Helmstedt (; Eastphalian: ''Helmstidde'') is a town on the eastern edge of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

state of

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 ...

. It is the capital of the District of Helmstedt. The historic

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

and Hanseatic city conserves an important monumental heritage of Romanesque and

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 id ...

buildings, as well as numerous timber framed houses. During the

German partition The Prussian Partition ( pl, Zabór pruski), or Prussian Poland, is the former territories of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth acquired during the Partitions of Poland, in the late 18th century by the Kingdom of Prussia. The Prussian acqui ...

the nearby Bundesautobahn 2 was the site of the Helmstedt–Marienborn border crossing, the most important on the former

inner German border The inner German border (german: Innerdeutsche Grenze or ; initially also ) was the border between the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) and the West Germany, Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, West Germany) from 1949 to 1990. Not ...

as starting point of the shortest land route between

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

and

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 m ...

Geography

Helmstedt is situated in a basin between the Elm and Lappwald hill ranges, at the transition area between the northern foothills of the

Harz The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German w ...

mountains and the

North German Plain The North German Plain or Northern Lowland (german: Norddeutsches Tiefland) is one of the major geographical regions of Germany. It is the German part of the North European Plain. The region is bounded by the coasts of the North Sea and the Balt ...

. It is surrounded by the

Elm-Lappwald Nature Park The Elm-Lappwald Nature Park (german: Naturpark Elm-Lappwald) is a nature park in southwest Lower Saxony, east of Brunswick in central Germany. It is dominated by the forested hill ranges of the Elm, Lappwald and Dorm as well as the region kno ...

. The town centre is located about east of

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...

, west of

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; nds, label= Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river. Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Mag ...

, and east of the state capital

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 ...

. The municipal area includes the localities of Barmke and Emmerstedt, both incorporated by a 1974 administrative reform, and Büddenstedt, incorporated in 2017, as well as the

resort town A resort town, often called a resort city or resort destination, is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding ...

of Bad Helmstedt, about east of the town centre. Helmstedt currently has about 25,000 inhabitants (2015).

History

The settlement in the

Duchy of Saxony The Duchy of Saxony ( nds, Hartogdom Sassen, german: Herzogtum Sachsen) was originally the area settlement geography, settled by the Saxons in the late Early Middle Ages, when they were subdued by Charlemagne during the Saxon Wars from 772 and in ...

was first mentioned as ''Helmonstede'' in a 952 deed issued by the

king Otto I. In former times also called ''Helmstädt'', the town developed in the vicinity of the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

St. Ludger's Abbey that was founded around 800 by Saint Liudger as a mission station. Helmstedt's

town privileges 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 traditio ...

were documented in 1247. It belonged to the Abbacy of Werden until 1490, when it was bought by the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg. From 1576 to 1810, the

University of Helmstedt The University of Helmstedt (german: Universität Helmstedt; official Latin name: ''Academia Julia'', "Julius University"), was a university in Helmstedt in the Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel that existed from 1576 until 1810. History Founded ...

was located here. From the late 1940s to 1990, the town was the site of a major border crossing between the

Federal Republic of Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south ...

and the

German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

. The main rail and

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'. ...

route between

and

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

, across the

GDR 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 ...

, began at the Helmstedt–Marienborn border crossing, also known as Checkpoint Alpha. Official military traffic from

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

countries to

was only allowed to use this route.

Transport

The town lies on the Brunswick-Magdeburg railway. Image:Rathaus Helmstedt.jpg, Mayor's office (built 1904 - 1906) Image:Helmstedt Eulenturm.JPG, The "Owl Tower" of the medieval town wall Image:Hausmannsturm Helmstedt.jpg, The Hausmannsturm of Helmstedt Image:Helmstedt-Grenzdenkmal.jpg, Memorial to the former border between West and East Germany

Notable people

Franz Heinrich Ludolf Ahrens Franz Heinrich Ludolf Ahrens (6 June 1809, Helmstedt – 25 September 1881, Hanover) was a German philologist. He was born in Helmstedt. After studying at the University of Göttingen (1826-1829) under Karl Otfried Müller and Georg Ludolf Dissen ...

(1809–1881), philologist * Bibiana Beglau (born 1971), actress *

Victor von Bruns Victor von Bruns (9 August 1812 – 19 March 1883) was a German surgeon born in Helmstedt. He studied at Braunschweig, Tübingen, Halle and Berlin, and from 1843 to 1882 was a professor of surgery at the University of Tübingen. His son, Pau ...

(1812–1883), physician and plastic surgeon * Georg Fein (1803–1869), journalist and democratic politician of

Vormärz ' (; English: ''pre-March'') was a period in the history of Germany preceding the 1848 March Revolution in the states of the German Confederation. The beginning of the period is less well-defined. Some place the starting point directly after the ...

, founder and organizer of

Workers' Educational Association The Workers' Educational Association (WEA), founded in 1903, is the UK's largest voluntary sector provider of adult education and one of Britain's biggest charities. The WEA is a democratic and voluntary adult education movement. It delivers lea ...

* Peter Feldmann (born 1958), politician, mayor (SPD) of

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its ...

since 2012 *

Johann Andreas Graeffer John Graefer or Johann Andreas Graeffer (1 January 1746 – 7 August 1802) was a German botanist nurseryman born in Helmstedt. Graeffer/Graefer is remembered by garden historians as having introduced a number of exotic plants to British gardens ...

(1746–1802), botanist and nurseryman remembered by garden historians as having introduced a number of exotic plants to British gardens * Asta Hampe (1907– 2003), engineer, physicist, economist and statistician *

Johann Christian Friedrich Heyer John Christian Frederick Heyer (July 10, 1793 - November 7, 1873) was the first missionary sent abroad by Lutherans in the United States. He founded the Guntur Mission in Andhra Pradesh, India. "Father Heyer" is commemorated as a missionary in ...

(1793–1873), the first missionary who was sent abroad by Lutherans in the US * Hans Krebs (1898–1945), military officer and chief of staff of the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previou ...

* Rudolf Leuckart (1822–1898), biologist and founder of

parasitology Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. As a biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in question but by their way of life. This means it f ...

* Anton August Heinrich Lichtenstein (1753–1816), zoologist and librarian *

Johann Heinrich Meibom Johann Heinrich Meibom ( la, Iohannes Henricus Meibomius; 29 June 1638, in Lübeck – 26 March 1700, in Helmstedt) was a German physician and scholar. Life Heinrich Meibom was the son of physician Johann Heinrich Meibom (1590-1655), who was th ...

(1590–1655), physician and professor of medicine at the

* Karl Reinhard (1769–1840), writer and editor of the ''Göttingen Musenalmanach'' *

Stefan Rinke Stefan Rinke (born December 31, 1965) is a German historian and specialist in Latin American history. Since 2005 he has been professor at the Institute of Latin American Studies and at the Friedrich-Meinecke-Institut at Freie Universität Berlin. ...

(born 1965), historian and specialist in

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...

n history * Theodor von Schubert (1758–1825), astronomer * Paul Gottlieb Werlhof (1699–1767), Royal Hanoverian court physician and poet *

Andree Wiedener Andree Wiedener (born 11 March 1970) is a former professional footballer who played as a defender for SV Werder Bremen and Eintracht Frankfurt. Honours Werder Bremen * European Cup Winners' Cup: 1991–92 * Bundesliga 1992–93 * DFL-Super ...

(born 1970), footballer In addition, see the list of famous students and professors of the

Twin towns – sister cities

Helmstedt is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: *

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding i ...

, United States *

Chard Chard or Swiss chard (; ''Beta vulgaris'' subsp. ''vulgaris'', Cicla Group and Flavescens Group) is a green leafy vegetable. In the cultivars of the Flavescens Group, the leaf stalks are large and often prepared separately from the leaf blade ...

, England, United Kingdom *

Fiuggi Fiuggi ( Central-Northern Latian dialect: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Frosinone in the region of Lazio in central Italy. The town of Fiuggi became famous for its Acqua di Fiuggi (Fiuggi Water) which flows from its natural ...

, Italy *

Haldensleben Haldensleben (; Eastphalian: ''Halslä'') is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Börde district. Geography It is situated on the Ohre river, near the confluence with its Beber tributary, and the parallel M ...

, Germany * Orăştie, Romania *

Svietlahorsk , nickname = Svietly (The Bright), , image_skyline = Svetlahorsk, Homieĺ Voblaść, Belarus.JPG , image_size = , image_caption = In the center of town, with ''16-floor one'' (left) and ''house with a clock'' (rig ...

, Belarus * Vitré, France

References

External links

*
District Emmerstedt (in German)Helmstedt-CITYTOUR (photo-gallery)Map of Helmstedt
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20050410064839/http://home.att.net/~rails_to_berlin/border.htm Riding with the locomotive engineer (engine driver) across the former intra-German frontier in 2005 {{Authority control Helmstedt (district) Members of the Hanseatic League Duchy of Brunswick