Schöppenstedt (; Eastphalian: ''Schöppenstidde'') is a small town in the district of Wolfenbüttel, 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 ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It is the administrative seat of the ''

Samtgemeinde A (, ; plural: ''Samtgemeinden'') is a type of administrative division in Lower Saxony, Germany. ''Samtgemeinden'' are local government associations of Municipalities of Germany, municipalities, equivalent to the ''Amt (administrative division) ...

'' ("collective municipality") of

Elm-Asse Elm-Asse is a ''Samtgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") in the district of Wolfenbüttel, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was named after the hill ranges Elm and Asse. Its seat is in the town Schöppenstedt. It was formed on 1 January 2015 by the ...

Geography

It is situated southwest of the

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

and

Asse Asse () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. It comprises the towns of Asse proper, Bekkerzeel, Kobbegem, Mollem, Relegem and Zellik. Asse is also situated in the Pajottenland. ...

hill ranges, about east of

Wolfenbüttel Wolfenbüttel (; ) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel District Wolfenbüttel (; ) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel (district), Wolfenbüttel Distri ...

, and southeast of

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 ...

. Since 2007, Schöppenstedt station is the eastern terminus on the Wolfenbüttel–Helmstedt railway line.

History

The settlement of ''Sciphinstete'' in the Derlingau region of

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

, located on the trade route from Brunswick to the ''

Königspfalz The term ''Kaiserpfalz'' (, "imperial palace") or ''Königspfalz'' (, "royal palace", from Middle High German ''phal ne'' to Old High German ''phalanza'' from Middle Latin ''palatia'' luralto Latin ''palatium'' "palace") refers to a num ...

'' at

Schöningen Schöningen () is a town of about 11,000 inhabitants in the district of Helmstedt, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Geography The town is located on the southeastern rim of the Elm hill range, near the border with the state of Saxony-Anhalt. In its cur ...

, was first mentioned in a 1051 deed. A church at the site probably existed in the days of the missionary bishop

Hildegrim of Châlons Hildegrim ( – 19 June 827) was Bishop of Châlons from 804 to 810 and the second abbot of Werden Abbey, after his elder brother Ludger, from 809 until his death. Life Like his brother Ludger, Hildegrim was of Christian Frisian noble descent. He p ...

before 827 AD; Schöppenstedt later became the seat of a

Halberstadt Halberstadt (; Eastphalian dialect, Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt in central Germany, the capital of Harz (district), Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town ...

archdeacon. From 1267 to 1269, the surrounding estates were held by the Welf dukes of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. In 1542, the citizens turned

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

. A main landmark is the St. Stephen's Church with its famous leaning tower of the 12th century. The interior contains remarkable stone pillars with depictions of animal figures and human heads, including

Wotan (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the . The compos ...

and his ravens, the

Fenrir Fenrir (Old Norse 'fen-dweller')Orchard (1997:42). or Fenrisúlfr (Old Norse "Fenrir's wolf", often translated "Fenris-wolf"),Simek (2007:81). also referred to as Hróðvitnir (Old Norse "fame-wolf")Simek (2007:160). and Vánagandr (Old Nors ...

Wolf, the

Midgard Serpent In Germanic cosmology, Midgard (an anglicised form of Old Norse ; Old English , Old Saxon , Old High German , and Gothic ''Midjun-gards''; "middle yard", "middle enclosure") is the name for Earth (equivalent in meaning to the Greek term : oikou ...

and the Ash

Yggdrasil Yggdrasil () is an immense and central sacred tree in Norse cosmology. Around it exists all else, including the Nine Worlds. Yggdrasil is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'' compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and in t ...

(black and white illustration). These ornate pillars have been constructed with the introduction of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

as a monument to the ancient gods of faith - the ornaments could date from the first documented mention of Schöppenstedt.

Sights

Schöppenstedt has a museum dedicated to the medieval trickster

Till Eulenspiegel Till Eulenspiegel (; ) is the protagonist of a European narrative tradition. A German chapbook published around 1510 is the oldest known extant publication about the folk hero (a first edition of is preserved fragmentarily), but a background i ...

who was born in neighbouring

Kneitlingen Kneitlingen is a municipality in the Wolfenbüttel district in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is part of the ''Samtgemeinde'' Elm-Asse. The most recent German census counted a population of just 853 people. Geography Kneitlingen is situat ...

about 1300. There are various sightworthy half-timbered houses in the town centre, especially in Braunschweiger Straße and around the church. One of the most famous houses is ''Sitz der Archidiakone'' dating from 1612, a colourful house opposite the church. The nave of St. Stephen's Protestant Church was built from 1730 to 1740 in a barock style, but the clock tower dates from the 12th century. In front of the Parish House three bells form a War Memorial.

Twin towns

Athis-Val de Rouvre Athis-Val de Rouvre () is a commune in the department of Orne, northwestern France, the municipality was established on 1 January 2016 by merger of the former communes of Athis-de-l'Orne (the seat), Bréel, La Carneille, Notre-Dame-du-Rocher, ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Notable people

* Ludwig Strümpell (1812–1899), philosopher and pedagogue

References

External links

Official site of the Samtgemeinde
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schoppenstedt Wolfenbüttel (district) Duchy of Brunswick