Bergedorf
Encyclopedia
Bergedorf (ˈbɛʁɡədɔʁf) is the largest of the seven boroughs of Hamburg
, Germany
and a quarter within this borough. In 2006 the population of the borough was 118,942.
received town privileges
in 1275, then a part of the younger Duchy of Saxony
(1180–1296), which was partitioned by its four co-ruling dukes in 1296 into the branch duchies of Saxe-Lauenburg and Saxe-Wittenberg
. Bergedorf then became part of the former. This was only to last until 1303, when Lauenburg's three co-ruling dukes, Albert III, Eric I, and John II partitioned their branch duchy into three smaller duchies.
Eric then held Bergedorf (Vierlande) and Lauenburg and inherited the share of his childless brother Albert III, Saxe-Ratzeburg, after he was already deceased in 1308 and a retained section from Albert's widow Margaret of Brandenburg-Salzwedel
on her death. However, his other brother, John II, then claimed a part, so in 1321 Eric conceded Bergedorf (with Vierlande) to him, whose share thus became known thereafter as Saxe-Bergedorf-Mölln while Eric's was known as Saxe-Ratzeburg-Lauenburg.
In 1370, John's fourth successor Eric III pawned the Herrschaft
of Bergedorf
, the Vierlande, half the Saxon Wood
and Geesthacht
to Lübeck in return for a credit of 16,262.5 Lübeck marks
. This acquisition included much of the trade route between Hamburg
and Lübeck, thus providing a safe passage for freight between the cities. Eric III only retained a life tenancy.
The city of Lübeck and Eric III further stipulated, that upon his death, Lübeck would be entitled to take possession of the pawned areas until his successors repaid the credit and simultaneously exercised the repurchase of Mölln (contracted in 1359), altogether amounting to the then enormous sum of 26,000 Lübeck Marks.
In 1401, Eric III died without issue and was succeeded by his second cousin Eric IV of Saxe-Ratzeburg-Lauenburg. In the same year, Eric IV, supported by his sons Eric (later ruling as Eric V) and John, forcefully captured the pawned areas without making any repayment, before Lübeck could take possession of them. Lübeck acquiesced for the time being.
In 1420, Eric V attacked Prince-Elector Frederick I of Brandenburg
and Lübeck allied with Hamburg in support of Brandenburg. Armies of both cities opened a second front and conquered Bergedorf, Riepenburg castle and the Esslingen river toll station (today's Zollenspieker Ferry
) within weeks. This forced Eric V to agree with Hamburg's burgomaster Hein Hoyer
and Burgomaster Jordan Pleskow of Lübeck to the Peace of Perleberg on 23 August 1420, which stipulated that all the pawned areas, which Eric IV, Eric V and John IV had violently taken in 1401, were to be irrevocably ceded to the cities of Hamburg and Lübeck.
The cities transformed the acquired areas into the "Beiderstädtischer Besitz" (bi-urban condominium
; cooperatively governed possession), ruled by bailiffs in four year terms, alternately staffed by one of the cities. In 1446 the bailiffs' terms were increased to six years, and in 1620 to life terms. In 1542 bailiff Ditmar Koel introduced the Protestant Reformation
in the co-governed municipalities. The area was formally annexed to the First French Empire
as part of Bouches de l'Elbe département between 1811 and 1813. Thereafter, the area was restored to Hamburg and Lübeck, both sovereign states. The first railway in Northern Germany
was opened between Hamburg and Bergedorf by the Hamburg-Bergedorf Railway Company
in 1842.
Effective of 1 January 1868 Lübeck sold its share in the bi-urban condominium to the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg for 200,000 Prussian thaler
. Hamburg integrated the area into its state territory, forming there the Landherrenschaft Bergedorf comprising the cities of Bergedorf and Geesthacht
and a number of rural municipalities not integrated into the city of Hamburg proper. By the Greater Hamburg Act of 1937 the exclave of Geesthacht was ceded to Schleswig-Holstein
. Bergedorf city and the other municipalities became the Borough of Bergedorf, an integrated part of the city of Hamburg with effect of 1 April 1938.
Bergedorf is also known by it's nickname Garden of Hamburg.
, Altengamme
, Bergedorf
, Billwerder, Curslack, Kirchwerder, Lohbrügge
, Moorfleet, Neuallermöhe (a new quarter since January 2011).Neuengamme
, Ochsenwerder, Reitbrook, Spadenland and Tatenberg.
In 2006, according to the statistical office of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, the borough of Bergedorf has a total area of 154.8 square kilometres (60 sq mi).
Today's quarter is the old city Bergedorf, located on the river Bille
, a right tributary of the Elbe
.
According to the Department of Motor Vehicles (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt), there were 48,003 private cars registered (406 cars/1000 people)in the borough of Bergedorf.
There were 22 elementary schools, 16 secondary schools, 184 physicians in private practice, and 23 pharmacies in the borough of Bergedorf. These numbers include the Bergedorf quarter.
, the social-democratic SPD
, the ecologist Green Party
(GAL), the left-wing Die Linke
. The liberal Free Democratic Party
(FDP) has 2 directly elected representatives. Voter participation was 58.5%.
s in 1861. At that time it had 2,989 residents, making it by far the smallest of the German towns to do so. The issue included 5 square stamps with denominations from ½ to 4 schillings. All used the same design - a combined coat of arms
of Hamburg and Lübeck - but the higher values were larger stamps. All values were printed in black on different colored papers, except for the 3s stamp, which was printed in blue on pink paper.
Since Bergedorf was such a small town, relatively few of these stamps were made, and even fewer used; the price of unused stamps is from US$30–$50, while genuinely used stamps go for US$300–$2,000. Reprints, forgeries, and especially faked cancellations are quite common.
Bergedorf began using stamps of the North German Confederation
in 1868.
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, 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...
and a quarter within this borough. In 2006 the population of the borough was 118,942.
History
The city of BergedorfBergedorf (quarter)
Bergedorf is a quarter in the homonymous borough of the Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg in northern Germany. In 2006, the population was 41,019.-History:The quarter was first mentioned in 1162...
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 1275, then a part of the younger 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...
(1180–1296), which was partitioned by its four co-ruling dukes in 1296 into the branch duchies of Saxe-Lauenburg and Saxe-Wittenberg
Saxe-Wittenberg
The Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg was a medieval duchy of the Holy Roman Empire centered at Wittenberg, which emerged after the dissolution of the stem duchy of Saxony. As the precursor of the Saxon Electorate, the Ascanian Wittenberg dukes prevailed in obtaining the Saxon electoral dignity.-Ascanian...
. Bergedorf then became part of the former. This was only to last until 1303, when Lauenburg's three co-ruling dukes, Albert III, Eric I, and John II partitioned their branch duchy into three smaller duchies.
Eric then held Bergedorf (Vierlande) and Lauenburg and inherited the share of his childless brother Albert III, Saxe-Ratzeburg, after he was already deceased in 1308 and a retained section from Albert's widow Margaret of Brandenburg-Salzwedel
Margaret of Brandenburg
Margaret of Brandenburg-Salzwedel was a Polish queen consort as the spouse of king Przemysł II of Poland and later a Saxon duchess consort as spouse of Albert III of Saxe-Ratzeburg...
on her death. However, his other brother, John II, then claimed a part, so in 1321 Eric conceded Bergedorf (with Vierlande) to him, whose share thus became known thereafter as Saxe-Bergedorf-Mölln while Eric's was known as Saxe-Ratzeburg-Lauenburg.
In 1370, John's fourth successor Eric III pawned the Herrschaft
Herrschaft (territory)
In the German feudal system, a Herrschaft or Herrlichkeit was the fiefdom of a lord, who in this area exercised his full feudal rights...
of Bergedorf
Bergedorf (quarter)
Bergedorf is a quarter in the homonymous borough of the Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg in northern Germany. In 2006, the population was 41,019.-History:The quarter was first mentioned in 1162...
, the Vierlande, half the Saxon Wood
Sachsenwald
The Sachsenwald is a forest near Hamburg, Germany. It is an unincorporated area in the Amt Hohe Elbgeest. It derives its name, which is in , from being located in the former Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg, earlier also called Lower Saxony, now mostly covered by the District Herzogtum Lauenburg . The...
and Geesthacht
Geesthacht
Geesthacht is the largest city in the District of the Duchy of Lauenburg in Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany, 34 km southeast of Hamburg on the right bank of the river Elbe.-History:*Around 800: A church is documented....
to Lübeck in return for a credit of 16,262.5 Lübeck marks
Mark (money)
Mark was a measure of weight mainly for gold and silver, commonly used throughout western Europe and often equivalent to 8 ounces. Considerable variations, however, occurred throughout the Middle Ages Mark (from a merging of three Teutonic/Germanic languages words, Latinized in 9th century...
. This acquisition included much of the trade route between Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
and Lübeck, thus providing a safe passage for freight between the cities. Eric III only retained a life tenancy.
The city of Lübeck and Eric III further stipulated, that upon his death, Lübeck would be entitled to take possession of the pawned areas until his successors repaid the credit and simultaneously exercised the repurchase of Mölln (contracted in 1359), altogether amounting to the then enormous sum of 26,000 Lübeck Marks.
In 1401, Eric III died without issue and was succeeded by his second cousin Eric IV of Saxe-Ratzeburg-Lauenburg. In the same year, Eric IV, supported by his sons Eric (later ruling as Eric V) and John, forcefully captured the pawned areas without making any repayment, before Lübeck could take possession of them. Lübeck acquiesced for the time being.
In 1420, Eric V attacked Prince-Elector Frederick I of Brandenburg
Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg
Frederick was Burgrave of Nuremberg as Frederick VI and Elector of Brandenburg as Frederick I. He was a son of Burgrave Frederick V of Nuremberg and Elisabeth of Meissen, and was the first member of the House of Hohenzollern to rule the Margraviate of Brandenburg.- Biography :Frederick entered...
and Lübeck allied with Hamburg in support of Brandenburg. Armies of both cities opened a second front and conquered Bergedorf, Riepenburg castle and the Esslingen river toll station (today's Zollenspieker Ferry
Zollenspieker Ferry
The Zollenspieker Ferry is a ferry across the Elbe river in Germany. It crosses between Zollenspieker, a part of the quarter Kirchwerder of the Bergedorf borough of the city-state of Hamburg, and Hoopte, part of the town Winsen , in the state of Lower Saxony, and is about south-east of Hamburg...
) within weeks. This forced Eric V to agree with Hamburg's burgomaster Hein Hoyer
Hein Hoyer
Hein Hoyer was a German statesman and mayor of Hamburg.His family belonged to the local upper class and Hoyer was elected as a member of the Rat , where he defended the interests of the bourgeois opposition against the older families, in 1413...
and Burgomaster Jordan Pleskow of Lübeck to the Peace of Perleberg on 23 August 1420, which stipulated that all the pawned areas, which Eric IV, Eric V and John IV had violently taken in 1401, were to be irrevocably ceded to the cities of Hamburg and Lübeck.
The cities transformed the acquired areas into the "Beiderstädtischer Besitz" (bi-urban condominium
Condominium (international law)
In international law, a condominium is a political territory in or over which two or more sovereign powers formally agree to share equally dominium and exercise their rights jointly, without dividing it up into 'national' zones.Although a condominium has always been...
; cooperatively governed possession), ruled by bailiffs in four year terms, alternately staffed by one of the cities. In 1446 the bailiffs' terms were increased to six years, and in 1620 to life terms. In 1542 bailiff Ditmar Koel introduced the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
in the co-governed municipalities. The area was formally annexed to the First French Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
as part of Bouches de l'Elbe département between 1811 and 1813. Thereafter, the area was restored to Hamburg and Lübeck, both sovereign states. The first railway in Northern Germany
Northern Germany
- Geography :The key terrain features of North Germany are the marshes along the coastline of the North Sea and Baltic Sea, and the geest and heaths inland. Also prominent are the low hills of the Baltic Uplands, the ground moraines, end moraines, sandur, glacial valleys, bogs, and Luch...
was opened between Hamburg and Bergedorf by the Hamburg-Bergedorf Railway Company
Hamburg-Bergedorf Railway Company
The Hamburg-Bergedorf railway opened in 1842 is one of the oldest lines in Germany and was the first railway line in Northern Germany. The 16.5 km long line was extended to Berlin in 1846....
in 1842.
Effective of 1 January 1868 Lübeck sold its share in the bi-urban condominium to the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg for 200,000 Prussian thaler
Prussian thaler
The Thaler was the currency of Prussia until 1857. From 1750, it was distinct from north German Reichsthaler unit of account in that it contained 1/14 of a Cologne mark of silver, rather than 1/12, and was minted as a coin...
. Hamburg integrated the area into its state territory, forming there the Landherrenschaft Bergedorf comprising the cities of Bergedorf and Geesthacht
Geesthacht
Geesthacht is the largest city in the District of the Duchy of Lauenburg in Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany, 34 km southeast of Hamburg on the right bank of the river Elbe.-History:*Around 800: A church is documented....
and a number of rural municipalities not integrated into the city of Hamburg proper. By the Greater Hamburg Act of 1937 the exclave of Geesthacht was ceded to Schleswig-Holstein
Province of Schleswig-Holstein
The Province of Schleswig-Holstein was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1868 to 1946. It was created from the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, which had been conquered by Prussia and the Austrian Empire from Denmark in the Second War of Schleswig in 1864...
. Bergedorf city and the other municipalities became the Borough of Bergedorf, an integrated part of the city of Hamburg with effect of 1 April 1938.
Bergedorf is also known by it's nickname Garden of Hamburg.
Geography
The borough of Bergedorf consists of the quarters AllermöheAllermöhe
Allermöhe is a quarter in the borough Bergedorf of the Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg in northern Germany. The quarter consists of a rural area and the old settlement Allermöhe, on the other hand the new neighbourhood Neu-Allermöhe West, which is a development zone of several agencies of...
, Altengamme
Altengamme
Altengamme located in the Bergedorf borough of the Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg in northern Germany, is a rural quarter on the right bank of the Elbe river. Altengamme is the most eastern part of Hamburg. In 2009 the population was 2,192....
, Bergedorf
Bergedorf (quarter)
Bergedorf is a quarter in the homonymous borough of the Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg in northern Germany. In 2006, the population was 41,019.-History:The quarter was first mentioned in 1162...
, Billwerder, Curslack, Kirchwerder, Lohbrügge
Lohbrügge
Lohbrügge is a quarter in the Bergedorf borough of the Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg in northern Germany. In 2006, the population was 38,343.-Geography:...
, Moorfleet, Neuallermöhe (a new quarter since January 2011).Neuengamme
Neuengamme
The Neuengamme concentration camp, a Nazi concentration camp, was established in 1938 by the SS near the village of Neuengamme in Bergedorf district within the City of Hamburg, Germany. It was in operation from 1938 to 1945. By the end of the war, more than half of its estimated 106,000 prisoners...
, Ochsenwerder, Reitbrook, Spadenland and Tatenberg.
In 2006, according to the statistical office of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, the borough of Bergedorf has a total area of 154.8 square kilometres (60 sq mi).
Today's quarter is the old city Bergedorf, located on the river Bille
Bille
The river Bille is a small, slow-flowing river in Stormarn, Schleswig-Holstein, a right tributary of the Elbe. Its source is near Linau, north of the Hahnheide forest. It then flows south of Trittau, representing the border between Stormarn and Lauenburg, continues south of Reinbek and reaches the...
, a right tributary of the Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
.
Demographics
In 2006, 118,942 people were living in Bergedorf borough. The population density was 769 PD/km². 19.3% were children under the age of 18, and 18.2% were 65 years of age or older. 9.6% were immigrants. 6,027 people were registered as unemployed. In 1999 there were 51,752 households and 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals.According to the Department of Motor Vehicles (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt), there were 48,003 private cars registered (406 cars/1000 people)in the borough of Bergedorf.
There were 22 elementary schools, 16 secondary schools, 184 physicians in private practice, and 23 pharmacies in the borough of Bergedorf. These numbers include the Bergedorf quarter.
Diet of the borough
The Bezirksversammlung is elected as representatives of the citizens, simultaneously with elections to the state parliament (Bürgerschaft). It consists of 47 representatives.Elections
Elections were held in Hamburg on 24 February 2008. The four parties having more than 5 percent in recent polls (minimum to qualify) are the conservative 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...
, the social-democratic SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
, the ecologist Green Party
Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance '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...
(GAL), the left-wing Die Linke
The Left (Germany)
The Left , also commonly referred to as the Left Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The Left is the most left-wing party of the five represented in the Bundestag....
. The liberal Free Democratic Party
Free 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...
(FDP) has 2 directly elected representatives. Voter participation was 58.5%.
| Party | Percent | Seats |
|---|---|---|
| CDU | 42.1 | 21 |
| SPD | 34.5 | 17 |
| GAL | 9.9 | 5 |
| Die Linke | 4.8 | 1 |
| FDP | 6.6 | 3 |
Postage stamps
Bergedorf is of note to philatelists because it issued its own postage stampPostage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
s in 1861. At that time it had 2,989 residents, making it by far the smallest of the German towns to do so. The issue included 5 square stamps with denominations from ½ to 4 schillings. All used the same design - a combined coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of Hamburg and Lübeck - but the higher values were larger stamps. All values were printed in black on different colored papers, except for the 3s stamp, which was printed in blue on pink paper.
Since Bergedorf was such a small town, relatively few of these stamps were made, and even fewer used; the price of unused stamps is from US$30–$50, while genuinely used stamps go for US$300–$2,000. Reprints, forgeries, and especially faked cancellations are quite common.
Bergedorf began using stamps of the North German Confederation
North German Confederation
The North German Confederation 1866–71, was a federation of 22 independent states of northern Germany. It was formed by a constitution accepted by the member states in 1867 and controlled military and foreign policy. It included the new Reichstag, a parliament elected by universal manhood...
in 1868.
Notable structures
- Church "St. Peter and Pauli"
- Schloss Bergedorf
- Fernmeldeturm Hamburg-Bergedorf
- Transmitter Hamburg-BillstedtTransmitter Hamburg-BillstedtThe Transmitter Hamburg-Billstedt is a broadcasting facility in Hamburg-Billstedt, established in 1934. It is owned and operated by the Norddeutscher Rundfunk public broadcasting service, but open to competitors, too....
- Hamburger Sternwarte also called Hamburg-Bergedorf ObservatoryHamburg-Bergedorf ObservatoryHamburger Sternwarte is an astronomical observatory located in the Bergedorf borough of the city of Hamburg in northern Germany. It is owned and operated by the University of Hamburg, Germany since 1968, although it was founded in 1825 by the City of Hamburg and moved to its present location in...
Notable persons
- Ida Boy-Ed (1852–1928), writer
- Johann Adolph HasseJohann Adolph HasseJohann Adolph Hasse was an 18th-century German composer, singer and teacher of music. Immensely popular in his time, Hasse was best known for his prolific operatic output, though he also composed a considerable quantity of sacred music...
, (1699–1783), composer - Alfred Lichtwark (1852–1914), director of the Hamburger Kunsthalle
- Ferdinand PfohlFerdinand PfohlFerdinand Pfohl , was a German music critic, music writer and composer....
(1862–1949), music critic, music writer and composer
See also
- Wolfe+585, SeniorWolfe+585, SeniorHubert Blaine Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff, Sr. is the short name of a Philadelphian typesetter, who has the longest personal name ever used. "585" represents the number of additional letters in his full surname...
, a.k.a. Hubert Blaine Wolfe, Held the Guinness Book of World Records Longest Name in 1978