Tangermünde (; ) is a historic town 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 in the district of
Stendal, in the northeastern part of
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 ...
, Germany. The town has land area of around 89.87 sq.km (34.70 sq.mi) and a population of 10,283 people as of 2022.
Geography
Tangermünde is situated in the historic
Altmark region of the
North German Plain, on a glacial
terminal moraine, above the left shore of the Elbe. The town's name derives from the mouth () of the
Tanger tributary. The altitude protects it from
flood
A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...
s.
Since the administrative restructuring effective January 1, 2010, the area of Tangermünde comprises the former municipalities of
Bölsdorf,
Buch,
Grobleben
Grobleben is a village and a former municipality in the district of Stendal, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the town Tangermünde
Tangermünde (; ) is a historic town on the Elbe River in the district of Stendal ...
,
Hämerten,
Langensalzwedel,
Miltern, and
Storkau. These former municipalities are now ''Ortschaften'' (divisions) of the town Tangermünde.
[Hauptsatzung der Stadt Tangermünde]
September 2019.
History
Tangermünde can look back at a thousand-year-long history as already in 1009 the medieval chronicler Bishop
Thietmar of Merseburg referred to a local
lowland castle, which probably had been erected in the early 10th century during the rule of King
Henry the Fowler at the border with the lands of the
Polabian Slavs incorporated into the Saxon ''
Marca Geronis
The ''Marca Geronis'' or March of Gero was a vast marches, super-march in the middle of the tenth century. It was probably created for Thietmar, Margrave of Merseburg, Thietmar in the 920s and passed consecutively to his two sons, Siegfried, Margra ...
''.
The town itself was first mentioned in a 1275 deed, governed by a succession of ''
vogts'' (reeves), such as Ruthger
von Blumenthal. Due to its favourable location, it soon became a point where
tolls were charged on boats sailing along the Elbe River as well as a residence of the
Ascanian margraves of
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 ...
. Margrave
John II hid his treasure under the parish church, and passed the secret to his brother
Otto with the arrow. When the latter was held to ransom by the citizens of
Magdeburg
Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river.
Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...
in 1278, he used the treasure to pay for his release.
Upon the extinction of the Ascanian dynasty, the town was one of the favourite places of the
Luxembourg
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
emperor
Charles IV, who had purchased the Margraviate of Brandenburg in 1373 and had Tangermünde Castle (German: ''
Burg Tangermünde'') rebuilt as a ''
Kaiserpfalz
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 number o ...
'', including a chapter of
Canons Regular
The Canons Regular of St. Augustine are Catholic priests who live in community under a rule ( and κανών, ''kanon'', in Greek) and are generally organised into Religious order (Catholic), religious orders, differing from both Secular clergy, ...
. From 1415 onwards, it became the residence of the
Hohenzollern electors, after the
Nuremberg
Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...
burgrave
Frederick VI was enfeoffed with Brandenburg by Charles' son Emperor
Sigismund.
The 15th century marked the "Golden Age" of Tangermünde, an affluent 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 ...
, when numerous
Brick Gothic buildings including the town hall and
St. Stephen's parish church arose, surrounded by an almost entirely preserved city wall with well-fortified gates and the castle complex. However, after a 1488 revolt of the Tangermünde citizens against an
excise tax on
beer
Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...
, the town lost the grace of Elector
John Cicero, and the residence was relocated to
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 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
-
Cölln
Cölln () was the Twin cities, twin city of Old Berlin (Alt-Berlin) from the 13th century to the 18th century. Cölln was located on the Fischerinsel, Fisher Island section of Spree Island, opposite Altberlin on the western bank of the River ...
.

On 13 September 1617 Tangermünde was almost completely destroyed by a fire, allegedly started as an act of revenge by a townswoman who had vainly sued at the local court for her inheritance. Accused of arson and burned at the stake in 1619, her story was perpetuated by
Theodor Fontane's historical novel ''
Grete Minde''. The town was rebuilt with a variety of half-timbered houses lending it a unique appearance. However, after the castle had been slighted by
Swedish troops during 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 ...
in 1640, Tangermünde lost its strategic importance. Elector
Frederick III (as Frederick I
King in Prussia from 1701 on) had a local administrative building erected in 1699. The present-day complex is a reconstruction of the early 20th century.
In 1826 a
sugar refinery was established as the town's main employer, which from 1910 manufactured the popular ''Feodora''
chocolate
Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cocoa beans that can be a liquid, solid, or paste, either by itself or to flavoring, flavor other foods.
Cocoa beans are the processed seeds of the cacao tree (''Theobroma cacao''); unprocesse ...
, today part of the
Hachez company. As an effect of Tangermünde's decreasing importance, its historic centre and the city walls were largely preserved in its original appearance.
Tangermünde was not hit by severe damage 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 ...
until elements of the U.S. Army closed on the city and its strategic bridge across the Elbe River on 12 April 1945, triggering a brief but fierce battle, during which the modern (1933) combined rail and highway bridge was blown up by retreating German forces. In the closing days of the war Tangermünde was the scene of one of the last skirmishes of the war and the surrender en masse of the German
12th Army and remnants of the
9th Army to U.S. Forces. Between 4 May and 7 May 1945, as many as 100,000 German soldiers and civilians crossed the rickety ruins of the bridge on foot until Soviet forces reached the east bank of the Elbe. Since
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 old town has been gradually restored.
Sights
Town hall
The Tangermünde Town Hall is a late medieval building constructed in the 1430s. In German, this building is referred to as ''Rathaus'' and serves as a civic meeting center. The building performs a secular purpose, as a town hall for the community, but its exterior is evocative of a mixture of Romanesque and Gothic features. This building contains gothic and Romanesque structural elements that appear on the exterior of the building (the interior of the building has not been widely photographed).
Some of the more prominent features of the town hall are its high gables. On the façade are three staggered gables, with one central gable extending above the peak height of the roofline. These gables are a feature of brick architecture during this period. Adorning each gable are miniature spires, evocative of high gothic architecture popularized on cathedral exteriors. Each gable contains one large central circular window with two smaller ones below it, all with highly decorative tracery. These central circular windows are reminiscent of the grandiose rose windows that appear on the west façade of many gothic cathedrals. "The most remarkable feature is the gable end richly decorated with octagon buttresses, having stories of canopied niches—the gable is stepped between these buttresses". This observational analysis of the building dates from late 19th century, therefore its terminology differs from modern architectural jargon.
Many of the ground floor windows and doorways are exaggerated with ornamental archivolted brickwork. One of the most intriguing features of the town hall is its use of colour on the exterior. The highlighting and trabeation of the exterior are white and the tracery and decorative grills are dark blue. The rest of the building is composed of red brick. The colours create a very distinctive visual palette that makes the building unique.
St. Stephen's Church
This church was built in several stages. Nothing is left of the original construction, because it burned in the town fire of 1617. The church has a Scherer organ built in 1624, one of the top 10 organs in Europe. It has been completely restored.
Burg Tangermünde
The castle overlooking the inland harbour and the valley of river Elbe was founded around 925 and enlarged by
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV (; ; ; 14 May 1316 – 29 November 1378''Karl IV''. In: (1960): ''Geschichte in Gestalten'' (''History in figures''), vol. 2: ''F–K''. 38, Frankfurt 1963, p. 294), also known as Charles of Luxembourg, born Wenceslaus (, ), was H ...
in 1373. It burnt down in 1640 and was reconstructed in 1902. Its oldest building is ''Alte Kanzlei'' dating from the 14th century. The tower above the entrance gate was used as a prison, therefore its name ''Gefängnisturm (Prison Tower)''. The other tower (''Kapitelturm'') measuring 50 metres in height, dates from 1376 and offers an impressive view of the town and its surroundings.
Medieval City Wall
The old centre of Tangermünde is surrounded by a well-preserved city wall the construction of which was started around 1300. It was repaired and renovated several times as it protected the town against floods of river Elbe. ''Neustädter Tor'' is an impressive gate dating from 1450 opposite a former church (''St. Nicolaikirche'') which was built in the 12th century. Its belltower dates from 1470. ''Wassertor'' is another impressive gate of the medieval city wall. Various towers are preserved as well. The
Shot tower (''Schrotturm'') measuring 47 metres in height is the tallest tower. The foundations of ''Eulenturm'' Tower (24 metres), the oldest defensive tower of Tangermünde, where laid around 1300. Another fortified tower is preserved in Schulstrasse, a small lane in the southwest of the old town centre.
Politics
Seats in the town's assembly (''Stadtrat'') as of 2009
local elections:
*
Christian Democratic Union (CDU): 9
*
The Left: 4
*
Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD): 3
*
Free Democratic Party (FDP): 2
*
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
*
Independent: 1
International relations
Tangermünde is
twinned with:
*
Lich, Germany
*
Minden
Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the largest town in population between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district () of Minden-Lübbecke, situated in the cultural region ...
, Germany
*
Wissembourg,
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 ...
*
Tavarnelle Val di Pesa,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
Transportation
North of the town lies the
Bundesstraße 188 (B 188) which connects it to
Stendal and
Rathenow
Rathenow () is a town in the district of Havelland (district), Havelland in Brandenburg, in eastern Germany, with a population of 24,063 (2020).
Overview
The Protestant church of St. Marien Andreas, originally a basilica, and transformed to the Go ...
, as well as, via the
Autobahn A 2, to
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 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
and
Hanover
Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
. The river
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 ...
is crossed by a new bridge built in 2001.
The first road bridge was opened for the traffic in 1933 and blown up in the last days of the Second World War in 1945. The Elbe River was then the frontier between the Soviet and Allied armies' respective zones of occupation; thousands of German troops and civilian refugees alike crossed the river on foot, climbing along the wreckage of the bridge to escape from advancing Soviet forces, which was documented by Allied cameramen.
Shortly afterwards, a temporary bridge was constructed, which served until 2001.
There is a railway line which connects the town with
Stendal. The first line was opened in 1886.
Sons and daughters of the town
*
Albrecht Achilles (1414–1486), elector of Brandenburg
*
Almuth Berger (born 1943), theologian
*
Walter Meyer (1904–1949), rower, Olympic champion
* Grete Minde († 1619 executed), historical figure
*
Fritz Schröder (SPD) (de) (1891–1937), politician (
SPD)
*
Conrad Steinbrecht (de) (1849–1923), architect, construction officer
* Burghard Stück
(de) (1929–2008), pediatrician and immunologist
* Reinhard Weis
(de) (born 1949), pastor and politician (SPD)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tangermunde
Stendal (district)
Members of the Hanseatic League
Populated riverside places in Germany
Populated places on the Elbe