Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in 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 situated on the river

Hase The Hase is a long river of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Ems, but part of its flow goes to the Else, that is part of the Weser basin. Its source is in the Teutoburg Forest, south-east of Osnabrück, on the north slope ...

in a valley penned between the

Wiehen Hills The Wiehen Hills (german: Wiehengebirge, , also locally, just ''Wiehen'') are a hill range in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony in Germany. The hills run from west to east like a long finger away from the main upland area of the Lower Saxon ...

and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population of 168,145 Osnabrück is one of the four largest cities in Lower Saxony. The city is the centrepoint of the Osnabrück Land region as well as the District of Osnabrück.Osnabrück: Lebendiges Zentrum im Osnabrücker Land
www.osnabruecker-land.de The founding of Osnabrück was linked to its positioning on important European trading routes.

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 ...

founded the

Diocese of Osnabrück 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 associat ...

in 780. The city was also a 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 ...

. At the end 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 ...

(1618–1648), one of the treaties comprising 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 ...

was negotiated in Osnabrück (the other being in nearby

Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state distr ...

). In recognition of its role as the site of negotiations, Osnabrück later adopted the title ''Friedensstadt'' ("city of peace"). The city is also known as the birthplace of anti-war novelist

Erich-Maria Remarque Erich Maria Remarque (, ; born Erich Paul Remark; 22 June 1898 – 25 September 1970) was a German-born novelist. His landmark novel '' All Quiet on the Western Front'' (1928), based on his experience in the Imperial German Army during Worl ...

and painter

Felix Nussbaum Felix Nussbaum (December 11, 1904 – August 9, 1944) was a German Jews, German-Jewish surrealist Painting, painter. Nussbaum’s work gives insights into the essence of one person among the victims of the Holocaust. Early life and education N ...

. More recently Osnabrück has become well known for its industry. Numerous companies in the automobile, paper, steel and grocery sectors are located in the city and its surrounding area. In spite of the massive destruction inflicted on the city during

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

, the

Altstadt ''Altstadt'' is the German language word for "old town", and generally refers to the historical town or city centre within the old town or city wall, in contrast to younger suburbs outside. '' Neustadt'' (new town), the logical opposite of ''Alt ...

(old town) was eventually reconstructed extensively with designs loyal to the original

medieval architecture Medieval architecture is architecture common in the Middle Ages, and includes religious, civil, and military buildings. Styles include pre-Romanesque, Romanesque, and Gothic. While most of the surviving medieval architecture is to be seen in c ...

there. Osnabrück was also the home of the largest British garrison outside the United Kingdom. Osnabrück's modern, urban image is enhanced by the presence of more than 22,000 students studying at the

University 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 ...

and the University of Applied Sciences. Although part of the state of Lower Saxony, historically, culturally and linguistically Osnabrück is considered part of the region of

Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regio ...

Name

The origin of the name Osnabrück is disputed. The suffix ''-brück'' suggests a bridge over or to something (from German ''Brücke'' = bridge) but the prefix ''Osna-'' is explained in at least two different ways: the traditional explanation is that today's name is a corruption of ''Ossenbrügge'' (westphalian meaning "oxen bridge"), which is etymologically and historically impossible, because the town is older than this corruption of consonants (documented in 13th century, Osnabrück was founded in 8th century), but others state that it is derived from the name of the ''Hase'' River which is arguably derived from ''Asen'' ( Æsir), thus giving Osnabrück the meaning "bridge to the gods", and previously Tacitus named people living near the grey river (Hase) Chasuarii. It may also be noted that Osnabrück is situated on the northern end of the Teutoburg Forest, which until the 19th century was known as the Osning. The way in which the city's name is pronounced can also serve as a means of telling if the speaker is a native of Osnabrück or a visitor: most locals stress the last syllable, while those from elsewhere tend to stress the first one. The city gave its name to the textile fabric of

osnaburg Osnaburg is a general term for coarse, plain-weave fabric. It also refers specifically to a historic fabric originally woven in flax but also in tow or jute, and from flax or tow warp with a mixed or jute weft. Historic osnaburg Osnaburg fabr ...

History

Medieval

Osnabrück initially developed as a marketplace next to the bishopric founded by

, King of the

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...

, in 780. Some time prior to 803, the city became the seat of the Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück. Although the precise date is uncertain, it is likely that Osnabrück is the oldest bishopric in Lower Saxony. In the year 804 Charlemagne was said to have founded the Gymnasium Carolinum in Osnabrück. This would make it the oldest German Gymnasium school, but the charter date is disputed by historians, some of whom believe it could be a forgery. In 889 the town was given merchant, customs, and coinage privileges by King

Arnulf of Carinthia Arnulf of Carinthia ( 850 – 8 December 899) was the duke of Carinthia who overthrew his uncle Emperor Charles the Fat to become the Carolingian king of East Francia from 887, the disputed king of Italy from 894 and the disputed emperor from Feb ...

. Osnabrück was first referred to in records as a "city" in 1147. A decade later, Emperor

Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on ...

granted the city

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

privileges (''Befestigungsrecht''). Most of the towers which were part of the original fortifications are still visible in the city. Osnabrück became a member of the

in the 12th century, as well as a member of the

Westphalian Federation of Cities Westphalian may refer to: * The culture or people of the Westphalia region of Germany * Westphalian language, one of the major dialect groups of West Low German * Westphalian sovereignty, a concept in international relations * Westphalian (stage), ...

. The history of the town in the later Middle Ages was recorded in a chronicle by

Albert Suho Albert Suho (before 1390 - after 1449) was a cleric and writer. He enjoyed a successful church career in his home town of Osnabrück, and represented the town at the Council of Basel. He wrote a number of theological works in Latin and a world chron ...

, one of Osnabrück's most important clerics in the 15th century.

Early Modern age

From 1561 to 1639 there was a considerable amount of social unrest and tension in Osnabrück due to 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 ...

, the

and also witch hunting. In 1582, during the rule of Mayor Hammacher (1565–1588), 163 women were executed as alleged witches; most of them were burned alive. In total, 276 women were executed, along with 2 men who had been charged with wizardry. The first Lutheran services were held in Osnabrück in 1543. Over the next century, Lutheranism expanded in the city and several Protestant bishops were elected. However, the Catholic churches continued to operate, and the city never became completely Lutheran. After the Thirty Years' War broke out, a Catholic bishop was elected in 1623, and the city was occupied by troops of the Catholic League in 1628. The Gymnasium Carolinum was upgraded to a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

university in 1632, but the university was closed a year later when the city was taken by Swedish troops and restored to Protestant control. Osnabrück Bischöfliche Residenz (1777)@01

Osnabrück Bischöfliche Residenz (1777)@01

Peace negotiations took place in Osnabrück and the nearby city of

from 1643 to 1648. The twin Treaties of Osnabrück and Münster, collectively known as the

, ended the Thirty Years' War. Osnabrück was officially recognized as bi-confessional Catholic and Lutheran. The prince-bishopric would be held alternately by a Catholic bishop and a Lutheran bishop. The Protestant bishop would be selected from the descendants of the

Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

, with priority given to the cadets of what became the

House of Hanover The House of Hanover (german: Haus Hannover), whose members are known as Hanoverians, is a European royal house of German origin that ruled Hanover, Great Britain, and Ireland at various times during the 17th to 20th centuries. The house orig ...

. From 1667, prince-bishop Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, built the new baroque palace. His son,

George I of Great Britain George I (George Louis; ; 28 May 1660 – 11 June 1727) was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 and ruler of the Electorate of Hanover within the Holy Roman Empire from 23 January 1698 until his death in 1727. He was the first ...

, died in the palace, at the time residence of his younger brother, prince-bishop

Ernest Augustus, Duke of York and Albany Ernest Augustus, Duke of York and Albany (17 September 1674 – 14 August 1728), was the younger brother of George I of Great Britain. Ernest Augustus was a soldier and served with some distinction under Emperor Leopold I during the Nine Years' Wa ...

, on a travel on 11 June 1727. In the early 18th century, renowned local jurist and social theorist

Justus Möser Justus Möser (14 December 1720 – 8 January 1794) was a German jurist and social theorist, best known for his innovative history of Osnabrück which stressed social and cultural themes. Biography Möser was born in Osnabrück. Having studi ...

wrote a highly influential constitutional history of the town, the ''Osnabrücker Geschichte''. Following the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

, the town's population fell below 6,000, however an economic revival linked to the

linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...

and tobacco industries caused it to rise again from the 1780s onwards.

19th century

The

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted French First Republic, France against Ki ...

brought

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

n troops into the city in 1795, followed by the French in 1803. As a result, the town's population was kept below 10,000 for the whole first decade of the 19th century. The Napoleonic period saw possession of the city change hands several times. Control of Osnabrück passed to the

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

in 1803 during the

German Mediatisation German mediatisation (; german: deutsche Mediatisierung) was the major territorial restructuring that took place between 1802 and 1814 in Germany and the surrounding region by means of the mass mediatisation and secularisation of a large number ...

, and then briefly to the

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

in 1806. From 1807 to 1810 the city was part of the Kingdom of Westphalia, after which it passed to the

First French Empire The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Eu ...

. After 1815, it became part of the

Kingdom of Hanover The Kingdom of Hanover (german: Königreich Hannover) was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Han ...

The town's first railway line was built in 1855, connecting it with Löhne. Further rail connections appeared over the following decades, connecting Osnabrück with

Emden Emden () is an independent city and seaport in Lower Saxony in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia and, in 2011, had a total population of 51,528. History The exact founding date of E ...

from 1856,

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

from 1871 and

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

from 1874. In 1866, Osnabrück was annexed by Prussia after the

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

and administered as part of the Province of Hanover. Growth of the local economy and population was fuelled by expansion in the engineering and textile industries, with the Hammersen Weaving Mill established in 1869 and the ''Osnabrücker Kupfer- und Drahtwerk'' metallurgical firm following in 1873. The later 19th century also saw growth in the number of schools and the arrival of electricity and modern sanitation.

20th century

By 1914, Osnabrück had over 70,000 inhabitants. The outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

necessitated food rationing; the Allied blockade and a harsh winter in 1917 led to further shortages. Following Germany's defeat in 1918, a council made up of workers and soldiers took control during the November Revolution, but were replaced by the new

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is al ...

the following year. Similarly to many other German cities, Osnabrück experienced considerable inflation and unemployment in the 1920s, with over 2,000 out of work by 1923 and nearly 14,000 receiving some form of government assistance by 1928. Politically, Osnabrück in the 1920s was a stronghold of support for the Social Democrats and the Catholic Centre Party. However, in the Reichstag elections of September 1930, the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...

received the greatest percentage of votes in the city (nearly 28%) – a more than seven-fold increase from their electoral performance in Osnabrück two years prior. During the campaigns prior to the two federal elections in 1932, both

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

and

Joseph Goebbels Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazi politician who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief propagandist for the Nazi Party, and then Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to 19 ...

made well-attended speeches in the city. Osnabrück Süden

Following the Nazis' seizure of power in January 1933, Osnabrück was subjected to the implementation of National Socialist economic, political, and social programmes. These resulted in economic growth for ethnic Germans who did not run afoul of the new regime, and the town went from having over 10,000 unemployed in early 1933 to actually having a labour shortage five years later. However, dissenters, supporters of opposition parties and German Jews (who had experienced centuries of discrimination in the city) did not share in this growth and found themselves discriminated against, imprisoned or forced to close their businesses and leave town. During

, both Jews and Romany were deported to concentration camps and

extermination camp Nazi Germany used six extermination camps (german: Vernichtungslager), also called death camps (), or killing centers (), in Central Europe during World War II to systematically murder over 2.7 million peoplemostly Jewsin the Holocaust. The v ...

s en masse. The war ended for Osnabrück on 4 April 1945, when the XVII Corps of

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

Bernard Montgomery's Second Army entered the city with little resistance. By this time, the city had been extensively bombed and required major reconstructive programmes following the war's end. Leading Nazis fled the city and the British appointed a new mayor, Johannes Petermann. However, during the allied occupation of Germany a British military governor, Colonel Geoffrey Day was placed in charge of administering the city. Relations between the occupiers and the citizens of Osnabrück were generally peaceful, though tensions existed; some minor fights broke out between British soldiers and local youths and some Osnabrückers resented the relationships that developed between the occupiers and local women. Additionally, the British took over more than seventy homes for their own use by the middle of 1946. Amidst shortages, the black market thrived and became one of the main focuses of police activity. After World War II

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 ...

realigned its states; Osnabrück became part of the new state of

in 1946. The British continued to maintain

Osnabrück Garrison Osnabrück Garrison was a major British garrison with facilities located at Osnabrück in Lower Saxony and Münster in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was home to 4th Armoured Brigade and most of its subordinate units. It formed a major part ...

, a garrison near the city, which at one point was the largest British

garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...

in the world, housing some 4,000 troops and employing around 500 local civilians. It was the target of a PIRA attack in 1996. Due to budget cuts, the troops were withdrawn in 2008 and the property returned to the local government. After three centuries, the city finally obtained its university when the government of Lower Saxony established the

University of Osnabrück 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, the ...

in 1974. Largest foreign resident groups in Osnabrück :

Main sights

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

* St. Peter's Cathedral, founded in the 11th century. It has two façade towers, originally the same size *Gerdrudenberg Monastery *'' Marienkirche'' *''Heger Tor'' ("Heger Gate"), a monument to the soldiers from Osnabrück who died at the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

in 1815 *''

Bucksturm The Bucksturm (also formerly called the ''Bocksturm'') is a listed historical structure in Osnabrück, Germany. The tower with semi-circular layout was built at the beginning of the 13th century as a watchtower, positioned on the Osnabrück cit ...

'', the oldest tower in the city, and once part of the city walls. It was once used as a prison for women accused of witchcraft *''Ruwe'' Fountain" (1985), created to mark the city's 1200th birthday *''Gladiator 2000'' (1986), a gigantic painting measuring (45 × 6 meters), by

Nicu Covaci Nicolae (Nicu) Covaci (born 19 April 1947 in Timișoara, Romania) is a Romanian guitarist, painter, and music composer. He is best known as the leader and founding member of Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to th ...

Felix Nussbaum Haus The Felix Nussbaum Haus is a museum in Osnabrück, Germany, which houses the paintings of German-Jewish painter Felix Nussbaum. The building also houses an exhibition space, which focuses on racism and intolerance. Origins By the 1980s, the cit ...

, a gallery and museum dedicated to the Jewish artist and painter

, who was murdered during the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

. It was designed by the architect

Daniel Libeskind Daniel Libeskind (born May 12, 1946) is a Polish–American architect, artist, professor and set designer. Libeskind founded Studio Daniel Libeskind in 1989 with his wife, Nina, and is its principal design architect. He is known for the design a ...

*''

Kalkriese Kalkriese is a village now administratively part of the city of Bramsche in the district of Osnabrück, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is on the northern slope of the Wiehen Hills, a ridge-like range of hills, north of Osnabrück. The ''Kalkrieser Ber ...

Museum'', situated on the battlefield of the Battle of the Teutoburger Wald in the Wiehen Hills, where German tribes under

Arminius Arminius ( 18/17 BC – 21 AD) was a chieftain of the Germanic Cherusci tribe who is best known for commanding an alliance of Germanic tribes at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD, in which three Roman legions under the command of ge ...

destroyed three Roman legions. It exhibits artefacts unearthed on the battlefield and tells the story of the battle * ''Osnabrücker Schloss'' (castle/palace) 17th century Baroque construction, nowadays the main building of the

Botanischer Garten der Universität Osnabrück The Botanic Garden of Osnabrück is an institution of Osnabrück University. It is located in the Westerberg area of the city in a former Muschelkalk quarry. Muschelkalk is a shell-bearing limestone typical to Central and Western Europe. The Bota ...

, the university's

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 ...

* Old town with its small streets and medieval buildings * Osnabrück Zoo * Vitischanze – formerly a defence station in the north-west of the old city, it has the only undestroyed bridge in Europe with a defence walk below its surface. It is also the site of certain faculty of the

University of Applied Science A university of applied sciences (UAS), nowadays much less commonly called a polytechnic university or vocational university, is an institution of higher education and sometimes research that provides vocational education and grants academic de ...

. It was earlier used as a casino * Haseuferweg * Katharinenkirche (St. Catherine's Church), which dates back to 1248 and is one of the 150 tallest churches in the world, and also the tallest medieval building in

* Hyde Park, a traditional music hall established in 1976, a haven of pop music and youth culture *Leysieffer, a traditional German chocolate producer founded in Osnabrück. The main Leysieffer site is in the city centre.

Education

There are two higher education institutions in Osnabrück,

and Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences with more than 25,000 students. All of the types of German grammar schools are represented in the city, including seven Gymnasien. Gymnasium Carolinum claims to be the oldest still existing school in Germany. Another well-known Gymnasium is the Ursulaschule, a private school, located directly opposite the Carolinum. The University of Osnabrück invested heavily in infrastructure to take on more students for the following years.

Sport

The city's football team is

VfL Osnabrück VfL Osnabrück is a German multi-sport club in Osnabrück, Lower Saxony. It currently fields teams in basketball, gymnastics, swimming, table tennis, and tennis but is by far best known for its football section. History Foundation to WW2 The cl ...

, founded in 1899. Currently, the team starts in the

3. Liga The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for t ...

. Its basketball team was founded the same year. The Schlosswallhalle has been home to the

GiroLive Panthers Osnabrück GiroLive Panthers Osnabrück is a German women's professional basketball team based in Osnabrück. The team currently plays in the 1. Damen-Basketball-Bundesliga, the highest level of basketball in Germany. The team plays its home games in the S ...

of the 1. Damen-Basketball-Bundesliga.

Politics

The current mayor of Osnabrück is Katharina Pötter (CDU), elected in September 2021. Osnabrück is part of the electoral constituency Stadt Osnabrück for elections to the

Bundestag The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet") is the German federal parliament. It is the only federal representative body that is directly elected by the German people. It is comparable to the United States House of Representatives or the House of Commons ...

Transport

The city of Osnabrück is connected by road to the A1, the A30 and the A33. It shares its

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...

with

Osnabrück Hauptbahnhof Osnabrück Hauptbahnhof is a railway station located in Osnabrück, Germany. The station was opened in 1895 and is located on the Wanne-Eickel–Hamburg, Löhne–Rheine, Osnabrück–Bielefeld and the Oldenburg–Osnabrück lines. The train ...

(central railway station) is an important rail travel hub. Travellers from the Netherlands heading to either

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, Denmark, or Eastern Europe often have to change here. An extensive bus network operated by the Stadtwerke Osnabrück (public utility provider) provides public transport within the city and the surrounding regio

The central hub is situated on Neumarkt close to the main shopping street, roughly 10 minutes' walk from the railway station.

Districts of Osnabrück

The city is divided into 23 districts:

Twin towns – sister cities

Osnabrück is Sister city, twinned with: *

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...

, Netherlands (1961) * Angers, France (1964) * Gmünd, Austria (1971) *

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

, United Kingdom (1976) * Greifswald, Germany (1988) *

Tver Tver ( rus, Тверь, p=tvʲerʲ) is a city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is northwest of Moscow. Population: Tver was formerly the capital of a powerful medieval state and a model provincial town in the Russian ...

, Russia (1991) * Evansville, United States (1991) *

Gwangmyeong Gwangmyeong (; Korean: 광명시) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It borders Seoul to the east, north and northeast, Anyang to the southeast, Siheung to the southwest, and Bucheon to the northeast. Gwangmyeong is home to one of the ...

, South Korea (1997) *

Çanakkale Çanakkale (pronounced ), ancient ''Dardanellia'' (), is a city and seaport in Turkey in Çanakkale province on the southern shore of the Dardanelles at their narrowest point. The population of the city is 195,439 (2021 estimate). Çanakkale is ...

, Turkey (2004) * Vila Real, Portugal (2005) *

Hefei Hefei (; ) is the capital and largest city of Anhui Province, People's Republic of China. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, and cultural center of Anhui. Its population was 9,369,881 as of the 2020 census and its built-up ( ...

, China (2006)

Twinning with Derby

Previously Osnabrück had made contact with the British authorities as early as 1948, hoping to find an English twin town and therefore achieve greater understanding with their former enemies in the Second World War. Unfortunately, this attempt was unsuccessful and Osnabrück did not actively consider the idea again for another quarter-century. The twinning agreement with Derby was signed on 17 February 1976. Every year since then the two cities have exchanged envoys. Derby also has a square named after Osnabrück in honour of the twinning arrangement; this features an obelisk among other things.

Notable people

Public service & commerce

Charlotte Sophia von Platen-Hallermund, Countess of Darlington

Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R04034, Erich Maria Remarque

(c. 1380 – c. 1450), clergyman, theologian, historian *

Friedrich Staphylus Friedrich Staphylus (27 August 1512 – 5 March 1564) was a German theologian, at first a Protestant and then a Catholic convert. Biography Staphylus was born at Osnabrück. His father, Ludeke Stapellage, was an official of the Bishop of Os ...

(1512–1564), theologian *

Johann Wilhelm Petersen Johann Wilhelm Petersen (1 July 1649 in Osnabrück – 31 January 1727 in Zerbst) was a German theologian, mystic, and Millennialist. Johann Wilhelm Petersen grew up in Lübeck and studied theology at the Katharineum in Lübeck, as well a ...

(1649–1727), evangelical theologian *

(1674–1728), brother of

Sophia von Kielmansegg, Countess of Darlington Sophia Charlotte von Kielmansegg, Countess of Darlington and Countess of Leinster (1675–1725) was a German-born courtier. A half-sister of George I of Great Britain, to whom she was close, she moved to England in 1714 shortly after the Hanoverian ...

(1675–1725), courtier and a half-sister of

(1720–1794), jurist and social theorist * Ernst zu Münster (1766–1839), politician, statesman in the service of

House of Hannover The House of Hanover (german: Haus Hannover), whose members are known as Hanoverians, is a European royal house of German origin that ruled Hanover, Great Britain, and Ireland at various times during the 17th to 20th centuries. The house orig ...

Bernhard Rudolf Abeken Bernhard Rudolf Abeken (1 December 1780 – 24 February 1866) was a German philologist and literature historian. Life Abeken was born in Osnabrück. His father was a Catholic merchant, who was much religious for his family. Thus, Bernhard Abek ...

(1780–1866),

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...

* Karl Fortlage (1806–1881), philosopher * Heinrich Abeken (1809–1872), evangelical theologian *

Friedrich Blass Friedrich Blass (22 January 1843, Osnabrück5 March 1907, Halle) was a German classical scholar. Biography After studying at Göttingen and Bonn from 1860 to 1863, Blass lectured at several gymnasia and at the University of Königsberg. In 1876 ...

(1843–1907), classical scholar * Friedrich Westmeyer (1873–1917), politician and trade unionist *

Walter Warlimont Walter Warlimont (3 October 1894 – 9 October 1976) was a German staff officer during World War II. He served as deputy chief of the Operations Staff, one of departments in the ''Oberkommando der Wehrmacht'' (OKW), the Armed Forces High Comman ...

(1894–1976), General of the Artillery * Elfriede Scholz (1903–1943), victim of national socialism *

Hans Georg Calmeyer Hans Georg Calmeyer (; 23 June 1903 – 3 September 1972) was a German lawyer from Osnabrück who saved thousands of Jews from certain death during the German occupation of the Netherlands from 1941 until 1945. On 4 March 1992 Yad Vashem recog ...

(1903–1972), attorney, ''Righteous Among the Nations'' * Fritz Buntrock (1909–1948), SS officer and war criminal *

Rudolf Beckmann Rudolf Beckmann (20 February 1910Ernst Klee: ''Das Kulturlexikon zum Dritten Reich. Wer war was vor und nach 1945''. S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2007, , p. 37. – 14 October 1943) was a German '' SS-Oberscharführer'' in the Sobibor exterm ...

(1910–1943), SS-Oberscharführer and war criminal *

Franz Lucas Franz Bernhard Lucas (September 15, 1911, in Osnabrück – December 7, 1994, in Elmshorn) was a German concentration camp doctor. Early life and education Franz Lucas was the son of a butcher.Ernst Klee: ''Auschwitz. Täter, Gehilfen und Opfer ...

(1911–1994), concentration camp doctor * Wilhelm Schitli (1912–1945?), SS officer *

Hubertus Brandenburg Hubertus Brandenburg (17 November 1923 – 4 November 2009) was a Catholic bishop of Stockholm. He was ordained priest in Osnabrück on 20 December 1952. On 12 December 1974, he was appointed by Pope Paul VI as auxiliary bishop of Osnabrück. On ...

(1923–2009), Bishop of Stockholm *

Reinhold Remmert Reinhold Remmert (22 June 1930 – 9 March 2016) was a German mathematician. Born in Osnabrück, Lower Saxony, he studied mathematics, mathematical logic and physics in Münster. He established and developed the theory of complex-analytic spaces ...

(1930–2016), mathematician *

Jürgen Kühling Jürgen Kühling (27 April 1934 – 16 December 2019) was a German judge, born in Osnabrück. He was a judge in the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany The Federal Constitutional Court (german: link=no, Bundesverfassungsgericht ; a ...

(1934–2019), lawyer, former judge at the Federal Constitutional Court * Inge Schmitz-Feuerhake (born 1935), physicist and mathematician *

Rudolf Seiters Rudolf Seiters (born 13 October 1937 in Osnabrück) is a German politician of the CDU (Christian Democratic Union) party. From 1989–1991, he was Federal Minister for Special Affairs and the Head of the Office of the German Chancellery. From ...

(born 1937), politician (CDU), Vice-President of the Bundestag 1998–2002 *

Hans Huchzermeyer Hans Huchzermeyer (born 26 September 1939) is a German doctor and musicologist. Formation and work Huchzermeyer was born in Osnabrück as the son of the classical philologist, musicologist and composer Helmut Huchzermeyer(1904-1984) and his ...

(born 1939), physician and musicologist *

Paul Kirchhof Paul Kirchhof (born February 21, 1943 in Osnabrück) is a German jurist and tax law expert. He is also a professor of law, member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and, a former judge in the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany (' ...

(born 1943), former judge of the Federal Constitutional Court, prof. of tax law *

Hans-Gert Pöttering Hans-Gert Pöttering (born 15 September 1945) is a German lawyer, historian and conservative politician ( CDU, European People's Party), who served as President of the European Parliament from January 2007 to July 2009 and as Chairman of the CD ...

(born 1945), lawyer and politician, former President of the European Parliament *

Ferdinand Kirchhof Ferdinand Kirchhof (born 21 June 1950) is a German judge, jurisprudent and tax law expert. Early career Kirchhof was born in Osnabrück. He served as expert member of the Commission on the Reform of the Federal System of Government (Federalism ...

(born 1950), judge at the Federal Constitutional Court, professor of tax law *

Thomas Bellut Thomas Bellut (born 8 March 1955) is a German journalist. From 2012 to 2022, he was the director (German: ''Intendant'') of the TV channel ZDF. Early life and education Bellut was born in Osnabrück. After graduating from the school Antonianum ...

(born 1955), journalist *

Olaf Scholz Olaf Scholz (; born ) is a German politician who has served as the chancellor of Germany since 8 December 2021. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party (SPD), he previously served as Vice Chancellor of German ...

(born 1958), politician (SPD) and

Chancellor of Germany The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,; often shortened to ''Bundeskanzler''/''Bundeskanzlerin'', / is the head of the federal government of Germany and the commander in chief of the Ge ...

from 2021 * Christian Wulff (born 1959), politician and lawyer,

President of Germany The president of Germany, officially the Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: link=no, Bundespräsident der Bundesrepublik Deutschland),The official title within Germany is ', with ' being added in international corres ...

from 2010 to 2012 *

Boris Pistorius Boris Pistorius (; born 14 March 1960) is a German lawyer and politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who has been serving as the German Federal Minister of Defence since 19 January 2023 in the Scholz cabinet. He had previously been St ...

(born 1960), politician, former Lord mayor of Osnabrück. *

Sabine R. Huebner Sabine Renate Huebner/Hübner (born 1976) is Professor of Ancient History at the University of Basel (Switzerland) and Head of Department. She is an expert on the religious and social history of antiquity, particularly of Graeco-Roman Egypt. Ea ...

(born 1976), ancient historian

Others

Peter van Pels Anne Frank (12 June 1929 — February 1945) was a German-born Jewish girl who, along with her family and four other people, hid in the second and third floor rooms at the back of her father's Amsterdam company during the Nazi occupation of the Ne ...

(1926–1945) son of Auguste van Pels and

Hermann van Pels Hermann or Herrmann may refer to: * Hermann (name), list of people with this name * Arminius, chieftain of the Germanic Cherusci tribe in the 1st century, known as Hermann in the German language * Éditions Hermann, French publisher * Hermann, Miss ...

, occupant at the Secret Annex in Amsterdam together with Anne Frank and her family; Born in Osnabrück * Heinrich Wenner (1912–2008), antiquarian bookseller

The arts

Gerlach Flicke Gerlach Flicke ( fl. 1545 – 1558), Latin name Gerbarus Fleccius, anglicised in the 16th century as "Garlicke", was a German portrait painter who is known for his work in London as an artist of the Tudor court. Flicke was imprisoned in London ...

(c. 1500–1558), painter *

John Closterman John Closterman (also spelt Cloosterman, Klosterman; 1660 – 24 May 1711 (buried)) was a Westphalian portrait painter of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. His subjects were mostly European noblemen and their families. Career Born in Osna ...

(1660–1711), portrait painter *

Friedrich Clemens Gerke Friedrich Clemens Gerke (22 January 1801 – 21 May 1888) was a German writer, journalist, musician and pioneer of telegraphy who revised the Morse code in 1848. It is Gerke's version of the original (American) Morse code now known as the Interna ...

(1801–1888), writer, journalist and pioneer of telegraphy *

August von Kreling August von Kreling (May 23, 1818 – April 23, 1876) was a German sculptor born in Osnabrück. He studied with Peter von Cornelius, and in 1853 became director of the Academy of Fine Arts Nuremberg. He became a member of the Munich Academy in 1876 ...

(1819–1876), painter and sculptor *

Alfred Runge Alfred Runge (1881–1946) was a German architect active in Bremen and its surroundings. He is remembered in particular for the Böttcherstraße houses he and his associate Eduard Scotland built for coffee merchant Ludwig Roselius. Early life Bor ...

(1881–1946), architect * Erich Maria Remarque (1898–1970), writer *

Friedrich Vordemberge-Gildewart Friedrich Vordemberge-Gildewart (November 17, 1899, Osnabrück, Germany – December 19, 1962, Ulm) was a German Neo-plasticist (De Stijl) painter. He was one of the first painters to work for his entire career within an abstract style. Lif ...

(1899–1962), painter *

Mathias Wieman Mathias Wieman (Carl Heinrich Franz Mathias Wieman; 23 June 1902 – 3 December 1969) was a German stage-performer, silent-and-sound motion picture actor. Life and career Early life Wieman was born in Osnabrück, the only son of Carl Philipp A ...

(1902–1969), actor *

(1904–1944), surrealist painter *

Herbert Tiede Herbert Tiede (3 March 1915 – 12 January 1987) was a German actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films from 1943 to 1975. Filmography References External links * 1915 births 1987 deaths German male film actors {{Ger ...

(1915–1987), actor *

Benno Sterzenbach Benno Sterzenbach (born 3 March 1916 Osnabrück - died 13 September 1985 Feldafing) was a German cinema and theatre actor and director. Biography His first major role on stage was ''Götz von Berlichingen'' at which he played next to Ellen S ...

(1916–1985), actor * Ursula Levy (b. 1935), American author,

child psychologist Developmental psychology is the scientific study of how and why humans grow, change, and adapt across the course of their lives. Originally concerned with infants and children, the field has expanded to include adolescence, adult development, ...

and Holocaust survivor * Birgitta Tolksdorf (b. 1947), German-American actress *

Markus Becker Marcus Becker (born 11 September 1981 in Merseburg) is a German slalom canoeist who competed at the international level from 1996 to 2011. He won a silver medal in the C2 event at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Becker won six medals at the ...

(b. 1963), pianist *

Evelyn Herlitzius Evelyn Herlitzius (born 27 April 1963) is a German opera singer, a dramatic soprano. She is known for performing major roles in works by Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss, such as Brünnhilde, Isolde and Elektra, at the Semperoper, the Bayreut ...

(b. 1963), opera singer *

Gentleman A gentleman (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man) is any man of good and courteous conduct. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire and above a yeoman; by definition, the ra ...

(b. 1974), reggae musician * Robin Schulz (b. 1987), musician, DJ and record producer *

Waterdown Waterdown was a hardcore punk and post-hardcore band from Osnabrück, Germany. The band emerged onto the scene in 1999 under the formation of: Axel Pralat (guitar), Marcel Bischoff (vocals), Jörg Schwoeppe (drums), Christian Kruse (bass), Holger ...

(1999–2012), hardcore punk band

References

* *

External links

*
Panoramas and virtual Tours of OsnabrückIndependent Film Festival Osnabrueck official website
Unabhaengiges FilmFest Osnabrueck
''The Ostensibles'' English Theatre in Osnabrueck, official website
*
Derby City Council website, Town Twinning page. (retrieved 15/01/2015)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Osnabruck 780 establishments Cities in Lower Saxony Populated places established in the 8th century Members of the Hanseatic League Holocaust locations in Germany

Name

History

Medieval

Early Modern age

19th century

20th century

Main sights

Education

Sport

Politics

Transport

Districts of Osnabrück

Twin towns – sister cities

Twinning with Derby

Notable people

Public service & commerce

Others

The arts

See also

References

References

Further reading

External links