Querfurt () is a town in the

Saalekreis Saalekreis is a district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The district seat is Merseburg. Its area is . It is bounded by (from the west and clockwise) the districts Kyffhäuserkreis (Thuringia), Mansfeld-Südharz, Salzlandkreis, Anhalt-Bitterfeld, Nords ...

district, or ''Kreis'', in southern

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 ...

. It is located in a fertile area on the

Querne The Salza is a river of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Saale in Salzmünde. The upper section of the Salza carries the name Querne. Its source is near the village , a district of the town Querfurt. It flows through Querfu ...

, west from

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 ...

. In 2020, the town had a population of 10,454. The town Querfurt consists of Querfurt proper and the following 8 ''Ortschaften'' or municipal divisions: Gatterstädt, Grockstädt, Leimbach, Lodersleben, Schmon, Vitzenburg, Weißenschirmbach and Ziegelroda.Hauptsatzung der Stadt Querfurt
October 2015.

History

For some time, Querfurt was the capital of a

principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) can either be a monarchical feudatory or a sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a regnant-monarch with the title of prince and/or princess, or by a monarch with another title considered to fall under ...

covering nearly , with a population of about 20,000. The ruling family having become extinct in 1496, it passed to that of

Mansfeld Mansfeld, sometimes also unofficially Mansfeld-Lutherstadt, is a town in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Protestant reformator Martin Luther grew up in Mansfeld, and in 1993 the town became one of sixteen places in ...

. In 1635, according to the terms of the Peace of Prague, it was ceded to the

Elector of Saxony The Electorate of Saxony, also known as Electoral Saxony (German: or ), was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire from 1356–1806. It was centered around the cities of Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz. In the Golden Bull of 1356, Emperor Charles ...

, John George I, who handed it over to his son

Augustus of Saxe-Weissenfels Augustus of Saxe-Weissenfels (Dresden, 13 August 1614 – 4 June 1680, Halle), was a Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels-Querfurt of the House of Wettin and administrator of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg. He was the fourth (but second surviving) son of J ...

; in 1746, it was united once more with Saxony. It was incorporated into

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 ...

in 1815. Querfurt is known as the birthplace of

Saint Bruno of Querfurt Bruno of Querfurt ( 974 – 14 February or 9/14 March 1009), also known as ''Brun'' and ''Boniface'', was a Christian missionary bishop and martyr, who was beheaded near the border of Kievan Rus and Lithuania for trying to spread Christianity. ...

File:Querfurt_castle.jpg, Castle File:Querfurt_castle_south_gate.jpg, File:Querfurt_Nordostrondell.jpg, File:Querfurt_Schiessgraben.jpg, Town walls File:Querfurt_defence_tower.jpg, Defence tower File:Querfurt_Friedenseiche.jpg, Oak of peace File:Querfurt_Grundschule_Rossplatz.jpg, Elementary school

Notable people

Jacob Christian Schäffer Jacob Christian Schäffer, alternatively Jakob, (31 May 1718 – 5 January 1790) was a German dean, professor, botanist, mycologist, entomologist, ornithologist and inventor. Biography From 1736 to 1738 he studied Theology at the University of ...

(1718-1790), a Protestant minister, naturalist, pioneer of the washing machine and the wood paper *

Georg Muche Georg Muche (8 May 1895 – 26 March 1987) was a German painter, printmaker, architect, author, and teacher. Early life and education Georg Muche was born on 8 May 1895 in Querfurt, in the Prussian Province of Saxony, and grew up in the Rhön ...

(1895-1987), Bauhaus artist, painter and graphic artist *

Walter Herrmann Walter Herrmann Heinrich (born June 26, 1979) is an Argentine former professional basketball player. He is listed at 6'9" and 225 lbs. He was a key member of the senior men's Argentine national basketball team that won the gold medal durin ...

(1910-1987), physicist *

Ulrich Willerding Ulrich Willerding (born 8 July 1932 in Querfurt, Germany) is a professor emeritus of botany at the Göttingen University, Germany. He is also an instructor at a local high school. Willerding is one of the leading European palaeo-ethnobotanists.Fr� ...

(born 1932), botanist *

Dietmar Demuth Dietmar Demuth (born 14 January 1955) is a German former footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, ...

(born 1955), football player and coach *

Jan Seyffarth Jan Seyffarth (born 12 July 1986, in Querfurt, Bezirk Halle) is a German racing driver. He has competed in such series as the FIA GT3 European Championship, Rolex Sports Car Series and Porsche Supercup The Porsche Supercup (officially known a ...

(born 1986), racing driver

Other personalities associated with the town

Johann Gottfried Schnabel Johann Gottfried Schnabel (November 7, 1692 – ) was a German writer best known for his novel ''Insel Felsenburg''. He published his works under the pen name Gisander. Schnabel was born in Sandersdorf near Bitterfeld, Germany. Orphaned in 1694, ...

(born 1692, died between 1751 and 1758), German writer; settled down in 1719 as a barber in Querfurt. *

Julius von Kirchmann Julius Hermann von Kirchmann (5 November 1802 – 20 October 1884) was a German jurist and philosopher. Biography Kirchmann was educated at Leipzig and Halle. In 1846 he was made state's attorney in the criminal court of Berlin, and two years ...

(1802-1884), lawyer and politician, law court official in Querfurt Julius von Kirchmann

* Hans Schomburgk (1880-1967), explorer and pioneer of German wildlife films

References

External links

Official Website of the City of Querfurt
Saalekreis {{Saalekreis-geo-stub