The ''Münchhausenstadt'' Bodenwerder is a municipality in

Holzminden district Holzminden () is a districts of Germany, district in Lower Saxony, Germany, with the town of Holzminden as its administrative capital. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Hamelin-Pyrmont, Hildesheim (district), Hildesh ...

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 ...

. It lies on the river

Weser The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports o ...

and is best known as the birthplace and residence of Baron von Münchhausen.

Geography

Bodenwerder is located in the

. It lies on the river Weser, upstream from

Hamelin Hameln ( ; ) is a town on the river Weser in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Hameln-Pyrmont and has a population of roughly 57,000. Hamelin is best known for the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. History Hameln ...

, at a point where the river has carved a gap in the hills.

History

The settlement was first granted the status of a town in 1287 by Ritter Heinrich II von Homburg. There was already an important bridge over the river here in 1289, which connected Hameln-Paderborn to Einbeck-Frankfurt. Around 1340 one of the Homburg Bodos was Lord of the Manor and originated a planned town with walls and towers. From him derives the town's name, which means "Bodo's Eyot". In 1750, Baron von Münchhausen, who was born in Bodenwerder, retired to his estate here and told his famous stories to his friends. He died in 1797 and is buried here. His house was acquired by the town in 1935 and was used as the town hall; a room containing a Münchhausen museum was added.

Transportation

Train services were suspended in 1982.

Arts and culture

The Münchhausen prize for entertainment is awarded in May each year.

Attractions

The Münchhausen museum and monument as well as his grave in the monastery church of ' are notable tourist attractions. There is also a Gothic church, . The town is surrounded by the remains of medieval fortifications.

Government

Bodenwerder is also the seat of the ''

Samtgemeinde A (, ; plural: ''Samtgemeinden'') is a type of administrative division in Lower Saxony, Germany. ''Samtgemeinden'' are local government associations of Municipalities of Germany, municipalities, equivalent to the ''Amt (administrative division) ...

'' ("collective municipality") Bodenwerder-Polle.

Notable people

* Jonatan Briel, (1942–1988), writer, film director and screenwriter, founded the '' Jugendfilmstudio Holzminden '' in 1962 (Youth film studio) * Karl Friedrich Hieronymus, Freiherr von Münchhausen (1720–1797), known as

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

Münchhausen

References

External links

Municipal website
{{Authority control Towns in Lower Saxony Holzminden (district)