Creuzburg is a town and a former municipality on the
Werra
The Werra (), a river in central Germany, is the right-bank headwater of the Weser. "Weser" is a synonym in an old dialect of German. The Werra has its source near Eisfeld in southern Thuringia. After the Werra joins the river Fulda in the t ...
river in the
Wartburgkreis
Wartburgkreis is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the west of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise) the districts Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis, Gotha, Schmalkalden-Meiningen, and the districts Fulda, Hersfeld-Rotenburg and Wer ...
in
Thuringia
Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million.
Erfurt is the capital and larg ...
,
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 ...
. Since December 2019, it is part of the town
Amt Creuzburg.
Geography
Creuzburg is in the area known as the
Muschelkalk
The Muschelkalk (German for "shell-bearing limestone"; french: calcaire coquillier) is a sequence of sedimentary rock strata (a lithostratigraphic unit) in the geology of central and western Europe. It has a Middle Triassic (240 to 230 million ye ...
. Three mountains, ''Wisch, Wallstieg'' and ''Ebenauer Köpfe'' are near the town.
Nearby towns include
Treffurt
Treffurt () is a small town in the western region of the Wartburgkreis district which belongs to the federal state of Thuringia. The former municipality Ifta was merged into Treffurt in January 2019. The town lies near the Werra and is surrounded ...
and
Eisenach
Eisenach () is a town in Thuringia, Germany with 42,000 inhabitants, located west of Erfurt, southeast of Kassel and northeast of Frankfurt. It is the main urban centre of western Thuringia and bordering northeastern Hessian regions, situat ...
.
History
With a history going back over 1,000 years, Creuzburg is one of the oldest towns in Thuringia. Hill graves in the area of the city demonstrate a settlement beginning at least as early as
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippin ...
times. The beginnings of the settlement on what became the site of the castle are a result of its position on a major crossroads. The old West-East trade route met at the Werra with the trade route from the south. In the 10th and 11th Centuries, the region was under control of the
Fulda Abbey
The Abbey of Fulda (German ''Kloster Fulda'', Latin ''Abbatia Fuldensis''), from 1221 the Princely Abbey of Fulda (''Fürstabtei Fulda'') and from 1752 the Prince-Bishopric of Fulda (''Fürstbistum Fulda''), was a Order of Saint Benedict, Benedicti ...
.
![Creuzburg werrabruecke2 20051009](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Creuzburg_werrabruecke2_20051009.jpg)
In 1137, the city came under control of the Thuringian
Ludowinger dynasty. Landgrave
Ludwig I
en, Louis Charles Augustus
, image = Joseph Karl Stieler - King Ludwig I in his Coronation Robes - WGA21796.jpg
, caption = Portrait by Joseph Stieler, 1825
, succession=King of Bavaria
, reign =
, coronation ...
acquired it in exchange for a portion of the lands he held in
Hesse
Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major histor ...
. Recognizing the strategic and economic importance of the area, his successors made improvements to the area. Landgrave
Hermann I began the construction of the castle on the mountain and allowed the many farmers in the area to build the settlement at the base of the mountain. In 1213, Creuzburg was established as a city. A coat of arms was established and a defensive wall was built. The nearby town of Scherbda, which now is part of Creuzburg, was first mentioned as a settlement around a fief in 1229.
The most prosperous time in Creuzburg was during the reign of Landgrave
Ludwig IV, the Holy, and his son
Hermann II. After the wedding of Ludwig with the daughter of the King of
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
,
Elisabeth, who is now known as St.
Elisabeth of Hungary
Elizabeth of Hungary (german: Heilige Elisabeth von Thüringen, hu, Árpád-házi Szent Erzsébet, sk, Svätá Alžbeta Uhorská; 7 July 1207 – 17 November 1231), also known as Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia, or Saint Elisabeth of Thuringia, ...
, Creuzburg Castle became the second residence of the Thuringian Landgraves (after the
Wartburg
The Wartburg () is a castle originally built in the Middle Ages. It is situated on a precipice of to the southwest of and overlooking the town of Eisenach, in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It was the home of St. Elisabeth of Hungary, the p ...
). Many festivals were celebrated during this time, and the children of the couple were born in the castle. Ludwig redecorated the castle and built the first stone bridge across the Werra to secure the trade route. Before he left for the
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...
in 1227, he bade farewell to his subjects in a major assembly of the Thuringian nobles in the castle.
![Creuzburg kirche 20051009](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Creuzburg_kirche_20051009.jpg)
Ludwig never returned. His brother
Heinrich Raspe
Henry Raspe (; – 16 February 1247) was the Landgrave of Thuringia from 1231 until 1239 and again from 1241 until his death. In 1246, with the support of the Papacy, he was elected King of Germany in opposition to Conrad IV, but his contested ...
acted as regent during the childhood of Ludwig's son, Hermann II. Elisabeth left Thuringia and moved back to the Hessian lands, where she later died in
Marburg
Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approximate ...
. Upon reaching adulthood, Hermann began his reign as Landgrave of Thuringia and Hesse. Castle remained his residence until his sudden death at the age of 18. His uncle and successor Heinrich Raspe used only the Wartburg as his residence. This, for the city of Creuzburg, as well as the castle, was the end of their times of prosperity. The town sank into economic and cultural anonymity in the following centuries.
Within the
German Empire
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
(1871–1918), Creuzburg was part of the
Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (german: Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach) was a historical German state, created as a duchy in 1809 by the merger of the Ernestine duchies of Saxe-Weimar and Saxe-Eisenach, which had been in personal union since 1741. It was raised ...
.
Tourism
![Creuzburg 01 n](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Creuzburg_01_n.jpg)
The Creuzburg Castle, which was a residence of the
Ludowing dynasty and a favorite visiting place of
St. Elisabeth of Hungary, is one of the top sightseeing destinations. Creuzburg also boasts the oldest bridges north of the Main.
Economy
Beside several hotels and restaurants Creuzburg is also the head office of the Pollmeier Massivholz GmbH & CO. KG. The company is the largest and most efficient hardwood sawmill worldwide.
Transportation
The
B 7 highway from
Kassel
Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020 ...
to
Eisenach
Eisenach () is a town in Thuringia, Germany with 42,000 inhabitants, located west of Erfurt, southeast of Kassel and northeast of Frankfurt. It is the main urban centre of western Thuringia and bordering northeastern Hessian regions, situat ...
goes through Creuzburg.
Famous residents
*
Ludwig IV of Thuringia
Louis IV the Saint (german: Ludwig IV. der Heilige; 28 October 1200 – 11 September 1227), a member of the Ludovingian dynasty, was Landgrave of Thuringia and Saxon Count palatine from 1217 until his death. He was the husband of Elizabeth o ...
(1200–1227), Count of Thuringia
*
St. Elisabeth of Hungary (1207–1231), wife of Ludwig IV
*
Hermann II, Landgrave of Thuringia
Hermann II (28 March 1222 in Creuzburg – 3 January 1241) was the Landgrave of Thuringia and the son of Louis IV, Landgrave of Thuringia, and Saint Elizabeth of Hungary.
Life
With Louis's death in 1227, his brother Henry Raspe assumed the re ...
(1222–1241)
*
Sophie
Sophie is a version of the female given name Sophia, meaning "wise".
People with the name Born in the Middle Ages
* Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson
* Sophie of Thuringia, Duchess o ...
(1224–1275), married 1240 with
Henry II Duke of Brabant
* Johannes Rothe (1360–1434), a major Thuringian chronicler
*
Michael Praetorius
Michael Praetorius (probably 28 September 1571 – 15 February 1621) was a German composer, organist, and music theorist. He was one of the most versatile composers of his age, being particularly significant in the development of musical forms ba ...
(1571–1621), composer and music writer
* William Knabe (1803-1864), piano builder
Honorary citizen
*
Monika Harms
Monika Harms (born 29 September 1946 in Berlin) is a German lawyer. She has served as Attorney General of Germany from 2006-2011.
Early life and education
Harms was born in Berlin on September 29, 1946. After completing the Abitur in Frankfurt am ...
(born 1946), general attorney, appointed on 5 February 2010 as honorary citizen for her services to the reorganization of the Liboriuskapelle
Other people related to Creuzburg
Personalities who have spent part of their lives in Creuzburg, or have died in Creuzburg
*
Bonifatius
Bonifatius (or Bonifacius; also known as Count Boniface; died 432) was a Roman general and governor of the diocese of Africa. He campaigned against the Visigoths in Gaul and the Vandals in North Africa. An ally of Galla Placidia, mother and adv ...
(672/673-754), Benedictine monk, first missionary in the Creuzburg region
*
Johann Philip Bachmann (1762–1837)
*
Harry Domela, (1904/1905-died after 1977), alias '' Baron Korff '', incognito-traveling '' Prince Wilhelm of Prussia '', adventurer and impostor, was in the summer of 1926 several weeks of the town's honor and was courted on the Creuzburg.
*
Alexander Rödiger
Alexander Rödiger (born 14 May 1985) is a German bobsledder who has competed since 2006. He won a silver medal in the four-man event at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Rödiger also won a silver medal in the four-man event at the FIBT Wo ...
(born 1985), bobsleigh from Scherbda, silver medalists at the
Olympic Winter Games 2010.
Literature
*Rainer Schill, Astrid Thiel: ''Creuzburg an der Werra: Bilder aus vergangenen Tagen''. Geiger-Verlag,
*Rat der Stadt Creuzburg (Hg.): ''Creuzburg. 775 Jahre Stadt Creuzburg. 1213-1988. Aus der Geschichte der Stadt.'' Druckerei Fortschritt Erfurt, 1988.
*Horst Schmidt, Hans-Henning Walter: ''Creuzburg - Geschichte des Creuzburger Salzwerks''. Eisenacher Schriften zur Heimatkunde 39. Eisenach, 1988.
References
External links
* http://www.creuzburg-online.de Fremdenverkehrsverein Creuzburg e.V. ''(German)''
* https://web.archive.org/web/20061020223457/http://www.geschichte-wak.de/creuzburg.htm Town History ''(German)''
* http://www.creuzburg-werra.de Private Page About Creuzburg ''(German)''
* https://web.archive.org/web/20070928043751/http://www.dirk-oberschelp.de/creuzburg.htm Photo Gallery ''(German)''
* https://web.archive.org/web/20061019032722/http://www.360creuzburg.de/ 360 Degree Views ''(German)''
* http://www.pollmeier.com
{{Authority control
Wartburgkreis
Former municipalities in Thuringia