Osnabrück (; ; archaic English: ''Osnaburg'') is a city in

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 ...

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 168,145 Osnabrück is the fourth largest city in Lower Saxony. More recently Osnabrück has become well known for its industry. Numerous companies in the automobile, paper, steel and grocery sectors are located in the city and its surrounding area. In spite of the massive destruction inflicted on the city 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 Altstadt (old town) was eventually reconstructed extensively with designs loyal to the original

medieval architecture Medieval architecture was the architecture, art and science of designing and constructing buildings in the Middle Ages. The major styles of the period included pre-Romanesque, Romanesque architecture, Romanesque, and Gothic architecture, Gothic. In ...

there. Osnabrück was also the home of the largest British garrison outside the United Kingdom. Osnabrück's modern, urban image is enhanced by the presence of more than 22,000 students studying at the

University A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

and the

University of Applied Sciences A vocational university or university of applied sciences (UAS), less commonly called a polytechnic university is an institution of higher education and increasingly research that provides applied professional education and grants academic de ...

. Although part of the state of Lower Saxony, historically, culturally and linguistically Osnabrück is considered part of the region of Westphalia.

Name

The origin of the name Osnabrück is disputed. The suffix ''-brück'' suggests a bridge over or to something (from German ''Brücke'' = bridge) but the prefix ''Osna-'' is explained in at least two different ways: the traditional explanation is that today's name is a corruption of ''Ossenbrügge'' (westphalian meaning "oxen bridge"), which is etymologically and historically impossible, because the town is older than this corruption of consonants (documented in 13th century, Osnabrück was founded in 8th century), but others state that it is derived from the name of the ''Hase'' River which is arguably derived from ''Asen'' (

Æsir Æsir (Old Norse; singular: ) or ēse (Old English; singular: ) are deities, gods in Germanic paganism. In Old Nordic religion and Nordic mythology, mythology, the precise meaning of the term "" is debated, as it can refer either to the gods i ...

), thus giving Osnabrück the meaning "bridge to the gods", and previously Tacitus named people living near the grey river (Hase) Chasuarii. It may also be noted that Osnabrück is situated on the northern end of the Teutoburg Forest, which until the 19th century was known as the Osning. The city gave its name to the textile fabric of osnaburg.

History

Medieval

Osnabrück initially developed as a marketplace next to the bishopric 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 ...

, King of the

Franks file:Frankish arms.JPG, Aristocratic Frankish burial items from the Merovingian dynasty The Franks ( or ; ; ) were originally a group of Germanic peoples who lived near the Rhine river, Rhine-river military border of Germania Inferior, which wa ...

, in 780. Some time prior to 803, the city became the seat of the Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück. Although the precise date is uncertain, it is likely that Osnabrück is the oldest bishopric in Lower Saxony. In the year 804 Charlemagne was said to have founded the Gymnasium Carolinum in Osnabrück. This would make it the oldest German Gymnasium school, but the charter date is disputed by historians, some of whom believe it could be a forgery. In 889 the town was given merchant, customs, and coinage privileges by King Arnulf of Carinthia. Osnabrück was first referred to in records as a "city" in 1147. A decade later, Emperor

Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (; ), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 115 ...

granted the city

fortification A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

privileges (''Befestigungsrecht''). Most of the towers which were part of the original fortifications are still visible in the city. Osnabrück became a 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 ...

in the 12th century, as well as a member of the Westphalian Federation of Cities. The history of the town in the later Middle Ages was recorded in a chronicle by Albert Suho, one of Osnabrück's most important clerics in the 15th century.

Early Modern age

From 1561 to 1639 there was a considerable amount of social unrest and tension in Osnabrück due to 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 ...

, 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 ...

and also witch hunting. In 1582, during the rule of Mayor Hammacher (1565–1588), 163 women were executed as alleged witches; most of them were burned alive. In total, 276 women were executed, along with 2 men who had been charged with wizardry. The first

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 ...

services were held in Osnabrück in 1543. Over the next century, Lutheranism expanded in the city and several Protestant bishops were elected. However, the Catholic churches continued to operate, and the city never became completely Lutheran. After the Thirty Years' War broke out, a Catholic bishop was elected in 1623, and the city was occupied by troops of the Catholic League in 1628. The Gymnasium Carolinum was upgraded to a

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

university in 1632, but the university was closed a year later when the city was taken by Swedish troops and restored to Protestant control. Peace negotiations took place in Osnabrück and the nearby city of

Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...

from 1643 to 1648. The twin Treaties of Osnabrück and Münster, collectively known as 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 ...

, ended the Thirty Years' War. Osnabrück was officially recognized as bi-confessional Catholic and Lutheran. The

prince-bishopric A prince-bishop is a bishop who is also the civil ruler of some secular principality and sovereignty, as opposed to ''Prince of the Church'' itself, a title associated with cardinals. Since 1951, the sole extant prince-bishop has been the Bi ...

would be held alternately by a Catholic bishop and a Lutheran bishop. The Protestant bishop would be selected from the descendants of the Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg, with priority given to the cadets of what became the

House of Hanover The House of Hanover ( ) is a European royal house with roots tracing back to the 17th century. Its members, known as Hanoverians, ruled Hanover, Great Britain, Ireland, and the British Empire at various times during the 17th to 20th centurie ...

. From 1667, prince-bishop Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, built the new baroque palace. His son,

George I of Great Britain George I (George Louis; ; 28 May 1660 – 11 June 1727) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 1 August 1714 and ruler of the Electorate of Hanover within the Holy Roman Empire from 23 January 1698 until his death in 1727. ...

, died in the palace, at the time residence of his younger brother, prince-bishop Ernest Augustus, Duke of York and Albany, on a travel on 11 June 1727. In the early 18th century, renowned local jurist and social theorist Justus Möser wrote a highly influential constitutional history of the town, the ''Osnabrücker Geschichte''. Following the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

, the town's population fell below 6,000, however an economic revival linked to the

linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong and absorbent, and it dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. Lin ...

and tobacco industries caused it to rise again from the 1780s onwards.

19th century

The

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...

brought Prussian troops into the city in 1795, followed by the French in 1803. As a result, the town's population was kept below 10,000 for the whole first decade of the 19th century. The Napoleonic period saw possession of the city change hands several times. Control of Osnabrück passed to the

Electorate of Hanover The Electorate of Hanover ( or simply ''Kurhannover'') was an Prince-elector, electorate of the Holy Roman Empire located in northwestern Germany that arose from the Principality of Calenberg. Although formally known as the Electorate of Brun ...

in 1803 during the

German Mediatisation German mediatisation (; ) was the major redistribution and reshaping of territorial holdings that took place between 1802 and 1814 in Germany by means of the subsumption and Secularization (church property), secularisation of a large number of ...

, and then briefly to the

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 ...

in 1806. From 1807 to 1810 the city was part of the Kingdom of Westphalia, after which it passed to the

First French Empire The First French Empire or French Empire (; ), also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. It lasted from ...

. After 1815, it became part of the

Kingdom of Hanover The Kingdom of Hanover () was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Hanover, and j ...

The town's first railway line was built in 1855, connecting it with Löhne. Further rail connections appeared over the following decades, connecting Osnabrück with

Emden Emden () is an Independent city (Germany), independent town and seaport in Lower Saxony in the north-west of Germany and lies on the River Ems (river), Ems, close to the Germany–Netherlands border, Netherlands border. It is the main town in t ...

from 1856,

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

from 1871 and

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

from 1874. In 1866, Osnabrück was annexed by Prussia after the Austro-Prussian War and administered as part of the

Province of Hanover The Province of Hanover () was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1866 to 1946. During the Austro-Prussian War, the Kingdom of Hanover had attempted to maintain a neutral position, alo ...

. Growth of the local economy and population was fuelled by expansion in the engineering and textile industries, with the Hammersen Weaving Mill established in 1869 and the ''Osnabrücker Kupfer- und Drahtwerk'' metallurgical firm following in 1873. The later 19th century also saw growth in the number of schools and the arrival of electricity and modern sanitation.

20th century

By 1914, Osnabrück had over 70,000 inhabitants. The outbreak of the

First World War 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 ...

necessitated food rationing; the Allied blockade and a harsh winter in 1917 led to further shortages. Following Germany's defeat in 1918, a council made up of workers and soldiers took control during the November Revolution, but were replaced by the new

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 following year. Similarly to many other German cities, Osnabrück experienced considerable inflation and unemployment in the 1920s, with over 2,000 out of work by 1923 and nearly 14,000 receiving some form of government assistance by 1928. Politically, Osnabrück in the 1920s was a stronghold of support for the Social Democrats and the Catholic Centre Party. However, in the Reichstag elections of September 1930, the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

received the greatest percentage of votes in the city (nearly 28%) – a more than seven-fold increase from their electoral performance in Osnabrück two years prior. During the campaigns prior to the two federal elections in 1932, both

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

and Joseph Goebbels made well-attended speeches in the city. Following the Nazis' seizure of power in January 1933, Osnabrück was subjected to the implementation of National Socialist economic, political, and social programmes. These resulted in economic growth for ethnic Germans who did not run afoul of the new regime, and the town went from having over 10,000 unemployed in early 1933 to actually having a labour shortage five years later. However, dissenters, supporters of opposition parties and German Jews (who had experienced centuries of discrimination in the city) did not share in this growth and found themselves discriminated against, imprisoned or forced to close their businesses and leave town. During

, both Jews 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 ...

were deported to concentration camps and extermination camps en masse. In October 1942, a subcamp of the 2nd SS construction brigade ( forced labour camp) in

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

was established in Osnabrück. 86 of the 250 prisoners died of starvation and maltreatment before the subcamp's dissolution in May 1943. Osnabrück was also the location of the Oflag VI-C and Oflag 66 prisoner-of-war camps for Serbian, French and Belgian officers. The war ended for Osnabrück on 4 April 1945, when the XVII Corps of

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

Bernard Montgomery's Second Army entered the city with little resistance. By this time, the city had been extensively bombed and required major reconstructive programmes following the war's end. Leading Nazis fled the city and the British appointed a new mayor, Johannes Petermann. However, during the allied occupation of Germany a British military governor, Colonel Geoffrey Day was placed in charge of administering the city. Relations between the occupiers and the citizens of Osnabrück were generally peaceful, though tensions existed; some minor fights broke out between British soldiers and local youths and some Osnabrückers resented the relationships that developed between the occupiers and local women. Additionally, the British took over more than seventy homes for their own use by the middle of 1946. Amidst shortages, the black market thrived and became one of the main focuses of police activity. After World War II

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 ...

realigned its states; Osnabrück became part of the new state of

in 1946. The British continued to maintain Osnabrück Garrison, a garrison near the city, which at one point was the largest British

garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

in the world, housing some 4,000 troops and employing around 500 local civilians. It was the target of a PIRA attack in 1996. Due to budget cuts, the troops were withdrawn in 2008 and the property returned to the local government. After three centuries, the city finally obtained its university when the government of Lower Saxony established the University of Osnabrück in 1974. Largest foreign resident groups in Osnabrück :

Climate

The climate is ''Cfb'' (near '' Dfb'') with warm, rainy summers and chilly to cold, dark winters.

Main sights

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

* St. Peter's Cathedral, founded in the 11th century. It has two façade towers, originally the same size *Gerdrudenberg Monastery *'' Marienkirche'' *''Heger Tor'' ("Heger Gate"), a monument to the soldiers from Osnabrück who died at the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...

in 1815 *'' Bucksturm'', the oldest tower in the city, and once part of the city walls. It was once used as a prison for women accused of witchcraft *''Ruwe'' Fountain" (1985), created to mark the city's 1200th birthday *''Gladiator 2000'' (1986), a gigantic painting measuring (), by Nicu Covaci * Felix Nussbaum Haus, a gallery and museum dedicated to the Jewish artist and painter Felix Nussbaum, who was murdered during the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

. It was designed by the architect Daniel Libeskind *'' Kalkriese Museum'', situated on the battlefield of the Battle of the Teutoburger Wald in the Wiehen Hills, where German tribes under

Arminius Arminius (; 18/17 BC–AD 21) was a chieftain of the Germanic peoples, Germanic Cherusci tribe who is best known for commanding an alliance of Germanic tribes at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9, in which three Roman legions under th ...

destroyed three Roman legions. It exhibits artefacts unearthed on the battlefield and tells the story of the battle * ''Osnabrücker Schloss'' (castle/palace) 17th century Baroque construction, nowadays the main building of the University of Osnabrück. It is the place were

died. * Botanischer Garten der Universität Osnabrück, the university's

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 ...

* Old town with its small streets and medieval buildings * Osnabrück Zoo * Vitischanze – formerly a defence station in the north-west of the old city, it has the only undestroyed bridge in Europe with a defence walk below its surface. It is also the site of certain faculty of the University of Applied Science. It was earlier used as a casino * Haseuferweg * Katharinenkirche (St. Catherine's Church), which dates back to 1248 and is one of the 150 tallest churches in the world, and also the tallest medieval building in

* Hyde Park, a traditional music hall established in 1976, a haven of pop music and youth culture *Leysieffer, a traditional German chocolate producer founded in Osnabrück. The main Leysieffer site is in the city centre.

Education

There are two higher education institutions in Osnabrück, University of Osnabrück and Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences with more than 25,000 students. All of the types of German grammar schools are represented in the city, including seven Gymnasien. Gymnasium Carolinum claims to be the oldest still existing school in Germany. Another well-known Gymnasium is the Ursulaschule, a private school, located directly opposite the Carolinum. The University of Osnabrück invested heavily in infrastructure to take on more students for the following years. Osnabrück, Germany, offers several vocational schools (Berufsbildende Schulen, or BBS) that provide practical education and training across various fields. Here are some notable institutions * Berufsbildende Schulen am Schölerberg (BBS am Schölerberg) * Berufsbildende Schulen Brinkstraße (BBS Brinkstraße) * Berufsbildende Schulen am Pottgraben (BBS am Pottgraben)

Sport

The city's football team is VfL Osnabrück, founded in 1899. Currently, the team plays in the 2. Bundesliga. Its basketball team was founded the same year. The Schlosswallhalle has been home to the GiroLive Panthers Osnabrück of the 1. Damen-Basketball-Bundesliga.

Politics

The current mayor of Osnabrück is Katharina Pötter ( CDU), elected in September 2021. Osnabrück is part of the electoral constituency Stadt Osnabrück for elections to the

Bundestag The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet (assembly), Diet") is the lower house of the Germany, German Federalism in Germany, federal parliament. It is the only constitutional body of the federation directly elected by the German people. The Bundestag wa ...

Transport

The city of Osnabrück is connected by road to the A1, the A30 and the A33. It shares its

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

with

. Osnabrück Hauptbahnhof (central railway station) is an important rail travel hub. Travellers from the Netherlands heading to either

, Denmark, or Eastern Europe often have to change here. An extensive bus network operated by the Stadtwerke Osnabrück (public utility provider) provides public transport within the city and the surrounding regio

The central hub is situated on Neumarkt close to the main shopping street, roughly 10 minutes' walk from the railway station.

Districts

The city is divided into 23 districts:

Twin towns – sister cities

Osnabrück is Sister city, twinned with: *

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English language, English) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the Provinces of the Nether ...

, Netherlands (1961) *

Angers Angers (, , ;) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Duchy of Anjou, Anjou until the French Revolution. The i ...

, France (1964) * Gmünd, Austria (1971) *

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

, United Kingdom (1976) *

Greifswald Greifswald (), officially the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald (, Low German: ''Griepswoold'') is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania after Rostock, Schwerin and Neubrandenburg. In 2021 it surpa ...

, Germany (1988) *

Tver Tver (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is situated at the confluence of the Volga and Tvertsa rivers. Tver is located northwest of Moscow. Population: The city is ...

, Russia (1991) * Evansville, United States (1991) * Gwangmyeong, South Korea (1997) * Çanakkale, Turkey (2004) *

Vila Real Vila Real () is the capital and largest city of the Vila Real District, in the Norte, Portugal, North region, Portugal. It is also the seat of the Douro (intermunicipal community), Douro Intermunicipal communities of Portugal, intermunicipal comm ...

, Portugal (2005) *

Hefei Hefei is the Capital city, capital of Anhui, China. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, and cultural center of Anhui. Its population was 9,369,881 as of the 2020 census. Its built-up (or ''metro'') area is made up of four u ...

, China (2006)

Twinning with Derby

Previously Osnabrück had made contact with the British authorities as early as 1948, hoping to find an English twin town and therefore achieve greater understanding with their former enemies in the Second World War. This attempt was unsuccessful and Osnabrück did not actively consider the idea again for another quarter-century. The twinning agreement with Derby was signed on 17 February 1976. Every year since then the two cities have exchanged envoys. Derby also has a square named after Osnabrück in honour of the twinning arrangement; this features an obelisk among other things.

Notable people

Public service & public thinking

* Benno II of Osnabrück ( – 1088),

Bishop of Osnabrück A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

from 1068 to 1088. * Albert Suho (), clergyman, theologian, historian * Friedrich Staphylus (1512–1564), theologian, first a Protestant, a Catholic convert. * Johann Wilhelm Petersen (1649–1727), evangelical theologian, mystic, and Millennialist. * Ernest Augustus, Duke of York and Albany (1674–1728), brother of

. * Sophia von Kielmansegg, Countess of Darlington (1675–1725), courtier and a half-sister of

* Justus Möser (1720–1794), jurist and social theorist. * Ernst zu Münster (1766–1839), politician, statesman in the service of House of Hannover * Justus von Gruner (1777–1820), a Prussian official, the first president of the Berlin Police. * Bernhard Rudolf Abeken (1780–1866),

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of ...

* Karl Fortlage (1806–1881), philosopher. * Heinrich Abeken (1809–1872), evangelical theologian. * Ludwig Windthorst (1812–1891), politician and leader of the Catholic Centre Party. * Friedrich Blass (1843–1907), classical scholar. * Georg Thieler (1854–1945), jurist and mayor of

Jena Jena (; ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 in ...

from 1885 to 1889. * Friedrich Westmeyer (1873–1917), politician and trade unionist * Walter Warlimont (1894–1976), General of the Artillery * Hans Georg Calmeyer (1903–1972), attorney, ''

Righteous Among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( ) is a title used by Yad Vashem to describe people who, for various reasons, made an effort to assist victims, mostly Jews, who were being persecuted and exterminated by Nazi Germany, Fascist Romania, Fascist Italy, ...

'' * Fritz Buntrock (1909–1948), SS officer and war criminal * Rudolf Beckmann (1910–1943), SS-Oberscharführer and war criminal * Franz Lucas (1911–1994), concentration camp doctor * Wilhelm Schitli (1912–1945?), SS officer * Hubertus Brandenburg (1923–2009), Bishop of

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

* Peter van Pels (1926–1945) son of Auguste van Pels and Hermann van Pels, occupant at the Secret Annex in Amsterdam together with

Anne Frank Annelies Marie Frank (, ; 12 June 1929 – February or March 1945)Research by The Anne Frank House in 2015 revealed that Frank may have died in February 1945 rather than in March, as Dutch authorities had long assumed"New research sheds new li ...

and her family * Jürgen Kühling (1934–2019), lawyer, former judge at the Federal Constitutional Court between 1989 and 2001 * Rudolf Seiters (born 1937), politician (CDU), vice-president of the Bundestag 1998–2002 * Paul Kirchhof (born 1943), former judge of the Federal Constitutional Court, prof. of tax law * Hans-Gert Pöttering (born 1945), lawyer and politician, former

President of the European Parliament The president of the European Parliament presides over the debates and activities of the European Parliament. They also represent the Parliament within the European Union (EU) and internationally. The president's signature is required for Euro ...

* Ferdinand Kirchhof (born 1950), judge at the Federal Constitutional Court, professor of tax law * Thomas Bellut (born 1955), journalist * Olaf Scholz (born 1958), politician (SPD) and

Chancellor of Germany The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, is the head of the federal Cabinet of Germany, government of Germany. The chancellor is the chief executive of the Federal Government of Germany, ...

from 2021 *

Christian Wulff Christian Wilhelm Walter Wulff (; born 1959) is a retired German politician and lawyer who served as President of Germany from 2010 to 2012. A member of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, Christian Democratic Union (CDU), he previously ...

(born 1959), politician and lawyer,

President of Germany The president of Germany, officially titled the Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany (),The official title within Germany is ', with ' being added in international correspondence; the official English title is President of the F ...

from 2010 to 2012 * Boris Pistorius (born 1960), politician, former

Lord mayor Lord mayor is a title of a mayor of what is usually a major city in a Commonwealth realm, with special recognition bestowed by the sovereign. However, the title or an equivalent is present in other countries, including forms such as "high mayor". A ...

of Osnabrück,

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

from 2023 * Anke Hennig (born 1964), politician (SPD) * André Berghegger (born 1972), politician (CDU); from 2006 to 2013, mayor of the city of Melle * Sabine R. Huebner (born 1976), ancient historian

The arts

* Gerlach Flicke (–1558), painter, an artist of the Tudor court in London * John Closterman (1660–1711), portrait painter, mostly of European noblemen and their families. * Friedrich Clemens Gerke (1801–1888), journalist, musician and pioneer of telegraphy, he revised the

Morse code Morse code is a telecommunications method which Character encoding, encodes Written language, text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called ''dots'' and ''dashes'', or ''dits'' and ''dahs''. Morse code i ...

. * Alfred Runge (1881–1946), architect * Hinnerk Scheper (1897–1957), mural painter and architectural colourist, monument conservator and restorer * Erich Maria Remarque (1898–1970), novelist, he wrote '' All Quiet on the Western Front'' in 1928 * Friedrich Vordemberge-Gildewart (1899–1962), a ''

De Stijl De Stijl (, ; 'The Style') was a Dutch art movement founded in 1917 by a group of artists and architects based in Leiden (Theo van Doesburg, Jacobus Oud, J.J.P. Oud), Voorburg (Vilmos Huszár, Jan Wils) and Laren, North Holland, Laren (Piet Mo ...

'' painter * Mathias Wieman (1902–1969), stage-performer, silent-and-sound motion picture actor from 1925 to 1966 * Felix Nussbaum (1904–1944), a

surrealist Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

painter * Herbert Tiede (1915–1987), actor from 1943 to 1975. * Benno Sterzenbach (1916–1985), cinema and theatre actor and director from 1948 to 1983 * Ursula Levy (born 1935), American author, child psychologist and Holocaust survivor * Birgitta Tolksdorf (born 1947), German-American actress * Markus Becker (born 1963), pianist * Evelyn Herlitzius (born 1963), opera singer, and a dramatic soprano.
Marc Engelhard
born 1973), Musician, journalist, actor, designer, author *

Gentleman ''Gentleman'' (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man; abbreviated ''gent.'') is a term for a chivalrous, courteous, or honorable man. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire ...

(born 1974), reggae musician, real name ''Tilmann Otto'' * Robin Schulz (born 1987), musician, DJ and record producer * Waterdown (1999–2012), hardcore punk band * Henry Niemann (April 27, 1838 – October 26, 1899) was a pipe organ builder, who spent most of his career in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, Maryland. His organs were respected for their bold sound, fluid mechanisms, and quality construction.

Science & business

* Ludwig Clamor Marquart (1804–1881), pharmacist and entrepreneur, coined the term "

anthocyanin Anthocyanins (), also called anthocyans, are solubility, water-soluble vacuole, vacuolar pigments that, depending on their pH, may appear red, purple, blue, or black. In 1835, the German pharmacist Ludwig Clamor Marquart named a chemical compou ...

" * Hermann Kemper (1892–1977), engineer and pioneer in

magnetic levitation Magnetic levitation (maglev) or magnetic suspension is a method by which an object is levitation (physics), suspended with no support other than magnetic fields. Lorentz force, Magnetic force is used to counteract the effects of the gravitation ...

* Heinrich Wenner (1912–2008), antiquarian bookseller * Wilhelm Karmann Jr. (1914–1998), motor industry entrepreneur with VW ( Karmann). * Reinhold Remmert (1930–2016), mathematician, wrote two books on

number theory Number theory is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers and arithmetic functions. Number theorists study prime numbers as well as the properties of mathematical objects constructed from integers (for example ...

and

complex analysis Complex analysis, traditionally known as the theory of functions of a complex variable, is the branch of mathematical analysis that investigates functions of complex numbers. It is helpful in many branches of mathematics, including algebraic ...

* Inge Schmitz-Feuerhake (born 1935), physicist and mathematician * Hans Huchzermeyer (born 1939), physician and musicologist * Cathrin Brisken (born 1967), medical doctor, researches the

hormonal A hormone (from the Greek participle , "setting in motion") is a class of signaling molecules in multicellular organisms that are sent to distant organs or tissues by complex biological processes to regulate physiology and behavior. Hormones a ...

control of breast cancer

Sport

* Horst Borcherding (1930–2015), a football goalkeeper, played 254 games. * Heike Nagel (born 1946), former swimmer, team bronze medallist at the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...

. * Thomas Möllenkamp (born 1961), a retired rower, team gold medallist at the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...

* Volker Fried (born 1961), former field hockey player, team gold medallist at the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

* Stefani Werremeier (born 1968), a rower, team silver medallist at the

* Daniel Flottmann (born 1984), footballer who has played over 490 games * Felix Klaus (born 1992), footballer who has played over 330 games * Carolin Schnarre (born 1992), a Paralympic equestrian, team silver medallist at the 2016 Paralympic Games

References

General references

* *

External links

*
Panoramas and virtual Tours of Osnabrück

Independent Film Festival Osnabrueck official website
Unabhaengiges FilmFest Osnabrueck
''The Ostensibles'' English Theatre in Osnabrueck, official website
*
Derby City Council website, Town Twinning page. (retrieved 15/01/2015)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Osnabruck 780 establishments Cities in Lower Saxony Populated places established in the 8th century Members of the Hanseatic League Holocaust locations in Germany Urban districts of Lower Saxony

Name

History

Medieval

Early Modern age

19th century

20th century

Climate

Main sights

Education

Sport

Politics

Transport

Districts

Twin towns – sister cities

Twinning with Derby

Notable people

Public service & public thinking

The arts

Science & business

Sport

See also

References

General references

Further reading

External links