The Innenstadt (city centre) is the central district of the city of

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; ; archaic English: ''Osnaburg'') is a city in Lower Saxony in western Germany. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population of 168 ...

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...

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 ...

; its population is roughly 8,300. The Innenstadt comprises the medieval Altstadt (old town) and Neustadt (new town), which were united in 1306. The Altstadt developed around the town's three medieval churches, which initially constituted small parishes in the local area: the Lutheran Kirche St. Marien (Church of St. Mary), the Lutheran Kirche St. Katharinen (Church of St. Catherine) and the Dom St. Peter (St. Peter's Cathedral), which was the seat of the bishop. The Neustadt developed around the Kirche St. Johann (Church of St. John). Today the Gymnasialkirche and the Herz-Jesu-Kirche (Church of the Sacred Heart) are also part of the Innenstadt, as well as two mosques. The Schloss Osnabrück, formerly the residence of the local prince-bishop and today the head office of the

University of Osnabrück A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

, is also located here. This district is the economic heart of the city. The retail sector, with many outlets located along the extensive pedestrian precinct, is particularly prominent. Service industries are also present in the Innenstadt, including gastronomic outlets and hotels, public authorities and educational institutions. 94% of Osnabrück's Altstadt was destroyed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The Innenstadt is connected to the national and regional rail networks by the

Osnabrück Hauptbahnhof Osnabrück Hauptbahnhof is the main railway station serving the city of Osnabrück in Lower Saxony, Germany. The station is located in central Osnabrück, on the eastern edge of the historic city centre. The station was opened in 1895 and is si ...

(main station) and the Altstadt station (formerly Osnabrück-Hasetor). Another station used to operate at the Wittekindplatz: Osnabrück-West, also known as Osnabrück-Hannoverscher Bahnhof. The establishment of an Osnabrück-Johannistor train station to connect the Neustadt area has been a topic of discussion since the year 1895. The Innenstadt was also connected by three tram lines (first opened in 1906 and gradually expanded over time): tram line 1 from the Hauptbahnhof to the Heger Friedhof (Heger Cemetery) via Hauptpost and Nikolaiort, tram line 2 from Schölerberg to Haste via Johannistor (Rosenplatz), Neumarkt, Nikolaiort and Hasetor, and tram line 3 from Martiniplatz/Heinrich-Lübke-Platz to Schinkel via Neumarkt and Hauptpost. Present-day urban planning continues to consider the possibility of better connecting the Innenstadt area by means of an inner-city

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

light rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...

network.

Sources

* M+E (Eds.), ''Osnabrück'' (Osnabruck, 1976) *

Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung ''Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung'' (; ; also known as ''Neue OZ'') is a regional daily newspaper published in Osnabrück, Germany. History and profile ''Neue OZ'' was established in 1967 as a successor of '' Neue Tagespost''. The daily is headquarter ...

, 2007–2010 * Spühr and Jeanmaire, ''Die Osnabrücker Straßenbahn'' (1980) {{DEFAULTSORT:Innenstadt (Osnabruck district) Geography of Osnabrück