Marienborn is a village and a former municipality in the

Börde district A ''börde'' (plural: ''börden'') is a region of highly fertile lowland in North Germany, a "fertile plain". These landscapes often cover great areas and are particularly important for arable farming on account of their rich soils. These region ...

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 ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Since 1 January 2010, it has been part of the municipality of

Sommersdorf Sommersdorf is a municipality in the Börde district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, an ...

. It is about southwest of

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 Mi ...

. The historic

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

centre near 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 Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, West Germany) from 1949 to 1990. Not including the ...

is known for the preserved Helmstedt-Marienborn border crossing, now a memorial site. In 1191

Wichmann von Seeburg Wichmann von Seeburg ( – 25 August 1192) was Bishop of Naumburg from 1150 until 1154 and Archbishop of Magdeburg from 1154 until his death. He became the first Magdeburg prince-archbishop in 1180 Life Wichmann was the second son of the Sax ...

, then Archbishop of Magdeburg, established an asylum at the site of an apparition of the Virgin Mary and a spring ''(Born)'' with healing waters, which during the 13th century evolved into a monastery for Augustinian nuns. The sisters of Marienborn abbey left a monastery church and

cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...

with foundations from about 1200, while the pilgrimage chapel at the spring is a replica dating from the 19th century.

Transportation

Marienborn has access to the Bundesautobahn 2 and the

Bundesstraße 1 The Bundesstraße 1 (abbr. B1) is a German federal highway running in an east-west direction from the Netherlands, Dutch border near Aachen to the Poland, Polish border at Küstrin-Kietz on the Oder River. History The road developed from an anc ...

federal highway. The former railway border crossing at

Marienborn station Marienborn station (german: Bahnhof Marienborn) is a railway station in the municipality of Marienborn, located in the Börde district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Notable places nearby *Helmstedt–Marienborn border crossing The Helmstedt– ...

today is a stop on the railway line from Braunschweig to Magdeburg, served by Regionalbahn trains of the

Deutsche Bahn The (; abbreviated as DB or DB AG) is the national railway company of Germany. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). The Federal Republic of Germany is its single shareholder. describes itself as the se ...

company.

External links

Marienborn pilgrimage site
Former municipalities in Saxony-Anhalt Börde (district) {{Börde-geo-stub