Magdeburg (; nds, label=

Low Saxon Low Saxon, also known as West Low German ( nds, Nedersassisch, Nedersaksies; nl, Nedersaksisch) are a group of Low German dialects spoken in parts of the Netherlands, northwestern Germany and southern Denmark (in North Schleswig by parts of th ...

, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it th ...

. The city is situated at the

Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Re ...

river.

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the oldest son of He ...

, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdeburg, was buried in the city's

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

after his death. Magdeburg's version of German town law, known as

Magdeburg rights Magdeburg rights (german: Magdeburger Recht; also called Magdeburg Law) were a set of town privileges first developed by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (936–973) and based on the Flemish Law, which regulated the degree of internal autonomy within ...

, spread throughout Central and Eastern Europe. In the

Late Middle Ages The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Renai ...

, Magdeburg was one of the largest and most prosperous German cities and a notable member of the Hanseatic League. One of the most notable people from the city is Otto von Guericke, famous for his experiments with the

Magdeburg hemispheres The Magdeburg hemispheres are a pair of large copper hemispheres, with mating rims. They were used to demonstrate the power of atmospheric pressure. When the rims were sealed with grease and the air was pumped out, the sphere contained a vacuum a ...

. Magdeburg has been destroyed twice in its history. The Catholic League sacked Magdeburg in 1631, resulting in the death of 25,000 non-combatants, the largest loss of the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

. During the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

bombed the city in 1945 and destroying much of it. After World War II the city belonged to the

German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **G ...

from 1949 to 1990. Since then many new construction projects were implemented and old buildings have been restored. In 2005 Magdeburg celebrated its 1.200th anniversary. Magdeburg is situated on Autobahn 2 and Autobahn 14, and hence is at the connection point of the

East East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

(

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

and beyond) with the West of Europe, as well as the North and South of Germany. For the modern city, the most significant industries are: the

Machine industry The machine industry or machinery industry is a subsector of the industry, that produces and maintains machines for consumers, the industry, and most other companies in the economy. This machine industry traditionally belongs to the heavy indust ...

Healthcare industry The healthcare industry (also called the medical industry or health economy) is an aggregation and integration of sectors within the economic system that provides goods and services to treat patients with curative, preventive, rehabilitative, ...

Mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, an ...

Environmental technology Environmental technology (envirotech) or green technology (greentech), also known as '' clean technology'' (''cleantech''), is the application of one or more of environmental science, green chemistry, environmental monitoring and electronic devi ...

, Circular economy,

Logistics Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...

Culture industry The term culture industry (german: Kulturindustrie) was coined by the critical theorists Theodor Adorno (1903–1969) and Max Horkheimer (1895–1973), and was presented as critical vocabulary in the chapter "The Culture Industry: Enlightenment ...

Wood industry The wood industry or timber industry (sometimes lumber industry -- when referring mainly to sawed boards) is the industry concerned with forestry, logging, timber trade, and the production of primary forest products and wood products (e.g. furnit ...

and the

Information and communications technology Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications ( telephone lines and wireless signals) and computer ...

. The city is the location of two

universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

, the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg and the

Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences The Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences is a public university of applied sciences with two locations. One location is situated in Magdeburg, the capital city of Saxony-Anhalt and the other one is located in Stendal. History Since t ...

History

Early years

Founded by

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...

in 805 as Magadoburg (probably from

Old High German Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050. There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old High ...

''magado'' for ''big'', ''mighty'' and ''burga'' for ''fortress''), the town was fortified in 919 by King Henry the Fowler against the Magyars and Slavs. In 929 King

granted the city to his English-born wife

Edith Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English words ēad, meaning 'riches or blessed', and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian languages and Dutch. Its French form is Édith. Contractions and var ...

dower Dower is a provision accorded traditionally by a husband or his family, to a wife for her support should she become widowed. It was settled on the bride (being gifted into trust) by agreement at the time of the wedding, or as provided by law. ...

. Queen Edith loved the town and often resided there; at her death she was buried in the crypt of the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

abbey of

Saint Maurice Saint Maurice (also Moritz, Morris, or Mauritius; ) was an Egyptian military leader who headed the legendary Theban Legion of Rome in the 3rd century, and is one of the favorite and most widely venerated saints of that martyred group. He is the ...

, later rebuilt as the cathedral. In 937, Magdeburg was the seat of a royal assembly. Otto I repeatedly visited Magdeburg, establishing a convent here about 937 and was later buried in the cathedral. He granted the abbey the right to income from various tithes and to

corvée Corvée () is a form of unpaid, forced labour, that is intermittent in nature lasting for limited periods of time: typically for only a certain number of days' work each year. Statute labour is a corvée imposed by a state for the purposes of ...

labour from the surrounding countryside. The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was founded in 968 at the synod of

Ravenna Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the ca ...

;

Adalbert of Magdeburg Adalbert of Magdeburg (c. 91020 June 981), sometimes incorrectly shortened to "Albert", known as the Apostle of the Slavs, was the first Archbishop of Magdeburg (from 968) and a successful missionary to the Polabian Slavs to the east of what is ...

was consecrated as its first archbishop. The archbishopric under Adalbert included the bishoprics of

Havelberg Havelberg () is a town in the district of Stendal, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the Havel, and part of the town is built on an island in the centre of the river. The two parts were incorporated as a town in 1875. It has a populati ...

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 sq ...

Merseburg Merseburg () is a town in central Germany in southern Saxony-Anhalt, situated on the river Saale, and approximately 14 km south of Halle (Saale) and 30 km west of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a dioces ...

, Meissen and Naumburg-Zeitz. The archbishops played a prominent role in the German colonisation of the Slavic lands east of the

river. In 1035 Magdeburg received a patent giving the city the right to hold trade exhibitions and conventions. This formed the basis of German town law to become known as the

. These laws were adopted and modified throughout Central and Eastern Europe. Visitors from many countries began to trade with Magdeburg. The town was burnt down in 1188. In the 13th century, Magdeburg became a member of the Hanseatic League. With more than 20,000 inhabitants Magdeburg was one of the largest cities in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

. The town had active maritime commerce on the west (towards

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

), with the countries of the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...

, and maintained traffic and communication with the interior (for example Brunswick).

Reformation

The citizens constantly struggled against the archbishop, becoming nearly independent from him by the end of the 15th century. Around Easter 1497, the then twelve-year-old

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...

attended school in Magdeburg, where he was exposed to the teachings of the

Brethren of the Common Life The Brethren of the Common Life (Latin: Fratres Vitae Communis, FVC) was a Roman Catholic pietist religious community founded in the Netherlands in the 14th century by Gerard Groote, formerly a successful and worldly educator who had had a religio ...

. In 1524, he was called to Magdeburg, where he preached and caused the city's defection from Roman Catholicism. The

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and ...

had quickly found adherents in the city, where Luther had been a schoolboy. Emperor

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infa ...

repeatedly outlawed the unruly town, which had joined the League of Torgau and the

Schmalkaldic League The Schmalkaldic League (; ; or ) was a military alliance of Lutheran princes within the Holy Roman Empire during the mid-16th century. Although created for religious motives soon after the start of the Reformation, its members later came to ...

. As it had not accepted the

Augsburg Interim The Augsburg Interim (full formal title: ''Declaration of His Roman Imperial Majesty on the Observance of Religion Within the Holy Empire Until the Decision of the General Council'') was an imperial decree ordered on 15 May 1548 at the 1548 Diet ...

decree (1548), the city, by the emperor's commands, was besieged (1550–1551) by

Maurice, Elector of Saxony Maurice (21 March 1521 – 9 July 1553) was Duke (1541–47) and later Elector (1547–53) of Saxony. His clever manipulation of alliances and disputes gained the Albertine branch of the Wettin dynasty extensive lands and the electoral dignity. ...

, but it retained its independence. The rule of the archbishop was replaced by that of various administrators belonging to Protestant dynasties. In the following years, Magdeburg gained a reputation as a stronghold of Protestantism and became the first major city to publish the writings of

. In Magdeburg,

Matthias Flacius Matthias Flacius Illyricus (Latin; hr, Matija Vlačić Ilirik) or Francovich ( hr, Franković) (3 March 1520 – 11 March 1575) was a Lutheran reformer from Istria, present-day Croatia. He was notable as a theologian, sometimes dissenting strong ...

and his companions wrote their anti-Catholic pamphlets and the ''

Magdeburg Centuries The ''Magdeburg Centuries'' is an ecclesiastical history, divided into thirteen ''centuries'', covering thirteen hundred years, ending in 1298; it was first published from 1559 to 1574. It was compiled by several Lutheran scholars in Magdeburg, kn ...

'', in which they argued that the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

had become the kingdom of the

Antichrist In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist refers to people prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus Christ and substitute themselves in Christ's place before the Second Coming. The term Antichrist (including one plural form)1 John ; . 2 John . ...

. In 1629 the city withstood its first siege during the

, by

Albrecht von Wallenstein Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein () (24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein ( cs, Albrecht Václav Eusebius z Valdštejna), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Th ...

, a Protestant convert to Catholicism. However, in 1631, imperial troops under Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly, stormed the city and massacred the inhabitants, killing about 20,000 and burning the city. After the war, a population of only 4,000 remained. Under the Peace of Westphalia (1648), Magdeburg was to be assigned to Brandenburg-Prussia after the death of the administrator August of Saxe-Weissenfels, as the semi-autonomous

Duchy of Magdeburg The Duchy of Magdeburg (german: Herzogtum Magdeburg) was a province of the Margraviate of Brandenburg from 1680 to 1701 and a province of the German Kingdom of Prussia from 1701 to 1807. It replaced the Archbishopric of Magdeburg after its secula ...

. This occurred in 1680. The city made an astonishingly quick recovery, due especially to the energy and dedication of its mayor Otto von Guericke, who was also a noted scientist. Just six years after the end of the terribly destructive war, Magdeburg was the scene of the famous scientific experiment known as The ''

'' by which the existence of

vacuum A vacuum is a space devoid of matter. The word is derived from the Latin adjective ''vacuus'' for "vacant" or " void". An approximation to such vacuum is a region with a gaseous pressure much less than atmospheric pressure. Physicists often di ...

- hitherto hotly debated - was empirically proven, with enormous implications for the later developments of physics.

19th century

In the course of the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, the fortress surrendered to French troops in 1806. The city was annexed to the French-controlled

Kingdom of Westphalia The Kingdom of Westphalia was a kingdom in Germany, with a population of 2.6 million, that existed from 1807 to 1813. It included territory in Hesse and other parts of present-day Germany. While formally independent, it was a vassal state of the ...

in the 1807

Treaty of Tilsit The Treaties of Tilsit were two agreements signed by French Emperor Napoleon in the town of Tilsit in July 1807 in the aftermath of his victory at Friedland. The first was signed on 7 July, between Napoleon and Russian Emperor Alexander, when ...

. King Jérôme appointed Count Heinrich

von Blumenthal The von Blumenthal family are Lutheran and Roman Catholic German nobility, originally from Brandenburg-Prussia. Other (unrelated) families of this name exist in Switzerland and formerly in Russia, and many unrelated families (quite a few of them Je ...

as mayor. In 1815, after the Napoleonic Wars, Magdeburg was made the capital of the new

Prussian Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

Province of Saxony. In 1912, the old fortress was dismantled, and in 1908, the municipality Rothensee became part of Magdeburg.

20th century

In 1912, the old fortress was dismantled, and in 1908, the municipality Rothensee became part of Magdeburg. Magdeburg was heavily bombed by British and American air forces during the Second World War. The RAF bombing raid on the night of 16 January 1945 destroyed much of the city. The death toll is estimated at 2,000–2,500. Near the end of

, the city of about 340,000 became capital of the

Province of Magdeburg The Province of Magdeburg (german: Provinz Magdeburg) was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Free State of Prussia within Nazi Germany from 1944 to 1945. The provincial capital was Magdeburg. The province was created on 1 July 1944 out of ...

Brabag Brabag (Braunkohle Benzin AG) was a German firm, planned in 1933 and operating from 1934 until 1945, that distilled synthetic aviation fuel, diesel fuel, gasoline, lubricants, and paraffin wax from lignite. It was an industrial cartel firm closely ...

's Magdeburg/Rothensee plant that produced synthetic oil from lignite coal was a target of the Oil Campaign of World War II. The impressive ''

Gründerzeit (; "founders' period") was the economic phase in 19th-century Germany and Austria before the great stock market crash of 1873. In Central Europe, the age of industrialisation had been taking place since the 1840s. That period is not precisely ...

'' suburbs north of the city, called the Nordfront, were destroyed as well as the city's main street with its Baroque buildings. It was occupied by

9th US Army The Ninth Army is a field army of the United States Army, garrisoned at Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy. It is the United States Army Service Component Command of United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM or AFRICOM). Activated just eight weeks bef ...

troops on 18 April 1945 and was left to the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

on 1 July 1945. Post-war the area was part of the Soviet Zone of Occupation and many of the remaining pre-World War II city buildings were destroyed, with only a few buildings near the cathedral and in the southern part of the old city being restored to their pre-war state. Before the reunification of Germany, many surviving ''Gründerzeit'' buildings were left uninhabited and, after years of degradation, waiting for demolition. From 1949 until German reunification on 3 October 1990, Magdeburg belonged to the

. Magdeburg Stadtplan 1900.jpg, Map of Magdeburg, 1900 Magdeburg Geschäftshaus der Magdeburger Feuerversicherungs-Gesellschaft in Magdeburg.jpg, "Breiter Weg", approx. 1900 Fountain and Breiter Weg, Magdeburg, Germany, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany-LCCN2002720637.jpg, "Hasselbachplatz", approx. 1900 Siegelmarke Kreis Versicherungskommissar - Magdeburger Land - Feuer - Societaet W0251229.jpg, Sealing stamp (1850–1923) Bundesarchiv Bild 183-14898-0002, Magdeburg, Blick auf die zerstörte Altstadt.jpg, Magdeburg after World War II Magdeburg, Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945 CL3459.jpg, Destroyed Magdeburg MagdeburgStalinist.jpg, Magdeburg's centre has a number of Stalinist buildings from the 1950s.

Since German reunification

In 1990 Magdeburg became the capital of the new state of

within reunified Germany. Huge parts of the city and its centre were also rebuilt in a modern style. Its economy is one of the fastest-growing in the former East German states. In 2005 Magdeburg celebrated its 1200th anniversary. The city was hit by

2013 European floods Extreme flooding in Central Europe began after several days of heavy rain in late May and early June 2013. Flooding and damages primarily affected south and east German states (Thuringia, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Lower Saxony, Bavaria and Baden-W� ...

. Authorities declared a state of emergency and said they expected the Elbe river to rise higher than in 2002. In Magdeburg, with water levels of above normal, about 23,000 residents had to leave their homes on 9 June.

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 seri ...

will build its largest plant in Europe in the south of the city by 2027. Landtag-sachsen-anhalt-2012.jpg, Magdeburg is the capital and seat of the

Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt The Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt is the parliament of the Germany, German States of Germany, federal state Saxony-Anhalt. It convenes in Magdeburg and currently consists of 97 members of six parties. The current majority is a coalition of the Social ...

UB Magdeburg.JPG, Library of the

Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg The Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg () (''OvGU'') was founded in 1993, making it one of the youngest universities in Germany. The university is located in Magdeburg, the Capital city of Saxony-Anhalt and has about 13.000 students in nine ...

Grüne Zitadelle von Magdeburg.jpg, The Green Citadel of Magdeburg, built in 2005 Stadion Magdeburg Luftbild 2.JPG, The MDCC-Arena - a Soccer stadium, built in 2006 Haus BreiterWeg Magdeburg.JPG, Restored building -

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means t ...

City-Carr%C3%A9.jpg, Shopping complex - City Carré Hegelstraße 41 (Magdeburg).jpg, Restored building -

Renaissance Revival architecture Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range ...

Geography

Magdeburg is one of the major towns along the Elbe Cycle Route (Elberadweg). Its area is . Magdeburg, administrative districts

Districts

The city of Magdeburg is divided into 40 ''

Stadtteil A quarter is a section of an urban settlement. A quarter can be administratively defined and its borders officially designated, and it may have its own administrative structure (subordinate to that of the city, town or other urban area). Such a ...

e'' (districts).Bevölkerung & Demografie 2021
Magdeburger Statistik. Three of these, the former municipalities Beyendorf-Sohlen, Pechau and Randau-Calenberge, have a special status as ''Ortschaften''.Lesefassung der Hauptsatzung der Landeshauptstadt Magdeburg
9 November 2017. The ''Stadtteile'' of Magdeburg are: * Alt Olvenstedt * Alte Neustadt * Altstadt * Barleber See * Berliner Chaussee * Beyendorfer Grund * Beyendorf-Sohlen * Brückfeld * Buckau * Cracau * Diesdorf * Fermersleben * Gewerbegebiet Nord * Großer Silberberg * Herrenkrug * Hopfengarten * Industriehafen * Kannenstieg * Kreuzhorst * Leipziger Straße * Lemsdorf * Neu Olvenstedt * Neue Neustadt * Neustädter Feld * Neustädter See * Nordwest * Ottersleben * Pechau * Prester * Randau-Calenberge * Reform * Rothensee * Salbke * Stadtfeld Ost * Stadtfeld West * Sudenburg * Sülzegrund * Werder * Westerhüsen * Zipkeleben

Climate

Magdeburg has a

Humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(Dfb) bordering on an oceanic climate (Cfb) according to

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

Demographics

Population development

Population development since 1400:

Politics

Mayor

2019 Magdeburg City Council election - Stadtteile

2019 Magdeburg City Council election - Results

The current mayor of Magdeburg is

independent politician An independent or non-partisan politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent. Some politicians have political views th ...

Simone Borris since 2022. The most recent mayoral election was held on 24 April 2022, with a runoff held on 8 May, and the results were as follows: ! rowspan=2 colspan=2, Candidate ! rowspan=2, Party ! colspan=2, First round ! colspan=2, Second round , - ! Votes ! % ! Votes ! % , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Simone Borris , align=left,

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

( FDP, future!,

MUT Mut, also known as Maut and Mout, was a mother goddess worshipped in ancient Egypt and the Kingdom of Kush in present-day North Sudan. In Meroitic, her name was pronounced mata): 𐦨𐦴. Her name means ''mother'' in the ancient Egyptian l ...

) , 33,065 , 44.3 , 39,201 , 64.8 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Jens Rösler , align=left,

SPD The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been t ...

/ Greens , 20,080 , 26.3 , 21,298 , 35.2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Tobias Krull , align=left, Christian Democratic Union , 9,327 , 12.2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Nicole Anger , align=left, The Left , 5,230 , 6.8 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Frank Pasemann , align=left, Alternative for Germany , 3,802 , 5.0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Till Isenhuth , align=left,

, 1,676 , 2.2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Sarah Biedermann , align=left,

Free Voters Free Voters (german: Freie Wähler, FW or FWG) in Germany may belong to an association of people which participates in an election without having the status of a registered political party. Usually it involves a locally organized group of voters ...

, 1,289 , 1.7 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Bettina Fassl , align=left, Animal Protection Alliance , 1,103 , 1.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, André Jordan , align=left,

Die PARTEI (''Party for Labour, Rule of Law, Animal Protection, Promotion of Elites and Grassroots Democratic Initiative''), or Die PARTEI (''The PARTY''), is a German political party. It was founded in 2004 by the editors of the German satirical magazi ...

, 860 , 1.1 , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 76,432 ! 99.6 ! 60,508 ! 99.4 , - ! colspan=3, Invalid votes ! 302 ! 0.4 ! 340 ! 0.6 , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 76,734 ! 100.0 ! 60,848 ! 100.0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 189,916 ! 40.4 ! 189,471 ! 32.1 , - , colspan=7, Source
City of Magdeburg

City council

The most recent city council election was held on 26 May 2019, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Party ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) , 55,969 , 18.6 , 6.6 , 10 , 4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Fo ...

(SPD) , 50,794 , 16.9 , 8.5 , 9 , 5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) , 46,127 , 15.4 , 4.8 , 9 , 3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Die Linke) , 45,922 , 15.3 , 6.9 , 9 , 4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Alternative for Germany (AfD) , 43,200 , 14.4 , 9.6 , 8 , 5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Free Democratic Party (FDP) , 16,157 , 5.4 , 2.1 , 3 , 1 , - , , align=left, Magdeburg Garden Party (Gartenpartei) , 12,709 , 4.2 , 2.3 , 2 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

Human Environment Animal Protection The Human Environment Animal Protection Party (german: Partei Mensch Umwelt Tierschutz, short form: Animal Protection Party, german: Tierschutzpartei, links=no) is a political party in Germany, founded in 1993. In 2014 one candidate was elected ...

(Tierschutzpartei) , 9,871 , 3.3 , 1.2 , 2 , 1 , - , , align=left, future! , 8,651 , 2.9 , 0.9 , 2 , 1 , - , , align=left, Alliance for Magdeburg (BfM) , 4,384 , 1.5 , 0.1 , 1 , ±0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Alliance for Human Rights, Animal and Nature Protection (Tierschutzallianz) , 4,061 , 1.4 , 1.0 , 1 , 1 , - , colspan=7 bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

, 2,548 , 0.8 , New , 0 , New , - ! colspan=2, Total ! 300,393 ! 100.0 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Valid votes ! 101,994 ! 98.5 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Invalid votes ! 1,547 ! 1.5 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Total ! 103,541 ! 100.0 ! ! 56 ! ±0 , - ! colspan=2, Electorate/voter turnout ! 193,826 ! 53.4 ! 15.1 ! ! , - , colspan=7, Source
City of Magdeburg

Education

The

(German: Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg) was founded in 1993 and is one of the newest universities in Germany. The university in Magdeburg has about 13,000 students in nine faculties. There are 11,700 papers published in international journals from this institute. The

was founded in 1991. There are 30 direct study programs in five departments in Magdeburg and two departments in Stendal. The university has more than 130 professors and approximately 4,500 students at Magdeburg and 1,900 at Stendal. Blick auf die Otto-von-Guericke Universität Magdeburg.JPG, Aerial view of the University area Campus Tower und Fakultät für Elektro- und Informationstechnik.jpg, Campus tower of the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg UB MD innen.JPG, Magdeburg library Hochschule Magdeburg.jpg, Aerial view of the Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences Hochschule Magdeburg-Stendal (FH).jpg, Building No.1 of the University of Applied Sciences in Magdeburg

Culture and architecture

Entertainment

Magdeburg has a municipal theatre,

Theater Magdeburg Theater Magdeburg is the principal theatre organization in Magdeburg, Germany, the capital of the state Saxony-Anhalt. It was formed in 2004 with the merger of two theatres, the Theater der Landeshauptstadt (Theatre of the state capital) and the ' ...

. Magdeburg is well known for its

Christmas market A Christmas market, also known as ''Christkindlmarkt'' (literally: ''Christ Child Market'', but the term "Christkind" usually refers to an angel-like "spirit of Christmas" rather than literally the Christ Child), ''Christkindlesmarkt'', ''Chris ...

, which is an attraction for 1.5 million visitors every year. Other events are the ''Stadtfest'', '' Christopher Street Day'', ''Elbe in Flames'', and the ''Europafest Magdeburg''. The autumn fair (formerly men's fair) of Magdeburg goes back to Germany's oldest folk festival. The tradition dates back to September 1010, when the holy feast of the Theban Legion was celebrated in Magdeburg (then called Magathaburg).

Event venues

* Altes Theater am Jerichower Platz – Former theater, used for parties and large conferences * AMO – Culture and congress building * Buttergasse - Night club near the city centre at "Alter Markt" – house-, electro, pop and black music *

Cathedral of Magdeburg Magdeburg Cathedral (german: Magdeburger Dom), officially called the Cathedral of Saints Maurice and Catherine (german: Dom zu Magdeburg St. Mauritius und Katharina), is a Protestant cathedral in Germany and the oldest Gothic cathedral in the cou ...

* Concert hall Georg Philipp Telemann at "Kloster unser lieben Frauen" * Factory – Former factory building, German and international pop, rock, metal, and indie music artists are featured * Festung Mark – Part of the former city fortification, now reconstructed for parties and conventions * Feuerwache – Former fire station, repurposed for events *

GETEC Arena The GETEC Arena (until 2011: ''"Bördelandhalle"'') is an indoor sporting arena located in Magdeburg, Germany. The maximum capacity of the arena is 8,071 people for handball games and 8,820 for boxing matches. It is the current home to SC Magde ...

– Biggest multi-purpose hall in Saxony-Anhalt, home of handball team SC Magdeburg * halber85 - Conventions, partys, conferences * Kunstkantine – Factory cafeteria, monthly electro-music parties * MDCC-Arena – Home of 1. FC Magdeburg * Messe Magdeburg - Official trade fair site * Paulus Church * Prinzzclub – Night club at Halberstädter Straße – house-, electro, and black music * Seebühne at Elbauenpark * Stadthalle – Concert hall * Studentenclub Baracke - Night club especially for students - house-, electro, rock, pop, indie and black music * St. Johannis Church * St. Petri Church, with stained glass by Charles Crodel * Tessenow Loft - Conventions, partys, conferences

Museums

* Magdeburg Museum of Cultural History * Otto-von-Guericke-Museum Lukasklause * Jahrtausendturm * Magdeburg Museum of Nature * Magdeburg Museum of Technology * Art Museum in the Monastery of Our Lady * Magdeburg Circus Museum * Magdeburg Hairdressing Museum * Steamboat Württemberg - a museum ship

Architecture

Cathedral

One of Magdeburg's most impressive buildings is the Evangelical Church in Germany, Lutheran Cathedral of Saints Catherine of Alexandria, Catherine and Saint Maurice, Maurice with a height of , making it the tallest church building of eastern Germany. It is notable for its beautiful and unique sculptures, especially the "Twelve Virgins" at the Northern Gate, the depictions of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I the Great and his wife Eadgyth, Editha as well as the statues of Saint Maurice, St Maurice and Catherine of Alexandria, St Catherine. The predecessor of the cathedral was a church built in 937 within an abbey, called St. Maurice. Emperor Otto I the Great was buried here beside his wife in 973. St. Maurice burnt to ashes in 1207. The exact location of that church remained unknown for a long time. The foundations were rediscovered in May 2003, revealing a building long and wide. The construction of the new church lasted 300 years. The cathedral of Saints Catherine and Maurice was the first Gothic architecture, Gothic church building in Germany. The building of the steeples was completed as late as 1520. While the cathedral was virtually the only building to survive the massacres of the Thirty Years' War, it suffered damage in World War II. It was soon rebuilt and completed in 1955. The square in front of the cathedral (also called the ''Neuer Markt'', or "new marketplace") was occupied by an imperial palace (''Kaiserpfalz''), which was destroyed in the fire of 1207. The stones from the ruin were used for the building of the cathedral. The presumed remains of the palace were excavated in the 1960s.

Other sights

* ''Unser Lieben Frauen ''Monastery (Our Lady), 11th century, containing the church of St. Mary. Today a museum for Modern Art. Home of the National Collection of Small Art Statues of the GDR (Nationale Sammlung Kleinkunstplastiken der DDR). * The ''Magdeburger Reiter'' ("Magdeburg Rider", 1240), the first free-standing equestrian sculpture north of the Alps. It probably depicts the Emperor

. * City hall (1698). This building had stood on the market place since the 13th century, but it was destroyed in the Thirty Years' War; the new city hall was built in a Renaissance style influenced by Dutch architecture. It was renovated and re-opened in Oct 2005. * Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt, Landtag; the seat of the government of Saxony-Anhalt with its Baroque façade built-in 1724. * Monuments depicting Otto von Guericke (1907), Eike von Repgow, Eike von Repkow and Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben. * Ruins of the greatest fortress of the former Kingdom of Prussia. * Rotehorn-Park * Elbauenpark containing the highest wooden structure in Germany. *St. Sebastian's Cathedral, the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Magdeburg. * St. John Church (Johanniskirche) * The Gruson-Gewächshäuser, a botanical garden within a greenhouse complex * The Magdeburg Water Bridge, Europe's longest water bridge * "Die Grüne Zitadelle" or The Green Citadel of Magdeburg, a large, pink building of a modern architectural style designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser and completed in 2005. * Jerusalem Bridge * Magdeburg Zoo, Zoo Magdeburg

Sports

Magdeburg has a proud history of sports teams, with Association Football proving the most popular. 1. FC Magdeburg currently plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second division of German football. They are the only East German football club to have won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. The now-defunct clubs SV Victoria 96 Magdeburg and Cricket Viktoria Magdeburg were among the first football clubs in Germany. There is also the very successful handball team, SC Magdeburg. They won multiple times the Handball-Bundesliga, Handball-Bundesliga (HBL), DHB-Pokal, DHB-Supercup, EHF European League, EHF Champions League, EHF Men's Champions Trophy and the IHF Men's Super Globe. The Discus throw, discus was re-discovered in Magdeburg in the 1870s by Christian Georg Kohlrausch, a gymnastics teacher.

Twin towns – sister cities

Magdeburg is Sister city, twinned with: * Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (1977) * Braunschweig, Germany (1987) * Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, United States (2003) * Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine (2008) * Radom, Poland (2008) * Harbin, China (2008) * Le Havre, France (2011)

People

A–K

*Max Albert (1905–1976), writer *Ernst Anders (1845–1911), portrait and genre painter *Richard Assmann (1845–1918), meteorologist *Theodor Avé-Lallemant (1806–1890), music critic and writer on music *Alfons Bach, (1904–1999), industrial designer *Kurt Behrens (1884–1928), springboard diver *Arno Bieberstein (1884–1918), swimmer *Jessica Böhrs (born 1980), actress and singer *Henry Busse (1894–1955), trumpeter and bandleader, emigrated to the US at 18 *Adelbert Delbrück (1822–1890), banker and lawyer *Friedrich Ernst Fesca (1789–1826), violinist and composer *Hans Gericke (1912–2014), architect *Frank Giering (1971–2010), actor *Harry Giese (1903–1991), actor and spokesman in Nazi newsreels *Georg Gradnauer (1866–1946), newspaper editor and politician *Alfred Grünberg (1901–1942), worker, KPD member and resistance fighter against Nazism * Otto von Guericke (1602–1686), mayor and inventor of the

. The Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg is named after him *Carl Gustav Friedrich Hasselbach (1809–1882), mayor and member of the Prussian House of Lords; a square in the centre of Magdeburg is named after him *Ulrike Helzel, soprano *Gottlieb von Haeseler (1701–1752), entrepreneur in the Duchy of Magdeburg *Ingolf Huhn (born 1955), theatre and opera manager *Hartmann Wilhem Otto (1876–1960), immigrated to the US, where he changed his name to William Hartman and served as a Rough Rider in the Spanish–American War together with Theodore Roosevelt *Christian Georg Kohlrausch (1851–1934), gymnastics teacher and re-discoverer of discus throwing *Carl Hindenburg (1820–1899), cycling official and first president of the German Cyclist Federation (DRB) *Heinrich Jost (1889–1948), typeface designer *Eberhard Jüngel (1934–2021), German Lutheran theologian *Georg Kaiser (1878–1945), writer *Nadine Kleinert (born 1975), retired shot putter, Olympic and World Championship silver medallist *Wilhelm Kobelt (1865–1927), member of the Reichstag and local politician in Magdeburg *Rolf Kohnert (born 1938), engineer, 3 times Australian masters cycling champion *Stefan Kretzschmar (born 1973), handball player and Olympic medallist *Hans Kühne (1880–1969), chemist on the board of I.G. Farben and defendant during the Nuremberg trials

L–Z

Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F002352-0002, Bonn, Bundestag, Pariser Verträge, Ollenhauer

*Ernst Lehmann (1908–1945), SPD politician, active in the resistance against Nazism *Otto Lehmann (1900–1936), resistance fighter against Nazism *Werner Marcks (1896–1967), lieutenant general in World War II *Olaf Malolepski (born 1946), singer-songwriter *Johann Carl Simon Morgenstern (1770–1852), philologist who coined the term Bildungsroman *Felix von Niemeyer (1820–1871), physician, royal Württemberg personal physician *Leo Nowak (bishop), Leo Nowak (born 1929), Roman Catholic bishop of Magdeburg (1990–2004) *Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard (born 1942), biologist, the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research in 1991 and the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1995 *Richard Ölze (1900–1980), painter *Erich Ollenhauer (1901–1963), leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany 1952–1963 *Menahem Pressler (born 1923), pianist *Ernst Reuter (1889–1953), Mayor of Magdeburg 1931–1933, then Mayor of West Berlin in 1948–1953 *Willy Rosen (1894–1944) composer and songwriter *Arthur Ruppin (1876–1943), Zionist thinker and leader *Ekkehard Schall (1930–2005), actor and theatre director *Marcel Schmelzer (born 1988), footballer *Karl Schmidt (1902–1945), resistance fighter against Nazism *Petra Schmidt-Schaller (born 1980), actress *Manfred Schoof (born 1936), jazz trumpeter *Wolfgang Schreyer (1927–2017), writer *Margarete Schön (1895–1985), stage and film actress *Ivan Shyshkin (born 1983), Ukrainian footballer *Kurt Singer (1886–1962), philosopher *Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben (1730–1794), American patriot *Christoph Christian Sturm (1740–1786), preacher and author, wrote the majority of his devotional works here *Bruno Taut (1880–1938), city architect 1921–1923, completed two housing projects in Magdeburg *Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767), composer *Klaus Thunemann (born 1937), bassoon professor *Henning von Tresckow (1901–1944), major general in the ''Wehrmacht'', active in the military resistance *Lothar von Trotha (1848–1920), military commander notorious for presiding over the Herero and Namaqua genocide, near-extermination of the Herero in German South-West Africa *Karl Wallenda (1905–1978), highwire acrobat *Camillo Walzel (1829–1895), libretto, librettist and theatre director *Wilhelm Weitling (1808–1871), utopian Socialist, utopian Communist *Dieter Zahn (born 1940), double-bassist *Dejan Zavec (born 1976), Slovenian welterweight boxer, IBF Welterweight Champion *Heinrich Zschokke (1771–1848), author and reformer *George William Ziemann (1809–1881), Christian missionary who served in Magdeburg in the infantry

Gallery

Blick über Magdeburg.JPG, View over a part of Magdeburg in 2012 Magdeburger Dom Cathedral (40705658233).jpg,

Haus 60a - Universitätsklinikum Magdeburg.jpg, Main building of the university hospital St. Johannis (Magdeburg-Altstadt).ajb.jpg, St.-Johannis Church Kirchentrio Magdeburg.jpg, The three churches on the banks of the Elbe river Hauptbahnhof MD.jpg, Magdeburg Hauptbahnhof (Central Station) Opernhaus magdeburg 11.JPG, Theater Magdeburg, Magdeburg Opera Magdeburg Hundertwasserhaus.jpg, The Grüne Zitadelle (Green Citadel) .00 1533 Magdeburg - Gebäude Justizzentrum.jpg, Judiciary center Elbauenpark.jpg, View over Elbauenpark with Jahrtausendturm Elbufer Magdeburg mit Dom.jpg,

river in Magdeburg Magdeburg Alter Markt mit Rathaus.jpg, City Hall with Sankt-Johannis-Church Magdeburg Nordbrueckenzug.jpg, Jerusalem Bridges Saxonia bei Dämmerung in Magdeburg.jpg, The Elbe in Magdeburg Magdeburg Kanalbrücke aerial view 13.jpg, Magdeburg Water Bridge Magdeburg Hasselbachplatz 2006-11-18.jpg, The Hasselbachplatz, an important transport hub Gruson-Gewächshäuser Außen.JPG, Gruson-Gewächshäuser Magdeburger Reiter Gruppe im Museum.jpg, The Magdeburger Reiter (Magdeburg equestrian) Allee-Center Magdeburg Innen.jpg, The "Allee-Center" Shopping complex is one of seven shopping centres Magdeburg Sternbrucke 2.jpg, Embankment of the city park Kulturhistorisches-Museum-Magdeburg.JPG, Museum of culture and history 2019-09-27 17-45 G90T3345 AL Commons Landtag.jpg, The parliament of Saxony-Anhalt

References

External links

Official website

Official website for tourists

Virtual city tour Magdeburg

The city of Otto
{{Authority control Magdeburg, German state capitals Martin Luther Members of the Hanseatic League Populated riverside places in Germany Populated places on the Elbe