Magdeburg (; nds, label=

Low Saxon Low Saxon, also known as West Low German ( nds, Nedersassisch, Nedersaksies; nl, Nedersaksisch) are a group of Low German dialects spoken in parts of the Netherlands, northwestern Germany and southern Denmark (in North Schleswig by parts of ...

, Meideborg ) is the

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used fo ...

and second-largest

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

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 ...

. The city is situated at the

Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Re ...

river.

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the oldest son of He ...

, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdeburg, was buried in the city's

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...

after his death. Magdeburg's version of German town law, known as

Magdeburg rights Magdeburg rights (german: Magdeburger Recht; also called Magdeburg Law) were a set of town privileges first developed by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (936–973) and based on the Flemish Law, which regulated the degree of internal autonomy within ...

, spread throughout

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...

and Eastern Europe. In the

Late Middle Ages The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Ren ...

, Magdeburg was one of the largest and most prosperous German cities and a notable member of the Hanseatic League. One of the most notable people from the city is Otto von Guericke, famous for his experiments with the Magdeburg hemispheres. Magdeburg has been destroyed twice in its history. The Catholic League sacked Magdeburg in 1631, resulting in the death of 25,000 non-combatants, the largest loss of 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 batt ...

. During the

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 ...

the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

bombed the city in 1945 and destroying much of it. After World War II the city belonged to the

German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **G ...

from 1949 to 1990. Since then many new construction projects were implemented and old buildings have been restored. In 2005 Magdeburg celebrated its 1.200th anniversary. Magdeburg is situated on

Autobahn 2 is an autobahn in Germany that connects the Ruhr area in the west to Berlin in the east. The A 2 starts at the junction with the A3 near the western city of Oberhausen, passes through the north of the Ruhr valley, through the Münsterlan ...

and Autobahn 14, and hence is at the connection point of the East (

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

and beyond) with the West of Europe, as well as the North and South of Germany. For the modern city, the most significant industries are: the Machine industry,

Healthcare industry The healthcare industry (also called the medical industry or health economy) is an aggregation and integration of sectors within the economic system that provides goods and services to treat patients with curative, preventive, rehabilitative, ...

Mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, ...

Environmental technology Environmental technology (envirotech) or green technology (greentech), also known as '' clean technology'' (''cleantech''), is the application of one or more of environmental science, green chemistry, environmental monitoring and electronic d ...

, Circular economy,

Logistics Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...

, Culture industry,

Wood industry The wood industry or timber industry (sometimes lumber industry -- when referring mainly to sawed boards) is the industry concerned with forestry, logging, timber trade, and the production of primary forest products and wood products (e.g. furnitu ...

and the

Information and communications technology Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications ( telephone lines and wireless signals) and computer ...

. The city is the location of two

universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United State ...

, the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg and the Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences.

History

Early years

Founded by

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first E ...

in 805 as Magadoburg (probably from

Old High German Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050. There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old Hig ...

''magado'' for ''big'', ''mighty'' and ''burga'' for ''fortress''), the town was fortified in 919 by King Henry the Fowler against the Magyars and Slavs. In 929 King

granted the city to his English-born wife Edith as

dower Dower is a provision accorded traditionally by a husband or his family, to a wife for her support should she become widowed. It was settled on the bride (being gifted into trust) by agreement at the time of the wedding, or as provided by law. ...

. Queen Edith loved the town and often resided there; at her death she was buried in the crypt of the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

abbey of

Saint Maurice Saint Maurice (also Moritz, Morris, or Mauritius; ) was an Egyptian military leader who headed the legendary Theban Legion of Rome in the 3rd century, and is one of the favorite and most widely venerated saints of that martyred group. He is the ...

, later rebuilt as the cathedral. In 937, Magdeburg was the seat of a royal assembly. Otto I repeatedly visited Magdeburg, establishing a convent here about 937 and was later buried in the cathedral. He granted the abbey the right to income from various tithes and to

corvée Corvée () is a form of unpaid, forced labour, that is intermittent in nature lasting for limited periods of time: typically for only a certain number of days' work each year. Statute labour is a corvée imposed by a state for the purposes of ...

labour from the surrounding countryside. The

Archbishopric 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 ...

was founded in 968 at the

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin word mean ...

Ravenna Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the c ...

;

Adalbert of Magdeburg Adalbert of Magdeburg (c. 91020 June 981), sometimes incorrectly shortened to "Albert", known as the Apostle of the Slavs, was the first Archbishop of Magdeburg (from 968) and a successful missionary to the Polabian Slavs to the east of what is ...

was consecrated as its first archbishop. The archbishopric under Adalbert included the bishoprics of

Havelberg Havelberg () is a town in the district of Stendal, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the Havel, and part of the town is built on an island in the centre of the river. The two parts were incorporated as a town in 1875. It has a populati ...

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 squ ...

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 dioces ...

Meissen Meissen (in German orthography: ''Meißen'', ) is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albre ...

and Naumburg-Zeitz. The archbishops played a prominent role in the German colonisation of the Slavic lands east of the

river. In 1035 Magdeburg received a patent giving the city the right to hold trade exhibitions and conventions. This formed the basis of German town law to become known as the

. These laws were adopted and modified throughout Central and Eastern Europe. Visitors from many countries began to trade with Magdeburg. The town was burnt down in 1188. In the 13th century, Magdeburg became a member of the Hanseatic League. With more than 20,000 inhabitants Magdeburg was one of the largest cities in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...

. The town had active maritime commerce on the west (towards

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

), with the countries of the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian ...

, and maintained traffic and communication with the interior (for example Brunswick).

Reformation

The citizens constantly struggled against the archbishop, becoming nearly independent from him by the end of the 15th century. Around Easter 1497, the then twelve-year-old

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...

attended school in Magdeburg, where he was exposed to the teachings of the

Brethren of the Common Life The Brethren of the Common Life (Latin: Fratres Vitae Communis, FVC) was a Roman Catholic pietist religious community founded in the Netherlands in the 14th century by Gerard Groote, formerly a successful and worldly educator who had had a religio ...

. In 1524, he was called to Magdeburg, where he preached and caused the city's defection from

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. The

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...

had quickly found adherents in the city, where Luther had been a schoolboy. Emperor

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infa ...

repeatedly outlawed the unruly town, which had joined the

League of Torgau The League of Torgau (german: Torgauer Bund) was an alliance of Lutheran princes, including Philip of Hesse and John of Saxony, which was formed 27 February 1526 to oppose the terms set forth in the Edict of Worms. Because it had no substantial ...

and the

Schmalkaldic League The Schmalkaldic League (; ; or ) was a military alliance of Lutheran princes within the Holy Roman Empire during the mid-16th century. Although created for religious motives soon after the start of the Reformation, its members later came to ...

. As it had not accepted the

Augsburg Interim The Augsburg Interim (full formal title: ''Declaration of His Roman Imperial Majesty on the Observance of Religion Within the Holy Empire Until the Decision of the General Council'') was an imperial decree ordered on 15 May 1548 at the 1548 Diet ...

decree (1548), the city, by the emperor's commands, was besieged (1550–1551) by

Maurice, Elector of Saxony Maurice (21 March 1521 – 9 July 1553) was Duke (1541–47) and later Elector (1547–53) of Saxony. His clever manipulation of alliances and disputes gained the Albertine branch of the Wettin dynasty extensive lands and the electoral dignity. ...

, but it retained its independence. The rule of the archbishop was replaced by that of various administrators belonging to Protestant dynasties. In the following years, Magdeburg gained a reputation as a stronghold of Protestantism and became the first major city to publish the writings of

. In Magdeburg, Matthias Flacius and his companions wrote their anti-Catholic pamphlets and the ''

Magdeburg Centuries The ''Magdeburg Centuries'' is an ecclesiastical history, divided into thirteen ''centuries'', covering thirteen hundred years, ending in 1298; it was first published from 1559 to 1574. It was compiled by several Lutheran scholars in Magdeburg, kn ...

'', in which they argued that the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

had become the kingdom of the

Antichrist In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist refers to people prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus Christ and substitute themselves in Christ's place before the Second Coming. The term Antichrist (including one plural form)1 John ; . 2 John . ...

. In 1629 the city withstood its first siege during the

, by

Albrecht von Wallenstein Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein () (24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein ( cs, Albrecht Václav Eusebius z Valdštejna), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Th ...

, a Protestant convert to Catholicism. However, in 1631,

imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texas ...

troops under

Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly ( nl, Johan t'Serclaes Graaf van Tilly; german: Johann t'Serclaes Graf von Tilly; french: Jean t'Serclaes de Tilly ; February 1559 – 30 April 1632) was a field marshal who commanded the Catholic League's ...

, stormed the city and massacred the inhabitants, killing about 20,000 and burning the city. After the war, a population of only 4,000 remained. Under the

Peace of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia (german: Westfälischer Friede, ) is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought pe ...

(1648), Magdeburg was to be assigned to

Brandenburg-Prussia Brandenburg-Prussia (german: Brandenburg-Preußen; ) is the historiographic denomination for the early modern realm of the Brandenburgian Hohenzollerns between 1618 and 1701. Based in the Electorate of Brandenburg, the main branch of the Hohe ...

after the death of the administrator August of Saxe-Weissenfels, as the semi-autonomous Duchy of Magdeburg. This occurred in 1680. The city made an astonishingly quick recovery, due especially to the energy and dedication of its mayor Otto von Guericke, who was also a noted scientist. Just six years after the end of the terribly destructive war, Magdeburg was the scene of the famous scientific experiment known as The '' Magdeburg hemispheres'' by which the existence of

vacuum A vacuum is a space devoid of matter. The word is derived from the Latin adjective ''vacuus'' for "vacant" or " void". An approximation to such vacuum is a region with a gaseous pressure much less than atmospheric pressure. Physicists often ...

- hitherto hotly debated - was empirically proven, with enormous implications for the later developments of physics.

19th century

In the course of 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 ...

, the fortress surrendered to

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

troops in 1806. The city was annexed to the French-controlled

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 1807

Treaty of Tilsit The Treaties of Tilsit were two agreements signed by French Emperor Napoleon in the town of Tilsit in July 1807 in the aftermath of his victory at Friedland. The first was signed on 7 July, between Napoleon and Russian Emperor Alexander, when ...

. King Jérôme appointed Count Heinrich

von Blumenthal The von Blumenthal family are Lutheran and Roman Catholic German nobility, originally from Brandenburg-Prussia. Other (unrelated) families of this name exist in Switzerland and formerly in Russia, and many unrelated families (quite a few of them Je ...

as mayor. In 1815, after the Napoleonic Wars, Magdeburg was made the capital of the new

Prussian 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 ...

Province of Saxony The Province of Saxony (german: link=no, Provinz Sachsen), also known as Prussian Saxony () was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the Free State of Prussia from 1816 until 1944. Its capital was Magdeburg. It was formed by the merg ...

. In 1912, the old fortress was dismantled, and in 1908, the municipality Rothensee became part of Magdeburg.

20th century

In 1912, the old fortress was dismantled, and in 1908, the municipality Rothensee became part of Magdeburg. Magdeburg was heavily bombed by British and American air forces during the Second World War. The RAF bombing raid on the night of 16 January 1945 destroyed much of the city. The death toll is estimated at 2,000–2,500. Near the end of

, the city of about 340,000 became capital of the Province of Magdeburg. Brabag's Magdeburg/Rothensee plant that produced

synthetic oil Synthetic oil is a lubricant consisting of chemical compounds that are artificially modified or synthesised. Synthetic lubricants can be manufactured using chemically modified petroleum components rather than whole crude oil, but can also be syn ...

from

lignite Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35%, and is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat ...

coal was a target of the Oil Campaign of World War II. The impressive '' Gründerzeit'' suburbs north of the city, called the Nordfront, were destroyed as well as the city's main street with its Baroque buildings. It was occupied by 9th US Army troops on 18 April 1945 and was left to the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

on 1 July 1945.

Post-war In Western usage, the phrase post-war era (or postwar era) usually refers to the time since the end of World War II. More broadly, a post-war period (or postwar period) is the interval immediately following the end of a war. A post-war period ...

the area was part of the

Soviet Zone of Occupation 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 c ...

and many of the remaining pre-World War II city buildings were destroyed, with only a few buildings near the cathedral and in the southern part of the old city being restored to their pre-war state. Before the

reunification of Germany German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...

, many surviving ''Gründerzeit'' buildings were left uninhabited and, after years of degradation, waiting for demolition. From 1949 until German reunification on 3 October 1990, Magdeburg belonged to the

. Magdeburg Stadtplan 1900.jpg, Map of Magdeburg, 1900 Magdeburg Geschäftshaus der Magdeburger Feuerversicherungs-Gesellschaft in Magdeburg.jpg, "Breiter Weg", approx. 1900 Fountain and Breiter Weg, Magdeburg, Germany, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany-LCCN2002720637.jpg, "Hasselbachplatz", approx. 1900 Siegelmarke Kreis Versicherungskommissar - Magdeburger Land - Feuer - Societaet W0251229.jpg, Sealing stamp (1850–1923) Bundesarchiv Bild 183-14898-0002, Magdeburg, Blick auf die zerstörte Altstadt.jpg, Magdeburg after World War II Magdeburg, Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945 CL3459.jpg, Destroyed Magdeburg MagdeburgStalinist.jpg, Magdeburg's centre has a number of

Stalinist Stalinism is the means of governing and Marxist-Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union from 1927 to 1953 by Joseph Stalin. It included the creation of a one-party totalitarian police state, rapid industrialization, the theory ...

buildings from the 1950s.

Since German reunification

In 1990 Magdeburg became the capital of the new state of

within reunified Germany. Huge parts of the city and its centre were also rebuilt in a modern style. Its economy is one of the fastest-growing in the former East German states. In 2005 Magdeburg celebrated its 1200th anniversary. The city was hit by 2013 European floods. Authorities declared a state of emergency and said they expected the Elbe river to rise higher than in 2002. In Magdeburg, with water levels of above normal, about 23,000 residents had to leave their homes on 9 June.

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 ser ...

will build its largest plant in Europe in the south of the city by 2027. Landtag-sachsen-anhalt-2012.jpg, Magdeburg is the capital and seat of the

Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt The Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt is the parliament of the German federal state Saxony-Anhalt. It convenes in Magdeburg and currently consists of 97 members of six parties. The current majority is a coalition of the Social Democratic Party, Free De ...

UB Magdeburg.JPG, Library of the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg Grüne Zitadelle von Magdeburg.jpg, The Green Citadel of Magdeburg, built in 2005 Stadion Magdeburg Luftbild 2.JPG, The

MDCC-Arena MDCC-Arena is a multi-purpose stadium in Magdeburg, Germany. It has been completed and opened to the public in December 2006, replacing the old Ernst-Grube-Stadion. It is mostly used for football matches and hosts the home matches of 1. FC Mag ...

- a Soccer stadium, built in 2006 Haus BreiterWeg Magdeburg.JPG, Restored building -

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means ...

City-Carr%C3%A9.jpg, Shopping complex - City Carré Hegelstraße 41 (Magdeburg).jpg, Restored building -

Renaissance Revival architecture Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range ...

Geography

Magdeburg is one of the major towns along the

Elbe Cycle Route The Elbe Cycle Route (Elberadweg in German) is part of an international network of cycling routes all over Europe. It is integrated in the system of currently 37 river cycling routes in Germany and by far the most popular route for cyclists ...

(Elberadweg). Its area is . Magdeburg, administrative districts

Districts

The city of Magdeburg is divided into 40 ''

Stadtteil A quarter is a section of an urban settlement. A quarter can be administratively defined and its borders officially designated, and it may have its own administrative structure (subordinate to that of the city, town or other urban area). Such a ...

e'' (districts).Bevölkerung & Demografie 2021
Magdeburger Statistik. Three of these, the former municipalities Beyendorf-Sohlen, Pechau and Randau-Calenberge, have a special status as ''Ortschaften''.Lesefassung der Hauptsatzung der Landeshauptstadt Magdeburg
9 November 2017. The ''Stadtteile'' of Magdeburg are: * Alt Olvenstedt * Alte Neustadt * Altstadt * Barleber See * Berliner Chaussee * Beyendorfer Grund * Beyendorf-Sohlen * Brückfeld * Buckau * Cracau * Diesdorf * Fermersleben * Gewerbegebiet Nord * Großer Silberberg * Herrenkrug * Hopfengarten * Industriehafen * Kannenstieg * Kreuzhorst * Leipziger Straße * Lemsdorf * Neu Olvenstedt * Neue Neustadt * Neustädter Feld * Neustädter See * Nordwest * Ottersleben * Pechau * Prester * Randau-Calenberge * Reform * Rothensee * Salbke * Stadtfeld Ost * Stadtfeld West * Sudenburg * Sülzegrund * Werder * Westerhüsen * Zipkeleben

Climate

Magdeburg has a

Humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

(Dfb) bordering on an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

(Cfb) according to

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

Demographics

Population development

Population development since 1400:

Politics

Mayor

2019 Magdeburg City Council election - Stadtteile

2019 Magdeburg City Council election - Results

The current mayor of Magdeburg is

independent politician An independent or non-partisan politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent. Some politicians have political views th ...

Simone Borris since 2022. The most recent mayoral election was held on 24 April 2022, with a runoff held on 8 May, and the results were as follows: ! rowspan=2 colspan=2, Candidate ! rowspan=2, Party ! colspan=2, First round ! colspan=2, Second round , - ! Votes ! % ! Votes ! % , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Simone Borris , align=left,

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

( FDP, future!,

MUT Mut, also known as Maut and Mout, was a mother goddess worshipped in ancient Egypt and the Kingdom of Kush in present-day North Sudan. In Meroitic, her name was pronounced mata): 𐦨𐦴. Her name means ''mother'' in the ancient Egyptian l ...

) , 33,065 , 44.3 , 39,201 , 64.8 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Jens Rösler , align=left, SPD/ Greens , 20,080 , 26.3 , 21,298 , 35.2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Tobias Krull , align=left, Christian Democratic Union , 9,327 , 12.2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Nicole Anger , align=left, The Left , 5,230 , 6.8 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Frank Pasemann , align=left,

Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (german: link=no, Alternative für Deutschland, AfD; ) is a right-wing populist * * * * * * * political party in Germany. AfD is known for its opposition to the European Union, as well as immigration to Germany. ...

, 3,802 , 5.0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Till Isenhuth , align=left,

, 1,676 , 2.2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Sarah Biedermann , align=left,

Free Voters Free Voters (german: Freie Wähler, FW or FWG) in Germany may belong to an association of people which participates in an election without having the status of a registered political party. Usually it involves a locally organized group of voters ...

, 1,289 , 1.7 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Bettina Fassl , align=left, Animal Protection Alliance , 1,103 , 1.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, André Jordan , align=left,

Die PARTEI (''Party for Labour, Rule of Law, Animal Protection, Promotion of Elites and Grassroots Democratic Initiative''), or Die PARTEI (''The PARTY''), is a German political party. It was founded in 2004 by the editors of the German satirical magazi ...

, 860 , 1.1 , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 76,432 ! 99.6 ! 60,508 ! 99.4 , - ! colspan=3, Invalid votes ! 302 ! 0.4 ! 340 ! 0.6 , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 76,734 ! 100.0 ! 60,848 ! 100.0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 189,916 ! 40.4 ! 189,471 ! 32.1 , - , colspan=7, Source
City of Magdeburg

City council

The most recent city council election was held on 26 May 2019, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Party ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) , 55,969 , 18.6 , 6.6 , 10 , 4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...

(SPD) , 50,794 , 16.9 , 8.5 , 9 , 5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

Alliance 90/The Greens Alliance 90/The Greens (german: Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, ), often simply referred to as the Greens ( ), is a green political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 as the merger of The Greens (formed in West Germany in 1980) and Alliance 90 (for ...

(Grüne) , 46,127 , 15.4 , 4.8 , 9 , 3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Die Linke) , 45,922 , 15.3 , 6.9 , 9 , 4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(AfD) , 43,200 , 14.4 , 9.6 , 8 , 5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Free Democratic Party (FDP) , 16,157 , 5.4 , 2.1 , 3 , 1 , - , , align=left, Magdeburg Garden Party (Gartenpartei) , 12,709 , 4.2 , 2.3 , 2 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Human Environment Animal Protection (Tierschutzpartei) , 9,871 , 3.3 , 1.2 , 2 , 1 , - , , align=left, future! , 8,651 , 2.9 , 0.9 , 2 , 1 , - , , align=left, Alliance for Magdeburg (BfM) , 4,384 , 1.5 , 0.1 , 1 , ±0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Alliance for Human Rights, Animal and Nature Protection (Tierschutzallianz) , 4,061 , 1.4 , 1.0 , 1 , 1 , - , colspan=7 bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

, 2,548 , 0.8 , New , 0 , New , - ! colspan=2, Total ! 300,393 ! 100.0 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Valid votes ! 101,994 ! 98.5 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Invalid votes ! 1,547 ! 1.5 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Total ! 103,541 ! 100.0 ! ! 56 ! ±0 , - ! colspan=2, Electorate/voter turnout ! 193,826 ! 53.4 ! 15.1 ! ! , - , colspan=7, Source
City of Magdeburg

Education

The Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg (German: Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg) was founded in 1993 and is one of the newest universities in Germany. The university in Magdeburg has about 13,000 students in nine faculties. There are 11,700 papers published in international journals from this institute. The Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences was founded in 1991. There are 30 direct study programs in five departments in Magdeburg and two departments in Stendal. The university has more than 130 professors and approximately 4,500 students at Magdeburg and 1,900 at Stendal. Blick auf die Otto-von-Guericke Universität Magdeburg.JPG, Aerial view of the University area Campus Tower und Fakultät für Elektro- und Informationstechnik.jpg, Campus tower of the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg UB MD innen.JPG, Magdeburg library Hochschule Magdeburg.jpg, Aerial view of the Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences Hochschule Magdeburg-Stendal (FH).jpg, Building No.1 of the University of Applied Sciences in Magdeburg

Culture and architecture

Entertainment

Magdeburg has a municipal theatre, Theater Magdeburg. Magdeburg is well known for its

Christmas market A Christmas market, also known as ''Christkindlmarkt'' (literally: ''Christ Child Market'', but the term "Christkind" usually refers to an angel-like "spirit of Christmas" rather than literally the Christ Child), ''Christkindlesmarkt'', ''Chris ...

, which is an attraction for 1.5 million visitors every year. Other events are the ''Stadtfest'', ''

Christopher Street Day Christopher Street Day (CSD) is an annual European LGBTQ+ celebration and demonstration held in various cities across Europe for the rights of LGBTQ+ people, and against discrimination and exclusion. It is Germany's and Switzerland's counterp ...

'', ''Elbe in Flames'', and the ''Europafest Magdeburg''. The autumn fair (formerly men's fair) of Magdeburg goes back to Germany's oldest folk festival. The tradition dates back to September 1010, when the holy feast of the Theban Legion was celebrated in Magdeburg (then called Magathaburg).

Event venues

* Altes Theater am Jerichower Platz – Former theater, used for parties and large conferences * AMO – Culture and congress building * Buttergasse - Night club near the city centre at "Alter Markt" – house-, electro, pop and black music *

Cathedral of Magdeburg Magdeburg Cathedral (german: Magdeburger Dom), officially called the Cathedral of Saints Maurice and Catherine (german: Dom zu Magdeburg St. Mauritius und Katharina), is a Protestant cathedral in Germany and the oldest Gothic cathedral in the cou ...

* Concert hall Georg Philipp Telemann at "Kloster unser lieben Frauen" * Factory – Former factory building, German and international pop, rock, metal, and indie music artists are featured * Festung Mark – Part of the former city fortification, now reconstructed for parties and conventions * Feuerwache – Former fire station, repurposed for events *

GETEC Arena The GETEC Arena (until 2011: ''"Bördelandhalle"'') is an indoor sporting arena located in Magdeburg, Germany. The maximum capacity of the arena is 8,071 people for handball games and 8,820 for boxing matches. It is the current home to SC Magd ...

– Biggest multi-purpose hall in Saxony-Anhalt, home of handball team

SC Magdeburg SC Magdeburg is a handball club from Magdeburg, Germany, and is competing in the Handball-Bundesliga. History During the time in the GDR, the club won 10 national championships (1970, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1991) an ...

* halber85 - Conventions, partys, conferences * Kunstkantine – Factory cafeteria, monthly electro-music parties *

– Home of

1. FC Magdeburg 1. FC Magdeburg is a German association football club based in the city of Magdeburg. The club was founded in 1965 and spent all but one season in East Germany top flight, the DDR-Oberliga, winning three championships and seven cup titles. It ...

* Messe Magdeburg - Official trade fair site * Paulus Church * Prinzzclub – Night club at Halberstädter Straße – house-, electro, and black music * Seebühne at Elbauenpark * Stadthalle – Concert hall * Studentenclub Baracke - Night club especially for students - house-, electro, rock, pop, indie and black music * St. Johannis Church * St. Petri Church, with stained glass by

Charles Crodel Charles Crodel (September 16, 1894 – November 11, 1973) was a German painter and stained glass artist. Life Crodel was born in Marseille, he studied in 1914 with Richard Riemerschmid, one of the founders of the Deutscher Werkbund, at the Mun ...

* Tessenow Loft - Conventions, partys, conferences

Museums

* Magdeburg Museum of Cultural History * Otto-von-Guericke-Museum Lukasklause * Jahrtausendturm * Magdeburg Museum of Nature * Magdeburg Museum of Technology * Art Museum in the Monastery of Our Lady * Magdeburg Circus Museum * Magdeburg Hairdressing Museum * Steamboat Württemberg - a museum ship

Architecture

Cathedral

One of Magdeburg's most impressive buildings is the

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

Cathedral of Saints

Catherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...

and Maurice with a height of , making it the tallest church building of eastern Germany. It is notable for its beautiful and unique sculptures, especially the "Twelve Virgins" at the Northern Gate, the depictions of Otto I the Great and his wife Editha as well as the statues of

St Maurice Saint Maurice (also Moritz, Morris, or Mauritius; ) was an Egyptian military leader who headed the legendary Theban Legion of Rome in the 3rd century, and is one of the favorite and most widely venerated saints of that martyred group. He is the ...

and St Catherine. The predecessor of the cathedral was a church built in 937 within an abbey, called St. Maurice. Emperor Otto I the Great was buried here beside his wife in 973. St. Maurice burnt to ashes in 1207. The exact location of that church remained unknown for a long time. The foundations were rediscovered in May 2003, revealing a building long and wide. The construction of the new church lasted 300 years. The cathedral of Saints Catherine and Maurice was the first

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 ...

church building in Germany. The building of the steeples was completed as late as 1520. While the cathedral was virtually the only building to survive the massacres of the Thirty Years' War, it suffered damage in World War II. It was soon rebuilt and completed in 1955. The square in front of the cathedral (also called the ''Neuer Markt'', or "new marketplace") was occupied by an imperial palace (''Kaiserpfalz''), which was destroyed in the fire of 1207. The stones from the ruin were used for the building of the cathedral. The presumed remains of the palace were excavated in the 1960s.

Other sights

* ''Unser Lieben Frauen ''Monastery (Our Lady), 11th century, containing the church of St. Mary. Today a museum for Modern Art. Home of the National Collection of Small Art Statues of the GDR (Nationale Sammlung Kleinkunstplastiken der DDR). * The ''Magdeburger Reiter'' ("Magdeburg Rider", 1240), the first free-standing equestrian sculpture north of the Alps. It probably depicts the Emperor

. * City hall (1698). This building had stood on the market place since the 13th century, but it was destroyed in the Thirty Years' War; the new city hall was built in a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

style influenced by Dutch architecture. It was renovated and re-opened in Oct 2005. *

Landtag A Landtag (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence in non ...

; the seat of the government of Saxony-Anhalt with its

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...

façade built-in 1724. * Monuments depicting Otto von Guericke (1907), Eike von Repkow and

Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben (born Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin Louis von Steuben; September 17, 1730 – November 28, 1794), also referred to as Baron von Steuben (), was a Prussian military officer who ...

. * Ruins of the greatest fortress of the former

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...

. * Rotehorn-Park * Elbauenpark containing the highest wooden structure in Germany. *St. Sebastian's Cathedral, the seat of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Magdeburg The Diocese of Magdeburg is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church, located in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Its seat is Magdeburg; it is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Paderborn. The Diocese was erected out of Paderborn te ...

. * St. John Church (Johanniskirche) * The Gruson-Gewächshäuser, a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

within a

greenhouse A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse, or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic conditions are grown.These ...

complex * The

Magdeburg Water Bridge The Magdeburg Water Bridge (german: Kanalbrücke Magdeburg) is a large navigable aqueduct in central Germany, located near Magdeburg. The largest canal underbridge in Europe, it spans the river Elbe and directly connects the Mittellandkanal on the ...

, Europe's longest water bridge * "Die Grüne Zitadelle" or The Green Citadel of Magdeburg, a large, pink building of a modern architectural style designed by

Friedensreich Hundertwasser Friedrich Stowasser (15 December 1928 – 19 February 2000), better known by his pseudonym Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser (), was an Austrian visual artist and architect who also worked in the field of environmental protection ...

and completed in 2005. * Jerusalem Bridge * Zoo Magdeburg

Sports

Magdeburg has a proud history of sports teams, with

Association Football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

proving the most popular.

currently plays in the

2. Bundesliga The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...

, the second division of German football. They are the only East German football club to have won the

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tourn ...

. The now-defunct clubs SV Victoria 96 Magdeburg and

Cricket Viktoria Magdeburg Cricket Viktoria Magdeburg was a German association football club playing in the Cracau district of Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt. __TOC__ History The club was established in 1897 out of the merger of ''FuCC Regatta Magdeburg'' und ''FC Gut Stos ...

were among the first football clubs in Germany. There is also the very successful

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the ...

team,

. They won multiple times the Handball-Bundesliga (HBL), DHB-Pokal,

DHB-Supercup The DHB-Supercup (English: German Handball Supercup) is an handball tournament held annually between the Handball-Bundesliga champions and the DHB-Pokal The DHB-Pokal (English: German Handball Federation Cup) is an elimination handball tournamen ...

, EHF European League,

EHF Champions League The Men's EHF Champions League is the most important club handball competition for men's teams in Europe and involves the leading teams from the top European nations. The competition is organised every year by EHF. The official name for the men ...

EHF Men's Champions Trophy The EHF Champions Trophy (named IHF Supercup between 1979 and 1983, named EHF Supercup between 1996 and 2007) was an official annual club competition of the European Handball Federation, that was contested until 2008. History Regarded as one of t ...

and the IHF Men's Super Globe. The discus was re-discovered in Magdeburg in the 1870s by

Christian Georg Kohlrausch Christian Georg Kohlrausch re-discovered the Discus - see Discus throw. Since the end of the Ancient Olympic Games, the discus was only known from sculpture like the Discobolus and drawings. The exact dimensions (shape), weight and the techniqu ...

, a gymnastics teacher.

Twin towns – sister cities

Magdeburg is twinned with: *

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...

, Bosnia and Herzegovina (1977) *

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...

, Germany (1987) *

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...

, United States (2003) *

Zaporizhzhia Zaporizhzhia ( uk, Запоріжжя) or Zaporozhye (russian: Запорожье) is a city in southeast Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper River. It is the administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zaporizhzhia has a populat ...

, Ukraine (2008) *

Radom Radom is a city in east-central Poland, located approximately south of the capital, Warsaw. It is situated on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999), having previously been the seat of a separate Radom Voivodeship (1975� ...

, Poland (2008) *

Harbin Harbin (; mnc, , v=Halbin; ) is a sub-provincial city and the provincial capital and the largest city of Heilongjiang province, People's Republic of China, as well as the second largest city by urban population after Shenyang and largest c ...

, China (2008) *

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...

, France (2011)

People

A–K

* Max Albert (1905–1976), writer *

Ernst Anders Ernst Anders (26 March 1845, Magdeburg – 1911, Mölln) was a German painter. He began his artistic education as a private student of Andreas Müller then, in 1863, enrolled at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, where he studied with Rudolf Wi ...

(1845–1911), portrait and genre painter *

Richard Assmann Richard Assmann (Anglicized spelling of the German name Richard Aßmann) (13 April 1845 in Magdeburg – 28 May 1918 in Gießen) was a German meteorologist and physician who was a native of Magdeburg. He made numerous contributions in high altit ...

(1845–1918), meteorologist *

Theodor Avé-Lallemant Johann Theodor Friedrich Avé-Lallemant (born 2 February 1806 in Magdeburg; d. 9 November 1890 in Hamburg) was a German musician and music teacher. Family and personal life The son of a music teacher, Avé-Lallemant studied music (French horn, o ...

(1806–1890), music critic and writer on music * Alfons Bach, (1904–1999), industrial designer *

Kurt Behrens Kurt Behrens (November 26, 1884 – February 5, 1928) was a German diver who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics and in the 1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of ...

(1884–1928), springboard diver *

Arno Bieberstein Arno Bieberstein (October 24, 1884 in Magdeburg – July 7, 1918 in Magdeburg) was a German backstroke swimmer who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London ...

(1884–1918), swimmer * Jessica Böhrs (born 1980), actress and singer *

Henry Busse Henry Busse Sr. (May 19, 1894 – April 23, 1955) was a German-born jazz trumpeter. A 1948 review in ''Billboard'' magazine said that Busse had "a keen sense of musical commercialism". Early life Born May 19, 1894, in Magdeburg, Germany, t ...

(1894–1955), trumpeter and bandleader, emigrated to the US at 18 * Adelbert Delbrück (1822–1890), banker and lawyer * Friedrich Ernst Fesca (1789–1826), violinist and composer * Hans Gericke (1912–2014), architect *

Frank Giering Frank Giering (23 November 1971 – 23 June 2010) was a German actor. Biography Giering studied at the HFF Potsdam. He starred in a production of '' The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole'' and was cast by Austrian filmmaker, Michael Haneke for the ...

(1971–2010), actor *

Harry Giese Harry Giese (2 March 1903 – 20 January 1991) was a German theatre and voice actor born in Magdeburg, Province of Saxony. He is best known for providing voiceovers on German newsreels during the Second World War especially Die Deutsche Woche ...

(1903–1991), actor and spokesman in Nazi newsreels *

Georg Gradnauer Georg Gradnauer (16 November 1866 – 18 November 1946) was a German newspaper editor and politician for the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), and the first elected Minister-President of Saxony following the end of the monarchy. Born in M ...

(1866–1946), newspaper editor and politician * Alfred Grünberg (1901–1942), worker, KPD member and resistance fighter against Nazism * Otto von Guericke (1602–1686), mayor and inventor of the Magdeburg hemispheres. The Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg is named after him * Carl Gustav Friedrich Hasselbach (1809–1882), mayor and member of the Prussian House of Lords; a square in the centre of Magdeburg is named after him * Ulrike Helzel, soprano * Gottlieb von Haeseler (1701–1752), entrepreneur in the Duchy of Magdeburg * Ingolf Huhn (born 1955), theatre and opera manager * Hartmann Wilhem Otto (1876–1960), immigrated to the US, where he changed his name to William Hartman and served as a Rough Rider in the Spanish–American War together with Theodore Roosevelt *

(1851–1934), gymnastics teacher and re-discoverer of

discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than their competitors. It is an ancient sport, as demonstrated by th ...

ing * Carl Hindenburg (1820–1899), cycling official and first president of the German Cyclist Federation (DRB) * Heinrich Jost (1889–1948), typeface designer * Eberhard Jüngel (1934–2021), German Lutheran theologian * Georg Kaiser (1878–1945), writer *

Nadine Kleinert , since 1999 married Schmitt (born 20 October 1975 in Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt) is a German shot putter. Her personal best throw is 20.20 metres, achieved in August 2009 in Berlin. She competed at four Summer Olympic Games The Summer O ...

(born 1975), retired shot putter, Olympic and World Championship silver medallist *

Wilhelm Kobelt Wilhelm Kobelt (20 February 1840 – 26 March 1916) was a German zoologist born in Alsfeld, Grand Duchy of Hesse. He specialized in the field of malacology. Kobelt is remembered for his work as curator of the Senckenberg Museum in Frankfurt am ...

(1865–1927), member of the Reichstag and local politician in Magdeburg * Rolf Kohnert (born 1938), engineer, 3 times Australian masters cycling champion *

Stefan Kretzschmar Stefan Kretzschmar (; born 17 February 1973, in Leipzig) is a retired professional Germany, German team handball, handball player. The son of Peter Kretzschmar, a legendary handball player and coach in the former GDR (East Germany) and Waltraud ...

(born 1973), handball player and Olympic medallist * Hans Kühne (1880–1969), chemist on the board of I.G. Farben and defendant during the Nuremberg trials

L–Z

Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F002352-0002, Bonn, Bundestag, Pariser Verträge, Ollenhauer

*Ernst Lehmann (1908–1945), SPD politician, active in the resistance against Nazism *Otto Lehmann (1900–1936), resistance fighter against Nazism *

Werner Marcks Werner Marcks (17 July 1896 – 28 July 1967) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded several armoured divisions. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. Awards and decorations ...

(1896–1967), lieutenant general in World War II *

Olaf Malolepski Die Flippers (The Flippers) were a German Schlager group formed in 1964. They were one of the most successful Schlager groups of all time, and have been constantly recording and releasing new music since their self-titled debut album was relea ...

(born 1946), singer-songwriter * Johann Carl Simon Morgenstern (1770–1852), philologist who coined the term

Bildungsroman In literary criticism, a ''Bildungsroman'' (, plural ''Bildungsromane'', ) is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood (coming of age), in which character change is import ...

* Felix von Niemeyer (1820–1871), physician, royal Württemberg personal physician * Leo Nowak (born 1929), Roman Catholic bishop of Magdeburg (1990–2004) * Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard (born 1942), biologist, the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research in 1991 and the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1995 * Richard Ölze (1900–1980), painter * Erich Ollenhauer (1901–1963), leader of the

Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been ...

1952–1963 *

Menahem Pressler Menahem Pressler ( he, מנחם פרסלר; born 16 December 1923) is a German-born Israeli-American pianist. Pressler is Jewish. Following Kristallnacht, he and his immediate family fled Nazi Germany in 1939,

(born 1923), pianist *

Ernst Reuter Ernst Rudolf Johannes Reuter (29 July 1889 – 29 September 1953) was the mayor of West Berlin from 1948 to 1953, during the time of the Cold War. Biography Early years Reuter was born in Apenrade (Aabenraa), Province of Schleswig-Holstei ...

(1889–1953), Mayor of Magdeburg 1931–1933, then Mayor of West Berlin in 1948–1953 * Willy Rosen (1894–1944) composer and songwriter * Arthur Ruppin (1876–1943), Zionist thinker and leader * Ekkehard Schall (1930–2005), actor and theatre director *

Marcel Schmelzer Marcel Schmelzer (; born 22 January 1988) is a German former professional footballer who last played as a left-back for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, serving as captain from 2016 to 2018. He was capped by Germany at international level. ...

(born 1988), footballer *Karl Schmidt (1902–1945), resistance fighter against Nazism *

Petra Schmidt-Schaller Petra Schmidt-Schaller (born 28 August 1980) is a German actress. She is noted for the roles of ''Helene'' in '' Runaway Horse'' alongside Ulrich Noethen, Ulrich Tukur and Katja Riemann, and ''Maud Brewster'' in '' The Sea Wolf'' (2008 ProSieb ...

(born 1980), actress * Manfred Schoof (born 1936), jazz trumpeter *

Wolfgang Schreyer Wolfgang Schreyer (20 November 1927 – 14 November 2017) was a German writer of fiction, historic adventures mixed with documentary, science fiction for TV shows and movies and is best known as the author of over 20 adventure stories. Life ...

(1927–2017), writer * Margarete Schön (1895–1985), stage and film actress * Ivan Shyshkin (born 1983), Ukrainian footballer * Kurt Singer (1886–1962), philosopher *

(1730–1794), American patriot * Christoph Christian Sturm (1740–1786), preacher and author, wrote the majority of his devotional works here *

Bruno Taut Bruno Julius Florian Taut (4 May 1880 – 24 December 1938) was a renowned German architect, urban planner and author of Prussian Lithuanian heritage ("taut" means "nation" in Lithuanian). He was active during the Weimar period and is kno ...

(1880–1938), city architect 1921–1923, completed two housing projects in Magdeburg *

Georg Philipp Telemann Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family's wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hild ...

(1681–1767), composer *

Klaus Thunemann Klaus Thunemann (born 19 April 1937) is a German bassoonist, considered "one of the finest bassoonists of his generation". Biography Klaus Thunemann was born in Magdeburg on 19 April 1937. He originally studied piano but from the age of 18 foc ...

(born 1937), bassoon professor *

Henning von Tresckow Henning Hermann Karl Robert von Tresckow (; 10 January 1901 – 21 July 1944) was a German military officer with the rank of major general in the German Army who helped organize German resistance against Adolf Hitler. He attempted to assassina ...

(1901–1944), major general in the ''Wehrmacht'', active in the military resistance * Lothar von Trotha (1848–1920), military commander notorious for presiding over the near-extermination of the Herero in German South-West Africa * Karl Wallenda (1905–1978), highwire acrobat *

Camillo Walzel Camillo Walzel (11 February 1829 –17 March 1895) was a German librettist and theatre director, who wrote under the pseudonym F Zell. Life and work Walzel was born in Magdeburg. In his early years, he worked in his father's lithographic factory ...

(1829–1895),

librettist A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major litu ...

and theatre director *

Wilhelm Weitling Wilhelm Christian Weitling (October 5, 1808 – January 25, 1871) was a German tailor, inventor, radical political activist and one of the first theorists of communism. Weitling gained fame in Europe as a social theorist before he emigrated ...

(1808–1871), utopian Communist * Dieter Zahn (born 1940), double-bassist * Dejan Zavec (born 1976), Slovenian welterweight boxer, IBF Welterweight Champion * Heinrich Zschokke (1771–1848), author and reformer *

George William Ziemann George William Ziemann (November 1806 or 1809 – December 26, 1881) was a German Christian missionary known for successfully establishing and running the Ghazipore Mission in India. He also did missionary work in many other parts of India for n ...

(1809–1881), Christian missionary who served in Magdeburg in the infantry

Gallery

Blick über Magdeburg.JPG, View over a part of Magdeburg in 2012 Magdeburger Dom Cathedral (40705658233).jpg,

Haus 60a - Universitätsklinikum Magdeburg.jpg, Main building of the university hospital St. Johannis (Magdeburg-Altstadt).ajb.jpg, St.-Johannis Church Kirchentrio Magdeburg.jpg, The three churches on the banks of the Elbe river Hauptbahnhof MD.jpg,

Magdeburg Hauptbahnhof Magdeburg Hauptbahnhof (German for Magdeburg main station, sometimes translated as Magdeburg Central Station) is the main railway station in the city of Magdeburg in the northern part of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Importance The station ...

(Central Station) Opernhaus magdeburg 11.JPG, Magdeburg Opera Magdeburg Hundertwasserhaus.jpg, The Grüne Zitadelle (Green Citadel) .00 1533 Magdeburg - Gebäude Justizzentrum.jpg, Judiciary center Elbauenpark.jpg, View over Elbauenpark with Jahrtausendturm Elbufer Magdeburg mit Dom.jpg,

river in Magdeburg Magdeburg Alter Markt mit Rathaus.jpg, City Hall with Sankt-Johannis-Church Magdeburg Nordbrueckenzug.jpg, Jerusalem Bridges Saxonia bei Dämmerung in Magdeburg.jpg, The Elbe in Magdeburg Magdeburg Kanalbrücke aerial view 13.jpg,

Magdeburg Hasselbachplatz 2006-11-18.jpg, The Hasselbachplatz, an important transport hub Gruson-Gewächshäuser Außen.JPG, Gruson-Gewächshäuser Magdeburger Reiter Gruppe im Museum.jpg, The Magdeburger Reiter (Magdeburg equestrian) Allee-Center Magdeburg Innen.jpg, The "Allee-Center" Shopping complex is one of seven shopping centres Magdeburg Sternbrucke 2.jpg, Embankment of the city park Kulturhistorisches-Museum-Magdeburg.JPG, Museum of culture and history 2019-09-27 17-45 G90T3345 AL Commons Landtag.jpg, The parliament of Saxony-Anhalt

References

External links

Official website

Official website for tourists

Virtual city tour Magdeburg

The city of Otto
{{Authority control German state capitals Martin Luther Members of the Hanseatic League Populated riverside places in Germany Populated places on the Elbe