Leinefelde-Worbis is a town in the district of

Eichsfeld The Eichsfeld ( or ; English: ''Oak-field'') is a historical region in the southeast of the state of Lower Saxony (which is called "Untereichsfeld" = lower Eichsfeld) and northwest of the state of Thuringia ("Obereichsfeld" = upper Eichsfeld) in th ...

, in northwestern

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and larg ...

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 ...

. The town was formed on March 16, 2004, from the former independent towns Leinefelde and Worbis along with the municipalities of Breitenbach and Wintzingerode. In July 2018 the former municipality of

Hundeshagen Hundeshagen is a village and a former municipality in the district of Eichsfeld in Thuringia, Germany. Since July 2018, it is part of the town Leinefelde-Worbis Leinefelde-Worbis is a town in the district of Eichsfeld, in northwestern Thuring ...

, and in January 2019

Kallmerode Kallmerode is a village and a former municipality in the district of Eichsfeld in Thuringia, Germany. Since 1 January 2019, it is part of the town Leinefelde-Worbis Leinefelde-Worbis is a town in the district of Eichsfeld, in northwestern Thu ...

was merged into Leinefelde-Worbis. The population before the amalgamation was 14,387 for Leinefelde, 5,541 for Worbis, 1,021 for Breitenbach and 614 for Wintzingerode. The 10 parts of Leinefelde-Worbis are Leinefelde, Worbis, Breitenbach, Kirchohmfeld, Birkungen, Beuren, Hundeshagen, Kaltohmfeld, Wintzingrode, Kallmerode and Breitenholz.

Transport

Leinefelde station Leinefelde station is a major railway junction in the German state of Thuringia and is the most important station in Eichsfeld. It is located in the town of Leinefelde in the Thuringian municipality of Leinefelde-Worbis in the Eichsfeld district. ...

is located on the Halle–Hann. Münden and the

Gotha–Leinefelde railway The Gotha–Leinefelde railway connects Gotha and Leinefelde in the German state of Thuringia. It was opened in 1870 by the Thuringian Railway Company (german: Thüringische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft). The line is about 67.1 km long. Regional-Exp ...

Bear sanctuary

Since 1997 Worbis has become known for its bear sanctuary, the Alternativer Bärenpark Worbis, which is operated by the German animal welfare organisation ''

Aktion Tier – Menschen für Tiere Actium or Aktion ( grc, Ἄκτιον) was a town on a promontory in ancient Acarnania at the entrance of the Ambraciot Gulf, off which Octavian gained his celebrated victory, the Battle of Actium, over Antony and Cleopatra, on September 2, 31& ...

'' (formerly ''Deutsches Tierhilfswerk'').

Museums

The

Borderland Museum Eichsfeld The Borderland Museum Eichsfeld is a history museum located in Central Germany at the former inner-German border between East and West Germany. It deals with the Cold War in general and the German division in specific. The museum exhibitions ar ...

, a

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

history museum located only a few miles away from Leinefelde-Worbis, presents different topics of the history of the German division and the GDR on an area of 1,000 squaremetres. The exhibition is displayed in both German and English.

People

Leinefelde is the birthplace of

Johann Carl Fuhlrott Prof. Dr. Johann Carl Fuhlrott (31 December 1803, Leinefelde, Germany – 17 October 1877, Wuppertal) was an early German paleoanthropologist. He is famous for recognizing the significance of the bones of Neanderthal 1, a Neanderthal specimen dis ...

, the discoverer of

Neanderthal man Neanderthals (, also ''Homo neanderthalensis'' and erroneously ''Homo sapiens neanderthalensis''), also written as Neandertals, are an extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans who lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 years ago. While the ...

. It is also the birthplace of

Johannes Krause Johannes Krause (born July 17, 1980 in Leinefelde) is a German biochemist with a research focus on historical infectious diseases and human evolution. Since 2010, he has been professor of archaeology and paleogenetics at the University of Tübingen ...

, who determined the

Denisovan The Denisovans or Denisova hominins ) are an extinct species or subspecies of archaic human that ranged across Asia during the Lower and Middle Paleolithic. Denisovans are known from few physical remains and consequently, most of what is known ...

are a distinct line of homo distinct from modern humans and Neanderthals. Fuhlrott and Krause, born nearly 180 years apart, were also professors at the

University of Tübingen The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (german: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; la, Universitas Eberhardina Carolina), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Wü ...

. Worbis is the birthplace of

Bernard Quaritch Bernard Alexander Christian Quaritch ( ; April 23, 1819 – December 17, 1899) was a German-born British bookseller and collector. The company established by Bernard Quaritch in 1847 lives on in London as Bernard Quaritch Ltd, dealing in rare ...

(1819-1899), the London second-hand bookseller and publisher, and of

Barbara Saß-Viehweger Barbara Saß-Viehweger (née Weyand; born 4 August 1943) is a German civil law notary, lawyer, and politician. She is member of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany. Early life and education Born in Worbis, Province of Saxony, Saß-Viehweger ...

(born 1943), a German politician, lawyer and civil law notary.

References

{{Authority control Eichsfeld (district)