Salzwedel (, officially known as Hansestadt Salzwedel; ) is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a States of Germany, state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the List of German states ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It is the capital of the district (''Kreis'') of

Altmarkkreis Salzwedel Altmarkkreis Salzwedel is a district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is bounded by (from the west and clockwise) the districts Gifhorn, Uelzen, Lüchow-Dannenberg in Lower Saxony, and the districts of Stendal and Börde (district). History Th ...

, and has a population of approximately 21,500. Salzwedel is located on the German Timber-Frame Road.

Geography

Salzwedel is situated at the river Jeetze in the northwestern part of the

Altmark :''See German tanker Altmark for the ship named after Altmark and Stary Targ for the Polish village named Altmark in German.'' The Altmark (; English: Old MarchHansard, ''The Parliamentary Debates from the Year 1803 to the Present Time ...'', Vo ...

. It is located between

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

and

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river. Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...

. Distances from

Uelzen Uelzen (; ), officially the Hanseatic City of Uelzen (), is a town in northeast Lower Saxony, Germany, and capital of the district of Uelzen. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, a Hanseatic town and an independent municipality. Uelz ...

are E, S of Lüchow, N of

Gardelegen Gardelegen (; ) is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Milde (river), Milde, 20 m. W. from Stendal, on the main line of railway Berlin-Hanover. History Gardelegen has a Roman Catholic and three Evangelical c ...

and W of

Arendsee Arendsee () is a town in the Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is named after the lake Arendsee (lake), Arendsee, located north of the town. Geography The municipality is located in the Altmark region and on the southern bank o ...

. In 1968 test drillings revealed a significant reservoir of natural gas near the city.

Divisions

The town Salzwedel consists of Salzwedel proper and the following ''Ortschaften'' or municipal divisions:Hauptsatzung der Hansestadt Salzwedel
, § 12, 24 October 2018. *Andorf *Barnebeck *Brietz * Chüden *Dambeck * Henningen * Klein Gartz * Langenapel * Liesten *Mahlsdorf * Osterwohle * Pretzier * Riebau * Seebenau *Stappenbeck * Steinitz * Tylsen

History

The castle of Salzwedel in the Altmark was first documented in 1112. As part of the

Margraviate of Brandenburg The Margraviate of Brandenburg () was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806 that, having electoral status although being quite poor, grew rapidly in importance after inheriting the Duchy of Prussia in 1618 and then came ...

, the settlement was first mentioned as a town in 1233. To the northeast of the old town (''Altstadt''), a new town (''Neustadt'') began development in 1247. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

Salzwedel belonged to the

Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...

from 1263 to 1518. As to religion Salzwedel belonged to the

Diocese of Verden The Diocese of Verden was a diocese of the Catholic Church. It was founded around AD 768 as a suffragan of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mainz, Archdiocese of Mainz. It was suppressed in 1648 as part of the Peace of Westphalia. The diocese was cent ...

(till 1648). The city from 1247 began developing as a reestablishment from the old part of the town. In 1701 it became part of the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

. In 1713, the two towns Altstadt and Neustadt became one. Salzwedel became part of the Prussian

Province of Saxony The Province of Saxony (), also known as Prussian Saxony (), was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the Free State of Prussia from 1816 until 1944. Its capital was Magdeburg. It was formed by the merger of various territories ceded ...

in 1815 after the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

. In 1870 it received a railroad connection. The medieval part of the town remains the commercial and administrative center of the town until today. As in other German cities and towns during the time of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

, the

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

residents of the city were systematically deprived of their rights, then expelled from the city. Salzwedel was hit by five air raids from 1942-1945, and more than 300 people lost their lives, especially on 22 February 1945. Salzwedel-1652-Merian

In 1943, the

Neuengamme concentration camp Neuengamme was a network of Nazi concentration camps in northern Germany that consisted of the main camp, Neuengamme, and List of subcamps of Neuengamme, more than 85 satellite camps. Established in 1938 near the village of Neuengamme, Hamburg, N ...

built a female subcamp in Salzwedel, capable of holding more than 1,000 female prisoners. Eventually more than 3,000 women were held there, both Jews and non-Jews. The guard staff at the camp included sixty SS men and women. One Aufseherin is known today by name, Lieselotte Darnstaedt, who was born in 1908. Darnstaedt also served at Ravensbrück before coming to Salzwedel. On April 14, 1945, the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

liberated the Salzwedel women's subcamp, and also a men's camp nearby for male non-German political prisoners. They were shocked to find more than ninety corpses of women who had died of typhus, dysentery and malaria. At the beginning of 1945, prior to the arrival of American ground forces, Allied war planes attacked the main train station of Salzwedel, killing 300 people. The US Army eventually turned over control of the city to the Soviet

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

, causing Salzwedel to become part of the

German Democratic Republic East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

. On November 9, 1989 the East-West German border crossing near Salzwedel was opened, along with East-West border crossings in the rest of the country, allowing East Germans residing in Salzwedel and elsewhere to travel freely to West Germany for the first time since the building of the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (, ) was a guarded concrete Separation barrier, barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (GDR; East Germany). Construction of the B ...

. In 1990 Salzwedel received its first democratically elected city government. The official name of the city was changed into ''Hansestadt Salzwedel'' on 1 April 2008, in reference to its history as a member of the Hanseatic League. In January 2003 the town incorporated the former municipalities Brietz, Dambeck and Mahlsdorf, in January 2009 Benkendorf, in January 2010 Chüden, Klein Gartz, Langenapel, Liesten, Osterwohle, Pretzier, Riebau, Seebenau and Tylsen, and in January 2011 Steinitz and Wieblitz-Eversdorf.

Population development

* 1998 – 20,614 * 1999 – 20,499 * 2000 – 20,349 * 2001 – 20,130 * 2002 – 19,926 * 2003 – 21,360 * 2004 – 21,070 * 2005 – 21,316 * 2006 – 20,777 * 2015 – 24,410 * 2016 - 24,199 * 2017 - 24.002 * 2018 - 23.655 * 2020 - 23.306 * 2021 - 22.999

Mayors

Olaf Meining is the

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of Salzwedel since 2022. Since March 2016 Sabine Blümel is the

Lord Mayor Lord mayor is a title of a mayor of what is usually a major city in a Commonwealth realm, with special recognition bestowed by the sovereign. However, the title or an equivalent is present in other countries, including forms such as "high mayor". A ...

Culture and sights

Main sights

Salzwedel's sites of interest include the historic part of town, encompassed by the historic city wall and town gates. The city also contains the birth house of Jenny von Westphalen, later the wife of

Karl Marx Karl Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He is best-known for the 1848 pamphlet '' The Communist Manifesto'' (written with Friedrich Engels) ...

. * numerous half-timbered houses * town gates: Neuperver Gate built 1460-1470, Stonegate built around 1530, and medieval city fortifications with Hungerturm Tower and the ''Kluhs'', a store house dating from 1490 built on the wall: ''Hanse - 16 Städtebilder in Sachsen-Anhalt'', p. 102, Dössel (Saalekreis) 2008 * remains of a castle (Castle Tower and Garden) * Townhall (former monastery) * Townhall Tower * The Monk Church * gothic Brickchurches St.Marien, St.Katharina und St.Lorenz * another churches: St. Georg and Holy-Spirit-Church * former Townhall, today's local court of Salzwedel * Fairy-Tale Garden * Johann-Friedrich-Danneil-Museum * "Baumkuchen" Bakeries

Festivals

* Parkfestival, music event taking part in a 2-year-rhythm with the participation of national and international artists like

Die Prinzen Die Prinzen ("The Princes") is a German pop rock band, consisting of former members of the Thomanerchor, and a former member of the Dresdner Kreuzchor. Overview Early albums consist of a cappella music. The band's first name was ''Die Herz ...

Nina Hagen Catharina "Nina" Hagen (; born 11 March 1955) is a German singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her theatrical vocals and rise to prominence during the punk and Neue Deutsche Welle movements in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She is ...

Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances featuring expressive body movements. Most of his best-known singles, such as "Feelin' Alright ...

, Reamonn,

Heather Nova Heather Nova (born Heather Allison Frith, 6 July 1967) is a Bermudian singer-songwriter and poet. , she has released eleven full-length albums, six EPs and twelve singles. Biography Heather Nova was born Heather Allison Frith on Bermuda, a Bri ...

Leningrad Cowboys The Leningrad Cowboys were a Finnish rock band who perform rock and roll covers of other songs. They had exaggerated pompadour hairstyles and wore long, pointy shoes. They often worked with the Russian military band the Alexandrov Ensemble. ...

, Madsen,

Blackmail Blackmail is a criminal act of coercion using a threat. As a criminal offense, blackmail is defined in various ways in common law jurisdictions. In the United States, blackmail is generally defined as a crime of information, involving a thr ...

City A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

and so on. * Smack-Festival, one of the biggest Hard-Rock-Festivals in

Cuisine

The delicacies of the town are

Baumkuchen Baumkuchen () is a kind of spit cake from German cuisine. It is also a popular dessert in Japan. The characteristic rings that appear in its slices resemble tree rings, and give the cake its German name, ''Baumkuchen'', which literally translat ...

, Salzwedeler (Altmärker) Wedding-Soup and Tiegelbraten (mutton).

Institution

The Nicolaus Gercken Family Foundation is located in the city of Salzwedel.

Transport

Salzwedel is accessed by route 71 (north to south) and 248 (west to east). Access to the nearest

autobahn The (; German , ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. Much of t ...

is A39 which is away in

Wolfsburg Wolfsburg (; Eastphalian language, Eastphalian: ''Wulfsborg'') is the fifth-largest city in the Germany, German state of Lower Saxony, on the river Aller (Germany), Aller east of Hanover and west of Berlin. Wolfsburg is famous as the locat ...

, the A250 is away in

Lüneburg Lüneburg, officially the Hanseatic City of Lüneburg and also known in English as Lunenburg, is a town in the German Bundesland (Germany), state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of another Hanseatic League, Hanseatic city, Hambur ...

, the

A24 A24 Films LLC, commonly referred to as A24, is an American Privately held company, independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. The studio is based in Manhattan. The company ...

in Dreieck and the A241 is away. Salzwedel station is on the Stendal–Uelzen railway, part of the America Line (''Amerikalinie''), which was restored in the 1990s linking

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

and

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

. The line connects Stendal and

. Other stations are in

Wittenberge Wittenberge (; ) is a town of eighteen thousand people on the middle Elbe in the district of Prignitz, Brandenburg, Germany. Geography Wittenberge is situated at the right (north-eastern) bank of the middle Elbe at its confluence with the Step ...

near Arendsee and in

Oebisfelde Oebisfelde () is a town and a former municipality in the Börde district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the town Oebisfelde-Weferlingen. It is accessed by Bundesstraße (German federal highway) 188. Geography ...

Notable people

* Balthasar Christian Bertram (died 1787), violinist and composer * Heinz Billing (1914-2017), Freeman, a physicist and pioneer of computer development and in the exploration of gravitational waves * Joerg Bleeck (born 1940), Entrepreneur, pioneered German limestone mining in US Washington state. * Andy Böhme (born 1970), skeleton pilot * Klaus Decker (born 1952), football player * Doris Maletzki (born 1952), sprinter *

Friedrich Meinecke Friedrich Meinecke (October 20, 1862 – February 6, 1954) was a German historian with national liberal and antisemitic views who supported the Nazi invasion of Poland. As a representative of an older tradition, he criticized the Nazi regime ...

(1862–1954), historian * Michel Niemeyer (born 1995), football player * Stephan Praetorius (1536–1604), pastor * Jürgen Scharf (born 1952), politician (CDU) * Kurt Schütte (1909–1998), German mathematician * Peter Urie (1955-2005), priest and bishop in the Republic of Kazakhstan * Jenny von Westphalen (1814–1881), wife of

* Johann Walther (1563–1620), deacon and preacher at the , Danzig *

Lorenz Weinrich Lorenz Hubert Weinrich (born 20 August 1929) is a German historian. Life Weinrich was born in Salzwedel, Altmark. He started studying history and classical philology at Freie Universität Berlin in 1948, and he earned his doctoral degree in ...

(born 1929), German historian

People associated with Salzwedel

* Wilhelm Harnisch (1787–1864), educator and writer, visited the school and described Salzwedel in '' My life Morning '' * Hermann Hager (1816–1897), chemist and pharmacist, pharmacist teaching in Löwenapotheke *

Friedrich Ludwig Jahn (11August 177815October 1852) was a German gymnastics educator and nationalist whose writing is credited with the founding of the German gymnastics (Turner) movement, first realized at Volkspark Hasenheide in Berlin, the origin of modern sports ...

(1778–1852), father of gymnastics, attended high school Salzwedel * Reinhard Jirgl (born 1953), writer, lived from 1953 to 1964 with grandparents in Salzwedel * Hermann Masius (1818–1893), educator, school teacher temporarily in Salzwedel * Siegfried Schneider (born 1946), politician, mayor and city manager of Salzwedel
Brooks Shane Salzwedel
(born 1978), American Artist descendent of Salzwedel, sharing the namesake.

International relations

Salzwedel is twinned with: *

Wesel Wesel () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel (district), Wesel district. Geography Wesel is situated at the confluence of the Lippe River and the Rhine. Division of the city Suburbs of Wesel i ...

, since 1990 * San Vito dei Normanni,

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, since 1990 *

Felixstowe Felixstowe ( ) is a port town and civil parish in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. The estimated population in 2017 was 24,521. The Port of Felixstowe is the largest Containerization, containe ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, since 1994

References

External links

* {{Authority control Towns in Saxony-Anhalt Salzwedel Altmarkkreis Salzwedel Holocaust locations in Germany