The ''Münchhausenstadt'' Bodenwerder is a municipality in Holzminden district,

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 ...

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 lies on the river

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 is best known as the birthplace and residence of Baron von Münchhausen.

Geography

Bodenwerder is located in the Holzminden district,

. It lies on the river Weser, upstream from Hamelin, at a point where the river has carved a gap in the hills.

History

The settlement was first granted the status of a town in 1287 by Ritter Heinrich II von Homburg. There was already an important bridge over the river here in 1289, which connected Hameln-Paderborn to Einbeck-Frankfurt. Around 1340 one of the Homburg Bodos was Lord of the Manor and originated a planned town with walls and towers. From him derives the town's name, which means "Bodo's Eyot". In 1750, Baron von Münchhausen, who was born in Bodenwerder, retired to his estate here and told his famous stories to his friends. He died in 1797 and is buried here. His house was acquired by the town in 1935 and was used as the town hall; a room containing a Münchhausen museum was added.

Transportation

Train services were suspended in 1982.

Arts and culture

The

Münchhausen prize The Münchhausen Prize was instituted in 1997, the 200th anniversary of the death of Baron von Münchhausen. It is awarded in May each year in Bodenwerder, the Baron's hometown, for special talent in the art of speaking or presentation, either in ...

for entertainment is awarded in May each year.

Attractions

The Münchhausen museum and monument as well as his grave in the monastery church of ' are notable tourist attractions. There is also a Gothic church, . The town is surrounded by the remains of medieval fortifications.

Government

Bodenwerder is also the seat of the ''

Samtgemeinde A ''Samtgemeinde'' (; plural: ''Samtgemeinden'') is a type of administrative division in Lower Saxony, Germany. ''Samtgemeinden'' are local government associations of municipalities, equivalent to the '' Ämter'' in Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenb ...

'' ("collective municipality")

Bodenwerder-Polle Bodenwerder-Polle is a ''Samtgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") in the district of Holzminden, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Its seat is in the town Bodenwerder. It was formed on 1 January 2010 by the merger of the former ''Samtgemeinden'' Bodenwer ...

Notable people

Jonatan Briel Jonatan Karl Dieter Briel (9 June 1942 – 26 December 1988) was a German director, screenplay author, and actor. He was born in Bodenwerder, Lower Saxony, and died in Berlin. He was strongly influenced by the works of the 19th-century poets ...

, (1942-1988), writer, film director and screenwriter, founded the '' Jugendfilmstudio Holzminden '' in 1962 (Youth film studio) *

Karl Friedrich Hieronymus, Freiherr von Münchhausen Baron Munchausen (; ) is a fictional German nobleman created by the German writer Rudolf Erich Raspe in his 1785 book ''Baron Munchausen's Narrative of his Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia''. The character is loosely based on a real ...

(1720-1797), known as Baron Münchhausen

References

External links

Municipal website
{{Authority control Towns in Lower Saxony Holzminden (district)