Osterwieck

Osterwieck
View over Osterwieck and Harz range

Coat of arms
Osterwieck
Location of Osterwieck within Harz district
Coordinates: 51°58′N 10°43′E / 51.967°N 10.717°E / 51.967; 10.717Coordinates: 51°58′N 10°43′E / 51.967°N 10.717°E / 51.967; 10.717
Country Germany
State Saxony-Anhalt
District Harz
Government
 • Mayor Ingeborg Wagenführ (Ind.)
Area
 • Total 212.67 km2 (82.11 sq mi)
Elevation 123 m (404 ft)
Population (2017-12-31)[1]
 • Total 11,176
 • Density 53/km2 (140/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 38835
Dialling codes 039421, 039422, 039458
Vehicle registration HZ
Website www.stadt-osterwieck.de

Osterwieck is a historic town in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.

Geography

The municipal area stretches along the river Ilse, north of Wernigerode and the Harz mountain range. On 1 January 2010 the municipalities of the former Verwaltungsgemeinschaft ("collective municipality") Osterwieck-Fallstein –Deersheim, Hessen, Osterode, Rohrsheim, Veltheim, Zilly, and Dardesheim– together with Berßel, Bühne, Lüttgenrode, Rhoden, Schauen, and Wülperode merged into Osterwieck.

Old town ensemble

The Altstadt (Old Town) with St. Stephen's Church is a stop on the scenic German Timber-Frame Road and on the Romanesque Road.

History

The settlement was first mentioned about 780 when Charlemagne in course of the Saxon Wars crossed the Oker river and had a church dedicated to Saint Stephen erected at a place then called Salingenstede. This church became a centre of the Christian mission among the pagan Saxons, overseen by Hildegrim of Châlons, and the origin of the later Bishopric of Halberstadt. On 1 April 974, Emperor Otto II issued a deed granting market and mint rights to Seligenstadt, this is commonly regarded as the date of the town's foundation.

The name Osterwieck was first mentioned in a 1073 letter by Archbishop Liemar of Bremen to Bishop Burchard II of Halberstadt. Destroyed by a blaze in 1511, the town was rebuilt and today features an ensemble of about 400 Fachwerk buildings. The nave of the St. Stephen Church erected in the 16th century is one of the oldest Protestant church buildings, while its Romanesque twin steeples date back to 1100.

Politics

Seats in the town's council (Stadtrat) as of 2014 local elections:

International relations

Osterwieck is twinned with:

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden – Stand: 31. Dezember 2017" (PDF). Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen-Anhalt (in German).
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