Magdeburg (; nds, label=

Low Saxon Low Saxon, also known as West Low German ( nds, Nedersassisch, Nedersaksies; nl, Nedersaksisch) are a group of Low German dialects spoken in parts of the Netherlands, northwestern Germany and southern Denmark (in North Schleswig by parts of th ...

, Meideborg ) is the

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

and second-largest

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

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

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 the ...

. The city is situated at the

Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Repu ...

river.

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Francia, East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the olde ...

, the first

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...

and founder of the

Archdiocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

of Magdeburg, was buried in the city's

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

after his death. Magdeburg's version of

German town law The German town law (german: Deutsches Stadtrecht) or German municipal concerns (''Deutsches Städtewesen'') was a set of early town privileges based on the Magdeburg rights developed by Otto I. The Magdeburg Law became the inspiration for regional ...

, known as

Magdeburg rights Magdeburg rights (german: Magdeburger Recht; also called Magdeburg Law) were a set of town privileges first developed by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (936–973) and based on the Flemish Law, which regulated the degree of internal autonomy within ...

, spread throughout

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and Eastern Europe. In the

Late Middle Ages The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the Periodization, period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Eur ...

, Magdeburg was one of the largest and most prosperous German cities and a notable 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 ...

. One of the most notable people from the city is

Otto von Guericke Otto von Guericke ( , , ; spelled Gericke until 1666; November 20, 1602 – May 11, 1686 ; November 30, 1602 – May 21, 1686 ) was a German scientist, inventor, and politician. His pioneering scientific work, the development of experimental me ...

, famous for his experiments with the Magdeburg hemispheres. Magdeburg has been destroyed twice in its history. The Catholic League sacked Magdeburg in 1631, resulting in the death of 25,000 non-combatants, the largest loss of 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 ...

. During the

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 ...

the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

bombed the city in 1945 and destroying much of it. After World War II the city belonged to 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 ...

from 1949 to 1990. Since then many new construction projects were implemented and old buildings have been restored. In 2005 Magdeburg celebrated its 1.200th anniversary. Magdeburg is situated on

Autobahn 2 is an autobahn in Germany that connects the Ruhr area in the west to Berlin in the east. The A 2 starts at the junction with the A3 near the western city of Oberhausen, passes through the north of the Ruhr valley, through the Münsterland ...

and Autobahn 14, and hence is at the connection point of the East (

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 beyond) with the West of Europe, as well as the North and South of Germany. For the modern city, the most significant industries are: the Machine industry,

Healthcare industry The healthcare industry (also called the medical industry or health economy) is an aggregation and integration of sectors within the economic system that provides goods and services to treat patients with curative, preventive, rehabilitative, a ...

Mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...

Environmental technology Environmental technology (envirotech) or green technology (greentech), also known as ''clean technology'' (''cleantech''), is the application of one or more of environmental science, green chemistry, environmental monitoring and electronic device ...

Circular economy A circular economy (also referred to as circularity and CE) is a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible. CE aims ...

Logistics Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...

, Culture industry,

Wood industry The wood industry or timber industry (sometimes lumber industry -- when referring mainly to sawed boards) is the industry concerned with forestry, logging, timber trade, and the production of primary forest products and wood products (e.g. furnitu ...

and the

Information and communications technology Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals) and computers, ...

. The city is the location of two

universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, the

Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg The Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg () (''OvGU'') was founded in 1993, making it one of the youngest universities in Germany. The university is located in Magdeburg, the Capital city of Saxony-Anhalt and has about 13.000 students in nine ...

and the Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences.

History

Early years

Founded by

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...

in 805 as Magadoburg (probably from

Old High German Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050. There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old High ...

''magado'' for ''big'', ''mighty'' and ''burga'' for ''fortress''), the town was fortified in 919 by King

Henry the Fowler Henry the Fowler (german: Heinrich der Vogler or '; la, Henricus Auceps) (c. 876 – 2 July 936) was the Duke of Saxony from 912 and the King of East Francia from 919 until his death in 936. As the first non-Frankish king of East Francia, he ...

against the

Magyars Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Uralic ...

and

Slavs Slavs are the largest European ethnolinguistic group. They speak the various Slavic languages, belonging to the larger Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout northern Eurasia, main ...

. In 929 King

granted the city to his English-born wife Edith as dower. Queen Edith loved the town and often resided there; at her death she was buried in the crypt 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') , foun ...

abbey of Saint Maurice, later rebuilt as the cathedral. In 937, Magdeburg was the seat of a royal assembly. Otto I repeatedly visited Magdeburg, establishing a convent here about 937 and was later buried in the cathedral. He granted the abbey the right to income from various tithes and to corvée labour from the surrounding countryside. The

Archbishopric of Magdeburg The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Roman Catholic archdiocese (969–1552) and Prince-Archbishopric (1180–1680) of the Holy Roman Empire centered on the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River. Planned since 955 and established in 968, the Roma ...

was founded in 968 at the

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...

Ravenna Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the cap ...

; Adalbert of Magdeburg was consecrated as its first archbishop. The archbishopric under Adalbert included the bishoprics of Havelberg,

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a states of Germany, state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an ar ...

Merseburg Merseburg () is a town in central Germany in southern Saxony-Anhalt, situated on the river Saale, and approximately 14 km south of Halle (Saale) and 30 km west of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a diocese ...

Meissen Meissen (in German orthography: ''Meißen'', ) is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrecht ...

and Naumburg-Zeitz. The archbishops played a prominent role in the German colonisation of the Slavic lands east of the

river. In 1035 Magdeburg received a patent giving the city the right to hold trade exhibitions and conventions. This formed the basis of

to become known as the

. These laws were adopted and modified throughout Central and Eastern Europe. Visitors from many countries began to trade with Magdeburg. The town was burnt down in 1188. In the 13th century, Magdeburg became a member of the

. With more than 20,000 inhabitants Magdeburg was one of the largest cities in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

. The town had active maritime commerce on the west (towards

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

), with the countries of the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

, and maintained traffic and communication with the interior (for example Brunswick).

Reformation

The citizens constantly struggled against the archbishop, becoming nearly independent from him by the end of the 15th century. Around Easter 1497, the then twelve-year-old

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Reformation, Protestant Refo ...

attended school in Magdeburg, where he was exposed to the teachings of the Brethren of the Common Life. In 1524, he was called to Magdeburg, where he preached and caused the city's defection from

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

. The

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

had quickly found adherents in the city, where Luther had been a schoolboy. Emperor Charles V repeatedly outlawed the unruly town, which had joined the

League of Torgau The League of Torgau (german: Torgauer Bund) was an alliance of Lutheran princes, including Philip of Hesse and John, Elector of Saxony, John of Saxony, which was formed 27 February 1526 to oppose the terms set forth in the Edict of Worms. Becau ...

and the Schmalkaldic League. As it had not accepted the Augsburg Interim decree (1548), the city, by the emperor's commands, was besieged (1550–1551) by Maurice, Elector of Saxony, but it retained its independence. The rule of the archbishop was replaced by that of various administrators belonging to Protestant dynasties. In the following years, Magdeburg gained a reputation as a stronghold of Protestantism and became the first major city to publish the writings of

. In Magdeburg, Matthias Flacius and his companions wrote their anti-Catholic pamphlets and the '' Magdeburg Centuries'', in which they argued that the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

had become the kingdom of the Antichrist. In 1629 the city withstood its first siege during the

, by Albrecht von Wallenstein, a Protestant convert to Catholicism. However, in 1631,

imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...

troops under

Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly ( nl, Johan t'Serclaes Graaf van Tilly; german: Johann t'Serclaes Graf von Tilly; french: Jean t'Serclaes de Tilly ; February 1559 – 30 April 1632) was a field marshal who commanded the Catholic League's ...

, stormed the city and massacred the inhabitants, killing about 20,000 and burning the city. After the war, a population of only 4,000 remained. Under the

Peace of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia (german: Westfälischer Friede, ) is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought pea ...

(1648), Magdeburg was to be assigned to

Brandenburg-Prussia Brandenburg-Prussia (german: Brandenburg-Preußen; ) is the historiographic denomination for the early modern realm of the Brandenburgian Hohenzollerns between 1618 and 1701. Based in the Electorate of Brandenburg, the main branch of the Hohenz ...

after the death of the administrator August of Saxe-Weissenfels, as the semi-autonomous Duchy of Magdeburg. This occurred in 1680. The city made an astonishingly quick recovery, due especially to the energy and dedication of its mayor

, who was also a noted scientist. Just six years after the end of the terribly destructive war, Magdeburg was the scene of the famous scientific experiment known as The '' Magdeburg hemispheres'' by which the existence of

vacuum A vacuum is a space devoid of matter. The word is derived from the Latin adjective ''vacuus'' for "vacant" or "void". An approximation to such vacuum is a region with a gaseous pressure much less than atmospheric pressure. Physicists often dis ...

- hitherto hotly debated - was empirically proven, with enormous implications for the later developments of physics.

19th century

In the course of the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, the fortress surrendered to

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

troops in 1806. The city was annexed to the French-controlled Kingdom of Westphalia in the 1807 Treaty of Tilsit. King Jérôme appointed Count Heinrich von Blumenthal as mayor. In 1815, after the Napoleonic Wars, Magdeburg was made the capital of the new Prussian

Province of Saxony The Province of Saxony (german: link=no, Provinz Sachsen), also known as Prussian Saxony () was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the Free State of Prussia from 1816 until 1944. Its capital was Magdeburg. It was formed by the merge ...

. In 1912, the old fortress was dismantled, and in 1908, the municipality Rothensee became part of Magdeburg.

20th century

In 1912, the old fortress was dismantled, and in 1908, the municipality Rothensee became part of Magdeburg. Magdeburg was heavily bombed by British and American air forces during the Second World War. The RAF bombing raid on the night of 16 January 1945 destroyed much of the city. The death toll is estimated at 2,000–2,500. Near the end of

, the city of about 340,000 became capital of the Province of Magdeburg. Brabag's Magdeburg/Rothensee plant that produced

synthetic oil Synthetic oil is a lubricant consisting of chemical compounds that are artificially modified or synthesised. Synthetic lubricants can be manufactured using chemically modified petroleum components rather than whole crude oil, but can also be syn ...

from

lignite Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35%, and is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat ...

coal was a target of the Oil Campaign of World War II. The impressive '' Gründerzeit'' suburbs north of the city, called the Nordfront, were destroyed as well as the city's main street with its Baroque buildings. It was occupied by 9th US Army troops on 18 April 1945 and was left to the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

on 1 July 1945.

Post-war In Western usage, the phrase post-war era (or postwar era) usually refers to the time since the end of World War II. More broadly, a post-war period (or postwar period) is the interval immediately following the end of a war. A post-war period c ...

the area was part of the

Soviet Zone of Occupation The Soviet Occupation Zone ( or german: Ostzone, label=none, "East Zone"; , ''Sovetskaya okkupatsionnaya zona Germanii'', "Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany") was an area of Germany in Central Europe that was occupied by the Soviet Union as a c ...

and many of the remaining pre-World War II city buildings were destroyed, with only a few buildings near the cathedral and in the southern part of the old city being restored to their pre-war state. Before the

reunification of Germany German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...

, many surviving ''Gründerzeit'' buildings were left uninhabited and, after years of degradation, waiting for demolition. From 1949 until German reunification on 3 October 1990, Magdeburg belonged to the

. Magdeburg Stadtplan 1900.jpg, Map of Magdeburg, 1900 Magdeburg Geschäftshaus der Magdeburger Feuerversicherungs-Gesellschaft in Magdeburg.jpg, "Breiter Weg", approx. 1900 Fountain and Breiter Weg, Magdeburg, Germany, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany-LCCN2002720637.jpg, "Hasselbachplatz", approx. 1900 Siegelmarke Kreis Versicherungskommissar - Magdeburger Land - Feuer - Societaet W0251229.jpg, Sealing stamp (1850–1923) Bundesarchiv Bild 183-14898-0002, Magdeburg, Blick auf die zerstörte Altstadt.jpg, Magdeburg after World War II Magdeburg, Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945 CL3459.jpg, Destroyed Magdeburg MagdeburgStalinist.jpg, Magdeburg's centre has a number of

Stalinist Stalinism is the means of governing and Marxist-Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union from 1927 to 1953 by Joseph Stalin. It included the creation of a one-party totalitarian police state, rapid industrialization, the theory o ...

buildings from the 1950s.

Since German reunification

In 1990 Magdeburg became the capital of the new state of

within reunified Germany. Huge parts of the city and its centre were also rebuilt in a modern style. Its economy is one of the fastest-growing in the former East German states. In 2005 Magdeburg celebrated its 1200th anniversary. The city was hit by

2013 European floods Extreme flooding in Central Europe began after several days of heavy rain in late May and early June 2013. Flooding and damages primarily affected south and east German states (Thuringia, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Lower Saxony, Bavaria and Baden-W� ...

. Authorities declared a state of emergency and said they expected the Elbe river to rise higher than in 2002. In Magdeburg, with water levels of above normal, about 23,000 residents had to leave their homes on 9 June.

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 seri ...

will build its largest plant in Europe in the south of the city by 2027. Landtag-sachsen-anhalt-2012.jpg, Magdeburg is the capital and seat of the

Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt The Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt is the parliament of the Germany, German States of Germany, federal state Saxony-Anhalt. It convenes in Magdeburg and currently consists of 97 members of six parties. The current majority is a coalition of the Social ...

UB Magdeburg.JPG, Library of the

Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg The Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg () (''OvGU'') was founded in 1993, making it one of the youngest universities in Germany. The university is located in Magdeburg, the Capital city of Saxony-Anhalt and has about 13.000 students in nine ...

Grüne Zitadelle von Magdeburg.jpg, The Green Citadel of Magdeburg, built in 2005 Stadion Magdeburg Luftbild 2.JPG, The

MDCC-Arena MDCC-Arena is a multi-purpose stadium in Magdeburg, Germany. It has been completed and opened to the public in December 2006, replacing the old Ernst-Grube-Stadion. It is mostly used for Association football, football matches and hosts the home m ...

- a Soccer stadium, built in 2006 Haus BreiterWeg Magdeburg.JPG, Restored building -

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means t ...

City-Carr%C3%A9.jpg, Shopping complex - City Carré Hegelstraße 41 (Magdeburg).jpg, Restored building -

Renaissance Revival architecture Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...

Geography

Magdeburg is one of the major towns along the

Elbe Cycle Route The Elbe Cycle Route (Elberadweg in German) is part of an international network of cycling routes all over Europe. It is integrated in the system of currently 37 river cycling routes in Germany and by far the most popular route for cyclists in ...

(Elberadweg). Its area is . Magdeburg, administrative districts

Districts

The city of Magdeburg is divided into 40 '' Stadtteile'' (districts).Bevölkerung & Demografie 2021
Magdeburger Statistik. Three of these, the former municipalities Beyendorf-Sohlen, Pechau and Randau-Calenberge, have a special status as ''Ortschaften''.Lesefassung der Hauptsatzung der Landeshauptstadt Magdeburg
9 November 2017. The ''Stadtteile'' of Magdeburg are: * Alt Olvenstedt * Alte Neustadt * Altstadt * Barleber See * Berliner Chaussee * Beyendorfer Grund * Beyendorf-Sohlen * Brückfeld *

Buckau Buckau is a river of Brandenburg, Germany. It flows into the Breitlingsee, which is drained by the Havel, near Brandenburg an der Havel. See also *List of rivers of Brandenburg A list of rivers of Brandenburg, Germany: A * Alte Oder * Alte ...

* Cracau * Diesdorf * Fermersleben * Gewerbegebiet Nord * Großer Silberberg * Herrenkrug * Hopfengarten * Industriehafen * Kannenstieg * Kreuzhorst * Leipziger Straße * Lemsdorf * Neu Olvenstedt * Neue Neustadt * Neustädter Feld * Neustädter See * Nordwest * Ottersleben * Pechau * Prester * Randau-Calenberge * Reform * Rothensee * Salbke * Stadtfeld Ost * Stadtfeld West * Sudenburg * Sülzegrund * Werder * Westerhüsen * Zipkeleben

Climate

Magdeburg has a

Humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(Dfb) bordering on an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

(Cfb) according to

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

Demographics

Population development

Population development since 1400:

Politics

Mayor

2019 Magdeburg City Council election - Stadtteile

2019 Magdeburg City Council election - Results

The current mayor of Magdeburg is

independent politician An independent or non-partisan politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent. Some politicians have political views th ...

Simone Borris since 2022. The most recent mayoral election was held on 24 April 2022, with a runoff held on 8 May, and the results were as follows: ! rowspan=2 colspan=2, Candidate ! rowspan=2, Party ! colspan=2, First round ! colspan=2, Second round , - ! Votes ! % ! Votes ! % , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Simone Borris , align=left,

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

( FDP, future!, MUT) , 33,065 , 44.3 , 39,201 , 64.8 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Jens Rösler , align=left,

SPD The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the ...

Greens Greens may refer to: *Leaf vegetables such as collard greens, mustard greens, spring greens, winter greens, spinach, etc. Politics Supranational * Green politics * Green party, political parties adhering to Green politics * Global Greens * Europ ...

, 20,080 , 26.3 , 21,298 , 35.2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Tobias Krull , align=left, Christian Democratic Union , 9,327 , 12.2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Nicole Anger , align=left, The Left , 5,230 , 6.8 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Frank Pasemann , align=left,

Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (german: link=no, Alternative für Deutschland, AfD; ) is a right-wing populist * * * * * * * political party in Germany. AfD is known for its opposition to the European Union, as well as immigration to Germany. I ...

, 3,802 , 5.0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Till Isenhuth , align=left,

, 1,676 , 2.2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Sarah Biedermann , align=left, Free Voters , 1,289 , 1.7 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Bettina Fassl , align=left, Animal Protection Alliance , 1,103 , 1.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, André Jordan , align=left, Die PARTEI , 860 , 1.1 , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 76,432 ! 99.6 ! 60,508 ! 99.4 , - ! colspan=3, Invalid votes ! 302 ! 0.4 ! 340 ! 0.6 , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 76,734 ! 100.0 ! 60,848 ! 100.0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 189,916 ! 40.4 ! 189,471 ! 32.1 , - , colspan=7, Source
City of Magdeburg

City council

The most recent city council election was held on 26 May 2019, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Party ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) , 55,969 , 18.6 , 6.6 , 10 , 4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...

(SPD) , 50,794 , 16.9 , 8.5 , 9 , 5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

Alliance 90/The Greens Alliance 90/The Greens (german: Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, ), often simply referred to as the Greens ( ), is a Green politics, green List of political parties in Germany, political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 as the merger of The Greens ...

(Grüne) , 46,127 , 15.4 , 4.8 , 9 , 3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Die Linke) , 45,922 , 15.3 , 6.9 , 9 , 4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(AfD) , 43,200 , 14.4 , 9.6 , 8 , 5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

Free Democratic Party Free Democratic Party is the name of several political parties around the world. It usually designates a party ideologically based on liberalism. Current parties with that name include: *Free Democratic Party (Germany), a liberal political party in ...

(FDP) , 16,157 , 5.4 , 2.1 , 3 , 1 , - , , align=left, Magdeburg Garden Party (Gartenpartei) , 12,709 , 4.2 , 2.3 , 2 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

Human Environment Animal Protection The Human Environment Animal Protection Party (german: Partei Mensch Umwelt Tierschutz, short form: Animal Protection Party, german: Tierschutzpartei, links=no) is a political party in Germany, founded in 1993. In 2014 one candidate was elected ...

(Tierschutzpartei) , 9,871 , 3.3 , 1.2 , 2 , 1 , - , , align=left, future! , 8,651 , 2.9 , 0.9 , 2 , 1 , - , , align=left, Alliance for Magdeburg (BfM) , 4,384 , 1.5 , 0.1 , 1 , ±0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Alliance for Human Rights, Animal and Nature Protection (Tierschutzallianz) , 4,061 , 1.4 , 1.0 , 1 , 1 , - , colspan=7 bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Die PARTEI , 2,548 , 0.8 , New , 0 , New , - ! colspan=2, Total ! 300,393 ! 100.0 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Valid votes ! 101,994 ! 98.5 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Invalid votes ! 1,547 ! 1.5 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Total ! 103,541 ! 100.0 ! ! 56 ! ±0 , - ! colspan=2, Electorate/voter turnout ! 193,826 ! 53.4 ! 15.1 ! ! , - , colspan=7, Source
City of Magdeburg

Education

The

(German: Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg) was founded in 1993 and is one of the newest universities in Germany. The university in Magdeburg has about 13,000 students in nine faculties. There are 11,700 papers published in international journals from this institute. The Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences was founded in 1991. There are 30 direct study programs in five departments in Magdeburg and two departments in Stendal. The university has more than 130 professors and approximately 4,500 students at Magdeburg and 1,900 at Stendal. Blick auf die Otto-von-Guericke Universität Magdeburg.JPG, Aerial view of the University area Campus Tower und Fakultät für Elektro- und Informationstechnik.jpg, Campus tower of the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg UB MD innen.JPG, Magdeburg library Hochschule Magdeburg.jpg, Aerial view of the Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences Hochschule Magdeburg-Stendal (FH).jpg, Building No.1 of the University of Applied Sciences in Magdeburg

Culture and architecture

Entertainment

Magdeburg has a municipal theatre, Theater Magdeburg. Magdeburg is well known for its Christmas market, which is an attraction for 1.5 million visitors every year. Other events are the ''Stadtfest'', ''

Christopher Street Day Christopher Street Day (CSD) is an annual European LGBTQ+ celebration and demonstration held in various cities across Europe for the rights of LGBTQ+ people, and against discrimination and exclusion. It is Germany's and Switzerland's counterp ...

'', ''Elbe in Flames'', and the ''Europafest Magdeburg''. The autumn fair (formerly men's fair) of Magdeburg goes back to Germany's oldest folk festival. The tradition dates back to September 1010, when the holy feast of the Theban Legion was celebrated in Magdeburg (then called Magathaburg).

Event venues

* Altes Theater am Jerichower Platz – Former theater, used for parties and large conferences * AMO – Culture and congress building * Buttergasse - Night club near the city centre at "Alter Markt" – house-, electro, pop and black music * Cathedral of Magdeburg * Concert hall Georg Philipp Telemann at "Kloster unser lieben Frauen" * Factory – Former factory building, German and international pop, rock, metal, and indie music artists are featured * Festung Mark – Part of the former city fortification, now reconstructed for parties and conventions * Feuerwache – Former fire station, repurposed for events *

GETEC Arena The GETEC Arena (until 2011: ''"Bördelandhalle"'') is an indoor sporting arena located in Magdeburg, Germany. The maximum capacity of the arena is 8,071 people for handball games and 8,820 for boxing matches. It is the current home to SC Magdeb ...

– Biggest multi-purpose hall in Saxony-Anhalt, home of handball team SC Magdeburg * halber85 - Conventions, partys, conferences * Kunstkantine – Factory cafeteria, monthly electro-music parties *

– Home of

1. FC Magdeburg 1. FC Magdeburg is a German association football club based in the city of Magdeburg. The club was founded in 1965 and spent all but one season in East Germany top flight, the DDR-Oberliga, winning three championships and seven cup titles. It ...

* Messe Magdeburg - Official trade fair site * Paulus Church * Prinzzclub – Night club at Halberstädter Straße – house-, electro, and black music * Seebühne at Elbauenpark * Stadthalle – Concert hall * Studentenclub Baracke - Night club especially for students - house-, electro, rock, pop, indie and black music * St. Johannis Church * St. Petri Church, with stained glass by

Charles Crodel Charles Crodel (September 16, 1894 – November 11, 1973) was a German painter and stained glass artist. Life Crodel was born in Marseille, he studied in 1914 with Richard Riemerschmid, one of the founders of the Deutscher Werkbund, at the M ...

* Tessenow Loft - Conventions, partys, conferences

Museums

* Magdeburg Museum of Cultural History * Otto-von-Guericke-Museum Lukasklause * Jahrtausendturm * Magdeburg Museum of Nature * Magdeburg Museum of Technology * Art Museum in the Monastery of Our Lady * Magdeburg Circus Museum * Magdeburg Hairdressing Museum * Steamboat Württemberg - a museum ship

Architecture

Cathedral

One of Magdeburg's most impressive buildings is the

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

Cathedral of Saints Catherine and Maurice with a height of , making it the tallest church building of eastern Germany. It is notable for its beautiful and unique sculptures, especially the "Twelve Virgins" at the Northern Gate, the depictions of

Otto I the Great Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the oldest son of Henr ...

and his wife

Editha ''Editha'' is a small genus of large, brightly colored sand wasps, restricted to South America. They are specialized predators of butterflies Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), ...

as well as the statues of

St Maurice Saint Maurice (also Moritz, Morris, or Mauritius; ) was an Egyptian military leader who headed the legendary Theban Legion of Rome in the 3rd century, and is one of the favorite and most widely venerated saints of that martyred group. He is the p ...

and

St Catherine St. Catherine or St. Katherine may refer to a number of List of saints named Catherine, saints named Catherine, or: Geography Canada *St. Catharines, a city in Ontario *St. Catharines (electoral district), federal *St. Catharines (provincial ele ...

. The predecessor of the cathedral was a church built in 937 within an abbey, called St. Maurice. Emperor Otto I the Great was buried here beside his wife in 973. St. Maurice burnt to ashes in 1207. The exact location of that church remained unknown for a long time. The foundations were rediscovered in May 2003, revealing a building long and wide. The construction of the new church lasted 300 years. The cathedral of Saints Catherine and Maurice was the first

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 ...

church building in Germany. The building of the steeples was completed as late as 1520. While the cathedral was virtually the only building to survive the massacres of the Thirty Years' War, it suffered damage in World War II. It was soon rebuilt and completed in 1955. The square in front of the cathedral (also called the ''Neuer Markt'', or "new marketplace") was occupied by an imperial palace (''Kaiserpfalz''), which was destroyed in the fire of 1207. The stones from the ruin were used for the building of the cathedral. The presumed remains of the palace were excavated in the 1960s.

Other sights

* ''Unser Lieben Frauen ''Monastery (Our Lady), 11th century, containing the church of St. Mary. Today a museum for Modern Art. Home of the National Collection of Small Art Statues of the GDR (Nationale Sammlung Kleinkunstplastiken der DDR). * The ''Magdeburger Reiter'' ("Magdeburg Rider", 1240), the first free-standing equestrian sculpture north of the Alps. It probably depicts the Emperor

. * City hall (1698). This building had stood on the market place since the 13th century, but it was destroyed in the Thirty Years' War; the new city hall was built in 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 ...

style influenced by Dutch architecture. It was renovated and re-opened in Oct 2005. *

Landtag A Landtag (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence in non- ...

; the seat of the government of Saxony-Anhalt with its

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

façade built-in 1724. * Monuments depicting

(1907), Eike von Repkow and Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben. * Ruins of the greatest fortress of the former

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 ...

. * Rotehorn-Park * Elbauenpark containing the highest wooden structure in Germany. *St. Sebastian's Cathedral, the seat of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Magdeburg The Diocese of Magdeburg is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church, located in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Its seat is Magdeburg; it is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Paderborn. The Diocese was erected out of Paderborn terr ...

. * St. John Church (Johanniskirche) * The Gruson-Gewächshäuser, a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

within a

greenhouse A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse, or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of Transparent ceramics, transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic condit ...

complex * The

Magdeburg Water Bridge The Magdeburg Water Bridge (german: Kanalbrücke Magdeburg) is a large navigable aqueduct in central Germany, located near Magdeburg. The largest canal underbridge in Europe, it spans the river Elbe and directly connects the Mittelland Canal, Mitt ...

, Europe's longest water bridge * "Die Grüne Zitadelle" or The Green Citadel of Magdeburg, a large, pink building of a modern architectural style designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser and completed in 2005. * Jerusalem Bridge * Zoo Magdeburg

Sports

Magdeburg has a proud history of sports teams, with

Association Football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

proving the most popular.

currently plays in the

2. Bundesliga The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...

, the second division of German football. They are the only East German football club to have won the

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...

. The now-defunct clubs

SV Victoria 96 Magdeburg Viktoria 96 Magdeburg was a German football club playing in the Cracau district of Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt. __TOC__ History The club was founded under the name ''Victoria'' on 26 June 1896 by twelve ninth-graders of Magdeburg's ''Guericke-Re ...

and

Cricket Viktoria Magdeburg Cricket Viktoria Magdeburg was a German association football club playing in the Cracau district of Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt. __TOC__ History The club was established in 1897 out of the merger of ''FuCC Regatta Magdeburg'' und ''FC Gut Stoss ...

were among the first football clubs in Germany. There is also the very successful

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

team, SC Magdeburg. They won multiple times the Handball-Bundesliga (HBL),

DHB-Pokal The DHB-Pokal (English: German Handball Federation Cup) is an elimination handball tournament held annually in Germany. It is the second most important handball national title in the country after the Handball-Bundesliga The Handball-Bund ...

DHB-Supercup The DHB-Supercup (English: German Handball Supercup) is an handball tournament held annually between the Handball-Bundesliga champions and the DHB-Pokal The DHB-Pokal (English: German Handball Federation Cup) is an elimination handball tourname ...

, EHF European League, EHF Champions League,

EHF Men's Champions Trophy The EHF Champions Trophy (named IHF Supercup between 1979 and 1983, named EHF Supercup between 1996 and 2007) was an official annual club competition of the European Handball Federation, that was contested until 2008. History Regarded as one of t ...

and the IHF Men's Super Globe. The discus was re-discovered in Magdeburg in the 1870s by

Christian Georg Kohlrausch Christian Georg Kohlrausch re-discovered the Discus - see Discus throw. Since the end of the Ancient Olympic Games, the discus was only known from sculpture like the Discobolus and drawings. The exact dimensions (shape), weight and the technique ...

, a gymnastics teacher.

Twin towns – sister cities

Magdeburg is twinned with: *

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...

, Bosnia and Herzegovina (1977) *

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 Nor ...

, Germany (1987) *

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

, United States (2003) *

Zaporizhzhia Zaporizhzhia ( uk, Запоріжжя) or Zaporozhye (russian: Запорожье) is a city in southeast Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. It is the Capital city, administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zapor ...

, Ukraine (2008) * Radom, Poland (2008) *

Harbin Harbin (; mnc, , v=Halbin; ) is a sub-provincial city and the provincial capital and the largest city of Heilongjiang province, People's Republic of China, as well as the second largest city by urban population after Shenyang and largest ...

, China (2008) *

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...

, France (2011)

People

A–K

Max Albert Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...

(1905–1976), writer *

Ernst Anders Ernst Anders (26 March 1845, Magdeburg – 1911, Mölln) was a German painter. He began his artistic education as a private student of Andreas Müller then, in 1863, enrolled at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, where he studied with Rudolf Wie ...

(1845–1911), portrait and genre painter *

Richard Assmann Richard Assmann (Anglicized spelling of the German name Richard Aßmann) (13 April 1845 in Magdeburg – 28 May 1918 in Gießen) was a German meteorologist and physician who was a native of Magdeburg. He made numerous contributions in high altitud ...

(1845–1918), meteorologist *

Theodor Avé-Lallemant Johann Theodor Friedrich Avé-Lallemant (born 2 February 1806 in Magdeburg; d. 9 November 1890 in Hamburg) was a German musician and music teacher. Family and personal life The son of a music teacher, Avé-Lallemant studied music (French horn, or ...

(1806–1890), music critic and writer on music * Alfons Bach, (1904–1999), industrial designer *

Kurt Behrens Kurt Behrens (November 26, 1884 – February 5, 1928) was a 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 ...

(1884–1928), springboard diver *

Arno Bieberstein Arno Bieberstein (October 24, 1884 in Magdeburg – July 7, 1918 in Magdeburg) was a German backstroke swimmer who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as Londo ...

(1884–1918), swimmer * Jessica Böhrs (born 1980), actress and singer * Henry Busse (1894–1955), trumpeter and bandleader, emigrated to the US at 18 * Adelbert Delbrück (1822–1890), banker and lawyer *

Friedrich Ernst Fesca Friedrich Ernst Fesca (15 February 1789 – 24 May 1826) was a German violinist and composer of instrumental music. Life and career He was born at Magdeburg. His father, Johann Peter August Fesca, was the market judge of Magdeburg and active in ...

(1789–1826), violinist and composer *

Hans Gericke Hans Gericke (27 July 1912 – 15 February 2014) was a German architect and urban planner. From 1953 to 1958, he was the deputy director of the Institutes für Theorie und Geschichte der Baukunst for the Deutschen Bauakademie. In 1965, he became ...

(1912–2014), architect * Frank Giering (1971–2010), actor *

Harry Giese Harry Giese (2 March 1903 – 20 January 1991) was a Germans, German theatre and voice actor, voice actor born in Magdeburg, Province of Saxony. He is best known for providing voiceovers on German newsreels during the Second World War especially D ...

(1903–1991), actor and spokesman in Nazi newsreels *

Georg Gradnauer Georg Gradnauer (16 November 1866 – 18 November 1946) was a German newspaper editor and politician for the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), and the first elected Minister-President of Saxony following the end of the monarchy. Born in M ...

(1866–1946), newspaper editor and politician *

Alfred Grünberg Alfred Grünberg (18 February 1902 in Magdeburg – 21 May 1942 in Berlin) was a worker, a member of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and a German resistance to Nazism, resistance fighter against the Nazism, Nazi régime. Life Alfred Grünber ...

(1901–1942), worker, KPD member and resistance fighter against Nazism *

(1602–1686), mayor and inventor of the Magdeburg hemispheres. The

is named after him * Carl Gustav Friedrich Hasselbach (1809–1882), mayor and member of the Prussian House of Lords; a square in the centre of Magdeburg is named after him *

Ulrike Helzel Ulrike Helzel is a German operatic mezzo-soprano. Life Helzel was born in Magdeburg. She received her vocal training from 1988 onwards with Christa Kern-Pöschel at the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig. In 1990, she was awarded second p ...

, soprano * Gottlieb von Haeseler (1701–1752), entrepreneur in the Duchy of Magdeburg *

Ingolf Huhn Ingolf Huhn (born in 1955) is a German opera manager and theatre director. Life Born in Magdeburg, after the Abitur Huhn studied opera direction in Berlin, musicology in Leipzig and theology. Afterwards he was a master student at the Academy o ...

(born 1955), theatre and opera manager * Hartmann Wilhem Otto (1876–1960), immigrated to the US, where he changed his name to William Hartman and served as a Rough Rider in the Spanish–American War together with Theodore Roosevelt *

(1851–1934), gymnastics teacher and re-discoverer of discus throwing *

Carl Hindenburg Carl Friedrich Hindenburg (13 July 1741 – 17 March 1808) was a German mathematician born in Dresden. His work centered mostly on combinatorics and probability. Education Hindenburg did not attend school but was educated at home by a private tut ...

(1820–1899), cycling official and first president of the German Cyclist Federation (DRB) * Heinrich Jost (1889–1948), typeface designer *

Eberhard Jüngel Eberhard Jüngel (5 December 1934 – 28 September 2021) was a German Lutheran theologian. He was Emeritus Professor of Systematic Theology and the Philosophy of Religion at the Faculty of Protestant Theology of the University of Tübingen. Lif ...

(1934–2021), German Lutheran theologian *

Georg Kaiser Friedrich Carl Georg Kaiser, called Georg Kaiser, (25 November 1878 – 4 June 1945) was a German dramatist. Biography Kaiser was born in Magdeburg. He was highly prolific and wrote in a number of different styles. An Expressionist dramatist, ...

(1878–1945), writer *

Nadine Kleinert , since 1999 married Schmitt (born 20 October 1975 in Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt) is a German shot putter. Her personal best throw is 20.20 metres, achieved in August 2009 in Berlin. She competed at four Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olymp ...

(born 1975), retired shot putter, Olympic and World Championship silver medallist *

Wilhelm Kobelt Wilhelm Kobelt (20 February 1840 – 26 March 1916) was a German zoologist born in Alsfeld, Grand Duchy of Hesse. He specialized in the field of malacology. Kobelt is remembered for his work as curator of the Senckenberg Museum in Frankfurt am ...

(1865–1927), member of the Reichstag and local politician in Magdeburg * Rolf Kohnert (born 1938), engineer, 3 times Australian masters cycling champion *

Stefan Kretzschmar Stefan Kretzschmar (; born 17 February 1973, in Leipzig) is a retired professional German handball player. The son of Peter Kretzschmar, a legendary handball player and coach in the former GDR (East Germany) and Waltraud Kretzschmar, a former h ...

(born 1973), handball player and Olympic medallist *

Hans Kühne Hans Kühne (3 June 1880 – 18 February 1969) was a German chemist on the board of IG Farben and a defendant during the IG Farben Trial. Early years The son of Julius and Elisabeth Kühne, Hans Kühne enrolled in the University of Leipzig to stud ...

(1880–1969), chemist on the board of I.G. Farben and defendant during the Nuremberg trials

L–Z

Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F002352-0002, Bonn, Bundestag, Pariser Verträge, Ollenhauer

*Ernst Lehmann (1908–1945), SPD politician, active in the resistance against Nazism *Otto Lehmann (1900–1936), resistance fighter against Nazism * Werner Marcks (1896–1967), lieutenant general in World War II * Olaf Malolepski (born 1946), singer-songwriter *

Johann Carl Simon Morgenstern Johann Karl Simon Morgenstern ( – ) was a German philologist in Livonia, the first director of the library of the Imperial University of Dorpat. He coined the term ''Bildungsroman''. Biography Morgenstern was born in Magdeburg. He studied at t ...

(1770–1852), philologist who coined the term

Bildungsroman In literary criticism, a ''Bildungsroman'' (, plural ''Bildungsromane'', ) is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood ( coming of age), in which character change is impo ...

* Felix von Niemeyer (1820–1871), physician, royal Württemberg personal physician * Leo Nowak (born 1929), Roman Catholic bishop of Magdeburg (1990–2004) * Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard (born 1942), biologist, the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research in 1991 and the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1995 *

Richard Ölze Richard Oelze (June 29, 1900 – November 26, 1980) was a German painter. He is classified as a surrealist. Life He was born in Magdeburg. As of 1914, Oelze attended the School of Decorative Arts in Magdeburg, where he was trained as a lithograph ...

(1900–1980), painter * Erich Ollenhauer (1901–1963), leader of the

Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the ...

1952–1963 * Menahem Pressler (born 1923), pianist *

Ernst Reuter Ernst Rudolf Johannes Reuter (29 July 1889 – 29 September 1953) was the mayor of West Berlin from 1948 to 1953, during the time of the Cold War. Biography Early years Reuter was born in Apenrade (Aabenraa), Province of Schleswig-Holstein ...

(1889–1953), Mayor of Magdeburg 1931–1933, then Mayor of West Berlin in 1948–1953 *

Willy Rosen Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Willie Aames (born 1960), American actor, television director, and scree ...

(1894–1944) composer and songwriter * Arthur Ruppin (1876–1943), Zionist thinker and leader * Ekkehard Schall (1930–2005), actor and theatre director *

Marcel Schmelzer Marcel Schmelzer (; born 22 January 1988) is a German former professional footballer who last played as a left-back for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, serving as captain from 2016 to 2018. He was capped by Germany at international level. A ...

(born 1988), footballer *Karl Schmidt (1902–1945), resistance fighter against Nazism *

Petra Schmidt-Schaller Petra Schmidt-Schaller (born 28 August 1980) is a German actress. She is noted for the roles of ''Helene'' in '' Runaway Horse'' alongside Ulrich Noethen, Ulrich Tukur and Katja Riemann, and ''Maud Brewster'' in ''The Sea Wolf'' (2008 ProSieben ...

(born 1980), actress *

Manfred Schoof Manfred Schoof (born 6 April 1936) is a German jazz trumpeter. Career Schoof was born in Magdeburg, Germany, and studied music in Kassel and Cologne, where one of his teachers of the big band leader Kurt Edelhagen. Schoof performed on Edelhagen' ...

(born 1936), jazz trumpeter *

Wolfgang Schreyer Wolfgang Schreyer (20 November 1927 – 14 November 2017) was a German writer of fiction, historic adventures mixed with documentary, science fiction for TV shows and movies and is best known as the author of over 20 adventure stories. Life ...

(1927–2017), writer * Margarete Schön (1895–1985), stage and film actress *

Ivan Shyshkin Ivan Shyshkin (born 16 September 1983) is a former Ukrainian football midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that ...

(born 1983), Ukrainian footballer * Kurt Singer (1886–1962), philosopher * Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben (1730–1794), American patriot *

Christoph Christian Sturm Christoph Christian Sturm (1740–1786) was a German preacher and author, best known for his ''Reflections on the Works of God in Nature''. The son of Johann Jakob Sturm, a lawyer, at Augsburg, was born at Augsburg, January 25, 1740. He studied at ...

(1740–1786), preacher and author, wrote the majority of his devotional works here *

Bruno Taut Bruno Julius Florian Taut (4 May 1880 – 24 December 1938) was a renowned German architect, urban planner and author of Prussian Lithuanian heritage ("taut" means "nation" in Lithuanian). He was active during the Weimar period and is know ...

(1880–1938), city architect 1921–1923, completed two housing projects in Magdeburg * Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767), composer *

Klaus Thunemann Klaus Thunemann (born 19 April 1937) is a German bassoonist, considered "one of the finest bassoonists of his generation". Biography Klaus Thunemann was born in Magdeburg on 19 April 1937. He originally studied piano but from the age of 18 foc ...

(born 1937), bassoon professor * Henning von Tresckow (1901–1944), major general in the ''Wehrmacht'', active in the military resistance * Lothar von Trotha (1848–1920), military commander notorious for presiding over the near-extermination of the Herero in

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* Karl Wallenda (1905–1978), highwire acrobat *

Camillo Walzel Camillo Walzel (11 February 1829 –17 March 1895) was a German librettist and theatre director, who wrote under the pseudonym F Zell. Life and work Walzel was born in Magdeburg. In his early years, he worked in his father's lithographic factory, ...

(1829–1895), librettist and theatre director *

Wilhelm Weitling Wilhelm Christian Weitling (October 5, 1808 – January 25, 1871) was a German tailor, inventor, radical political activist and one of the first theorists of communism. Weitling gained fame in Europe as a social theorist before he emigrated t ...

(1808–1871), utopian Communist *

Dieter Zahn Dieter Zahn (born 8 February 1940) is a German double bassist. Life Born in Magdeburg, from the age of 14 Zahn received lessons of double bass from F. Richter at the Fachschule für Musik Magdeburg. From 1958 to 1961 he studied with Heinz Zimm ...

(born 1940),

double-bassist The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

Dejan Zavec Dejan Zavec (born 13 March 1976), best known as Jan Zaveck, is a Slovenian former professional boxer who competed from 2003 to 2015. He held the IBF welterweight title from 2009 to 2011, and challenged once for the WBA super-welterweight title i ...

(born 1976), Slovenian welterweight boxer, IBF Welterweight Champion *

Heinrich Zschokke Johann Heinrich Daniel Zschokke (22 March 177127 June 1848) was a German, later Swiss, author and reformer. Most of his life was spent, and most of his reputation earned, in Switzerland. He had an extensive civil service career, and wrote hist ...

(1771–1848), author and reformer *

George William Ziemann George William Ziemann (November 1806 or 1809 – December 26, 1881) was a German Christian missionary known for successfully establishing and running the Ghazipore Mission in India. He also did missionary work in many other parts of India for ne ...

(1809–1881), Christian missionary who served in Magdeburg in the infantry

Gallery

Blick über Magdeburg.JPG, View over a part of Magdeburg in 2012 Magdeburger Dom Cathedral (40705658233).jpg, Cathedral of Magdeburg Haus 60a - Universitätsklinikum Magdeburg.jpg, Main building of the university hospital St. Johannis (Magdeburg-Altstadt).ajb.jpg, St.-Johannis Church Kirchentrio Magdeburg.jpg, The three churches on the banks of the Elbe river Hauptbahnhof MD.jpg,

Magdeburg Hauptbahnhof Magdeburg Hauptbahnhof (German for Magdeburg main station, sometimes translated as Magdeburg Central Station) is the main railway station in the city of Magdeburg in the northern part of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Importance The station ...

(Central Station) Opernhaus magdeburg 11.JPG, Magdeburg Opera Magdeburg Hundertwasserhaus.jpg, The Grüne Zitadelle (Green Citadel) .00 1533 Magdeburg - Gebäude Justizzentrum.jpg, Judiciary center Elbauenpark.jpg, View over

Elbauenpark The Elbauenpark is a family and leisure park in Magdeburg, capital city of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The park area is about 100 hectares and consists of the parts ''Kleiner Anger'' and ''Großer Anger''. The park areas are connected with a pedestria ...

with Jahrtausendturm Elbufer Magdeburg mit Dom.jpg,

river in Magdeburg Magdeburg Alter Markt mit Rathaus.jpg, City Hall with Sankt-Johannis-Church Magdeburg Nordbrueckenzug.jpg, Jerusalem Bridges Saxonia bei Dämmerung in Magdeburg.jpg, The Elbe in Magdeburg Magdeburg Kanalbrücke aerial view 13.jpg,

Magdeburg Hasselbachplatz 2006-11-18.jpg, The Hasselbachplatz, an important transport hub Gruson-Gewächshäuser Außen.JPG, Gruson-Gewächshäuser Magdeburger Reiter Gruppe im Museum.jpg, The Magdeburger Reiter (Magdeburg equestrian) Allee-Center Magdeburg Innen.jpg, The "Allee-Center" Shopping complex is one of seven shopping centres Magdeburg Sternbrucke 2.jpg, Embankment of the city park Kulturhistorisches-Museum-Magdeburg.JPG, Museum of culture and history 2019-09-27 17-45 G90T3345 AL Commons Landtag.jpg, The parliament of Saxony-Anhalt

References

External links

Official website

Official website for tourists

Virtual city tour Magdeburg

The city of Otto
{{Authority control German state capitals Martin Luther Members of the Hanseatic League Populated riverside places in Germany Populated places on the Elbe