municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in the
district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...
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 lar ...
,
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 ...
. Its agricultural land is some of the most productive in the district and it therefore does not have any wooded areas.
Geography
Gernrode is located in Upper Eichsfeld in the southern foothills of the
Harz
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 German ...
. It lies on both sides of the River Wipper, between the Dün and the
Ohm Hills
The Ohm Hills (german: Ohmgebirge) are a small range of hills up to high and about 50 km² in area. They are part of the Lower Eichsfeld region and are located in the county of Eichsfeld, North Thuringia, Germany.
Geography
The Ohm Hills, ...
The ending ''-rode'' indicates that the village was founded sometime between the 8th and the 12th centuries. It is first mentioned, as ''Germenroth'', in a document which may date to 1267. At this time it was governed by Haarburg, later by Haarburg-Worbis. During the Middle Ages, the course of the Wipper was changed, making possible the construction of 3 mills in the village. From 1586, Germenrode and Kirchworbis constituted a combined parish. In 1632, during the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...
, troops from Weimar burnt down the church and the majority of the houses. The Catholic Church of St. Stephen, built in 1654 (and enlarged in 1932) has a baroque altar and is one of the largest and finest in Eichsfeld. The parish registers go back to 1662. In 1656, the population was reduced by war and plague to 382. The village recovered through migration from surrounding areas.
In 1802, with the rest of the then County of Eichsfeld, Gernrode became part of
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 ...
and during 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 Fren ...
was temporarily part of the
Kingdom of Westphalia
The Kingdom of Westphalia was a kingdom in Germany, with a population of 2.6 million, that existed from 1807 to 1813. It included territory in Hesse and other parts of present-day Germany. While formally independent, it was a vassal state of the ...
. In the 18th century, the town's economy benefited from flax processing, which was later commemorated in the municipal arms. In 1810, Gernrode had 820 residents.
In 1867, with the construction of the segment of the Halle–Kassel railway between Nordhausen and Arenshausen, Gernrode became the site of one of the 3 stations in Eichsfeld, which, however, was later renamed after
Niederorschel
Niederorschel is a municipality in the district of Eichsfeld in Thuringia, Germany. The former municipalities Deuna
Deuna is a village and a former municipality in the district of Eichsfeld in Thuringia
Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), o ...
because of confusion with
Gernrode
Gernrode () is a historic town and former municipality in the Harz District, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2014, it has been part of Quedlinburg.Heinrich Ernemann (1850-1928), industrialist.
* Rolf Berend (born 1943), politician.