Königslutter am Elm is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in the district of

Helmstedt Helmstedt (; Eastphalian: ''Helmstidde'') is a town on the eastern edge of the German state of Lower Saxony. It is the capital of the District of Helmstedt. The historic university and Hanseatic city conserves an important monumental heritage o ...

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 ...

Geography

It is located on the northeastern slopes of the

Elm Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus ''Ulmus'' in the family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical- montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ...

hill range, within the Elm-Lappwald Nature Park, about east of Brunswick, west of the district capital

, and south of

Wolfsburg Wolfsburg (; Eastphalian language, Eastphalian: ''Wulfsborg'') is the fifth-largest city in the Germany, German state of Lower Saxony, on the river Aller (Germany), Aller east of Hanover and west of Berlin. Wolfsburg is famous as the locat ...

. The town has access to the

Brunswick–Magdeburg railway The Brunswick–Magdeburg railway is an German main line railway. It is with the Berlin–Lehrte railway and the Hanover–Berlin high-speed line one of the most important east-west lines between Hanover and Berlin. Important intermediate stat ...

at the Königslutter railway station, served by

Regionalbahn The ''Regionalbahn'' (; lit. Regional train; abbreviated ''RB'') is a train categories in Europe, type of Regional rail, local passenger train (stopping train) in Germany. It is similar to the Regionalzug (R) and Regio (Swiss railway train), R ...

trains to Brunswick and Helmstedt, and is traversed by the

Bundesstraße ''Bundesstraße'' (, ), 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'' are labelled with re ...

1 federal highway. The

Bundesautobahn 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 Bundesautobahn 3, A3 near the western city of Oberhausen, passes through the north of the Ruhr valley, through ...

runs about north of the town centre. Königslutter is a stop on the

German Timber-Frame Road The German Timber-Frame Road () is a German tourist route leading from the river Elbe in the north to the Black Forest and Lake Constance in the south. Numerous cities and towns each with examples of the vernacular Timber framing, timber-framed ho ...

(''Deutsche Fachwerkstraße'') tourist route. In its current form, the township with about 16,000 inhabitants was created in a 1974 administrative reform by joining the following 18 municipalities: * Beienrode * Boimstorf *

Bornum am Elm Bornum am Elm is a village of 919 inhabitants (2021) in the city of Königslutter am Elm, Lower Saxony, Germany. It was a municipality until 1974, when it was joined to Königslutter. Bornum is near the northern edge of the Elm hills on the bank ...

* Glentorf * Groß Steinum * Klein Steimke * Königslutter * Lauingen * Lelm * Ochsendorf * Rhode * Rieseberg * Rotenkamp * Rottorf *

Scheppau Scheppau () is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany, approximately long. The Scheppau originates on the slope of the Elm hills and is a left tributary of the Schunter. It flows west and north of Königslutter and joins the Schunter in Glentorf, betwe ...

* Schickelsheim * Sunstedt * Uhry

History

20170902_KoenigslutterKaiserdom_Hauptschiff_A_DSC05489_Rectilinear_03_PtrQs

A village called ''Lûtere'' in the

Duchy of Saxony The Duchy of Saxony () was originally the area settled by the Saxons in the late Early Middle Ages, when they were subdued by Charlemagne during the Saxon Wars from 772 CE and incorporated into the Carolingian Empire (Francia) by 804. Upon the 84 ...

was first mentioned in an 1135 deed, when Emperor

Lothair III Lothair III, sometimes numbered Lothair II and also known as Lothair of Supplinburg ( June 1075 – 4 December 1137), was Holy Roman Emperor from 1133 until his death. He was appointed Duke of Saxony in 1106 and elected King of Germany in 1125 b ...

established a

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monastery here, centered on the Sts Peter and Paul Church, a prominent Romanesque

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

where he and his consort

Richenza of Northeim Richenza of Northeim (c. 1087/1089 – 10 June 1141) was Duchess of Saxony from 1106, Queen of Germany from 1125 and Holy Roman Empress from 1133 as the wife of Lothair of Supplinburg. Family Richenza was the daughter of Count Henry the Fat ...

as well as his son-in-law, the Welf duke

Henry the Proud Henry the Proud () (20 October 1139), a member of the House of Welf, was Duke of Bavaria (as Henry X) from 1126 to 1138 and Duke of Saxony (as Henry II) as well as Margrave of Tuscany and Duke of Spoleto from 1137 until his death. In ...

are also buried. The place was named after the nearby

karst spring A karst spring or karstic spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring (exsurgence, outflow of groundwater) that is part of a karst hydrological system. Description Because of their often conical or inverted bowl shape, karst springs are also known i ...

of the Lutter (from

Middle High German Middle High German (MHG; or ; , shortened as ''Mhdt.'' or ''Mhd.'') is the term for the form of High German, High German language, German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High ...

: ''lauter'', "pure") stream in the Elm hills. A

water castle A water castle, sometimes water-castle, is a castle which incorporates a natural or artificial body of water into its defences.Forde-Johnston (1979), p. 163. It can be entirely surrounded by water-filled moats (moated castle) or natural waterbo ...

was erected around 1200 and in 1318 the surrounding settlement was documented as a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

. Around 1400 the

Dukes of Brunswick The Duchy of Brunswick () was a historical German state that ceased to exist in 1918. Its capital was the city of Brunswick (). It was established as the successor state of the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel by the Congress of Vienna ...

granted the citizens of ''Luttere''

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 traditio ...

. From the late 14th century onwards, the place was called ''Konnigesluttere'', referring to late Emperor Lothair III,

King of the Romans King of the Romans (; ) was the title used by the king of East Francia following his election by the princes from the reign of Henry II (1002–1024) onward. The title originally referred to any German king between his election and coronatio ...

. Located on the trade route from Brunswick to

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river. Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...

(the present-day Bundesstraße 1),

beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...

brewing and Elm

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

mining and cutting were its main industries in early modern times, while the monastery developed as a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

destination. Not until 1924, the monastery complex and the adjacent settlement of ''Oberlutter'' were incorporated into the town. The monastery church is known for its sculptural art and the tomb of the emperor.

Politics

Seats in the town's assembly (''Rat'') as of 2011 local elections: * Christian Democratic Union (CDU): 15 *

Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany ( , SPD ) is a social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the party's leader since the 2019 leadership election together w ...

(SPD): 14 *

Free Voters Free Voters (, FW) is a political party in Germany. It originates as an umbrella organisation of several Free Voters Associations (), associations of people which participate in an election without having the status of a registered party. These a ...

: 2 * Free Democratic Party (FDP): 1 *

Alliance 90/The Greens Alliance 90/The Greens (, ), often simply referred to as Greens (, ), is a Green (politics), green political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of the Greens (formed in West Germany in 1980) and Alliance 90 (formed in East Ger ...

: 1 In 2013 the assembly has voted to enter in merger negotiations with neighbouring Wolfsburg.

Mayors

Since November 2011 Alexander Hoppe (SPD) is the mayor of Königslutter. Former mayors: # Walter Lüders (1948–1949) # Friedrich Schmook (1949–1953) # Karl Köhler (1953–1954) # Friedrich Schmook (1954–1956) # Karl Köhler (1956–1968) # Otto Schwarzbach (1968–1972) # Frieda Fricke (1972–1973) # Gustav Uhde (1973–1974) # Helmut Albrecht (1974–1976) # Alfred Küchenthal (1976–1981) # Helmut Albrecht (1981–1986) # Alfred Küchenthal (1986–1996) # Arnulf Baumann (1996–2001) # Margot Albrecht (2001–2002) # Ottomar Lippelt (2002–2011) # Alexander Hoppe (since 2011)

Twin towns

Königslutter is twinned with the following towns: *

Gommern Gommern () is a town in the Jerichower Land district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated approximately southeast of Magdeburg. On January 1, 2005, the municipalities Dannigkow, Dornburg, Karith, Ladeburg, Leitzkau, Menz, Nedlitz, Vehlitz a ...

, since 1990 *

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England. It is a market town and has a Minster (church), minster church. Its population in 2011 was 64,621. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century priory, monastic foundation, owned by the ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, since 1992 *

Opalenica Opalenica is a town in Nowy Tomyśl County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland, with 9,262 inhabitants (as of 2024). History The Opaliński noble family originated here as lords of the area and a branch of the Bniński family of Łodzia coat of ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, since 1998

Notable people

* Werner Schrader (1895–1944), teacher, officer and resistance fighter against the Nazi regime *

Samuel Hahnemann Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann ( , ; 10 April 1755 – 2 July 1843) was a German physician, best known for creating the pseudoscientific system of alternative medicine called homeopathy. Early life Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann w ...

(1755–1843), physician and pioneer of

homeopathy Homeopathy or homoeopathy is a pseudoscientific system of alternative medicine. It was conceived in 1796 by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann. Its practitioners, called homeopaths or homeopathic physicians, believe that a substance that ...

, who lived in Königslutter from 1796 to 1799 * Thilo Maatsch (1900–1983),

Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the , was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined Decorative arts, crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., ...

artist, spent his retirement here

Notes

External links

*
Official site
{{Authority control Helmstedt (district) Duchy of Brunswick