Northeim
Encyclopedia
Northeim is a city in Lower Saxony
, Germany
, seat of the district of Northeim
, with, as of 2002, a population of 31 000. It's located on the German Half-Timbered House Road.
. In the 10th century the surrounding region became a county, administered by the Counts of Northeim. The first of them, Siegfried is mentioned in 982. From 1061 to 1070 Count Otto II
held the stem duchy
of Bavaria
as an Imperial fief, but lost it again because of his involvement in the Saxon plot against King Henry IV
.
The monastery of St. Blasius was founded around 1100. In 1252 Northeim obtained town rights
, and from 1384 to 1554 it was a member of the Hanseatic League
. The city became part of the Kingdom of Hanover
.
Northeim is the subject of William Sheridan Allen
's book The Nazi Seizure of Power (ISBN 0-531-05633-3), a comprehensive study of the success of Nazism at town level. The book describes how the Nazis took over all social groups in the city and Nazified them, but failed to instil positive enthusiasm for the Nazi state. Instead, the population was "atomized" and deprived of the means to express group grievances. The book has been criticized for neglecting the role of the churches, which remained largely autonomous. However, even its critics say that the book is crucial to our understanding of Nazi Germany and has played a key role in shaping scholarship. Imbshausen, the site of a post-World War II
British sector Displaced Persons camp
, was incorporated into the city in 1974.
In 15th November 1992 an express train crashed into the wreckage of a derailed freight train near Northeim. 11 people died and 52 were injured.
and Hanover
. Solling Railway connects Northeim with cities at the southern part of Solling-Vogler Nature Park
.
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...
, seat of 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:...
, with, as of 2002, a population of 31 000. It's located on the German Half-Timbered House Road.
History
Northeim is first mentioned in 800 in a document recording a property transfer by a Frankish nobleman to the Abbey of FuldaFulda
Fulda is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district .- Early Middle Ages :...
. In the 10th century the surrounding region became a county, administered by the Counts of Northeim. The first of them, Siegfried is mentioned in 982. From 1061 to 1070 Count Otto II
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....
held the stem duchy
Stem duchy
Stem duchies were essentially the domains of the old German tribes of the area, associated with the Frankish Kingdom, especially the East, in the Early Middle Ages. These tribes were originally the Franks, the Saxons, the Alamanni, the Burgundians, the Thuringii, and the Rugii...
of Bavaria
Duchy of Bavaria
The Duchy of Bavaria was the only one of the stem duchies from the earliest days of East Francia and the Kingdom of Germany to preserve both its name and most of its territorial extent....
as an Imperial fief, but lost it again because of his involvement in the Saxon plot against King 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...
.
The monastery of St. Blasius was founded around 1100. In 1252 Northeim obtained town rights
German town law
German town law or German municipal concerns concerns town privileges used by many cities, towns, and villages throughout Central and Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages.- Town law in Germany :...
, and from 1384 to 1554 it was a member of the Hanseatic League
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
. The city became part of the Kingdom of Hanover
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg , and joined with 38 other sovereign states in the German...
.
Northeim is the subject of William Sheridan Allen
William Sheridan Allen
William Sheridan Allen was born in Evanston, Illinois, and studied at the universities of Michigan, Connecticut, and Minnesota, and in Germany at the Free University of Berlin and the University of Göttingen. The Nazi Seizure of Power was his first book...
's book The Nazi Seizure of Power (ISBN 0-531-05633-3), a comprehensive study of the success of Nazism at town level. The book describes how the Nazis took over all social groups in the city and Nazified them, but failed to instil positive enthusiasm for the Nazi state. Instead, the population was "atomized" and deprived of the means to express group grievances. The book has been criticized for neglecting the role of the churches, which remained largely autonomous. However, even its critics say that the book is crucial to our understanding of Nazi Germany and has played a key role in shaping scholarship. Imbshausen, the site of a post-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...
British sector Displaced Persons camp
Displaced persons camp
A displaced persons camp or DP camp is a temporary facility for displaced persons coerced into forced migration. The term is mainly used for camps established after World War II in West Germany and in Austria, as well as in the United Kingdom, primarily for refugees from Eastern Europe and for the...
, was incorporated into the city in 1974.
In 15th November 1992 an express train crashed into the wreckage of a derailed freight train near Northeim. 11 people died and 52 were injured.
Cultural amenities
- The city has a city museum and archive.
- There is an outdoor stage outside the city.
- Some of the old city wall still stands, including a watch-tower.
Transportation
Hanoverian Southern Railway connects Northeim with cities like GöttingenGöttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
and 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...
. Solling Railway connects Northeim with cities at the southern part of Solling-Vogler Nature Park
Solling-Vogler Nature Park
The Solling-Vogler Nature Park is a nature park in South Lower Saxony in Germany. It has an area of and was established in 1966.The nature park includes the hill ranges of the Solling and the Vogler but also the Burgberg which lies east of Weser valley between the two upland regions...
.
Notable natives and residents
- Otto of NordheimOtto of NordheimOtto of Northeim was Duke of Bavaria from 1061 until 1070. He was one of the leaders of the Saxon revolt against Emperor Henry IV....
, Duke of Bavaria - Heinrich KreipeHeinrich KreipeKarl Heinrich Georg Ferdinand Kreipe was a German general, who served in World War II. He is most famous for his spectacular abduction by British and Cretan resistance fighters from occupied Crete in April 1944....
, World War IIWorld War IIWorld 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...
general who died there (1976)
See also
- Hannover–Braunschweig–Göttingen–Wolfsburg Metropolitan Region
- Northeim Lake DistrictNortheim Lake DistrictNortheim Lake District is a series of lakes nearby Northeim, Lower Saxony.It has its origin in pebble extraction by open-pit mining. Digging for pebble began in 1852 in order to build the Royal Hanoverian State Railways. After World War II mining was intensified...