Magdala is a town in the

Weimarer Land Weimarer Land is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in the east of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from the northeast clockwise) the district Burgenlandkreis in Saxony-Anhalt, the district Saale-Holzland and the district-free city Jena, the ...

district, in

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It is situated west of

Jena Jena (; ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 in ...

, and southeast of

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...

History

Magdala was first mentioned in writing as Madaha in the year 874. The name changed to Madela (1184), Madela (1193), Madala (1203), Madla (1301), Madela (1345 and 1393), before settling on Magdala. The brothers Alexander and Dietrich von Magdala were vassals of the Counts of Orlamünde and resided in Magdala Water Castle. The castle was located at the northeast corner of the old town in the lowlands of the Magdel river. Later, the Wettins exercised feudal authority. The city was partially destroyed in 1450, and the castle was destroyed in 1452 during the Saxon Fraternal War. Today, only remnants of walls and the surrounding moat remain. Around 1284, the town received city rights from the Counts of Orlamünde. After the destruction during the Saxon Fraternal War, the city lost significance. Between 1535 and 1545, the city became Protestant. The town hall, a landmark of the city, dates back to 1571. The year is carved above the former entrance portal in Renaissance style. The ancient foundations from 1570 suggest a building that coincides with the founding of the city in 1288. In 1849, the town hall and parts of the inner city burned down. However, the sturdy town hall walls remained standing and gave the 1850 rebuilt structure its current appearance. A flood in 1613 claimed many lives in Magdala. The domain, comprising 255 hectares, was the property of the Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. In 1923, it was leased to Hubert Scheibe.Jürgen Gruhle, Schwarzbuch der Bodenreform Thüringen.

Personalities

August Wilhelm Dennstedt August Wilhelm Dennstedt (1776–1826), surname sometimes spelled Dennstaedt, was a German physician and botanist who was bürgermeister of Magdala, a town near Weimar. From 1817 he was scientific director of the Grand Ducal Garden in Belved ...

(1776-1826), natural scientist, doctor and author. In addition, he was mayor in Magdala and, since 1818, scientific director of the botanical garden ''

Belvedere Belvedere (from Italian, meaning "beautiful sight") may refer to: Places Australia *Belvedere, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region Africa * Belvedere (Casablanca), a neighborhood in Casablanca, Morocco * Belvedere, Harare, Zi ...

'' in

. * Anton Sommer (1816-1888), poet from

Rudolstadt Rudolstadt is a town in the German federal state Thuringia, within the Thuringian Forest, to the southwest, and to Jena and Weimar to the north. The former capital of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, the town is built along the River Saale inside a wide ...

, worked temporarily as a house teacher in Magdala *

Heinrich Friedrich Weber Heinrich Friedrich Weber (; ; 7 November 1843 – 24 May 1912) was a physicist born in the town of Magdala, near Weimar. Biography Around 1861 he entered the University of Jena, where Ernst Abbe became the first of two physicists who decisi ...

(1843-1912), physicist from Magdala, professor at the ETH Zürich

References

Towns in Thuringia Weimarer Land {{WeimarerLand-geo-stub