Helmstedt
Encyclopedia
Helmstedt ˈhɛlmˌʃtɛt is a city located at the eastern edge of the German
state of Lower Saxony
. It is the capital of the District of Helmstedt
. Helmstedt has 26,000 inhabitants (2004). In former times the city was also called Helmstädt.
Helmstedt developed in the vicinity of the Benedictine
St. Ludger's Abbey
that was founded around 800 by Saint Liudger
as a mission station. Helmstedt was first mentioned in 952; it became a city
in 1247. It belonged to the Abbacy of Werden until 1490, when it was bought by the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg
. From 1576 to 1810, the University of Helmstedt
was located here.
From the late 1940s to 1990, the town was the site of a major border crossing between the Federal Republic of Germany
and the German Democratic Republic
. The main rail and autobahn route between West Germany
and Berlin
, across the GDR, began at the Helmstedt-Marienborn border crossing
, also known as Checkpoint Alpha. Official military traffic from NATO countries to West Berlin
was only allowed to use this route.
In addition, see the list of famous students and professors of the University of Helmstedt
.
, France
since 1978 Chard
, United Kingdom
since 1980 Albuquerque
, United States
since 1983 Fiuggi
, Italy
since 1986 Haldensleben
, Germany
since 1990 Svetlahorsk
, Belarus
since 1991 Orăştie
, Romania
since 2002
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...
state 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 is the capital of the District of Helmstedt
Helmstedt (district)
Helmstedt is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the district of Wolfenbüttel, the City of Braunschweig, the District of Gifhorn, the City of Wolfsburg and the State of Saxony-Anhalt .-Geography:The district is bounded by the Elm in the west and the Lappwald in the east...
. Helmstedt has 26,000 inhabitants (2004). In former times the city was also called Helmstädt.
Helmstedt developed in the vicinity of the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
St. Ludger's Abbey
St. Ludger's Abbey
St. Ludger's Abbey was a former monastery of the Benedictine Order in Helmstedt, Lower Saxony, founded by Saint Ludger around 800. Until it was secularised in 1802 it was an Imperial Abbey, with sovereignty over the whole town of Helmstedt until the 15th century.- History :Shortly before 800 the...
that was founded around 800 by Saint Liudger
Ludger
Saint Ludger was a missionary among the Frisians and Saxons, founder of Werden Abbey and first Bishop of Münster in Westphalia....
as a mission station. Helmstedt was first mentioned in 952; it became a city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in 1247. It belonged to the Abbacy of Werden until 1490, when it was bought by the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Brunswick-Lüneburg
The Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , or more properly Duchy of Brunswick and Lüneburg, was an historical ducal state from the late Middle Ages until the late Early Modern era within the North-Western domains of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, in what is now northern Germany...
. From 1576 to 1810, the University of Helmstedt
University of Helmstedt
The University of Helmstedt, official Latin name: Academia Julia , was a university in Helmstedt in the Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel that existed from 1576 until 1810....
was located here.
From the late 1940s to 1990, the town was the site of a major border crossing between the Federal Republic of 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....
and the German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
. The main rail and autobahn route between 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....
and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin 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...
, across the GDR, began at the Helmstedt-Marienborn border crossing
Helmstedt-Marienborn border crossing
The Border checkpoint Helmstedt–Marienborn , named Grenzübergangsstelle Marienborn by the German Democratic Republic , was the largest and most important border crossing on the Inner German border during the division of Germany...
, also known as Checkpoint Alpha. Official military traffic from NATO countries to West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
was only allowed to use this route.
Famous citizens
- Franz Heinrich Ludolf AhrensFranz Heinrich Ludolf AhrensFranz Heinrich Ludolf Ahrens was a German philologist.He was born at Helmstedt. After studying at the University of Göttingen under Otfried Müller and Georg Ludolf Dissen, and holding several educational appointments, in 1849 he succeeded GF Grotefend, director of the Lyceum at Hanover, a post...
, classicist - Bibiana BeglauBibiana BeglauBibiana Beglau is a German actress.-Life:Bibiana Beglau began appearing on the stages of German-speaking theater immediately upon graduating from the Hamburg Hochschule for Music and Theater. Since the beginning of her career, she has worked with the directors responsible for transforming...
, actress - Victor von BrunsVictor von BrunsVictor von Bruns was a German surgeon born in Helmstedt. He studied at Braunschweig, Tübingen, Halle and Berlin, and from 1843 to 1882 was a professor of surgery at the University of Tübingen. His son, Paul von Bruns was also a professor of surgery at Tübingen...
, physician - Hans KrebsHans Krebs (general)Hans Krebs was a German Army general of infantry who served during World War II.-Early life:Krebs was born in Helmstedt. He volunteered for service in the Imperial German Army in 1914, was promoted to lieutenant in 1915, and to first lieutenant in 1925...
, military officer - Rudolf LeuckartRudolf LeuckartKarl Georg Friedrich Rudolf Leuckart was a German zoologist who was born in Helmstedt. He was a nephew to naturalist Friedrich Sigismund Leuckart ....
, biologist - Anton August Heinrich LichtensteinAnton August Heinrich LichtensteinAnton August Heinrich Lichtenstein was a German zoologist. He was the father of Martin Hinrich Carl Lichtenstein....
, zoologist - Andree WiedenerAndree WiedenerAndree Wiedener is a former defender for German football teams SV Werder Bremen and Eintracht Frankfurt.-Honours:* UEFA Cup Winners' Cup winner: 1992* Bundesliga champion: 1993* Bundesliga runner-up: 1995...
, footballer - Johann Christian Freidrich Heyer, Lutheran minister in America, First Lutheran Missionary from America to India (1841)
In addition, see the list of famous students and professors of the University of Helmstedt
University of Helmstedt
The University of Helmstedt, official Latin name: Academia Julia , was a university in Helmstedt in the Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel that existed from 1576 until 1810....
.
Twinnings
VitréVitré, Ille-et-Vilaine
Vitré is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in north-western France.Vitré, a sub-prefecture until 1926, is the seat of a canton of around 17,000 inhabitants . It lies on the edge of Brittany, near Normandy, Maine, and Anjou...
, 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...
since 1978 Chard
Chard, Somerset
Chard is a town and civil parish in the Somerset county of England. It lies on the A30 road near the Devon border, south west of Yeovil. The parish has a population of approximately 12,000 and, at an elevation of , it is the southernmost and highest town in Somerset...
, 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...
since 1980 Albuquerque
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
since 1983 Fiuggi
Fiuggi
Fiuggi is a comune in the province of Frosinone in the region of Lazio in central Italy.-History:Fiuggi, originally called Anticoli di Campagna, gained fame as early as the 14th century, when Pope Boniface VIII claimed his kidney stones had been healed by the mineral waters from the nearby Fiuggi...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
since 1986 Haldensleben
Haldensleben
Haldensleben is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the Ohre river, approx. 30 km northwest from Magdeburg. It is connected by railway to Magdeburg, Oebisfelde and Eilsleben. It is the capital of the district Börde. It has a Protestant and a Catholic church. An old equestrian...
, 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...
since 1990 Svetlahorsk
Svetlahorsk
Svietlahо́rsk is a town in Homiel Province of western Belarus. It is located by the river Biarezina and has 69,900 inhabitants .-Industry:Within Svietlаhorsk there are many industrial activities and organizations...
, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
since 1991 Orăştie
Orastie
Orăștie is a city in Hunedoara County, south-western Transylvania, Romania.-History:7th–9th century – on the site of an old swamp , which today is the old center of town, it was a human settlement whose traces have been scattered into the X-th century by the construction of the first...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
since 2002