
Bad Gandersheim (
Eastphalian: ''Ganderssen'') is a town in southern
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...
,
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 ...
, located in the district of
Northeim
Northeim (; ) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, seat of the Northeim (district), district of Northeim, with a population of 30,118 as of 31 December 2023. It lies on the German Half-Timbered House Road.
History
Northeim is first mentioned in ...
. , it had a population of 9,492.
Bad Gandersheim has many half-timbered houses and is located on the
German Timber-Frame Road
The German Timber-Frame Road () is a German tourist route leading from the river Elbe in the north to the Black Forest and Lake Constance in the south. Numerous cities and towns each with examples of the vernacular Timber framing, timber-framed ho ...
(). The town contains an
airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...
as well.
Geography
The town of Bad Gandersheim lies between the
Leine Uplands
The Leine Uplands (, ) is a region in Germany's Central Uplands which forms a part of the Lower Saxon Hills and lies along the River Leine between Göttingen and Hanover. It borders on the Weser Uplands in the west, the Innerste Uplands in th ...
, Weser Uplands, and Harz Foreland in the valley of the
Gande River, into which its tributary, the Eterna, empties within the town's territory. To the north lies the
Heber Ridge. The borough is predominantly hilly. The
Harz Mountains
The Harz (), also called the Harz Mountains, is a Mittelgebirge, highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The nam ...
begin about east of the town, and to the west is the
Leine Graben ().
Borough divisions
The borough of Bad Gandersheim consists of the following subdivisions based on the surrounding villages:
History
The town dates back to 852, when
Gandersheim Abbey
Gandersheim Abbey () is a former house of secular canonesses ( Frauenstift) in the present town of Bad Gandersheim in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was founded in 852 by Count Liudolf of Saxony and his wife, Oda, progenitors of the Liudolfing or Ot ...
, a house of secular canonesses, was created in nearby Brunshausen by
Liudolf, Duke of Saxony
Liudolf ( – 11/12 March 866) was a Carolingian office bearer and count in the Duchy of Saxony from about 844 until his death in 866. The ruling Liudolfing house, also known as the Ottonian dynasty, is named after him; he is its oldest verified ...
and his wife Oda. The first
abbey church
A church, church building, church house, or chapel is a building used for Christian worship services and Christian activities. The earliest identified Christian church is a house church founded between 233 AD and 256 AD.
''Church'' is also ...
() in the town proper was begun in 856. In 990 the abbey received the market and tax rights. During the 10th century, Gandersheim was one of the most important towns of
Saxony
Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...
; the first German poet
Hrosvit (Roswitha) lived and worked here until 973. In 1159 Gandersheim was first mentioned as a town.
When a mineral spring was discovered in 1240,
Pope Gregory IX
Pope Gregory IX (; born Ugolino di Conti; 1145 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and the ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decretales'' and instituting the Pa ...
initiated the erection of the
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...
hospital. Around 1330, the
Dukes of Brunswick
The Duchy of Brunswick () was a historical German state that ceased to exist in 1918. Its capital was the city of Brunswick (). It was established as the successor state of the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel by the Congress of Vienna ...
built a castle as a secular counterbalance to the abbey church. This building serves today as the magistrates' court and youth correctional facility.
In the late 19th century, the town began to become known for the curative powers of its mineral springs, and in 1932 Gandersheim received the official right to call itself a
spa town
A spa town is a resort town based on a mineral spa (a developed mineral spring). Patrons visit spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits.
Thomas Guidott set up a medical practice in the English town of Bath, Somerset, Ba ...
, thus ''Bad'' Gandersheim, on account of these springs.
In the summer of 1926 there was a three-day "
Roswitha Memorial Celebration in 1000-year old Gandersheim". This was the first time the medieval author was used as a symbolic figure for the town. Similar celebrations took place in 1930 and 1933; these had clear national-socialist themes: "German Culture" versus "Jewish-Communist Decadence."
During World War 2, from October 1944 to April 1945, the town was the site of a subcamp of the Buchenwald Concentration Camp that produced aircraft parts.
In 1952, the town celebrated the 1100-year jubilee of the founding of the monastery by Liudolf. A history play, ''The Song of Gandersheim,'' was presented in the market square. This was the unofficial prelude to the summer festival ''
Gandersheimer Domfestspiele
Gandersheimer Domfestspiele is a theatre festival in Germany. Festival takes place every year from mid-June to mid-August in the spa town of Bad Gandersheim in southern Lower Saxony. The largest open-air theater in Lower Saxony is one of the most ...
'', which has been presented yearly on the plaza in front of the abbey church since 1959. Since this time, it has established itself as Lower Saxony's largest professional summer theatre festival. In 2006, its four major productions were attended by approximately 55,000 theatre visitors.
In 2004, Klaus Weineck established Weineck Engineering, which produced the
Weineck Cobra from 2006-2011. The engineering firm, produced 15 cars before going bankrupt do to lack of orders for the car.
Mayors
*1968–1970: Hans-Dieter Gottschalk (1932–2005)
*1974–1986: Heinz Köhler (1919–2010)
*1986–1991: Uwe Schwarz (SPD)
*1991–1996: Rudolf Hermes (CDU)
*1996–2001: Uwe Schwarz (SPD)
*2001–2014: Heinz-Gerhard Ehmen (independent)
*2014-incumbent: Franziska Schwarz (SPD)
Twin towns
Bad Gandersheim is
twinned with:
*
Rotselaar
Rotselaar () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of Flemish Brabant, Flemish-Brabant, near the convergence of the Demer and the Dijle. Since 1 January 1977 the municipality comprises the towns of ...
,
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
*
Skegness
Skegness ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey District of Lincolnshire, England. On the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, the town is east of Lincoln and north-east of Boston. With a population of 21,128 as of 2021 ...
,
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 ...

Notable residents
*
Hrotsvitha
Hrotsvitha (–973) was a secular canoness who wrote drama and Christian poetry under the Ottonian dynasty. She was born in Bad Gandersheim to Saxon nobles and entered Gandersheim Abbey as a canoness. She is considered the first female writer ...
(c. 935–973), secular canoness who wrote drama and Christian poetry
*
Wilhelm Keitel
Wilhelm Bodewin Johann Gustav Keitel (; 22 September 188216 October 1946) was a German field marshal who held office as chief of the (OKW), the high command of Nazi Germany's armed forces, during World War II. He signed a number of criminal ...
(1882–1946), field marshal of Nazi Germany, executed for war crimes
*
Bodewin Keitel (1888–1953), general, brother of Wilhelm Keitel
*
Herbert Otto Gille (1897–1966), general of the Waffen-SS
*
Wolfgang Liebe (1911–2005), an aircraft engineer, aerodynamics, inventor of the
wing fence
A wing is a type of fin that produces both lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-drag ratio, which compares the bene ...
*
Wolfgang Schöne (born 1940), a bass-baritone in opera and concert.
External links
*
References
{{Authority control
Northeim (district)
Spa towns in Germany
Duchy of Brunswick