
Heinrich Brüning
Heinrich Brüning was Chancellor of Germany from 1930 to 1932, during the Weimar Republic. He was the longest serving Chancellor of the Weimar Republic, and remains a controversial figure in German politics....
was initiated by Alfred Hugenberg
Alfred Hugenberg
Alfred Ernst Christian Alexander Hugenberg was an influential German businessman and politician. Hugenberg, a leading figure within nationalist politics in Germany for the first few decades of the twentieth century, became the country's leading media proprietor within the inter-war period...
, the national-conservative German National People's Party
German National People's Party
The German National People's Party was a national conservative party in Germany during the time of the Weimar Republic. Before the rise of the NSDAP it was the main nationalist party in Weimar Germany composed of nationalists, reactionary monarchists, völkisch, and antisemitic elements, and...
(DNVP), the leadership of the Nazi Party (NSDAP), the Stahlhelm
Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten
The Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten also known in short form as Der Stahlhelm was one of the many paramilitary organizations that arose after the defeat of World War I in the Weimar Republic...
paramilitary association and the Alldeutscher Verband pressure group and constituted on 11 October 1931. Both the People's and Nazi parties participated in the government of the Free State of Brunswick
Free State of Brunswick
The 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:...
from 1930, with the leading Nazi politician Dietrich Klagges
Dietrich Klagges
Dietrich Klagges was a Nazi politician and from 1933 to 1945 the appointed premier of the now abolished state of Braunschweig....
as Minister of the Interior from September 1931.
During World War II
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...
, military hospitals were established in several hotels. The town surrendered without a fight to the 83rd US Infantry Division on 11 April 1945.
After the war, Bad Harzburg with the lands of Brunswick belonged to the British zone of Allied-occupied Germany and from 1949 was part of West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. Before reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
, its railway station was the eastern terminus of a major railway route just west of the Inner German border.
Demographics
EWLINE
|
Year | Inhabitants |
|---|---|
| 1933 | 14,744 |
| 1939 | 16,686 |
| 1946 | 27,417 |
| 1950 | 29,901 |
| 1956 | 26,487 |
Sights
- The HarzburgHarzburgThe Harzburg, also called Großer Harzburg, is a former imperial castle on the edge of the Harz mountains directly above the spa resort of Bad Harzburg in Goslar district in the German state of Lower Saxony....
castle was finally slighted in 1650 by order of Duke Augustus the YoungerAugustus the Younger, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgAugustus of Brunswick-Lüneburg , called the Younger, was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. In the estate division of the House of Welf of 1635, he received the Principality of Wolfenbüttel....
, so that only its ruins remain today. A scenic overlook on its western perimeter offers a panoramic view of the North German PlainNorth German plainThe North German Plain or Northern Lowland is one of the major geographical regions of Germany. It is the German part of the North European Plain...
. This viewing point is dominated by the 19 m (62 ft) tall Canossa Column (Canossasäule) erected in 1877 in remembrance of both the Walk to CanossaWalk to CanossaThe Walk to Canossa refers to both the trek itself of Henry IV of the Holy Roman Empire from Speyer to the fortress at Canossa in Emilia Romagna and to the events surrounding his journey, which took place in and around January 1077.-Historical background:When, in his early...
by Emperor Henry IV in 1077 and a famous expression by Chancellor Otto von BismarckOtto von BismarckOtto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
during his KulturkampfKulturkampfThe German term refers to German policies in relation to secularity and the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, enacted from 1871 to 1878 by the Prime Minister of Prussia, Otto von Bismarck. The Kulturkampf did not extend to the other German states such as Bavaria...
conflict with the Roman Catholic Church "We will not go to Canossa" ("Nach Canossa gehen wir nicht"). The Burgberg Cable Car has linked town and hilltop since 1929. - Bündheim Castle (Bündheimer Schloss) was the seat of the Amtmann (bailiffBailiffA bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
or vogtVogtA Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
) of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg. It was erected in 1685 under the rule of Duke Rudolph AugustusRudolph Augustus, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgRudolph Augustus was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg from 1666 until his death. He ruled over the Wolfenbüttel subdivision of the duchy...
on the site of a former manor house, built in 1573, that had been destroyed during the Thirty Years' WarThirty Years' WarThe Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
. The castled replaced the Harzburg as the headquarters of the local government, it was constructed with stones of the slighted castle. - Near Bündheim Castle are the stablesHorse breedHorse breed is a broad term with no clear consensus as to definition, but most commonly refers to selectively bred populations of domesticated horses, often with pedigrees recorded in a breed registry. However, the term is sometimes used in a very broad sense to define landrace animals, or...
of Bad Harzburg's stud farm, one of Europe's oldest, established in 1413 by the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg. The adjacent racecourse is the site of the annual Harzburg Race Week (Harzburger Rennwoche). - The Pump Room (Wandelhalle) is the historic centre of the spa resort. Built in 1898 on the site of the former saline well, the hall today is used for recitals and lectures. On the other side of the Badepark stands the former bathhouse (Badehaus), which now houses a casino (Spielbank).
- The Lutheran parish church (Lutherkirche) of 1903 has paintings by Brunswick court painter, Adolf Quensen, and a Sauer pipe organ.
- East of Bad Harzburg stands the Cross of the German East (Kreuz des deutschen Ostens), an OstlandkreuzOstlandkreuzOstlandkreuz or Kreuz des deutschen Ostens is the name of memorial crosses in Germany remembering the expulsion of Germans after World War II from the former Sudetenland areas of Czechoslovakia, from Poland and the Soviet part of the former Province of East Prussia...
, in remembrance of the expulsion of Germans from Eastern Europe after World War IIExpulsion of Germans after World War IIThe later stages of World War II, and the period after the end of that war, saw the forced migration of millions of German nationals and ethnic Germans from various European states and territories, mostly into the areas which would become post-war Germany and post-war Austria...
. Erected in 2000 at an elevation of 555 m (1,821 ft) on the Uhlenklippen hill, the 18 m (59 ft) high cross replaces an earlier one from 1950, which was destroyed by a storm. - The SachsenbrunnenSachsenbrunnenThe Sachsenbrunnen is an enclosed spring at the Säperstelle near Bad Harzburg in the Harz Mountains of Germany. It is located on the Emperor Way south of the spa town. From here drinking water was piped to castle of Harzburg over several hundred metres of wooden pipes in the Middle Ages and Early...
, a medieval spring in the nearby woods and source of drinking water for the castle of HarzburgHarzburgThe Harzburg, also called Großer Harzburg, is a former imperial castle on the edge of the Harz mountains directly above the spa resort of Bad Harzburg in Goslar district in the German state of Lower Saxony....
.
Politics
Town council
2006 local elections:- SPDSocial Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
: 13 seats (38,5%) - CDUChristian Democratic Union (Germany)The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
: 12 seats (34,8%) - GreenAlliance '90/The GreensAlliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir...
: 3 seats (8,5%) - FDPFree Democratic Party (Germany)The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government...
: 2 seats (6,9%) - Offensive DLaw and Order Offensive PartyThe Law and Order Offensive Party , short form Offensive D was a minor political party in Germany. It was founded in July 2000 by Hamburg judge Ronald Schill. It wished to call itself PRO but was forbidden from doing so after a judicial complaint by the Pro Deutsche Mitte party...
: 2 seats (6,6%) - WTD: 2 seats (4,8%)
Mayors
MayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
(Bürgermeister) Ralf Abrahms (Greens) was elected in a two-round system
Two-round system
The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...
on 22 September 2002 with 53.8 % of the votes. Abrahms is the first Green
Green politics
Green politics is a political ideology that aims for the creation of an ecologically sustainable society rooted in environmentalism, social liberalism, and grassroots democracy...
mayor in Lower Saxony. He is the successor of the long-serving Mayor of Bad Harzburg, Klaus "Jockel" Homann (SPD).
From 1981 to 1986 Jürgen Dorka (CDU) was the mayor.
Twin towns
Bad Harzburg is twinnedTown 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: Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea.-History:...
, 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...
, 1988 Port-Louis
Port-Louis, Morbihan
Port-Louis is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France.-Demographics:Inhabitants of Port-Louis are called in French Port-Louisiens.-References:* * -External links:* * *...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, 1993 Szklarska Poręba
Szklarska Poreba
Szklarska Poręba is a town in Jelenia Góra County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. The town has a population of around 7,000...
(Schreiberhau), Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Ilsenburg
Ilsenburg
Ilsenburg is a town in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt in Germany. It is situated under the north foot of the Harz Mountains, at the entrance to the Ilsetal valley of the small Ilse river, a tributary of the Oker, about six north-west of the town of Wernigerode. It received town privileges...
, 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...
Transportation
The Bundesstraße 4Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
federal highway runs through Bad Harzburg, connecting the town with the A 395 motorway to Brunswick
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
in the north and with Nordhausen
Nordhausen
Nordhausen is a town at the southern edge of the Harz Mountains, in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Nordhausen...
and Erfurt
Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
in the south. In the east-west direction the B 6 federal road
Bundesstraße 6
The Bundesstraße 6 runs from the North Sea coast in a southeasterly direction through the states of Lower Saxony, Bremen, Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony to the Polish border.- History :...
leads to the A 14 motorway
Bundesautobahn 14
is an autobahn in eastern Germany.Currently, the route comprises two disconnected sections:* The old A 241. A North-South route in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern which runs from Wismar to Schwerin....
at Bernburg and to Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
.
Rail services are provided at Bad Harzburg station by RegionalExpress
RegionalExpress
The term Regional-Express denotes a type of regional train in Germany and Austria .It is best compared to a semi-fast train, as it calls at fewer stations than Regionalbahn or S-Bahn trains, but stops more often than InterCity services...
and RegionalBahn
RegionalBahn
The Regionalbahn is a type of local passenger train in Germany.-Service:Regionalbahn trains usually call at all stations on a given line, with the exception of RB trains within S-Bahn networks, these may only call at selected stations...
trains of the Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche 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...
running to Hanover, Brunswick, Holzminden
Holzminden
Holzminden is a town in southern Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Holzminden. It is located directly on the river Weser, which here is the border to North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:...
and Halle
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
.
Honorary citizen
- 1895 Otto von BismarckOtto von BismarckOtto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
(1815–1898), Reichskanzler
People from Bad Harzburg
- Waldemar KochWaldemar KochWaldemar Koch was a German liberal politician and economist.He was born in Bad Harzburg, Lower Saxony. Koch studied Economy and worked for years for AEG....
, politician, born September 25, 1880, died May 15, 1963 in BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union... - Frithjof SchmidtFrithjof SchmidtFrithjof Schmidt is a German politician and Member of the European Parliament for Alliance '90/The Greens, part of the European Greens.-References:...
, politician, born April 17, 1953 - Karl PetersKarl PetersKarl Peters , was a German colonial ruler, explorer, politician and author, the prime mover behind the foundation of the German colony of East Africa...
, colonizer, lived in Bad Harzburg from 1914 until his death on September 10, 1918 - Conrad WillgerodtConrad WillgerodtConrad Heinrich Christoph Willgerodt was a German chemist and discovered of the Willgerodt reaction. He was also the discoverer of Iodosobenzene.Willgerodt was a professor at the University of Freiburg.-References:...
, chemist, born November 2, 1841 in Harlingerode, died December 19, 1930