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Celle

Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience

Historic buildings along Hugenottenstraße in Celle, Germany.

Celle is a town and the capital of the district of Celle in Lower Saxony, in north-central Germany. It lies on the banks of the river Aller, which flows into the Weser. The town has about 71,000 people.

Celle is known as the southern gateway to the Lüneburg Heath. It has a beautiful castle called Schloss Celle, built in Renaissance and Baroque styles. The old town center, called the Altstadt, has more than 400 timber-framed houses, making Celle an important part of the German Timber-Frame Road.

From 1378 to 1705, Celle was the home of the Lüneburg branch of the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg from the House of Welf. They lived there after being asked to leave their original home by the people of that town.

Geography

The Weser watershed, showing the location of Celle on the Aller.

The town of Celle is located in the glacial valley of the Aller River, about 40 kilometres northeast of Hanover, 60 kilometres northwest of Brunswick, and 120 kilometres south of Hamburg. With around 71,000 people, it is one of the larger towns in Lower Saxony between Hanover and Hamburg.

The town covers an area of 176.05 square kilometres. The Lachte and Fuhse rivers flow into the Aller within the town. The Aller then heads west towards Verden an der Aller, where it joins the Weser.

History

Middle Ages

Celle was first mentioned in a document in the year 985 as Kiellu, meaning "fishing bay." During the 11th century, it gained the right to make its own coins. In 1292, Duke Otto II founded a settlement near an existing castle, and in 1301, he gave Celle its town rights. By 1378, Celle became a home for dukes of Saxe-Wittenberg, and later, princes of Lüneburg lived in the castle. The town grew with a monastery founded in 1452 and improved by grain shipping.

Rooftop view of Celle

Early modern period

The Reformation came to Celle in 1524. In 1570, a castle chapel was built. By 1660, Celle had about 3,750 people. From 1665 to 1705, under Duke George William, the town experienced a cultural growth. French and Italian gardeners and architects came to Celle, creating beautiful gardens and a castle theatre. French refugees settled in a new area, bringing their skills and traditions. After the last duke died in 1705, Celle became an important administrative centre.

Modern period

Hugenottenstraße is the main street of the former French quarter

In the 1800s and early 1900s, Celle saw new buildings like barracks and a museum. During World War I, the town held prisoners from many countries. After the war, a large department store opened. During World War II, Celle suffered bombings, but many historic buildings survived because the town surrendered early.

Military

During the Nazi time, Celle was an important military place with several regiments and offices. After the war, British troops were stationed there until 2012. Today, some old barracks are used for training and youth activities.

Emigrantenstraße, a historical street laid out for Austrian refugees

Post-war era

After World War II, Celle tried to become an important government city but did not succeed. In 1973, Celle became part of a larger district and grew by including nearby villages. In 2004, an administrative area was dissolved, and Celle remains one of the larger towns in Lower Saxony.

Incorporation of municipalities

JVA Celle which is often mistaken for a castle

Growth in population

Celle's population grew very slowly through the Middle Ages and early modern times. It had about 8,800 people in 1818, which more than doubled to 20,000 by 1900. The addition of nearby villages in 1939 increased the population to 38,000. After World War II, many people fleeing from Eastern Europe arrived, raising the population to 55,000 by late 1945. Including more villages in 1973 brought the total to 75,178, the highest ever. By 2005, the population was about 71,402.

Government

Celle is part of the Celle-Uelzen area for elections to the Bundestag. Over the years, different people from different groups have been chosen to represent the area.

The town has a council with 42 members and a mayor. After elections in 2016, the council includes members from many different groups.

Celle has had many mayors over time, each serving for different periods.

The town's coat of arms shows a blue background with a white castle that has three towers. There is also a lion inside a smaller shield on the castle's gate.

The town's flag is split into two equal parts of blue and white and can also show the town's coat of arms.

Celle has an official seal that looks like its oldest seal from the year 1288. It shows a gatehouse between two castle towers with a special design on top.

Twin towns – sister cities

Signpost of twin towns of Celle

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Celle is twinned with:

Main sights

Half-timbered house (Bergstr.) with incorrectly replaced halves

The old town centre of Celle has many buildings from the 1500s, including around 480 wooden houses with beautiful carvings. One famous house is the Hoppenerhaus, built in 1532. The most impressive building is Schloss Celle, a grand palace started in 1530 and later expanded in a fancy style. The Old City Hall, built between 1561 and 1579, is known for its detailed stone work. The Stadtkirche, or town church, has a tall white tower where a town musician plays music twice each day.

Church St.Marien with its white steeple

The Bomann Museum, near the castle, shows art and local history. Inside the castle, the Residenz Museum tells the story of the royal family. There are also many other small museums in Celle, each with its own special focus.

The Schlosstheater Celle, founded in 1674, is the oldest working theatre in Germany. There is also a modern theatre called Kunst & Bühne that offers many types of performances.

Celle has several lovely parks, such as the French Garden and Castle Park, perfect for relaxing and enjoying nature.

Events

Celle has a special place called the Congress Union Celle where people can have meetings, shows, music, and fun events. There is also a place named CD-Kaserne, which is a youth and cultural centre. It has rooms for showing art, films, and learning about society. The Bunte Haus, a charitable cultural centre, works with volunteers to create projects about social questions, culture, and learning. Every year, Celle also holds a Christmas market in its old town centre.

Sports

The Celler Oilers are an ice hockey team that play in a regional league. From 1968 to the mid-1970s, Celle's football club, TuS Celle, played in the German second division, called the Regionalliga. After some changes, it joined the Lower Saxony league for the 2004–2005 season and has played in the Northeast Lower Saxony league, which is the fifth tier of German football, since 2005.

The handball club, SV Garßen-Celle, has a women's team that played in the women's Second Division North since the mid-1990s. In 2009, it won first place and moved up to the First Division.

Since 1983, the Celle Wasa Run has happened every year on the second Sunday of March in Celle's town centre. It is one of the biggest running events in Germany for distances shorter than a marathon. Runners can choose from several distances: a children's run of 2.5 km and runs of 5, 10, 15, and 20 km. There is also a hiking event over 11 km along the river Aller, as well as walking and Nordic walking events. In 2004, a record number of participants took part.

Celle is one of five centres for the Lower Saxony Rowing Club. The Celle Sprint Regatta happens every October on the Upper Aller at Ziegeninsel and is hosted by several local rowing clubs.

The Celle Triathlon always takes place in August. It was originally organized by the Celle branch of the German Alpine Club, but for several years has been run by SV Altencelle.

Since 2001, Celle has hosted the In-Line Skating and Handbike Marathon from Hanover to Celle. This is one of the biggest races of its kind in Germany. In 2007, the European Masters speed skating championship was part of this event.

Celle also hosted Angola's national football team during the 2006 Football World Cup.

Economy and Infrastructure

Economy

Tourism plays a big role in Celle's economy, especially during the summer when festivals like jazz and wine events bring in many visitors.

Celle isn’t known for big factories, but some businesses that started here have grown to serve the whole world. The town has some ties to the oil industry, with companies that make parts for drilling equipment. There are also lighter industries like making electronics, food, and processing metals, wood, and plastic. Celle is also home to a school that teaches advanced drilling techniques.

The town is known for its many government workers and lawyers, who help manage and support the area. Farming and forestry are also important here.

Foodstuffs

Celle is the home of a crispbread factory called Barilla Wasa Deutschland. There are also makers of strong alcoholic drinks like Ratzeputz and Alter Provisor. Originally made in the old town, Ratzeputz is now made in an industrial area, while Alter Provisor is still made and sold in the old town. Celler Bier is a local beer with six different kinds. Another special food from Celle is Rohe Roulade, which first became popular in a local restaurant and is now served in many places around town.

Transport and logistics

The East Hanoverian Railways is a company based in Celle that moves both goods and passengers across northern Germany. Celle also has a main post sorting center and a transport company called DTLS.

Transport

Rail

Celle is on a major train line that goes from Hanover to Hamburg. Trains stop there every hour, and some fast trains also stop during busy times. Local trains connect Celle to nearby towns like Uelzen, Hanover, and Göttingen. Celle is the end point for two lines of the Hanover S-Bahn train network.

The track between Celle and Großburgwedel was built in the 1920s for testing fast trains. It was once called the Hare Railway because it went through open countryside where many hares lived. This part of the line was later upgraded to allow trains to go up to 200 km/h (124 mph). Some older train lines from Celle to places like Bremen and Brunswick were closed in the 1970s and taken apart. The last small train line from Gifhorn to Celle was closed in 2004.

The East Hanoverian Railways still runs freight trains on several smaller lines around Celle, and sometimes special trains for tourists run on these lines too.

The Lehrte–Celle railway is an important route for freight trains and was updated in 1998 to work as a modern suburban train line.

A streetcar system with two lines ran in Celle from 1907 until it was closed down and removed between 1954 and 1956.

Road

Key roads that connect Celle include:

  • North-south: B 3 going north to Soltau/Hamburg and south to Hanover
  • Southeast-west: B 214 going southeast to Brunswick and west to Nienburg
  • Northeast: B 191 to Uelzen/Lüneburg/Ludwigslust
  • Landesstraße 310 via Fuhrberg southwest to the A 7 motorway junction at Mellendorf
  • Landesstraße 282 east-northeast via Beedenbostel, Eldingen and Steinhorst to Wittingen
  • Landesstraße 180 via Winsen (Aller) west-northwest to the A 7 motorway services at Raststätte Allertal

Air

Hanover-Langenhagen airport, which has flights to many places around the world, is about 35 kilometres (22 miles) from Celle.

There is a military airfield at Celle, southwest of the town center. After the Second World War, it was used for supply flights to Berlin during the Berlin Airlift. Today it is used mainly for training helicopter pilots. There is also a small airfield at Celle-Arloh for leisure flying and tours over Celle and the Lüneburg Heath. Another airfield for gliders is located at Scheuen.

Water

Celle’s harbor is mostly used by tourists today. In the past, Celle was an important place for moving goods by ship between Brunswick and ports in Bremen, using the Oker, Aller, and Weser rivers. As transportation shifted to roads and railways, the harbor’s use declined. Until 1970, the harbor was still important for moving grain and potash salts.

Town public transport services

A company called CeBus runs eight bus lines around the town, and there are 15 more bus lines that connect to villages in the surrounding area.

Media

The Cellesche Zeitung is the local daily newspaper. There are also other papers and magazines published in Celle, including the Celler Kurier, Celler Blitz, Celler Scene, Celler Blickpunkt, and revista.

Education

Schools

Celle has several high schools including the Hermann Billung Gymnasium, Kaiserin Auguste Viktoria Gymnasium, Gymnasium Ernestinum, and Hölty Gymnasium.

There are also three middle schools, six combined primary and middle schools, nine primary schools, a Catholic primary school, and a Montessori school called Freie Aktive Schule Celle.

Vocational schools

Celle has four vocational schools: BBS I for Economics and Administration, BBS II for Technology, Design and IT, BBS III for Health and Social Studies, and BBS IV for Agriculture, Domestic Science and Nutrition.

Other educational establishments

Celle is home to a private college for economics and a technical college for drilling and pipeline technology. The town also has one of Lower Saxony’s state firefighting schools and an adult education center with many branches in nearby areas.

Around Celle

Celle is a popular starting point for visitors exploring the Lüneburg Heath. Nearby, there is a memorial and exhibition centre that remembers an important historical site.

Notable people

Public working and thinking

The Arts

Science & business

Aristocracy

Sport

Residents of Celle

Honorary citizen

  • Otto Telschow (1876–1945), Nazi Party official, Member of Reichstag 1930–1945. Honorary citizenship granted 1936 and revoked in 2007

Images

A historic castle in Celle, Germany.
A historical drawing of a marketplace scene from around 1845.
A historical memorial in Triftanlagen Park in Celle, Germany.
Information board at Triftanlagen Park in Celle, Germany
A Bölkow Bo 105 helicopter displaying the coat of arms of the German Army Aviators School, parked at Celle Air Base.
A historic castle in Celle, Germany, known as Schloss Celle.

Related articles

Lower Saxony
Weser
Lüneburg Heath
Lüneburg
Renaissance
Hanover

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