Rendsburg (, also ''Rensborg'', , also ''Rensborg'') is a town on the River Eider and the

Kiel Canal The Kiel Canal (, until 1948 called in German the ) is a fresh water canal that links the North Sea () to the Baltic Sea (). It runs through the Germany, German states of Germany, state of Schleswig-Holstein, from Brunsbüttel to the Holtenau di ...

in the central part of

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 the capital of the ''Kreis'' (district) of

Rendsburg-Eckernförde Rendsburg-Eckernförde (; ) is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by (from the east and clockwise) the city of Kiel, the district of Plön, the city of Neumünster, the districts of Segeberg, Steinburg, Dithmarschen and S ...

. , it had a population of 28,476.

History

Rendsburg's foundation date is unknown though some form of

fortification A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

s was established by Bjørn Svendsen 1099–1100. Rendsburg was first mentioned in 1199. An old form of its name was Reinoldesburch. It became a part of

Holstein Holstein (; ; ; ; ) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider (river), Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost States of Germany, state of Germany. Holstein once existed as the German County of Holstein (; 8 ...

in the 13th century, but was transferred to Schleswig in 1460. Many times the town passed from Danish to German control and vice versa. In the German-Danish War in 1864 Rendsburg was finally seized by

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 ...

and

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. After 1866 the town was annexed by the

. Since that time it has remained part of Germany. Although the Eider is navigable for small craft from its mouth on the

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

to Rendsburg, the town's importance rose in 1895, when the

was finished. The much larger ships that could navigate the Kiel Canal meant that, although situated inland, Rendsburg became a seaport and a dockyard.

Sights

The most prominent structure in town, the

Rendsburg High Bridge The Rendsburg High Bridge (, officially ''Eisenbahnhochbrücke Rendsburg'') is a viaduct, railway viaduct on the Neumünster–Flensburg railway, Neumünster–Flensburg line that also serves as a transporter bridge. The bridge crosses the Kiel C ...

, a railway bridge made of steel, in length and in height, was constructed in 1913 to take the

Neumünster–Flensburg railway The Neumünster Flensburg Railway is part of the Jutland line, the main north–south rail link through Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Together with the Husum–Kiel railway, line to Husum, which diverges in Jübek, and the Husum–Kiel railway, li ...

over the

from the relatively flat land on either side. It is the longest railway bridge in Europe (highway/rail bridge

Øresund Bridge The Øresund or Öresund Bridge is a combined List of road–rail bridges, railway and motorway cable-stayed bridge across the Øresund strait between Denmark and Sweden. It is the second longest bridge in Europe and combines both roadway and r ...

is longer): on the northern side, the bridge connects to the Rendsburg Loop to gain height and to allow trains to continue to serve the Rendsburg station. Suspended from the railway bridge, a transporter bridge – one of only twenty ever built – traverses the canal. The German Army's Air Defence School and the Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz are both located in Rendsburg. Other sights include: * Town hall, 16th century * Marienkirche (St. Mary's Church), 1286 * Kiel Canal Pedestrian Tunnel, longest pedestrian tunnel in the world * The longest bench in the world (501 m), on the banks of the Kiel Canal * Jewish Museum Rendsburg * Museums in the Cultural Centre (Historical Museum Rendsburg / Printing Museum)

Notable people

* Michael Maier (1568–1622), physician, counsellor to Rudolf II Habsburg * Jacob de Petersen (1622-1704) a Danish courtier, politician and diplomat. * Christian Scriver (1629–1693), Lutheran minister and devotional writer * Johann von Löwenstern-Kunckel (1630-1703), chemist, born near Rendsburg. *

Marquard Gude Marquard Gude (Gudius) (1 February 1635 – 26 November 1689) was a German archaeologist and classical scholar, most famous for his collection of Greek and Latin inscriptions. He was born at Rendsburg in Holstein, Germany. He was originally inten ...

(1635–1689), archaeologist and classical scholar. * Calmer Hambro (1747–1806), Danish merchant and banker * Bendix Frantz Ludwig Schow (1778–1839), the mayor of

Aabenraa Aabenraa (; , ; South Jutlandic: ''Affenråe'', also known as Åbenrå) is a town in Southern Denmark, at the head of the Aabenraa Fjord, an arm of the Little Belt, north of the Denmark–Germany border and north of German town of Flensburg. It ...

from 1805 to 1837. *

Theodor Mommsen Christian Matthias Theodor Mommsen (; ; 30 November 1817 – 1 November 1903) was a German classical scholar, historian, jurist, journalist, politician and archaeologist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest classicists of the 19th ce ...

(1817–1903), classical scholar, historian, jurist, journalist, politician and archaeologist; Germany's first Nobel Prize winner for literature, lived in Rendsburg for many years *Heinrich Adolph Leschen (1836–1916), father of gymnastics and pioneer of

physiotherapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is a healthcare profession, as well as the care provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through patient education, physical intervention, disease preventio ...

in South Australia * Marie Davids (1847–1905), painter * Eduard von Liebert (1850-1934), military officer, colonial administrator in German East Africa * Emil Jørgensen, (1858-1942), a Danish architect, * Dagmar Hjort (1860–1902), Danish schoolteacher, writer and women's rights activist * Otto Tetens (1865-1945), a German natural scientist with an

astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

background. * Ludwig Fahrenkrog (1867–1952), writer, playwright and artist * Gustav Kieseritzky (1893–1943), admiral during WWII * Hans Friedemann Götze (1897–1940), SS-Standartenführer in the German Waffen-SS * Otto Ebel von Sosen (1899–1974), musician, conductor and composer. * Hans Egon Holthusen (1913–1997), lyric poet, essayist, and literary scholar *

Hans Blohm Hans-Ludwig Blohm (November 12, 1927 – December 4, 2021) was a German-born Canadian photographer and author. Over three decades, he criss-crossed the Arctic regions of Canada and Alaska, capturing images and stories of the Inuit. He drove 16 t ...

(born 1927), photographer and author, in Canada *

Otto Bernhardt Otto Bernhardt (13 February 1942 in Rendsburg – 8 October 2021) was a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (Germany), CDU. Bernhardt had been a member of the Bundestag from 1998 until 2009. References External links Official ...

(born 1942), CDU politician *

Hartmut Lutz Hartmut Lutz (born April 26, 1945) is professor emeritus and former chair of American and Canadian studies: Anglophone literatures and cultures of North America at the University of Greifswald, Germany. He is the founder of the Institut für Anglis ...

(born 1945), professor of American and Canadian studies * Hanne Haller (1950–2005), pop singer, composer, writer, producer and sound engineer * Gerhard Delling (born 1959), journalist and author * Jost de Jager (born 1965) CDU politician * Philip Kraft (born 1969), fragrance chemist * Noah Wunsch (born 1970), painter, photographer and designer. * Mareike Wulf (born 1979), politician, has served in

Bundestag The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet (assembly), Diet") is the lower house of the Germany, German Federalism in Germany, federal parliament. It is the only constitutional body of the federation directly elected by the German people. The Bundestag wa ...

since 2021. * Gyde Jensen (born 1989), politician, has served in

since 2017.

Sport

* Hans-Ulrich Buchholz (born 1944), rower * Alexander Kühl (born 1973), basketball player * Patrik Borger (born 1979), football player and manager * Lauritz Schoof (born 1990), rower, Olympic team gold medallist at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

* Elisa Mevius (born 2004), basketball player, 3x3 Olympic gold medalist at the

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

Twin towns – sister cities

Rendsburg is twinned with: *

Aalborg Aalborg or Ålborg ( , , ) is Denmark's List of cities and towns in Denmark, fourth largest urban settlement (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an Urban area, urban populati ...

, Denmark (1976) *

Almere Almere () is a Planned community, planned List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Flevoland, Netherlands across the IJmeer fro ...

, Netherlands (2014) *

Haapsalu Haapsalu () is a seaside resort town located on the west coast of Estonia. It is the administrative centre of Lääne County, and on 1 January 2020 it had a population of 9,375. History The name ''Haapsalu'' derives from the Estonian words ' ...

, Estonia (1989) *

Kristianstad Kristianstad ( , ) is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Kristianstad Municipality, Scania County, Sweden with 41,198 inhabitants in 2023. Since the 1990s, the city has gone from being a garrison town to a developed commercial city, ...

, Sweden (1992) * Lancaster, England (1968) *

Racibórz County __NOTOC__ Racibórz County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland, on the Czech Republic, Czech border. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish loca ...

, Poland (2004) *

Rathenow Rathenow () is a town in the district of Havelland (district), Havelland in Brandenburg, in eastern Germany, with a population of 24,063 (2020). Overview The Protestant church of St. Marien Andreas, originally a basilica, and transformed to the Go ...

, Germany (1990) *

Skien Skien () is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the Norsjø area and Bø. The administrative ...

, Norway (1995) *

Vierzon Vierzon () is a Communes of France, commune in the Cher (department), Cher departments of France, department, Centre-Val de Loire, France. Geography A medium-sized town by the banks of the river Cher (river), Cher with some light industry and a ...

, France (1975)

References

External links

* {{Authority control Towns in Schleswig-Holstein Rendsburg-Eckernförde