Altdorf bei Nürnberg ( , ; ) is a town in south-eastern

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It is situated east of

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

, in the district Nürnberger Land. Its name literally means “Altdorf near Nuremberg”, to distinguish it from other Altdorfs.

History

Altdorf is first mentioned in 1129. In 1504 the town was conquered by the

Free Imperial City of Nuremberg The Free Imperial City of Nuremberg () was a free imperial city – independent city-state – within the Holy Roman Empire. After Nuremberg gained piecemeal independence from the Burgraviate of Nuremberg in the High Middle Ages and considerable ...

. In the 16th century, the city government of Nuremberg founded an academy in Altdorf, which became a university in 1622. The university lasted until 1809. Among the alumni of the University of Altdorf were the soldier

Albrecht von Wallenstein Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein, Duke of Friedland (; 24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein (), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Thirty Years' War (1618–16 ...

and the philosopher and scientist

Gottfried Leibniz Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (or Leibnitz; – 14 November 1716) was a German polymath active as a mathematician, philosopher, scientist and diplomat who is credited, alongside Isaac Newton, Sir Isaac Newton, with the creation of calculus in ad ...

Discovery of teleosaur fossils

Teleosaur remains have been known from Altdorf bei Nürnberg since 1832,Meyer, H. von, (1832), ''Paleologica zur Geschichte der Erde'', Frankfurt am Main, 560 p but none have been placed in a specific

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

yet.

Economy

Even though the times of its once famous university have long passed, Altdorf is the seat of several educational institutions. It is also the home of a number of mid-scale industrial enterprises.

Monuments

Altdorf's chief monuments are the church of St. Laurentius, the city hall and the Wichernhaus, which once housed the university. Altdorf also boasts some impressive remnants of its fortifications.

International relations

Altdorf bei Nürnberg is twinned with: * Altdorf, Switzerland * Colbitz, Saxony-Anhalt * Sehma, Saxony * Dunaharaszti, Hungary * Pfitsch, South Tyrol (Italy)

Mayors

Gallery

File:Laurentius Kirche Altdorf.jpg, Church of Saint Lawrence File:Lower gate Altdorf.JPG, The lower gate (Unteres Tor) in 2005

Sons and daughters of the town

Stephan Farffler Stephan Farffler (1633 – October 24, 1689), sometimes spelled Stephan Farfler, was a German watchmaker of the seventeenth century whose invention of a manumotive carriage in 1655 is widely considered to have been the first self-propelled whee ...

(1633–1689), inventor * Johann Fabricius (1644–1729), theologian * Moses Ferst (1828–1889), successful businessman in the United States * Konrad Mannert (1756–1834), professor and historian * Friedrichs Lachs (1832–1910), Bavarian-Swedish brewmaster * Dora Hitz (1856–1924), Impressionist painter * Klaus Kreuzeder (1950–2014), saxophonist * Klaus Wolfermann (1946–2024), athlete (javelin thrower), Olympic champion * Thomas Tuschl (born 1966), biochemist

Personalities who worked in the town

* Johann Richter or '' Johannes Praetorius '' (1537–1616), German mathematician and astronomer * Wallenstein (1583–1634), military leader and politician in the Thirty Years' War * Abdias Treu (1597–1669), mathematician; taught in Altdorf; also rector of the University of Altdorf * Johann Christoph Wagenseil (1633–1705), polyhistor, legal scholar and orientalist; taught and died in Altdorf *

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (or Leibnitz; – 14 November 1716) was a German polymath active as a mathematician, philosopher, scientist and diplomat who is credited, alongside Sir Isaac Newton, with the creation of calculus in addition to ...

(1646–1716), philosopher and natural scientist, promoted in Altdorf *

Johann Pachelbel Johann Pachelbel (also Bachelbel; baptised – buried 9 March 1706) was a German composer, organist, and teacher who brought the south German organ schools to their peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secularity, secular music, and ...

(1653–1706), composer, studied at the University of Altdorf * Lorenz Heister (1683–1758), surgical professor at the University of Altdorf from 1710 to 1719 * Wolfgang Haffner (born 1965), Funk and jazz drummer

References

External links

*
Official homepage of Altdorf
{{Authority control Nürnberger Land