Wernigerode () is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an o ...
in the
district of Harz,
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 i ...
,
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 betwee ...
. Until 2007, it was the capital of the
district of Wernigerode. Its population was 35,041 in 2012.
Wernigerode is located southwest of
Halberstadt
Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center that was greatly destroyed by Allied bomb ...
, and is picturesquely situated on the
Holtemme river, on the northern slopes of the
Harz Mountains
The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High Germ ...
. Wernigerode is located on the
German Timber-Frame Road.
Geography
Location
The town lies at about 250 metres above
sea level (NN) on the northeastern flank of the
Harz Mountains
The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High Germ ...
in central
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 betwee ...
, at the foot of their highest peak, the
Brocken
The Brocken, also sometimes referred to as the Blocksberg, is the highest peak in the Harz mountain range and also the highest peak in Northern Germany; it is near Schierke in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt between the rivers Weser and Elb ...
, on the
B 6 and
B 244 federal highways and on the
railway line from Halberstadt to Vienenburg that links the cities of
Halle (Saale) and
Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
.
The
River Holtemme flows through the town and, not far from its western gate, it is joined by the
Zillierbach stream, which is also known as the Flutrenne near its mouth. North of the town the Barrenbach flows through several ponds and empties into the Holtemme in the village of Minsleben. The historic town centre consists of an
old town and a
new town (''Altstadt'' and ''Neustadt''). The town's borough includes
Hasserode,
Nöschenrode, the residential estates of Stadtfeld,
Burgbreite and Harzblick as well as the villages of
Benzingerode,
Minsleben,
Silstedt,
Schierke and
Reddeber.
The borough measures 9.5 km from west to east and 6 km from north to south. Its highest point is the
Brocken
The Brocken, also sometimes referred to as the Blocksberg, is the highest peak in the Harz mountain range and also the highest peak in Northern Germany; it is near Schierke in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt between the rivers Weser and Elb ...
, at 1,141 metres above NN, and its lowest is at 215 metres.
The town lies on the German-Dutch holiday road known as the
Orange Route The Orange Route ( nl, Oranje-Route, german: Oranier-Route) is a holiday route, that runs from Amsterdam in the Netherlands through North and Central Germany and returns to Amsterdam. It is 2,400 kilometres long and crosses the Netherlands and nine ...
.
The
Northern Harz Boundary Fault crosses the borough along which runs the watershed between the Weser and Elbe rivers. To the north precipitation flows into the Weser, to the southeast, later northeast, waters flow into the Elbe. This fault line runs through the suburb of Hasserode to the west south west of the city centre and forms the town's castle hill to the south east of the city centre.
Town divisions
The town of Wernigerode is divided into the town itself, including the villages of
Hasserode and
Nöschenrode incorporated before 1994 and five villages with their own local councils that were integrated after 1994:
Benzingerode,
Minsleben,
Reddeber,
Schierke and
Silstedt.
Climate
Wernigerode is located in the Central European transition subzone of the temperate climatic zone. Its average annual temperature is 9.5 °C; its average annual precipitation is 500 millimetres.
The warmest months are June to August with average temperatures of 16.0 to 18.3 °C and the coldest are December to February at 1.1 to 2.1 °C.
The most rain falls in July, on average 54 millimetres, the least in February, with 30 millimetres on average.
The climate, more precisely the amounts of precipitation and temperatures, are influenced by the
orographic rainfall
In meteorology, the different types of precipitation often include the character, formation, or phase of the precipitation which is falling to ground level. There are three distinct ways that precipitation can occur. Convective precipitation is g ...
caused by the Harz Mountains. Because the town lies in the rain shadow (
leeward side) of the Harz, less precipitation falls here than in similar temperate regions without the protection of a mountain range. In addition the occasional
föhn winds that occur result in an increase in temperatures.
Wernigerode has a snow load class of 3 according to the German industrial standard, DIN 1055.
History
Wernigerode was the capital of the medieval
County of Wernigerode and
Stolberg-Wernigerode. In 1815, after 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 Fre ...
, it became part of the
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 e ...
n
Province of Saxony. The
Hasseröder brewery was founded in Wernigerode in 1872.
After
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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, Wernigerode was included in the new 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 i ...
within the
Soviet occupation zone
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 ...
(relaunched in October 1949 as the
German Democratic Republic/East Germany). During the Communist years, the town was very close to the
inner German border. Wernigerode became part of the restored state of Saxony-Anhalt in 1990 after
German reunification.
Emergence of the town
There are no written sources confirming exactly when the town was established. According to the latest research – for example, by Eduard Jacobs and Walther Grosse – there were no early relations with the Abbey at
Corvey (
Weser
The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports o ...
) and the abbot there,
Warin, instead the town name suggests it was a protected clearance settlement.
The first area to be settle was the ''Klint'', where there was a
lowland castle
The term lowland castle or plains castle (german: Niederungsburg, Flachlandburg, Tieflandburg) describes a type of castle that is situated on a lowland, plain or valley floor, as opposed to one built on higher ground such as a hill spur. The ...
, the so-called ''Schnakenburg''. In 1805 the ruins of this castle site were demolished. The only part remaining is ''Haus Gadenstedt'' at ''Oberpfarrkirchhof'' 12 which dates to the year 1582. At the time of the first settlelement there was still ancient forest, typical of the Harz, on the heights of the ''Klint'', which had first to be cleared, hence the suffix ''-rode'' in the town name which means "clearing".
The town was first mentioned in the records in 1121 in connexion with Count Adalbert of
Haimar who had moved here from the region near
Hildesheim
Hildesheim (; nds, Hilmessen, Hilmssen; la, Hildesia) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany with 101,693 inhabitants. It is in the district of Hildesheim, about southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste River, a small tributary of the ...
and henceforth was titled the Count of Wernigerode. On 17 April 1229 the settlement was granted
town rights
Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the tradition ...
along the lines of that for
Goslar
Goslar (; Eastphalian: ''Goslär'') is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mi ...
. In 2004 Wernigerode celebrated the 775th anniversary of that occasion.
As a result of the immigration of new townsfolk from the surrounding villages a new settlement, later called ''Neustadt'', grew up on the northeastern edge of the old town. It was a farming settlement that lay outside the walls of the old town.
St. John's Church was built as the parish church of Wernigerode's Neustadt in the last third of the 13th century in the
Romanesque style.
Early rulers
The
counts
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York ...
of Wernigerode, who can be traced back to the early 12th century, were successively
vassal
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerai ...
s of the
margraves of Brandenburg
This article lists the Margraves and Electors of Brandenburg during the period of time that Brandenburg was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire.
The Mark, or ''March'', of Brandenburg was one of the primary constituent states of the Hol ...
(1268), and the
archbishops 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 R ...
(1381). On the extinction of the family in 1429 the county fell to the
counts of Stolberg, who founded the Stolberg-Wernigerode branch in 1645. The latter surrendered its military and fiscal independence to
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 e ...
in 1714, but retained some of its sovereign rights till 1876. The counts were raised to
princely rank in 1890.
Mayors
* Runden, c. 1640
* Ludwig Gepel, 7 January 1921 to 6 January 1933
* Ulrich von Fresenius (1 September 1888; died 12 November 1962), 10 January 1933 to 20 April 1945
* Max Otto (1889–1969),
SPD/
SED, 20 April 1945 to 1951
* Gustav Strahl, 1951 to 1962
*
Martin Kilian,
SED, 24 October 1962 to 1990
* Herbert Teubner,
CDU, 1990 to 1991
* Horst-Dieter Weyrauch,
CDU, 1991 to 1994
* Ludwig Hoffmann,
SPD, 1994 to 31 July 2008
* Peter Gaffert, independent, since 1 August 2008
Population statistics
* 1595: 2,500
* 1806: 3,700
* 1845: 5,00
* 1869: 7,000
* 1886: 9,000
* 1895: 10,662
* 1904: 12,000
* 1914: 18,000
* 1957: 33,353
* 1990: 37,000
* 2006: 33,871
* 2007: 34,413
* 2008: 35,041
* 2009: 34,673
Architecture
Wernigerode contains several interesting
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 ...
buildings, including a fine town hall with a timber facade from 1498. Some of the quaint old houses which have escaped the numerous fires through the years are elaborately adorned with wood-carving. The
Gerhart-Hauptmann Gymnasium, occupying a modern Gothic building, is the successor to an ancient grammar school that existed until 1825. The castle (Schloß Wernigerode) of the princes of
Stolberg-Wernigerode rises above the town. The original was built in the 12th century but the present castle was built between 1862 and 1893 by
Karl Frühling and includes parts of the medieval building.
Economy
Brandy, Hasseröder lager,
cigar
A cigar is a rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco leaves made to be smoked. Cigars are produced in a variety of sizes and shapes. Since the 20th century, almost all cigars are made of three distinct components: the filler, the binder l ...
s and
dye
A dye is a colored substance that chemically bonds to the substrate to which it is being applied. This distinguishes dyes from pigments which do not chemically bind to the material they color. Dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution and ...
s are among the products manufactured in Wernigerode.
Education
Wernigerode is site of the
Harz University of Applied Studies
The Hochschule Harz – University of Applied Studies and Research has two bases in Saxony-Anhalt. The Department of Automation and Computer Sciences as well as the Department of Business Studies are located in Wernigerode. The Department of ...
.
Sights
*
Harzer Schmalspurbahn - a
narrow gauge railway that leads from Wernigerode to the
Brocken
The Brocken, also sometimes referred to as the Blocksberg, is the highest peak in the Harz mountain range and also the highest peak in Northern Germany; it is near Schierke in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt between the rivers Weser and Elb ...
(1141 m), the highest peak in the
Harz Mountains
The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High Germ ...
, and then goes to
Nordhausen to the south of the Harz mountains. The second highest peak,
Wurmberg (971 m), is accessible by
cable car from
Braunlage which is connected by bus to Wernigerode. Wernigerode has numerous museums, galleries, libraries, monuments and parks.
*
Armeleuteberg - hill with an
Emperor Tower and forest inn.
File:BrockenBahnWinter.jpg, Top of the Brocken
The Brocken, also sometimes referred to as the Blocksberg, is the highest peak in the Harz mountain range and also the highest peak in Northern Germany; it is near Schierke in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt between the rivers Weser and Elb ...
with the Brockenbahn, which starts in Wernigerode
File:Schlosskirche St. Pantaleon und Anna (Wernigerode) 2017.jpg, Chapel St. Pantaleon and Anna of Wernigerode Castle
File:Wernigerode Stadtblick.JPG, View over the old town of Wernigerode
File:Wernigerode (2013-06-03), by Klugschnacker in Wikipedia (9).JPG, Town hall
File:Schloss Wernigerode - Ansicht von der Schlossterrasse (01-2).jpg, Wernigerode Castle
File:CampusWernigerode.jpg, The Campus Wernigerode is part of the Hochschule Harz
The Hochschule Harz – University of Applied Studies and Research has two bases in Saxony-Anhalt. The Department of Automation and Computer Sciences as well as the Department of Business Studies are located in Wernigerode. The Department of ...
File:HasseroederBrauerei.jpg, The Hasseröder brewery in Wernigerode
File:Rathaus Wernigerode Weihnachten.JPG, Town hall and Christmas market at night
File:St. Johannis Kirche in Wernigerode.jpg, The St. Johannes Church
File:Wernigerode Kirche kath.jpg, The Catholic Church
File:WernigerodeEckeKleinstesHaus.jpg, Typical old town houses
Culture
Wernigerode is the home of the choir Rundfunk-Jugendchor Wernigerode.
Natural monuments
*
Steinerne and
Kleine Renne, and the nearby well of
Wernigeröder Bürgerbrunnen
*
Ottofels, rock formation with extensive views over the Harz
*
Mönchsbuche, a protected beech on the old monk's way
Sport
Wernigerode hosts the
Brocken Marathon each October. Wernigerode's most supported club is
Einheit Wernigerode, who competes in the
NOFV-Oberliga, and recently qualified for the
DFB-Pokal, eventually losing to
SC Paderborn 07 0-10.
Wernigerode also has had an American Football club, The Mountain Tigers, since 1993. During the last 19 years this team has played in Germany's Oberliga 4 and Regionaliga 3. Since its inception, it has been a mainstay for American football in the Harz region.
Twin towns – sister cities
Wernigerode is
twinned with:
*
Carpi, Italy (1964)
*
Cisnădie
Cisnădie (; german: Heltau; Transylvanian Saxon dialect: ''Hielt''; hu, Nagydisznód) is a town in Sibiu County, Transylvania, central Romania, approximately south of Sibiu (german: Hermannstadt). One village, Cisnădioara (german: Michelsbe ...
, Romania (2002)
*
Hội An, Vietnam (2013)
*
Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Germany (1998)
Notable people
*
Henry Ernest of Stolberg-Wernigerode (1716–1786), canon, dean and author of many hymns
*
Christian Gottlieb Kratzenstein (1723–1795), physician and engineer
*
Christian Frederick of Stolberg-Wernigerode
Count Christian Frederick of Stolberg-Wernigerode (german: Christian Friedrich ( Graf) zu Stolberg-Wernigerode; 8 January 1746, Wernigerode Castle – 26 May 1824, Peterwaldau) was the only son of Count Henry Ernest of Stolberg-Wernigerode, ...
(1746–1824), Count of Stolberg-Wernigerode
*
Martin Heinrich Klaproth (1743–1817), chemist
*
Henry of Stolberg-Wernigerode (1772–1854), Count of Stolberg-Wernigerode
*
Anton of Stolberg-Wernigerode
Count Anton zu Stolberg-Wernigerode (23 October 1785 − 11 February 1854), was chief minister in Magdeburg, governor in the Prussian Province of Saxony and Prussian Minister of State.
Life
Count Anton was a fourth son of the reigning Count Ch ...
(1785–1854), chief minister in Magdeburg, governor in the Prussian Province of Saxony and Prussian Minister of State
*
Heinrich Karl Beyrich (1796–1834), botanist
*
Gustav Eduard von Hindersin (1804–1872), Prussian general
*
Otto Herfurth (1893–1944), general
*
Wilhelm Bittrich (1895–1979), military personnel
*
Friedrich Lütge (1901–1968), historian and economist
*
Franz Nicklisch
Franz Friedrich Nicklisch (8 March 1906 – 6 December 1975) was a German actor. He appeared in more than 50 films and television shows between 1931 and 1975. He is buried at the Waldfriedhof Zehlendorf next to his brother .
Selected filmog ...
(1906–1975), actor
*
Rolf Hermichen (1918–2014), fighter ace
*
Konrad Sasse (1926–1981), musicologist
*
Rudolf Dannhauer (born 1934), cross-country skier
*
Waldtraut Lewin (1937–2017), stage director
*
Wolf Barth
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly ...
(1942–2016), mathematician
*
Monika Wulf-Mathies (born 1942), politician
*
Karin Rüger-Schulze (born 1944), track and field athlete
*
Irene Ellenberger (born 1946), architect
*
Lutz Unger (born 1951), swimmer
*
Karsten Brandt (born 1958), cross-country skier
*
Caspar René Hirschfeld
Caspar René Hirschfeld (born 21 May 1965) is a German composer and violinist.
Life
Born in Wernigerode, Hirschfeld received his first violin lessons at the music school from the age of 5. At the age of 9 he began composing. From 1982 to 198 ...
(born 1965), composer
*
Bernhard Schneyer (born 1968), composer
*
Guido Fulst
Guido Fulst (born 7 June 1970) is a former German racing cyclist, who competed for the '' SG Dynamo Wernigerode'', SC Dynamo Berlin / Sportvereinigung (SV) Dynamo. He won many titles during his career. He won two gold medals and a bronze at the ...
(born 1970), racing cyclist
*
Jens Baxmann (born 1985), ice hockey player
*
Nils Petersen (born 1988), footballer
*
Christopher Grotheer (born 1992), skeleton racer
Notes
References
Attribution:
*
External links
Municipal website
{{Authority control
Towns in the Harz