Ballenstedt is a town in the Harz district, in 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 **Ger ...

state of

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 it the ...

Geography

It is situated at the northern rim 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 ...

mountain range, about 10 km (6 mi) southeast of

Quedlinburg Quedlinburg () is a town situated just north of the Harz mountains, in the district of Harz in the west of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. As an influential and prosperous trading centre during the early Middle Ages, Quedlinburg became a center of in ...

. The municipal area comprises the villages of Asmusstedt, Badeborn, Opperode,

Radisleben Radisleben is a village and a former municipality in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the town Ballenstedt Ballenstedt is a town in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. G ...

, and

Rieder Rieder is a village and a former municipality in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 December 2013, it is part of the town Ballenstedt. Between 1 January 2011 and 19 February 2013, it was part of the town Quedlinburg. There ...

. Ballenstedt is a stop on the scenic

Romanesque Road The Romanesque Road (german: Straße der Romanik) is a scenic route in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt in central-east Germany. It is part of the Transromanica network, a major European Cultural Route since 2006. Route The route takes the ...

History

The

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

count

Esico of Ballenstedt Esico of Ballenstedt (died around 1060) is the progenitor of the House of Ascania, (i.e., the oldest known member of his dynasty). Esico was the count of Ballenstedt (r. 1036-1060), and his possessions became the nucleus of the later Principalit ...

(c. 1000–1059/60) was mentioned in a 1030 entry in the medieval chronicles of the

Annalista Saxo The Annalista Saxo ("Saxon annalist") is the anonymous author of an important imperial chronicle, believed to have originated in the mid-12th century at Nienburg Abbey in the Duchy of Saxony. General The chronicle of the "Annalista Saxo" is a c ...

and in a 1036 deed issued by Emperor

Conrad II Conrad II ( – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdoms ...

. He was a son of one Count Adalbert, who held the office of a ''

Vogt During the Middle Ages, an (sometimes given as modern English: advocate; German: ; French: ) was an office-holder who was legally delegated to perform some of the secular responsibilities of a major feudal lord, or for an institution such as ...

'' of

Nienburg Abbey Nienburg Abbey (german: Kloster Nienburg) was a Benedictine monastery in Nienburg in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. History Abbey Nienburg was for centuries on the extreme eastern edge of the settled territory of Germany. With the aim of converting ...

, and Hidda, a daughter of Margrave Odo I of the Saxon Ostmark. Esico, whose sister Uta married Margrave Eckard II of Meissen is considered the progenitor of the

House of Ascania The House of Ascania (german: Askanier) was a dynasty of German rulers. It is also known as the House of Anhalt, which refers to its longest-held possession, Anhalt. The Ascanians are named after Ascania (or Ascaria) Castle, known as ''Schloss ...

. He had a

collegiate church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons: a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a ...

erected in Ballenstedt, dedicated to Saints Pancras and

Abundius Abundius (also Abondius, Abundias, or Abbondio; early fifth century – 469), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Abundius, was a bishop of Como, Northern Italy. Biography Abundius was born at Thessalonica. Around 448 Abundius became the ...

, in the presence of Emperor Henry III in 1046. Ballenstedt church was mentioned in a charter of 1073 by Henry IV in which the emperor confirmed to the church the possession of 21 ''mansi'' previously granted by his father Henry III. In 1123 Otto the Rich together with his son

Albert the Bear Albert the Bear (german: Albrecht der Bär; 1100 – 18 November 1170) was the first margrave of Brandenburg from 1157 to his death and was briefly duke of Saxony between 1138 and 1142. Life Albert was the only son of Otto, Count of Bal ...

, who would become the first ruler of

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a states of Germany, 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 ar ...

, established a

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 ...

monastery at the site. Albert and was buried at the crypt of the abbey church in 1070; a monument for him is located in the town's park. Albert's grandson

Henry I Henry I may refer to: 876–1366 * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry I the Long, Margrave of the No ...

became the first Prince of Anhalt in 1218. In 1512 the citizens of Ballenstedt were vested with brewing rights by the Ascanian prince

Wolfgang of Anhalt-Köthen Wolfgang is a German male given name traditionally popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The name is a combination of the Old High German words ''wolf'', meaning "wolf", and ''gang'', meaning "path", "journey", "travel". Besides the regula ...

. After Wolfgang met with

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

at the 1521

Diet of Worms The Diet of Worms of 1521 (german: Reichstag zu Worms ) was an imperial diet (a formal deliberative assembly) of the Holy Roman Empire called by Emperor Charles V and conducted in the Imperial Free City of Worms. Martin Luther was summoned to t ...

, he became one of the first

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

rulers in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

. Ballenstedt Abbey was stormed and plundered during the

German Peasants' War The German Peasants' War, Great Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt (german: Deutscher Bauernkrieg) was a widespread popular revolt in some German-speaking areas in Central Europe from 1524 to 1525. It failed because of intense oppositio ...

, whereafter Prince Wolfgang had the monastery

secularised In sociology, secularization (or secularisation) is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions. The ''secularization thesis'' expresses the ...

in 1525. He chose Ballenstedt as a residence and granted it

town privileges 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 ...

in 1543. It received city walls in 1551; a town hall was first mentioned in 1582. As the Anhalt princes supported King

Christian IV of Denmark Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian monar ...

during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

, Ballenstedt was raided and plundered by Imperial troops under

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 ...

in 1626.

After the war, the town and the former monastery were rebuilt as a

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 t ...

summer residence by the Ascanian princes of

Anhalt-Bernburg Anhalt-Bernburg was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire and a duchy of the German Confederation ruled by the House of Ascania with its residence at Bernburg in present-day Saxony-Anhalt. It emerged as a subdivision from the Principality of ...

. In 1765 the enlightened prince Frederick Albert completely moved his residence from

Bernburg Bernburg (Saale) is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, capital of the Salzlandkreis district. The former residence of the Anhalt-Bernburg princes is known for its Renaissance architecture, Renaissance castle. Geography The town centre is situated ...

to Ballenstedt Castle and induced a time of prosperity, including the erection of a castle theatre in 1788, the oldest theatre in Saxony-Anhalt and the domain of composers like

Albert Lortzing Gustav Albert Lortzing (23 October 1801 – 21 January 1851) was a German composer, librettist, actor and singer. He is considered to be the main representative of the German ''Spieloper'', a form similar to the French '' opéra comique'', whic ...

and

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

. A part of the re-unified

Duchy of Anhalt The Duchy of Anhalt (german: Herzogtum Anhalt) was a historical German duchy. The duchy was located between the Harz Mountains in the west and the river Elbe and beyond to the Fläming Heath in the east. The territory was once ruled by the House ...

from 1863 on, Ballenstedt became known as a residential town for the well-to-do retired like

Princess Friederike of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg '' , reign = , reign-type = Tenure , title = Duchess of Anhalt-Bernburg , house = Glücksburg , spouse = Alexander Karl, Duke of Anhalt-Bernburg , issue = , image =Princess Friederike of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.jpg , ima ...

, who died at Ballenstedt Castle in 1902, or the painter and author

Wilhelm von Kügelgen Wilhelm Georg Alexander von Kügelgen (20 November 1802, in St.Petersburg – 25 May 1867, in Ballenstedt) was a German portrait and history painter, writer, and chamberlain at the Court of Anhalt-Bernburg. He is best known for his posthumo ...

, whose house is now a museum.

Politics

Seats in the municipal assembly () as of 2004 elections: * Christian Democratic Union: 8 (41.2%) * The Left: 4 (18.2%) *

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 ...

: 3 (12.6%) * Free Democratic Party: 3 (12.5%) *

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 the ...

: 1 (7.5%) *Independent: 1 (5.4%) The coat of arms is derived from the insignia of the Counts of Ballenstedt, which is also the origin of the

coat of arms of Saxony The coat of arms of the present-day Germany, German States of Germany, free state of Saxony shows a tenfold horizontally-partitioned (''Barry (heraldry), Barry of ten'') field of black (''Sable (heraldry), sable'') and gold/yellow (''Or (heraldry ...

. It was first manifested in 1560 after Ballenstedt received town rights.

Places of interest

* Ballenstedt Castle: Baroque three-winged building, renovated in the 18th century, grave of

* Castle Park: created by

Peter Joseph Lenné Peter Joseph Lenné (the Younger) (29 September 1789 – 23 January 1866) was a Prussian gardener and landscape architect. As director general of the Royal Prussian palaces and parks in Potsdam and Berlin, his work shaped the development of 19 ...

; castle and castle park belong to the

Saxony-Anhalt Garden Dreams The Garden Dreams Project (german: Projekt Gartenträume) is a conservation and tourism network concerned with rediscovering the cultural heritage of gardens in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Historical parks which had been, to an extent, for ...

project * Ballenstedt Castle Theatre: played by

and

* Großer Gasthof castle hotel: originally built in 1733 as an

armoury An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are most ...

, converted in 1756 by the Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel ducal master builder, Martin Peltier de Belfort, into a guest house * Local History Museum, opposite the Großer Gasthof in the upper part of the avenue * Kügelgen House, Kügelgenstr. 35a * Yellow House (''Gelbes Haus''), on the exit to the town towards

, built as a roadside toll house * Allee: representative, a kilometre long approach to the castle, centre point of the town * Old Town Hall (''Altes Rathaus''): timber-framed building erected in 1683 * New Town Hall (''Neues Rathaus''): representative building, built in 1906 based on a design by Berlin architect Alfred Messel * St. Nicholas' Church: Late Gothic church, built in 1326, burnt down in 1498, rebuilt in 1501 * Town wall, can still be seen in ''Wallstraße'' * Wall towers along the town wall (Oberturm, Unterturm, Marktturm – the latter is accessible, key in the restaurant opposite) * Swimming baths, built 1907-08 *

Teufelsmauer (Harz) The Teufelsmauer (''Devil's Wall'') is a rock formation made of hard sandstones of the Upper Cretaceous in the northern part of the Harz Foreland in central Germany. This wall of rock runs from Blankenburg (Harz) via Weddersleben and Rieder ...

Gegensteine The Gegensteine are crags near the town of Ballenstedt on the northern edge of the Harz Mountains in Germany. There are two: the Großer Gegenstein and Kleiner Gegenstein ("Great Gegenstein" and "Little Gegenstein"). They are striking, free-standin ...

nature reserve *

Bismarck Tower A Bismarck tower (german: Bismarckturm) is a specific type of monument built according to a more or less standard model across Germany to honour its first chancellor, Otto von Bismarck (d. 1898). A total of 234 of these towers were inventoried b ...

, Opperode * Roseburg (castle) * Oberhof Ballenstedt

Transport

Ballenstedt is located at the ''

Bundesstraße ''Bundesstraße'' (German for "federal highway"), abbreviated ''B'', is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways. Germany Germany's ''Bundesstraßen'' network has a total length of about 40,000 km. German ''Bundesstraßen'' ...

'' (federal highway) 185, leading to the ''Bundesstraße 6'' and the ''

Bundesautobahn 14 is an autobahn in eastern Germany. The route comprises two disconnected sections: * The old A 241. A North-South route in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern which runs from Wismar to Schwerin. * The original A 14. A West-East route which start ...

''. Train service was suspended in 2003. A small asphalt runway is about 5 km (3 mi) outside the town.

Notable people

Born in Ballenstedt

Uta von Ballenstedt Uta von Ballenstedt ( — 23 October before 1046), a member of the House of Ascania, was Margravine of Meissen from 1038 until 1046, the wife of Margrave Eckard II. She is also called Uta of Naumburg as the subject of a famous donor portrait by ...

(1000 - before 1046), founder of the

Naumburg Cathedral Naumburg Cathedral (german: Naumburger Dom St. Peter und St. Paul, ), located in Naumburg, Germany, is the former cathedral of the Bishopric of Naumburg-Zeitz. The church building, most of which dates back to the 13th century, is a renowned landmark ...

Johann Arndt Johann Arndt (or Arnd; 27 December 155511 May 1621) was a German Lutheran theologian who wrote several influential books of devotional Christianity. Although reflective of the period of Lutheran Orthodoxy, he is seen as a forerunner of Pietism, a ...

(1555-1621), theologian * Pauline zur Lippe (1769-1820), regent of the Principality of Lippe * Caroline Bardua (1781-1864), painter Wilhelmine Luise Prinzessin von Preussen

Wilhelmine Luise Prinzessin von Preussen

Princess Louise of Anhalt-Bernburg , house = Ascania , father = Alexius Frederick Christian, Duke of Anhalt-Bernburg , mother = Marie Friederike of Hesse-Kassel , birth_date = , birth_place = Ballenstedt, Anhalt-Bernburg, Holy Roman Empire , death_d ...

(1799-1882), Princess of Prussia *

Gustav Strube Gustav Strube (3 March 1867 – 2 February 1953) was a German-born conductor and composer. He was the founding conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in 1916, and taught at the Peabody Conservatory. He wrote two operas, ''Ramona'', which ...

(1867-1953), composer * Wilhelm von Krosigk (1871-1953), officer of Imperial Navy, ship commander,

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

* Wilhelm Thiele (1897-1990), politician (NSDAP) *

Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt Princess Marie Auguste of Anhalt (10 June 1898 – 22 May 1983) was the daughter of Eduard, Duke of Anhalt, and his wife, Princess Louise Charlotte of Saxe-Altenburg. She married and divorced a son of Kaiser Wilhelm II, then married and divo ...

(1898-1983), Princess *

Eduard, Prince of Anhalt Eduard Julius Ernst August Erdmann, Prince von Anhalt (german: Eduard Julius Ernst August von Anhalt; born 3 December 1941), usually referred to as Prince Eduard, is the head of the House of Ascania, the family which ruled the Duchy of Anhalt unt ...

(born 1941), since 1963 head of the house Anhalt-Ascania *

Justus Pfaue Justus Pfaue (25 September 1942 – 8 March 2014)
t-online.de, retrieved 15 March ...

(1942-2014), novelist and screenwriter * Eckhard Lesse (born 1948), long-distance runner

Died in Ballenstedt

* Karl Christian Agthe, composer, born 16 June 1762 in

Hettstedt Hettstedt is a town in Mansfeld-Südharz district, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, on the Wipper. It consists of Hettstedt proper and the ''Ortschaften'' (municipal divisions) Ritterode and Walbeck.Wilhelm von Kügelgen Wilhelm Georg Alexander von Kügelgen (20 November 1802, in St.Petersburg – 25 May 1867, in Ballenstedt) was a German portrait and history painter, writer, and chamberlain at the Court of Anhalt-Bernburg. He is best known for his posthumo ...

, painter, born 20 November 1802 in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, died 25 May 1867 *

Wilhelm Vöge Wilhelm Vöge (16 February 1868 – 30 December 1952) was a German art historian, the discoverer of the Reichenau School of painting and one of the most important medievalists of the early 20th century. Whitney Stoddard called him the "f ...

, art historian, born 16 February 1868 in

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...

, died 30 December 1952.

Twin towns

Kronberg im Taunus Kronberg im Taunus is a town in the Hochtaunuskreis district, Hesse, Germany and part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Regional Authority, Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area. Before 1866, it was in the Duchy of Nassau; in that year the whole Duchy was ab ...

, Germany

References

External links

*
Ballenstedt-Blog.de (german)

Ballenstedt-Blog.de (english)
{{Authority control Towns in the Harz Harz (district) Duchy of Anhalt 1030s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1030 establishments in Europe Populated places established in the 11th century