Gardelegen (; nds, Garlä) is a town in
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of
and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it th ...
,
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 situated on the right bank of the
Milde, 20 m. W. from
Stendal
The Hanseatic City of Stendal () is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is the capital of the Stendal District and the unofficial capital of the Altmark region.
Geography
Situated west of the Elbe valley, the Stendal town centre is located s ...
, on the main line of railway
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
-
Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
.
History
Gardelegen has a Roman Catholic and three Evangelical churches, a hospital, founded in 1285, and a high-grade school. There are considerable manufactures, notably agricultural machinery and buttons, and its beer has a great reputation.
Gardelegen was founded in the 10th century (first named 1196). The castle ''Isenschnibbe'' was owned by the
House of Alvensleben
The House of Alvensleben is an ancient, Low German (''niederdeutsch'') noble family from the Altmark region, whose earliest known member, ''Wichard de Alvensleve'', is first mentioned in 1163 as a ministerialis of the Bishopric of Halberstadt. The ...
from 1378 until 1857. On the neighboring heath
Margrave Louis I. of Brandenburg gained, in 1343, a victory over Otto the Mild of Brunswick. In 1358 Gardelegen became a city of the
Hanse
The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label= Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German ...
. It suffered considerably in the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...
, and in 1757 barely avoided being burned by the French. On 15 March 1945, 52 people lost their lives during an air raid, and on 13 April 1945, it was the site of a
massacre of slave laborers, perpetrated by local civilians and the
SS. The site of the massacre is now a memorial.
At the height of the
Cold war
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
, a
USAF
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...
RB-66
The Douglas B-66 Destroyer is a light bomber that was designed and produced by the American aviation manufacturer Douglas Aircraft Company.
The B-66 was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) and is heavily based upon the United S ...
reconnaissance aircraft was shot down by Soviet fighters near the town on 10 March 1964. The aircraft's crew bailed out and was rescued and eventually handed back to
West Berlin
West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...
by Soviet forces.
After having incorporated 5 former municipalities in 2009, 6 in 2010, and 18 in 2011, Gardelegen is now Germany's third largest city by area, trailing only
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
and
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
. It is actually the largest municipality in area in what was formerly
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
. The population however is small, with only about 22,000.
Geography
The town Gardelegen consists of Gardelegen proper and the following ''Ortschaften'' or municipal divisions:
[Hauptsatzung der Hansestadt Gardelegen]
2 July 2019.
*
Algenstedt
*
Berge
*
Breitenfeld
*
Dannefeld
*
Estedt
*
Hemstedt
*
Hottendorf
*
Jeggau
*
Jeseritz
Jeseritz is a village and a former municipality in the district Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous ...
*
Kloster Neuendorf
*
Köckte
*
Letzlingen
Letzlingen is a village and a former municipality in the district Altmarkkreis Salzwedel
Altmarkkreis Salzwedel is a district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is bounded by (from the west and clockwise) the districts Gifhorn, Uelzen, Lüchow-Danne ...
*
Lindstedt
*
Mieste
Mieste is a village and a former municipality in the district Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2011, it is part of the town Gardelegen
Gardelegen (; nds, Garlä) is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situa ...
*
Miesterhorst
*
Peckfitz
*
Potzehne
*
Roxförde
*
Sachau
Sachau is a village and a former municipality in the district Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2011, it is part of the town Gardelegen
Gardelegen (; nds, Garlä) is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situa ...
*
Schenkenhorst
*
Seethen
*
Sichau
*
Solpke
*
Wannefeld
*
Wiepke
*
Zichtau
Furthermore, the town Gardelegen contains the localities Ipse,
Jävenitz,
Jerchel,
Kassieck, Lindenthal, Trüstedt, Weteritz, Zienau and Ziepel.
Sights
There are various well-preserved half-timbered houses in Main Street (Ernst-Thälmann-Straße) and Nicolaistraße as well as a part of the medieval city wall which deserve a visit. In the northern part of the historical centre, St. Georg is a sightworthy
gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
chapel which was mentioned for the first time in 1362 as a part of a hospital. It was renovated and enlarged in 1734, and today it is used for exhibitions and concerts. In the Middle Ages, the hospital was outside the town, which was surrounded by moats and walls, as people with infectious diseases were treated there. Originally, Gardelegen had three gates when it was surrounded by a medieval town wall. Salzwedel Gate dating from 1565 is a well-preserved gate in the north, a part of Stendal Gate is left in the southeast but Magdeburg Gate in the southwest was demolished completely.
St. Nicolai Church dating from the 14th century was heavily damaged by bombs on 15 March 1945. The nave is still in ruins, and the tower was renovated. There are plans to transform the nave into a concert hall. St. Spiritus 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 ...
building dating from 1591 which belonged to a monastery that was mentioned for the first time in 1319. It was a hospital where sick and elderly people were looked after. St. Mary's Church was built around 1200 in a romantic style with five naves and enlarged in the 14th century, and the Town Hall is an impressive baroque structure which was built from 1526-1522.
Gallery
Gardelegen Rathaus 11.jpg, Town Hall
GardelegenThälmannstr.jpg, Main Street (Ernst-Thälmann-Straße)
GardelegenNicolaistr.jpg, Nicolai Street and St. Nicolai Church
GardelegenSalzwedelerTor.jpg, Medieval Salzwedel Gate
GardelegenSt.Georg.jpg, St. Georg's Chapel
GardelegenHospital3.jpg, Former Hospital St. Spiritus
GardelegenStendalerTor.jpg, Medieval Stendal Gate
GardelegenStadtmauer.jpg, Medieval town wall
Twin towns – sister cities
Gardelegen is
twinned with:
*
Darłowo
Darłowo (Polish pronunciation: ; ; ), in full The Royal City of Darłowo ( pl, Królewskie Miasto Darłowo), is a seaside town in the West Pomeranian Region, at the south coast of the Baltic Sea, north-western Poland, with 13,324 inhabitants as ...
, Poland
*
Gifhorn
Gifhorn () is a town and capital of the district of Gifhorn in the east of Lower Saxony, Germany. It has a population of about 42,000 and is mainly influenced by the small distance to the more industrial and commercially important cities nearby, ...
, Germany
*
Waltrop
Waltrop is a town in the district of Recklinghausen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the Datteln-Hamm Canal, approximately 15 km east of Recklinghausen and 15 km north-west of Dortmund.
Division of the town
The tow ...
, Germany
Notable people
*
Christian Francken Christian Francken ( Gardelegen c.1550 - Rome? after 1610) was a former Jesuit who became an anti-Trinitarian writer.
In 1577 Francken left his position as professor of the Jesuit college in Vienna and commenced the publication from Basel and La ...
(1550–1611), Jesuit and Unitarian theologian
*
Joachim Lange (1670–1744), theologian
*
Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1683–1741), chemist and botanist
*
Christoph August Tiedge
Christoph August Tiedge (14 December 1752, Gardelegen - 8 March 1841, Dresden) was a German poet.
Biography
Tiedge was the eldest son of the rector of the Gelehrten Stadtschule in Gardelegen and his wife, and studied law in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt ...
(1752–1841), poet
*
Otto Reutter
Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', ''Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity".
The name is recorded fr ...
(1870–1931), comedian, singer and actor
*
Werner Preuss
Leutnant Werner Preuss (21 September 1894 – 6 March 1919), Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross, was a World War I fighter ace credited with 22 victories.
Early life and military service
Werner Preuss was the son of a tax inspector. He ...
(1884–1919), officer
*
Christa Stubnick
Christa Stubnick (; née Seliger on 12 December 1933 – 13 May 2021) was an East German sprinter who competed for the United Team of Germany in the 1956 Summer Olympics. She won silver medals in the 100 m and 200 m events, splitting the Au ...
(1933–2021), sprinter
*
Raymond Hecht
Raymond Hecht (born 11 November 1968) is a German track and field athlete who competed in the javelin throw. His personal best throw is 92.60 m, achieved in 1995. This places him eighth on the all-time rankings.
During his career, Hecht set fiv ...
(born 1968), javelin thrower
Associated with the town
*
Richard Sonnenfeldt (1923–2009), American engineer and author, grew up in Gardelegen
*
Helmut Sonnenfeldt
Helmut Sonnenfeldt (September 13, 1926 – November 18, 2012), also known as Hal Sonnenfeldt, was an American foreign policy expert. He was known as ''Kissinger’s Kissinger'' for his philosophical affinity with and influence on Henry A. Kissinge ...
(1926–2012), American government official, grew up in Gardelegen
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Towns in Saxony-Anhalt
Altmarkkreis Salzwedel
Members of the Hanseatic League