Ahrensburg () is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
in the district of
Stormarn,
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sch ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. It is located northeast of
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
and is part of the
Hamburg Metropolitan Region
The Hamburg Metropolitan Region (German: Metropolregion Hamburg) is a metropolitan area centred around the city of Hamburg in northern Germany, consisting of eight districts (''Landkreise'') in the federal state of Lower Saxony, six districts ('' ...
. Its population is around 31,000. ''Schloss Ahrensburg'', the town's symbol, is a
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
castle dating from 1595.
Geography
Ahrensburg is situated in the ''Tunneltal'', in which
Alfred Rust
Alfred Rust (July 4, 1900 – August 14, 1983) was a German prehistoric archaeologist. Though self-taught, he became a pioneer in the study of the Hamburgian culture of the late Paleolithic, especially through his excavations in northern Germany.
...
excavated many items dating back to the
ice age
An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...
.
Ahrensburg is situated next to the
Autobahn
The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. ...
''A1'' and on the railway route between the Hanseatic cities of
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
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, postal ...
and
Lübeck.
History
Early history
The Ahrensburger ''Tunneltal'' is a place of numerous excavations from the Upper Paleolithic culture. The culture is called
Ahrensburg culture
The Ahrensburg culture or Ahrensburgian (c. 12,900 to 11,700 BP) was a late Upper Paleolithic nomadic hunter culture (or technocomplex) in north-central Europe during the Younger Dryas, the last spell of cold at the end of the Weichsel glaciatio ...
by archaeologists.
Middle Ages
The town dates back to the 13th Century, when the
Counts of Schauenburg founded the village of Woldenhorn (which later became the town of Ahrensburg) and the neighbouring villages Ahrensfelde, Meilsdorf and Beimoor. Woldenhorn is first mentioned in the year 1314. The village came into the possession of the
Cistercian
The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...
Reinfeld Abbey
Reinfeld Abbey (german: Kloster Reinfeld) was a Cistercian monastery in Reinfeld near Bad Oldesloe in Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany.
History
The monastery was founded in 1186 by monks from the Cistercian abbey of Loccum on a site given ...
in 1327, and Woldenhorn became the seat of the monastery
reeve
Reeve may refer to:
Titles
*Reeve (Canada), an elected chief executive of some counties, townships, and equivalents
*Reeve (England), an official elected annually by the serfs to supervise lands for a lord
*High-reeve, a title taken by some Englis ...
until the middle of the 16th century.
The "Arx Arnsburga", also called Arnesvelde castle, was built around the year 1200. Ruins of the castle are still visible in the Hagen forest to the south of the town. The town coat of arms shows the castle in the upper field. There are records of reeves based in the castle in 1295 and 1304. In 1326, Count
John III of Schauenburg had his reeve relocated to
Trittau and abandoned the castle.
Modern period
After the dissolution of the monasteries due to the
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
, the whole area came into the possession of the king of
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
. He rewarded his general
Daniel Rantzau
Daniel Rantzau (1529 – 11 November 1569) was a Danish-German general. He was known for his leadership during the Northern Seven Years' War. For some years, he fought in Germany and Italy, and also took part in the Danish conquest of Dithmarschen ...
1567 with lordship over these villages. His brother and heir Peter Rantzau built the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
Ahrensburg Palace in the form of a water castle, now the symbol of the town, and the castle church around 1595. The construction of almshouses directly by the church was exemplary.
The "Ahrensburg Estate" belonged to the so-called
Noble Estates, which possessed a large amount of freedom and self-administration.
The Rantzaus' estate was heavily indebted by the middle of the 18th century and, in 1759, was acquired by the businessman
Heinrich Carl von Schimmelmann
Heinrich Carl von Schimmelmann (13 July 1724 – 16 February 1782) was a German-born merchant, banker, nobleman, planter and politician. During the Seven Years' War, he speculated heavily on currency debasement in close association with his bu ...
. Schimmelmann remodelled the castle and village in the
baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
style and the current layout of the town reflects these plans.
On the 7 June 1867 the estate village Woldenhorn became an independent
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
n country community and renamed itself ''Ahrensburg'' after a decision by the community council. It belonged to the "Amt Ahrensburg", from which the "amtsfreie" community once more seceded in 1912.
The construction of the railway between
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
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, postal ...
and
Lübeck in the year 1865 made Ahrensburg a popular destination for outings outside Hamburg and the number of inhabitants increased. By 1910, the population had reached 2,750. The incorporation of various surrounding communities in the year 1928 led to an increase in the town area to about 5 km
2.
Building of the settlements "Daheim/Heimgarten" (partially on the territory of the current community of
Ammersbek
Ammersbek is a municipality in the district of Stormarn, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated approximately northwest of Ahrensburg, and northeast of Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 ...
) and "Am Hagen" (originally called "
Franz Seldte
Franz Seldte (29 June 18821 April 1947) was a German politician who served as the Reich Minister for Labour from 1933 to 1945.Stackelberg (2007). ''The Routledge Companion to Nazi Germany'', p. 243. Prior to his ministry, Seldte served as the ...
Settlement") commenced in 1933. The rush of settlers from around Hamburg lead to the creation of the current housing layout.
When Ahrensburg received
city rights
Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the tradition ...
in 1949, the town had some 17,775 inhabitants – around half of which were refugees from the former eastern German regions.
Erica Keck, who was elected mayor in 1950, became the first female elected mayor in Germany.
Religion
Ahrensburg was the seat of the Stormarn
Provost of the Lutheran church from 1823 until 1899.
Ahrensburg had a small
Jewish community until the beginning of the 1930s. The
Synagogue
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
was burnt down in the
Kristallnacht in 1938 during the period of
Nazism
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
. The Jewish
cemetery
A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...
(opened in 1822) can still be seen at the edge of town (Ahrensburg-West).
Politics
Since the local election on 26 May 2013, the town council is made up as follows:
Twin towns – sister cities
Ahrensburg is
twinned with:
*
Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain
*
Feldkirchen in Kärnten, Austria
*
Ludwigslust, Germany
*
Viljandi
Viljandi (, german: Fellin, sv, Fellin) is a town and municipality in southern Estonia with a population of 17,407 in 2019. It is the capital of Viljandi County and is geographically located between two major Estonian cities, Pärnu and Tartu ...
, Estonia
Honorary citizen
* 1965 –
Alfred Rust
Alfred Rust (July 4, 1900 – August 14, 1983) was a German prehistoric archaeologist. Though self-taught, he became a pioneer in the study of the Hamburgian culture of the late Paleolithic, especially through his excavations in northern Germany.
...
, (1900–1983),
archeologist
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts ...
, controversial because of his membership in the NS-group
Ahnenerbe
Notable people
*
Waldemar Bonsels
Waldemar Bonsels (21 February 1880 in Ahrensburg – 31 July 1952 in Ambach, Münsing) was a German writer.
Waldemar Bonsels's most famous work is the children's book ''Die Biene Maja und ihre Abenteuer'' (''Maya the Bee and her Adventures ...
(1880–1952), author of '' Maya the Bee and her adventures ''
*
Jonathan Meese
Jonathan Meese (born January 23, 1970 in Tokyo) is a German painter, sculptor, performance artist and installation artist based in Berlin and Hamburg. Meese's (often multi-media) works include paintings, collages, drawings and writing. He also d ...
(born 1970), artist, grew up in Ahrensburg, attended the Stormarn School and lives in Ahrensburg
*
Stacie Ahrens (born 1971), artist, author
* Christian Bass (born 1978), writer, photographer, poet
Personalities who are associated with the city
*
Dagmar Berghoff
Dagmar Berghoff (born 25 January 1943) is a German radio and television presenter. Originally an actress, she became known as a reader of the evening news for ARD (broadcaster), ARD.
Biography
The Berlin-born Berghoff moved with her family to ...
(born 1943), television presenter and actress
*
Wolfgang Kieling
Wolfgang Kieling (16 March 1924 – 7 October 1985) was a German actor.
Biography
In films since childhood in his native Germany, Kieling appeared in a few American films, notably in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Torn Curtain'' (1966), where he played ...
(1924–1987), actor
*
Hellmuth von Mücke
Hellmuth von Mücke (21 June 1881 – 30 July 1957) was an Officer of the Kaiserliche Marine, the navy of the German Empire, in the early 20th century and World War I.
Early life
Mücke was born on 21 June 1881 in Zwickau, Saxony. He was a son ...
(1881–1957), naval officer, politician and writer
*
Benedikt Pliquett
Benedikt Pliquett (born 20 December 1984) is a German former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) ...
(born 1984), goalkeeper
*
Christian Tümpel
Christian Tümpel (1937–2009) was a German art historian active in the Netherlands.
Tümpel was born in Bielefeld. He first studied theology and philosophy before continuing his education at Heidelberg in art history and archeology, receiving h ...
(1937–2009), university lecturer, theologian and art historian in
Nijmegen
Nijmegen (;; Spanish and it, Nimega. Nijmeegs: ''Nimwèège'' ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and tenth largest of the Netherlands as a whole, located on the Waal river close to the German border. It is about 6 ...
*
Daniela Ziegler
Daniela Ziegler (born September 5, 1948) is a German actress and singer.
Biography
After studying acting at the Schauspielschule Bochum, she had engagements in Trier, at the Deutsches Theater in Göttingen, at the State Theatre in Hanover, and ...
(born 1948), actress
*
Axel Zwingenberger
Axel Zwingenberger (born 7 May 1955) is a German blues and boogie-woogie pianist and songwriter.
Biography
Zwingenberger was born in Hamburg, West Germany, and enjoyed eleven years of classical piano training. After listening to recordings by pi ...
(born 1955), boogie-woogie pianist
References
External links
evj-ahrensburg.de*
Schloss Ahrensburgahrensburg.wiki
{{Authority control
Towns in Schleswig-Holstein
Stormarn (district)
Holocaust locations in Germany