Lunden is a municipality in the district of
Dithmarschen
Dithmarschen (, ; archaic English: ''Ditmarsh''; ; ) is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Nordfriesland, Schleswig-Flensburg, Rendsburg-Eckernförde, and Steinburg, by the ...
, in
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...
,
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 situated on the
Eider river, about 16 km north of
Heide. It is part of the ''
Amt Kirchspielslandgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") of
Eider.
The first written mention of Lunden is by the Archbishop of Bremen and dates back as early as 1140. The place name probably comes from the Danish "Lunn" (island-like survey) or "Lund"(little forest).
In 1513, a
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
Friary
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which may ...
was constructed in Lunden, fulfilling a vow made by the Dithmarscher soldiers at the
Battle of Hemmingstedt in 1500 to donate a monastery in honor of
Mary of Nazareth if they won the battle.
On 27 February 1529 Lunden was granted a town charter by the National Assembly of Dithmarschen. In 1559, after the peasants' republic in Dithmarschen was defeated by Denmark, this right was lost.
From 1806 to 1816, the famous Lutheran theologian
Claus Harms served as pastor of Lunden.
Lunden is twinned with the town of
Romford
Romford is a large List of places in London, town in east London, east London, England, located northeast of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Havering, the town is one of the major Metropolitan centres of London, metropolitan centr ...
in London.
References
Dithmarschen
{{Dithmarschen-geo-stub