Hamelin ( ; german: Hameln ) is a town on the river

Weser The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports of Bre ...

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Hamelin-Pyrmont and has a population of roughly 57,000. Hamelin is best known for the tale of the

Pied Piper of Hamelin The Pied Piper of Hamelin (german: der Rattenfänger von Hameln, also known as the Pan Piper or the Rat-Catcher of Hamelin) is the title character of a legend from the town of Hamelin (Hameln), Lower Saxony, Germany. The legend dates back to ...

History

Hamelin started with a monastery, which was founded as early as 851 AD; its surrounding village became a town by the 12th century. The incident involving the "Pied Piper" (see below) is said to have occurred in 1284 and may be based on a true event, although somewhat different from the traditional tale. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Hamelin was a minor member of the

Hanseatic League 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 to ...

. In June 1634, during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

, Lothar Dietrich,

Freiherr (; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , literally "free lord" or "free lady") and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire ...

of Bönninghausen, a general in the Imperial Army, lost the Battle of Oldendorf to the Swedish General Kniphausen, after Hamelin had been besieged by the Swedish army. The era of the town's greatest prosperity began in 1664, when Hamelin became a fortified border town of the

Principality of Calenberg The Principality of Calenberg was a dynastic division of the Welf duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg established in 1432. Calenberg was ruled by the House of Hanover from 1635 onwards; the princes received the ninth electoral dignity of the Holy Roman ...

. In 1705, it became part of the newly created

Electorate of Hanover The Electorate of Hanover (german: Kurfürstentum Hannover or simply ''Kurhannover'') was an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire, located in northwestern Germany and taking its name from the capital city of Hanover. It was formally known as ...

when George Louis, Prince of Calenberg, later King George I of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

, inherited the Principality of Lüneburg. Hamelin was surrounded by four fortresses, which gave it the nickname "Gibraltar of the North", and was the most heavily fortified town in the Electorate of Hanover. The first fort (Fort George) was built between 1760 and 1763, the second (Fort Wilhelm) in 1774, a third in 1784, and the last, called Fort Luise, was built in 1806. In 1806, Hamelin surrendered without a fight to the French forces, after

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

's victory at the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt. Napoleon's forces subsequently pulled down the town's historic walls, the guard towers, and the three fortresses at the other side of the river Weser. In 1843, the people of Hamelin built a sightseeing tower on the Klüt Hill out of the ruins of Fort George. The tower is called the ''Klütturm'' and is a popular sight for tourists. In 1867 Hamelin became part of the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Re ...

, which annexed Hanover in the aftermath of the

Austro-Prussian War The Austro-Prussian War, also by many variant names such as Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), (; "German war of brothers") and by a variety of other names, was fought in 186 ...

of 1866. Between 1933 and 1937, the Nazi regime held the Reich Harvest Thanksgiving Festival at the nearby Bückeberg hill, to celebrate the achievements of Germany's farmers. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Hamelin Prison Hamelin Prison, also known as the ''Stockhof'', was a prison and penitentiary in Hamelin. The penal institution, which had a predecessor since 1698, existed from 1827 to 1980. It was located between the old town and the river Weser. The listed pri ...

was used for the detention of Social Democrats,

Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

s, and other

political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although n ...

s. Around 200 died there, and more died in April 1945, when the Nazis sent the prisoners on long marches, fearing the Allied advance. Just after the war, Hamelin prison was used by British Occupation Forces for the detention of Germans accused of war crimes. Following their conviction, around 200 were hanged there, including

Irma Grese Irma Ilse Ida Grese (7 October 1923 – 13 December 1945) was a Nazi concentration camp guard at Ravensbrück and Auschwitz, and served as warden of the women's section of Bergen-Belsen. She was a volunteer member of the SS. Grese was convi ...

and

Josef Kramer Josef Kramer (10 November 1906 – 13 December 1945) was Hauptsturmführer and the Commandant of Auschwitz-Birkenau (from 8 May 1944 to 25 November 1944) and of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp (from December 1944 to its liberation on 15 Apr ...

, along with over a dozen of the perpetrators of the Stalag Luft III murders. The prison has since been turned into a hotel. Executed war criminals were interred in the prison yard until it became full, and further burials took place at the Am Wehl Cemetery in Hameln. In March 1954, German authorities began exhuming the 91 bodies from the prison yard, which were reburied in individual graves in consecrated ground in Am Wehl Cemetery. The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

(German: ''Wappen'') of Hamelin depicts the Münster St. Bonifatius, the oldest church in the city.

Geography

Subdivisions

* Nordstadt * Südstadt * West/Klütviertel * Ost/Basberg * Mitte/Altstadt * Wehl * Afferde * Hastenbeck * Halvestorf (Halvestorf, Bannensiek, Weidehohl and Hope) * Haverbeck * Hilligsfeld (Groß und Klein Hilligsfeld) * Sünteltal (Holtensen, Unsen, Welliehausen) * Klein Berkel / Wangelist * Tündern * Wehrbergen * Rohrsen

Demographics

Attractions

Tale of the Pied Piper

The town is famous for the folk tale of the

(german: Der Rattenfänger von Hameln), a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

story that tells of a tragedy that befell the town in the 13th century. The version written by the

Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among the ...

made it popular throughout the world. It is also the subject of well-known poems by

Johann von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as trea ...

and

Robert Browning Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentary, historical settings ...

. Every Sunday in summer, the tale is performed by actors in the town centre.

Twin towns – sister cities

Hamelin is twinned with: *

Kalwaria Zebrzydowska Kalwaria Zebrzydowska () is a town in southern Poland with 4,429 inhabitants (2007 estimate). As of 1999, it is situated in Lesser Poland or Małopolska (in Polish). Previously, the town was administered within the Voivodeship of Bielsko-Biała ( ...

, Poland * Quedlinburg, Germany *

Saint-Maur-des-Fossés Saint-Maur-des-Fossés () is a commune in Val-de-Marne Val-de-Marne (, "Vale of the Marne") is a department of France located in the Île-de-France region. Named after the river Marne, it is situated in the Grand Paris metropolis to the southea ...

, France * Torbay, England, United Kingdom

Media

The ', known as ''DeWeZet'', publishes out of Hameln.

British army presence

Hamelin was home to several Royal Engineer units, including 35 Engineer Regiment and 28 Amphibious Engineer Regiment until summer 2014, with many of the British families housed at Hastenbeck (Schlehenbusch) and Afferde. It was also home to the Royal Corps of Transport unit of 26 Bridging Regiment RCT, comprising 35 Sqn RCT and 40 Sqn RCT, until 1971.

Notable people

*Saint

Vicelinus Vicelinus (also ''Vicelin'', german: Vizelin; 1086 – December 12, 1154) was a German bishop of Oldenburg in Holstein who was considered the apostle of Holstein. Also known as – Apostle of Obodriten, of the Wends, Vicelinus, Vincelin, Vizel ...

(1086–1154), Bishop of Oldenburg, born in the town. *''

'' (ca 1284), the

title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...

of a legend from the town. *

Glückel of Hameln Glückel of Hameln (; also spelled Glückel, Glüeckel, or Glikl of Hamelin; also known as Glikl bas Judah Leib) ( – September 19, 1724) was a German Jewish businesswoman and diarist. Written in her native tongue of Western Yiddish over the cou ...

(1646–1724), Jewish businesswoman and diarist *

Peter the Wild Boy Peter the Wild Boy (born ''c.'' 1713; died 22 February 1785) was a boy from Hanover in northern Germany who was found in 1725 living wild in the woods near Hamelin (Electorate of Hanover), the town of Pied Piper legend. The boy, of unknown paren ...

(ca 1713-1785), found in 1725 living wild in the nearby woods *

Friedrich Wilhelm von Reden Friedrich Wilhelm von Reden (23 March 1752 – 3 July 1815) was a German pioneer in mining and metallurgy. He was born in Hamelin in the Electorate of Hanover and died in Schloss Buchwald in Prussian Silesia. Life Reden came from the no ...

(1752–1815), pioneer in mining and

metallurgy Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys. Metallurgy encompasses both the sc ...

. *

Karl Philipp Moritz Karl Philipp Moritz (Hameln, 15 September 1756 – Berlin, 26 June 1793) was a German author, editor and essayist of the ''Sturm und Drang'', late Enlightenment, and classicist periods, influencing early German Romanticism as well. He led a li ...

(1756–1793), author of the Sturm und Drang and

Age of Enlightenment The Age of Enlightenment or the Enlightenment; german: Aufklärung, "Enlightenment"; it, L'Illuminismo, "Enlightenment"; pl, Oświecenie, "Enlightenment"; pt, Iluminismo, "Enlightenment"; es, La Ilustración, "Enlightenment" was an intel ...

periods. *

Anton Friedrich Justus Thibaut Anton Friedrich Justus Thibaut (4 January 1772Garratt, James. (2002) ''Palestrina and the German Romantic Imagination'', Cambridge University Press. p.40. .20 March 1840), was a German jurist and musician. Early life He was born at Hamelin, in Ha ...

(1772–1840), a jurist and musician. * Friedrich Sertürner (1783–1841),

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...

, isolated morphine from opium (1822–1841) *

Johann Ludwig Dammert Johann Ludwig Dammert (21 March 1788 – 25 January 1855), was First Mayor and President of the Senate (head of state and head of government) of the sovereign city-state of Hamburg in 1843. Biography Dammert was born in Hameln. Son of Johan ...

(1788–1855), the first Mayor and President of the Senate of Hamburg in 1843. *

Heinrich Bürger Heinrich Bürger (or: Heinrich Burger) (Hamelin, 29 February 1804, or 7 November 1804, or 20 January 1806 – Indramayu (Java) 25 March 1858) was a German physicist, biologist and botanist employed by the Dutch government, and an entrepreneur. ...

(1806–1858), German physicist, biologist and botanist, studied Japanese fauna and flora. *

Julius Wellhausen Julius Wellhausen (17 May 1844 – 7 January 1918) was a German biblical scholar and orientalist. In the course of his career, he moved from Old Testament research through Islamic studies to New Testament scholarship. Wellhausen contributed to t ...

(1844–1918), Biblical scholar and orientalist. *

Oswald Freisler Oswald Freisler (29 December 1895 in Hamelin – 4 March 1939 in Berlin) was a lawyer in Nazi Germany and the brother of the Judge President of the People's Court, Roland Freisler. Life Freisler attended the '' Gymnasium'' in Aachen and Kassel, ...

(1895–1939), lawyer and brother of Roland Freisler *

Ida Schreiter Ida Bertha Gertrud Schreiter (12 December 1912 – 20 September 1948) was from 1939 to 1945 an ''Aufseherin'' (labor department warden) in Ravensbrück concentration camp. After the Second World War, Schreiter was brought to justice by the Britis ...

(1912–1948), concentration camp warden executed for war crimes *

Heinz Knoke Heinz Knoke (24 March 1921 – 18 May 1993) was a World War II ''Luftwaffe'' flying ace. He is credited with 33 confirmed aerial victories, all claimed over the Western theatre of operations, and claimed a further 19 unconfirmed kills in over 2,0 ...

(1921–1993), German officer and

Flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

of the Luftwaffe *

Reinhard Busse Reinhard Busse (born 26 March 1963) is a German physician and health economics, health economist. He is a university professor at Technische Universität Berlin, where he has, since 2002, headed the Academic department, Department of Healthcare M ...

(born 1963), physician and health economist. *

Benjamin-Gunnar Cohrs Benjamin-Gunnar Cohrs (born 21 September 1965, in Hameln) is a German conductor, scholar, and publicist on music. Early career Benjamin-Gunnar Cohrs gave his early conducting debut 1984 with the orchestra of the Youth Music School in Hameln, ...

(1965–2023), conductor, beginning at the local Youth Music School *

Max Richter Max Richter (; ; born 22 March 1966) is a German-born British composer and pianist. He works within postminimalist and contemporary classical styles. Richter is classically trained, having graduated in composition from the University of Edinbur ...

(born 1966), neo-classical composer *

Markus Pieper Markus Pieper (born 15 May 1963) is a German politician and member of the European Parliament for Germany. He is a member of the Christian Democratic Union, part of the European People's Party. Member of the European Parliament, 2004–present P ...

(born 1963), politician and

MEP MEP may refer to: Organisations and politics * Mahajana Eksath Peramuna, a political party in Sri Lanka * Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (1956), a former political alliance in Sri Lanka * Maison européenne de la photographie, a photography centre ...

Susan Stahnke Susan Stahnke (born 7 September 1967) is a German TV presenter. She was born in Hamelin, Germany. Career Stahnke was a presenter at the age of 24. She worked for the federal broadcaster NDR (Northern Germany's Broadcast) before she worked as ...

(born 1967), German TV presenter *

Jens Todt Jens Todt (born 5 January 1970) is a German former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Club career Todt began playing professionally with TSV Havelse. In 1991, he followed manager Volker Finke to SC Freiburg, in the 2. ...

(born 1970), footballer who played 340 games

Gallery

File:Hameln Rattenfängerhause Osterstraße Germany Duitsland.jpg, Hameln Rattenfängerhaus File:Hameln Leisthaus.jpg, The ''Leisthaus'', Hamelin File:Jüdischer Friedhof Hameln Ausschnitt.jpg, Jewish cemetery of Hamelin File:GoldeneRatte.jpg, The Golden Rat, on a footbridge over the River

in Hamelin File:Hamelin_Hochzeitshaus.jpg, The Hochzeitshaus, the church's Glockenspiel plays the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin

References

External links

*
Hameln Notgeld
(emergency banknotes) depicting the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin http://webgerman.com/Notgeld/Directory/H/Hameln.htm {{Authority control Towns in Lower Saxony Hameln-Pyrmont Members of the Hanseatic League