Stadthagen () is the capital of the district of

Schaumburg Schaumburg is a district (''Landkreis'') of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by (clockwise from the north) the districts of Nienburg, Hanover and Hameln-Pyrmont, and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (districts of Lippe and Minden-Lübb ...

, in

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 is situated approximately 20 km east of

Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the largest town in population between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district () of Minden-Lübbecke, situated in the cultural region ...

and 40 km west of

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

. The city consists of the districts Brandenburg, Enzen-Hobbensen, Hörkamp-Langenbruch, Krebshagen, Obernwöhren, Probsthagen, Reinsen and Wendthagen-Ehlen. Earlier, there were also the districts Habichhorst, Bruchhof, Blyinghausen, Enzen and Hobbensen. Stadthagen 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 ...

History

Count Adolf III 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 ...

created a new settlement at the foot of the

Bückeberg The Bückeberg (; also the Bückeberge) is a small hill range, up to high, in the Calenberg Uplands between the Harrl and the Deister in central Germany, and is often considered part of the Weser Uplands. It lies in the district of Schaum ...

around 1224. Its site near the Hellweg route testifies to his strategic and commercial wisdom. After the successful clearances of the Dülwald forest around 1224, a new settlement by the name of ''indago comitis'' (the count's enclosure - the same name as The Hague) was first recorded in 1244 when it was described as a city and

fort 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 La ...

. In 1287 the town changed its name to Grevenalveshagen (Count Adolf's enclosure) and it finally acquired its current name of Stadthagen in 1378. Further highlights of the town's early history are the acquisition of the town seal in 1320 and the bestowal of the privileges of a town in 1344. Around 1400 stone fortifications were erected. The surviving remnants of these include the tower at the Cattle Market, a small tower at the Castle, and sections of the town wall. In 1501 coal mining began nearby, and lasted until 1961. In 1559 the resident Count

Otto IV Otto IV (1175 – 19 May 1218) was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1209 until his death in 1218. Otto spent most of his early life in England and France. He was a follower of his uncle Richard the Lionheart, who made him Count of Poitou in 1196 ...

introduced the Lutheran denomination. His predecessor Count Adolf XI had commissioned the current castle from architect Jörg Unkair of Tübingen. It was built between 1534 and 1538 on the site of the previous castle, and is one of the most notable examples of an Early Renaissance castle in Lower Saxony. The official entrance was built in 1553 at the then Upper Gate. In 1607 Prince Ernst of

moved his residence from Stadthagen to Bückeburg. The year 1609 saw the erection of the count's mausoleum at the back of the St Martini church, a domed

heptagon In geometry, a heptagon or septagon is a seven-sided polygon or 7-gon. The heptagon is sometimes referred to as the septagon, using ''Wikt:septa-, septa-'' (an elision of ''Wikt:septua-, septua-''), a Latin-derived numerical prefix, rather than ...

with a famous resurrection group by

Adriaen de Vries Adriaen de Vries (c.1556–1626) was a Northern Mannerist sculptor born in the Netherlands but working in Central Europe, whose international style crossed the threshold to the Baroque; he excelled in refined modelling and bronze casting and ...

. The grammar school of 1610 was elevated to the status of a university in 1620, although this soon moved to Rinteln. About 1700, at the ducal court of Hanover, in the presence of the

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

, the

dowager duchess A dowager is a widow or widower who holds a title or property – a "dower" – derived from her or his deceased spouse. As an adjective, ''dowager'' usually appears in association with monarchical and aristocratic titles. In popular usage, the no ...

, the princes, clergy, and all the distinguished personages of the city, Landesrabbiner Joseph Stadthagen (born in

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

about 1645, died in Stadthagen in 1715), disputed against the conversionist purposes of Eliezer Edzard, who had been the instigator of the disputation. The rabbi refuted all the arguments of Edzard from

Jewish Scripture The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. ''

Midrash ''Midrash'' (;"midrash"
. ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. ; or ''midrashot' ...

and under full approval of the court declined to answer under oath the question as to which religion was the best: "We condemn no creed based upon the belief in the Creator of heaven and earth. We believe what we have been taught; let the Christians adhere to what they have been taught". The first drains were installed in the Upper and Lower Streets in 1825. In 1847 the building of the Hanover–Minden railway line commenced, and the current station was built. In 1864 the first street lighting, in the form of lanterns directed at the street, was installed. There followed gas lighting in 1899 and electric lighting in 1955. At the end of the 19th century work commenced to change the rampart area into a park with trees. The

Free State of Schaumburg-Lippe The Free State of Schaumburg-Lippe () was created following the abdication of Prince Adolf II of the Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe on 15 November 1918, following the German Revolution. It was a state in Germany during the Weimar Republic ...

was founded after the end of the monarchy in 1918. As in many German towns, on 9 November 1938, the "

Kristallnacht ( ) or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from the Hitler Youth and German civilia ...

", the Nazis burnt down the synagogue of the Jewish community in the Lower Street, which had been built in 1857. Immediately afterwards, Jewish citizens were excluded from public life and society. Thus the store of Elias Lion was " aryanised" after numerous boycotts and taken over by Thomas (today the Hagemeyer store). During World War II the RAF bombed the city twice at night. Two bombs fell behind city hall, and six bombs parallel to Windmuehlenstrasse. On 9 April 1945 the town was captured without opposition by American troops, and thus escaped war damage. In 1948 Stadthagen became the administrative centre of the newly formed district of Schaumburg-Lippe and in 1977 of the new district of Schaumburg. The population of Stadthagen increased to 23,000 in 1973 due to the amalgamation with surrounding communities under the local government reform. Subsequently, in 1982, the town's new administrative centre was built on the site of the former town brewery. Between 1980 and 1990 the streets in the town centre were converted to

pedestrian zone Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town restricted to use by people on foot or ...

Population development

Notable people

Anton Friedrich Büsching Anton Friedrich Büsching (27 September 172428 May 1793) was a German geographer, historian, educator and theologian. His ''Erdbeschreibung'' ("Earth description") was the first geographical work of any scientific merit. He also did significant w ...

(1724–1793), geographer, historian, theologian, pedagogue and biographer. * Rudolf Westphal (1826–1892), classical scholar, died locally. * Marie Kreft (1876–1963), politician *

Adolf II, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe Adolf II (23 February 1883 – 26 March 1936) was the last ruler of the small Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe in northwestern Germany from 29 April 1911 until his abdication on 15 November 1918. Adolf was the eldest son of Georg, Prince of Scha ...

(1883–1936), the last ruler of

Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe Schaumburg-Lippe, also called Lippe-Schaumburg, was created as a county in 1647, became a principality in 1807 and a free state in 1918, and was until 1946 a small state in Germany, located in the present-day state of Lower Saxony, with its capi ...

, 1911 to 1918. *

Wolrad, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe Ernst Wolrad, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe (19 April 1887 – 15 June 1962) was head of the Princely House of Schaumburg-Lippe. Biography He was born at Stadthagen, the fourth son of Georg, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe and his wife, Princess Marie ...

(1887–1962), head of the House of

Schaumburg-Lippe Schaumburg-Lippe, also called Lippe-Schaumburg, was created as a county in 1647, became a principality in 1807 and a free state in 1918, and was until 1946 a small state in Germany, located in the present-day state of Lower Saxony, with its capi ...

, 1936 to 1962 *

Werner Schwier Werner Schwier (born 28 May 1921 in Stadthagen; died 3 May 1982 in Munich) was a German actor, voice actor, and television presenter. Career Werner Schwier made a name for himself in silent films on German television. On 14 May 1961 to September ...

(1921–1982), lawyer, actor and presenter of the ARD television series ''"Es darf gelacht werden"'' *

Peter Schilling Peter Schilling (born Pierre Michael Schilling; 28 January 1956) is a German synthpop musician whose songs often feature science-fiction themes like aliens, astronauts and catastrophes. He is best-known for his 1983 hit single " Major Tom (Comi ...

(1939–2017), synthpop musician; 1983 hit single ''

Major Tom (Coming Home) "Major Tom (Coming Home)" (, ) is a new wave song written and sung by German musician Peter Schilling. It was released in 1983 as the lead single from his album '' Error in the System''. Featuring the story of a character unofficially related t ...

'' *

Erik Spiekermann Erik Spiekermann (born 30 May 1947) is a German typographer, designer and writer. He is an honorary professor at the University of the Arts Bremen and ArtCenter College of Design. Biography Spiekermann studied art history at Berlin's Free Uni ...

(born 1947), designer, typographer, writer and author *

Katja Flint Katja Flint (born 11 November 1959 in Stadthagen, Lower Saxony) is a German actress. She has appeared in over 100 film and television productions since 1982. Among her more notable roles is Marlene Dietrich in the film biopic '' Marlene'' (200 ...

(born 1959), film actress * Vanessa Hegelmaier (born 1987), model

Sport

Jutta Heine Judith Heine (; born 16 September 1940) is a retired West German sprinter who competed at two Olympic Games.. Biography Heine competed in the 200 metres and 4 × 100 metres relay events at the 1960 and 1964 Olympics and won two silver medals ...

(born 1940), sprinter; won two silver medals at the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad () and commonly known as Rome 1960 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 25 August to 11 September 1960 in Rome, Italy. Rome had previously been awar ...

Detlev Dammeier Detlev Dammeier (born 18 October 1968) is a German football coach and a former player who was the athletic director of Arminia Bielefeld from 20 March 2008 to 30 March 2010. Playing career Dammeier was born in Stadthagen, in the Schaumburg La ...

(born 1968), football coach and a former player, played 520 games * Marco Schikora (born 1994), footballer who has played over 270 games *

Timo Kastening Timo Kastening (born 25 June 1995) is a German handball player for MT Melsungen and the Germany men's national handball team, German national team. He represented Germany at the 2020 European Men's Handball Championship and the 2021 World Men's ...

(born 1995), handball player, played 52 games for

Germany men's national handball team The Germany national handball team is the country's national men's handball team and represents Germany in international tournaments in men's handball and is one of the most successful handball teams in the world, having ...

References

External links