Magdeburg (; ) is the

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a States of Germany, state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the List of German states ...

. The city is on the

Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) 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 Republic), then Ge ...

river.

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), known as Otto the Great ( ) or Otto of Saxony ( ), was East Francia, East Frankish (Kingdom of Germany, German) king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the eldest son o ...

, the first

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...

and founder of the

Archbishopric of Magdeburg The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Catholic Church, Latin Catholic archdiocese (969–1552) and Prince-Bishopric, Prince-Archbishopric (1180–1680) of the Holy Roman Empire centered on the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River. Planned since 95 ...

, was buried in the city's

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

after his death. Magdeburg's version of

German town law The German town law () or German municipal concerns (''Deutsches Städtewesen'') was a set of early town privileges based on the Magdeburg rights developed by Otto I. The Magdeburg law became the inspiration for regional town charters not only i ...

, known as

Magdeburg rights Magdeburg rights (, , ; 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 cities and villages gr ...

, spread throughout Central and Eastern Europe. In the

Late Middle Ages The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the Periodization, period of History of Europe, European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period ( ...

, Magdeburg was one of the largest and most prosperous German cities and a notable member of the

Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...

. One of the most notable people from the city was

Otto von Guericke Otto von Guericke ( , , ; spelled Gericke until 1666; – ) was a German scientist, inventor, mathematician and physicist. His pioneering scientific work, the development of experimental methods and repeatable demonstrations on the physics of ...

, famous for his experiments with the

Magdeburg hemispheres The Magdeburg hemispheres are a pair of large copper hemispheres with mating rims that were used in a famous 1654 experiment to demonstrate the power of atmospheric pressure. When the rims were sealed with grease and the air was pumped out, the sph ...

. Magdeburg has experienced three major devastations in its history. In 1207 the first catastrophe struck the city, with a fire burning down large parts of the city, including the Ottonian cathedral. 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, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

. 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

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 an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

bombed the city in 1945 and destroyed much of the city centre. Today, around 46% of the city consists of buildings from before 1950. After World War II, the city belonged to the

German Democratic Republic East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

from 1949 to 1990. Since then, many new construction projects have been implemented and old buildings have been restored. Magdeburg celebrated its 1,200th anniversary in 2005. Magdeburg is on Autobahn 2 and Autobahn 14, connecting Eastern and

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...

as well as northern and southern Germany. Significant industries include

machines A machine is a physical system that uses power to apply forces and control movement to perform an action. The term is commonly applied to artificial devices, such as those employing engines or motors, but also to natural biological macromolec ...

healthcare Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines and mechanism (engineering), mechanisms that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and engineering mathematics, mathematics principl ...

environmental technology Environmental technology (or envirotech) is the use of engineering and technological approaches to understand and address issues that affect the environment with the aim of fostering environmental improvement. It involves the application of scien ...

circular economy A circular economy (also referred to as circularity or CE) is a model of resource Production (economics), production and Resource consumption, consumption in any economy that involves sharing, leasing, Reuse, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and ...

logistics Logistics is the part of supply chain management that deals with the efficient forward and reverse flow of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the Consumption (economics), point of consumption according to the ...

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

wood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

and

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 ...

. There are numerous cultural institutions in the city, including the Theater Magdeburg and the Museum of Cultural History. The city is also the location of two universities, the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg and the Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences.

History

Early years

Founded by

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

in 805 as Magadoburg (probably from

Old High German Old High German (OHG; ) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally identified as the period from around 500/750 to 1050. Rather than representing a single supra-regional form of German, Old High German encompasses the numerous ...

''magado'' for ''big'', ''mighty'' and ''burg'' for ''fortress''), the town was fortified in 919 by King

Henry the Fowler Henry the Fowler ( or '; ; – 2 July 936) was the duke of Saxony from 912 and the king of East Francia from 919 until his death in 936. As the first non- Frankish king of East Francia, he established the Ottonian dynasty of kings and emper ...

against the

Magyars Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common culture, language and history. They also have a notable presence in former parts of the Kingdom of Hungary. The Hungarian language belongs to the ...

and

Slavs The Slavs or Slavic people are groups of people who speak Slavic languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout the northern parts of Eurasia; they predominantly inhabit Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, and ...

. In 929 King

granted the city to his English-born wife

Edith Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English word , meaning ''wealth'' or ''prosperity'', in combination with the Old English , meaning ''wiktionary:strife, strife'', and is in common usage in this form in English language, Englis ...

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 settlement (law), settled on the bride (being given into trust instrument, trust) by agreement at the time of t ...

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

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 ...

abbey of

Saint Maurice Maurice (also Moritz, Morris, Maurits, or Mauritius; ) was an Egyptians, Egyptian military leader who headed the legendary Theban Legion of Roman Empire, Rome in the 3rd century, and is one of the favourite and most widely venerated saints of tha ...

, 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

tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in money, cash, cheques or v ...

s and to

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

labour from the surrounding countryside. The

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 Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

Ravenna Ravenna ( ; , also ; ) 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 during the 5th century until its Fall of Rome, collapse in 476, after which ...

;

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 was ...

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, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

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 diocese ...

Meissen Meissen ( ), is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden and 75 km (46 mi) west of Bautzen on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, th ...

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

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

. With more than 20,000 inhabitants Magdeburg was one of the largest cities in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

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

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-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 culture, la ...

), with the countries of the

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

, and maintained traffic and communication with the interior (for example

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( ; from Low German , local dialect: ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...

Early modern period

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, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

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

Brethren of the Common Life The Brethren of the Common Life (, 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 religious experience and preached a ...

. 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 List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. The

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

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

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * 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 Others * Charles V, Duke ...

repeatedly outlawed the unruly town, which had joined the League of Torgau and the

Schmalkaldic League The Schmalkaldic League (; ; or ) was a military alliance of Lutheranism, Lutheran Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, principalities and cities within the Holy Roman Empire during the mid-16th century. It received its name from the town of Schm ...

. 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 Die ...

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 dignit ...

, but it retained its independence. The rule of the archbishop was replaced by that of 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 Matthias Flacius Illyricus (Latin; ) or Francovich () (3 March 1520 – 11 March 1575) was a Lutheran reformer from Istria, present-day Croatia. He was notable as a theologian, sometimes dissenting strongly with his fellow Lutherans, and as a sch ...

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, k ...

'', in which they argued that the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

had become the kingdom of the

Antichrist In Christian eschatology, Antichrist (or in broader eschatology, Anti-Messiah) refers to a kind of entity prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ and falsely substitute themselves as a savior in Christ's place before ...

. In 1629 the city withstood its first siege during the

, by

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 ...

, a Protestant convert to Catholicism. However, in 1631, imperial troops under

Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly (; ; ; February 1559 – 30 April 1632) was a field marshal who commanded the Catholic League's forces in the Thirty Years' War. From 1620 to 1631, he won an unmatched and demoralizing string of important victo ...

, 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 (, ) 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 peace to the Holy Roman Empire ...

(1648), Magdeburg was to be assigned to Brandenburg-Prussia 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

, 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 ''

'' by which the existence of

vacuum A vacuum (: vacuums or vacua) is space devoid of matter. The word is derived from the Latin adjective (neuter ) meaning "vacant" or "void". An approximation to such vacuum is a region with a gaseous pressure much less than atmospheric pressur ...

– hitherto hotly debated – was empirically proven, with enormous implications for the later developments of physics. In the 1680s, communes of French

Huguenots The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

and

Walloons Walloons ( ; ; ) are a Gallo-Romance languages, Gallo-Romance ethnic group native to Wallonia and the immediate adjacent regions of Flanders, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Walloons primarily speak ''langues d'oïl'' such as B ...

were founded in the city, which, as of 1700, constituted of 1,282 and 1,731 people, respectively.

19th century

In the course of the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

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

Kingdom of Westphalia The Kingdom of Westphalia was a client state of First French Empire, France in present-day Germany that existed from 1807 to 1813. While formally independent, it was ruled by Napoleon's brother Jérôme Bonaparte. It was named after Westphalia, ...

in the 1807

Treaty of Tilsit The Treaties of Tilsit (), also collectively known as the Peace of Tilsit (; ), were two peace treaties signed by French Emperor Napoleon in the town of Tilsit in July 1807 in the aftermath of his victory at Friedland, at the end of the War o ...

. King Jérôme appointed Count Heinrich

von Blumenthal The Blumenthal family is a Lutheran and Roman Catholic German noble family, 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 ...

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

Prussian Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, the House of Hohenzoll ...

Province of Saxony The Province of Saxony (), 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 merger of various territories ceded ...

20th century

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

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Polish leader

Józef Piłsudski Józef Klemens Piłsudski (; 5 December 1867 – 12 May 1935) was a Polish statesman who served as the Chief of State (Poland), Chief of State (1918–1922) and first Marshal of Poland (from 1920). In the aftermath of World War I, he beca ...

and his close associate

Kazimierz Sosnkowski General Kazimierz Sosnkowski (; 19 November 1885 – 11 October 1969) was a Polish independence fighter, general, diplomat, and architect. He was a major political figure and an accomplished commander, notable in particular for his contribu ...

were imprisoned in the city by Germany in 1917–1918. During the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...

the was published as a local newspaper in Magdeburg. During

, Magdeburg was the location of 30

forced labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, or violence, including death or other forms of ...

detachments of the Stalag XI-A

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as Prisoner of war, prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, inte ...

for some 4,500 Allied POWs, a camp for

Sinti The Sinti (masc. sing. ''Sinto''; fem. sing. ''Sintetsa, Sinta'') are a subgroup of the Romani people. They are found mostly in Germany, France, Italy and Central Europe, numbering some 200,000 people. They were traditionally Itinerant groups i ...

and

Romani people {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Romani people , image = , image_caption = , flag = Roma flag.svg , flag_caption = Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress , po ...

(see also ''

Romani Holocaust The Romani Holocaust was the genocide of European Roma and Sinti people during World War II. Beginning in 1933, Nazi Germany systematically persecuted the European Roma, Sinti and other peoples pejoratively labeled 'Gypsy' through forcible ...

''), and three subcamps of the

Buchenwald concentration camp Buchenwald (; 'beech forest') was a German Nazi concentration camp established on Ettersberg hill near Weimar, Nazi Germany, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within the Altreich (pre-1938 ...

, in which mostly Jewish men and boys and Soviet, Polish and Jewish women were imprisoned. In April 1945, dozens of prisoners were massacred by the ''

Volkssturm The (, ) was a ''levée en masse'' national militia established by Nazi Germany during the last months of World War II. It was set up by the Nazi Party on the orders of Adolf Hitler and established on 25 September 1944. It was staffed by conscri ...

'' and

Hitler Youth The Hitler Youth ( , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth wing of the German Nazi Party. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. From 1936 until 1945, it was th ...

, and surviving prisoners were sent on death marches towards the Ravensbrück and Sachsenhausen concentration camps. 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 centre. 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 Brabag (Braunkohle Benzin AG) was a German firm, planned in 1933, and operating from 1934 until 1945, that distilled synthetic aviation fuel, diesel fuel, gasoline, lubricants, and paraffin wax from lignite. It was an industrial cartel firm closel ...

's Magdeburg/Rothensee plant that produced

synthetic oil Synthetic oil is a lubricant consisting of chemical compounds that are artificially modified or synthesised. Synthetic oil is used as a substitute for petroleum-refined oils when operating in extreme temperature, in metal stamping to provide en ...

from

lignite Lignite (derived from Latin ''lignum'' meaning 'wood'), 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 ...

coal was a target of the Oil Campaign of World War II. The suburbs north of the city, called the Nordfront, were destroyed as well as some of the city's main streets with its Baroque buildings. It was occupied by

9th US Army The Ninth Army was a field army of the United States Army, most recently garrisoned at Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy. It was the United States Army Service Component Command of United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM or AFRICOM). Activated ju ...

troops on 18 April 1945 and was left to the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

on 1 July 1945.

Post-war A post-war or postwar period is the interval immediately following the end of a war. The term usually refers to a varying period of time after World War II, which ended in 1945. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum, ...

the area was part of the

Soviet Zone of Occupation The Soviet occupation zone in Germany ( or , ; ) was an area of Germany that was occupied by the Soviet Union as a communist area, established as a result of the Potsdam Agreement on 2 August 1945. On 7 October 1949 the German Democratic Republ ...

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 () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the German Democratic Republic and the integration of i ...

, 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

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

Stalinist Stalinism (, ) is the totalitarian means of governing and Marxist–Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1927 to 1953 by dictator Joseph Stalin and in Soviet satellite states between 1944 and 1953. Stalinism in ...

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 the 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. On 20 December 2024, at least five people were killed and more than 200 injured at the Magdeburg Christmas market when a car was driven into the crowd. The suspect, who was arrested at the scene, was identified in German media as Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, a Saudi psychiatrist living in Germany since 2006.

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and Delaware General Corporation Law, incorporated in Delaware. Intel designs, manufactures, and sells computer compo ...

will build its largest plant in Europe in the south of the city by 2027.

Gallery

File: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 Demo ...

. File:UB Magdeburg.JPG, Library of the

Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg The Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg () (Short: ''OVGU'') is a public research university founded in 1993 and is located in Magdeburg, the Capital city of Saxony-Anhalt. The university has about 13,000 students in nine Faculty (division), ...

File:Grüne Zitadelle von Magdeburg.jpg, The Green Citadel of Magdeburg, built in 2005 File:Stadion Magdeburg Luftbild 2.JPG, The MDCC-Arena - a Soccer stadium, built in 2006 File:Haus BreiterWeg Magdeburg.JPG, Restored building -

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the late 16th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to ...

Geography

Magdeburg is one of the major towns along the Elbe Cycle Route (Elberadweg). Its area is .

Districts

The city of Magdeburg is divided into 40 ''

Stadtteil A quarter is a part of an urban area, 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 ...

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:

Climate

Magdeburg has an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Cfb''; Trewartha: ''Dobk'') according to

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

. The weather is damp and chilly in winters, with 71.7 days per year in which the minimum temperature is below the freezing point, and 15.6 days with maximum temperature below the mark. Magdeburg is warm and relatively wet in summer and can sometimes become hot. Annually, 48.9 days have maximum temperature above , of which 12 days have daily maximum above . On average, there are 20.9 days with

thunder Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning pr ...

and 0.8 days with

hail Hail is a form of solid Precipitation (meteorology), precipitation. It is distinct from ice pellets (American English "sleet"), though the two are often confused. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is called a hailsto ...

, annually. Thunder is more common in spring and summer than other times of the year, while hail exclusively occurs in spring and summer months. The Magdeburg weather station has recorded the following extreme values: * Its highest temperature was on 20 July 2022. * Its lowest temperature was on 27 January 1942. * Its greatest annual precipitation was in 1926. * Its least annual precipitation was in 1911. * The longest annual sunshine was 2,168.1 hours in 2018. * The shortest annual sunshine was 1,393.0 hours in 1984.

Population

As of 2021, Magdeburg has a population of about 237,000. Its population grew rapidly after the end of 19th century due to industrialization. In 1885, the population was 100,000, and doubled after only five years. Magdeburg reached its greatest population in 1940, at approximately 346,000. At that time the city was poised to become a giant metropolis, but the events of WWII changed its future. After the war, in the

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

era, Magdeburg recovered its industrial base to a degree, particularly the Machine industry, and became one of the important cities of East Germany. In 1991, when Magdeburg became the capital of the state of

, its population was about 275,000. After the

German Reunification German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...

, the population of Magdeburg declined due to some loss of industries, when many residents moved to former

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

. Since 2011, the population has stabilized at around 240,000.

Politics

Mayor and city council

The mayor of Magdeburg is

independent politician An independent politician or non-affiliated politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or Bureaucracy, bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent. Some politicia ...

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 Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

( FDP, future!,

MUT Mut (; also transliterated as Maut and Mout) was a mother goddess worshipped in ancient Egypt. Her name means ''mother'' in the ancient Egyptian language. Mut had many different aspects and attributes that changed and evolved greatly over th ...

) , 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 (, AfD, ) is a Far-right politics in Germany (1945–present), far-right,Far-right: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative p ...

, 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 (, 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 ...

, 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 magazine ...

, 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
The most recent city council election was held on 9 June 2024, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Party ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) , 75,972 , 23.8 , 5.2 , 13 , 3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(AfD) , 72,626 , 22.8 , 8.4 , 13 , 5 , - , 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 Form ...

(SPD) , 47,852 , 15.0 , 1.9 , 8 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Die Linke) , 32,549 , 10.2 , 5.1 , 6 , 3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

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 ...

(Grüne) , 30,119 , 9.4 , 5.9 , 5 , 4 , - , , align=left, Magdeburg Garden Party (Gartenpartei) , 14,711 , 4.6 , 0.4 , 3 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

Animal Protection Party The Animal Protection Party (APP) was a political party founded in England in 2006 to represent an animal rights perspective. It stood four candidates in the 2010 general election. The party de-registered in 2016. 2010 general election The APP ...

(Tierschutzpartei) , 14,328 , 4.5 , 1.2 , 3 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Free Democratic Party (FDP) , 13,141 , 4.1 , 1.3 , 2 , 1 , - , , align=left, future! , 6,984 , 2.2 , 0.7 , 1 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Animal Protection Alliance (Tierschutzallianz) , 5,495 , 1.7 , 0.4 , 1 , 0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Volt Germany (Volt) , 3,343 , 1.0 , New , 1 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Pößel (

) , 809 , 0.3 , New , 0 , New , - ! colspan=2, Valid votes ! 319,022 ! 100.0 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Invalid balots ! 1,620 ! 1.5 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Total ballots ! 109,729 ! 100.0 ! ! 56 ! ±0 , - ! colspan=2, Electorate/voter turnout ! 187,588 ! 58.5 ! 5.1 ! ! , - , colspan=7, Source
City of Magdeburg

Education

The

(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. File:Blick auf die Otto-von-Guericke Universität Magdeburg.JPG, Aerial view of the University area File:Campus Tower und Fakultät für Elektro- und Informationstechnik.jpg, Campus Tower of the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg File:UB MD innen.JPG, Magdeburg library File:Hochschule Magdeburg-Stendal (FH).jpg, Building No.1 of the University of Applied Sciences in Magdeburg File:Konservatorium.jpg, Conservatory – "Georg-Philipp-Telemann"

Culture and architecture

Entertainment

Magdeburg has a municipal theatre, Theater Magdeburg. Magdeburg is well known for the Magdeburg Christmas market, 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 counter ...

'', ''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 * 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 – Biggest multi-purpose hall in Saxony-Anhalt, home of handball team SC Magdeburg * halber85 – Conventions, partys, conferences * Kunstkantine – Factory cafeteria, monthly electro-music parties * MDCC-Arena – Home of

1. FC Magdeburg 1. FC Magdeburg is a German Association football Football club (association football), club based in Magdeburg. The club was founded in 1965 from the football department of the Sports club (East Germany), sports club ''SC Magdeburg'' and has bee ...

* Messe Magdeburg – Official trade fair site * 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 * 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 a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

Cathedral of Saints

Catherine Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Ch ...

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 Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), known as Otto the Great ( ) or Otto of Saxony ( ), was East Frankish ( German) king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the eldest son of Henry the Fowler and Matilda ...

and his wife Editha as well as the statues of St Maurice 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 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 ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

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 ...

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

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

façade built-in 1724. * Monuments depicting

(1907), Eike von Repkow and

Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand Freiherr von Steuben ( , ; born Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin Louis Freiherr von Steuben; September 17, 1730 – November 28, 1794), also referred to as Baron von Steuben, was a German-b ...

. * Ruins of the greatest fortress of the former

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

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

within a

greenhouse A greenhouse is a structure that is designed to regulate the temperature and humidity of the environment inside. There are different types of greenhouses, but they all have large areas covered with transparent materials that let sunlight pass an ...

complex * The Magdeburg Water Bridge, 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 * St. Johannis Church * St. Petri Church, with stained glass by Charles Crodel

Sports

Magdeburg has a proud history of sports teams.

plays in the 2. Bundesliga, 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 association football, football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renam ...

. The now-defunct clubs SV Victoria 96 Magdeburg and Cricket Viktoria Magdeburg were among the first football clubs in Germany. There is also the very successful

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor 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 thr ...

team, SC Magdeburg. They won multiple times the Handball-Bundesliga (HBL),

DHB-Pokal The DHB-Pokal (English: German Handball Federation Cup) is an elimination handball tournament held annually in Germany. It is the second most important handball national title in the country after the Handball-Bundesliga championship. 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 champion. Results Total titles won See also * Handball-Bundesliga * DHB-Pokal The DHB- ...

EHF European League The EHF European League is an annual men's handball club competition organised by the European Handball Federation (EHF) since 1981. It is the second-tier competition of European club handball, ranking only below the EHF Champions League. Previo ...

EHF Champions League The 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's com ...

, EHF Men's Champions Trophy and the

IHF Men's Super Globe The Men's Super Globe is a handball competition contested between the champion clubs from continental confederations. On 7 December 2018, the IHF moved the Super Globe to Saudi Arabia for four years, until 2022. In May 2024, the IHF moved the S ...

. The discus was re-discovered in Magdeburg in the 1870s by Christian Georg Kohlrausch, a gymnastics teacher.

Twin towns – sister cities

Magdeburg is twinned with: *

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

, Bosnia and Herzegovina (1977) *

, Germany (1987) *

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, United States (2003) *

Zaporizhzhia Zaporizhzhia, formerly known as Aleksandrovsk or Oleksandrivsk until 1921, is a city in southeast Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. It is the Capital city, administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zaporizhzhia ...

, 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. Radom is the fifteenth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in its province w ...

, Poland (2008) *

Harbin Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...

, China (2008) *

Le Havre Le Havre is a major port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the Seine, river Seine on the English Channel, Channe ...

, France (2011) *

Kiryat Motzkin Kiryat Motzkin () is a city in the Haifa District of Israel, north of the city center of Haifa. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, in it had a population of . However, as of September 2024, the unofficial population count is 55 ...

, Israel (2024)

People

A–K

Ernst Anders Ernst Anders (26 March 1845, Magdeburg – 1911, Mölln, Schleswig-Holstein, Mölln) was a German painter. He began his artistic education as a private student of Andreas Müller (painter), Andreas Müller then, in 1863, enrolled at the Kunstaka ...

(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 altitud ...

(1845–1918), meteorologist * Theodor Avé-Lallemant (1806–1890), music critic and writer on music * Alfons Bach, (1904–1999), industrial designer * Kurt Behrens (1884–1928), springboard diver * Arno Bieberstein (1884–1918), swimmer * Jessica Böhrs (born 1980), actress and singer * Henry Busse (1894–1955), trumpeter and bandleader, emigrated to the US at 18 * Adelbert Delbrück (1822–1890), banker and lawyer * Margarethe Düren (1904–1988), German operatic soprano *

Friedrich Ernst Fesca Friedrich Ernst Fesca (15 February 1789 – 24 May 1826) was a German violinist and composer of instrumental music. Life and career He was born at Magdeburg. His father, Johann Peter August Fesca, was the market judge of Magdeburg and active in ...

(1789–1826), violinist and composer * Hans Gericke (1912–2014), architect * Frank Giering (1971–2010), actor * Harry Giese (1903–1991), actor and spokesman in Nazi newsreels * Georg Gradnauer (1866–1946), newspaper editor and politician * Alfred Grünberg (1901–1942), worker, KPD member and resistance fighter against Nazism *

(1602–1686), mayor and inventor of the

. 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 * Christian Georg Kohlrausch (1851–1934), gymnastics teacher and re-discoverer of

discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field sport in which the participant athlete throws an oblate spheroid weight (object), weight called a discus in an attempt to mark a further distance than other competitors. It is a ...

ing * Anna-Maria Henckel von Donnersmarck (born 1940), political activist * Carl Hindenburg (1820–1899), cycling official and first president of the German Cyclist Federation (DRB) *

Heinrich Jost Heinrich Jost (13 October 1889 – 27 September 1948) was a German typographer and graphic designer. He was the art director of the Bauer Type Foundry from 1923 until 1948. Biography Jost was born in 1889 to a bookbinder father in Magdeburg, wher ...

(1889–1948), typeface designer *

Eberhard Jüngel Eberhard Jüngel (5 December 1934 – 28 September 2021) was a German Lutheran theologian. He was Emeritus Professor of Systematic Theology and the Philosophy of Religion at the Faculty of Protestant Theology of the University of Tübingen. Lif ...

(1934–2021), German Lutheran theologian * Georg Kaiser (1878–1945), writer * Nadine Kleinert (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 was born in Alsfeld to parish priest Wilhelm (1809–74) and Auguste (1815–97) ...

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

*Ernst Lehmann (1908–1945), SPD politician, active in the resistance against Nazism *Otto Lehmann (1900–1936), resistance fighter against Nazism * Werner Marcks (1896–1967), lieutenant general in World War II *

Olaf Malolepski Die Flippers (The Flippers) were a Germany, 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 w ...

(born 1946), singer-songwriter * Cläre Mjøen (1874–1963), German and Norwegian translator and women's rights activist * Johann Carl Simon Morgenstern (1770–1852), philologist who coined the term

Bildungsroman In literary criticism, a bildungsroman () is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth and change of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood (coming of age). The term comes from the German words ('formation' or 'edu ...

* Felix von Niemeyer (1820–1871), physician, royal Württemberg personal physician * Leo Nowak (born 1929), Roman Catholic bishop of Magdeburg (1990–2004) *

Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard Christiane (Janni) Nüsslein-Volhard (; born 20 October 1942) is a German developmental biologist and a 1995 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate. She is the only woman from Germany to have received a Nobel Prize in the sciences. N� ...

(born 1942), biologist, the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research in 1991 and the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1995 *

Oleh Kuznetsov Oleh Volodymyrovych Kuznetsov (born as Oleg Wladimirowitsch Kuznetsow in Germany) () (born 22 March 1963) is a Ukrainian football coach and former professional player. He won domestic honours in the Soviet Union with Dynamo Kyiv (as well as the ...

(born 1963), Ukrainian football coach and former professional player * Richard Ölze (1900–1980), painter * Erich Ollenhauer (1901–1963), leader of the

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 ...

1952–1963 *

Menahem Pressler Menahem Pressler (; 16 December 1923 – 6 May 2023) was a German-born Israeli-American pianist and academic teacher. He was known for his work with the Beaux Arts Trio that he co-founded in 1955, playing until its dissolution in 2008, in hund ...

(1923–2023), pianist * Ernst Reuter (1889–1953), Mayor of Magdeburg 1931–1933, then Mayor of West Berlin in 1948–1953 * Willy Rosen (1894–1944) composer and songwriter *

Arthur Ruppin Arthur Ruppin (; 1 March 1876 – 1 January 1943) was a German Zionist and one of the founders of the city of Tel Aviv.Todd Samuel Presner, ’German Jewish Studies in the Digital Age:Remarks on Discipline, Method nand Media,' in William Collin ...

(1876–1943), Zionist thinker and leader * Gustav Schäfer (1988–), drummer and musician for

Tokio Hotel Tokio Hotel is a German music band formed in 2001 by singer Bill Kaulitz, guitarist Tom Kaulitz, bassist Georg Listing, and drummer Gustav Schäfer. Starting from the foundation, the band's music genres were pop rock and alternative rock; sin ...

Ekkehard Schall Ekkehard Schall (29 May 1930 in Magdeburg – 3 September 2005 in Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 millio ...

(1930–2005), actor and theatre director *

Marcel Schmelzer Marcel Schmelzer (; born 22 January 1988) is a German former professional association football, footballer who spent List of one-club men in association football, his entire career for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, serving as captain from ...

(born 1988), footballer *Karl Schmidt (1902–1945), resistance fighter against Nazism * Petra Schmidt-Schaller (born 1980), actress * Manfred Schoof (born 1936), jazz trumpeter * Wolfgang Schreyer (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. He was active during the Weimar period and is known for his theoretical works as well as his building designs. Early l ...

(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. He is one of the most prolific composers in history, at least in terms of surviving works. Telemann was considered by his contemporaries to b ...

(1681–1767), composer * Klaus Thunemann (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 assassin ...

(1901–1944), major general in the ''Wehrmacht'', active in the military resistance *

Lothar von Trotha Adrian Dietrich Lothar von Trotha (3 July 1848 – 31 March 1920) was a German military commander during the European new colonial era. As a brigade commander of the East Asian Expedition Corps, he was involved in suppressing the Boxer Rebelli ...

(1848–1920), military commander notorious for presiding over the near-extermination of the Herero in

German South-West Africa German South West Africa () was a colony of the German Empire from 1884 until 1915, though Germany did not officially recognise its loss of this territory until the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. German rule over this territory was punctuated by ...

Karl Wallenda Karl Wallenda (; January 21, 1905 – March 22, 1978) was a German-American tightrope walking, high wire artist. He was the founder of The Flying Wallendas, a stunt performer, daredevil circus troupe whose members performed dangerous stunts far ...

(1905–1978), highwire acrobat * Camillo Walzel (1829–1895),

librettist A libretto (From the Italian word , ) 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 ...

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 immigrated to ...

(1808–1871), utopian Communist * Dieter Zahn (born 1940), double-bassist *

Dejan Zavec Dejan Zavec (born 13 March 1976), best known as Jan Zaveck, is a Slovenian former professional boxer who competed from 2003 to 2015. He held the IBF welterweight title from 2009 to 2011, and challenged once for the WBA super-welterweight title ...

(born 1976), Slovenian welterweight boxer, IBF Welterweight Champion * Heinrich Zschokke (1771–1848), author and reformer * George William Ziemann (1809–1881), Christian missionary who served in Magdeburg in the infantry

Gallery

File:Blick über Magdeburg.JPG, View over a part of Magdeburg in 2012 File:Magdeburger Dom Cathedral (40705658233).jpg, Cathedral of Magdeburg File:Haus 60a - Universitätsklinikum Magdeburg.jpg, Main building of the university hospital File:St. Johannis (Magdeburg-Altstadt).ajb.jpg, St.-Johannis Church File:Hauptbahnhof MD.jpg, Magdeburg Hauptbahnhof (Central Station) File:Opernhaus magdeburg 11.JPG, Magdeburg Opera File:.00 1533 Magdeburg - Gebäude Justizzentrum.jpg, Judiciary center File:Elbauenpark.jpg, View over Elbauenpark with Jahrtausendturm File:Elbufer Magdeburg mit Dom.jpg,

river in Magdeburg File:Magdeburg Nordbrueckenzug.jpg, Jerusalem Bridges File:Magdeburg Kanalbrücke aerial view 13.jpg, Magdeburg Water Bridge File:Magdeburg Hasselbachplatz 2006-11-18.jpg, The Hasselbachplatz, an important transport hub File:Allee-Center Magdeburg Innen.jpg, The "Allee-Center" shopping complex is one of seven shopping centres. File:Magdeburg Sternbrucke 2.jpg, Embankment of the city park File:Kulturhistorisches-Museum-Magdeburg.JPG, Museum of culture and history File:2019-09-27 17-45 G90T3345 AL Commons Landtag.jpg, The parliament of Saxony-Anhalt

References

External links

Official website

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 Urban districts of Saxony-Anhalt