Lüneburg

Lüneburg, officially called the Hanseatic City of Lüneburg, is a town in the German state of Lower Saxony. It lies about 50 km southeast of another important city, Hamburg, and is part of Hamburg's larger area. Around 77,000 people live in Lüneburg itself, and when you count the nearby communities such as Adendorf, Bardowick, Barendorf, and Reppenstedt, the total is about 103,000.

Since 2007, Lüneburg has been allowed to call itself a "Hanseatic Town" because it was once a member of the Hanseatic League, a group of important trading cities in history. The town is also home to Leuphana University, a place where people go to study and learn.

History

The history of Lüneburg goes back a very long time. Signs of people living there were found from the time of Neanderthal Man, about 150,000 years ago. These were discovered during the building of a road.

Lüneburg became an important place because of its salt. Salt was discovered when a hunter found crystals on a wild boar's fur. This led to the creation of the Lüneburg Saltworks. Over time, Lüneburg grew from a small village into a important trading town.

Lüneburg became a member of the Hanseatic League, a group of trading towns. Its salt was very important for preserving fish, which helped the town's growth. In the Middle Ages, Lüneburg became a free imperial town, meaning it governed itself.

After the Hanseatic League declined, Lüneburg faced hard times but managed to keep its old town center mostly unchanged. During World War II, Lüneburg was bombed but its center was largely saved. After the war, efforts were made to preserve the town's historic buildings, turning Lüneburg into a popular place for visitors.

Today, Lüneburg is known for its history, its university, and its efforts to keep its old buildings safe.

Geography

Location

Lüneburg is situated on the river Ilmenau, roughly 30 kilometres (19 miles) from where it meets the Elbe. The river runs through the town and plays a part in its song. In the past, special boats called cogs used this river to carry salt from Lüneburg to bigger ports nearby.

To the south of the town lies the Lüneburg Heath, a large open area formed mainly by old tree-cutting, fires, and grazing. The old part of Lüneburg, called Altstadt, sits above a salt dome, which was the town's first source of wealth. Mining this salt caused parts of the town to sink over time. On the western edge of the town is the Kalkberg, a small hill that was once a gypsum quarry.

Neighbouring towns and cities

There are several towns and cities around Lüneburg in every direction:

Town layout

Historical quarters

The town grew from three, and later four, areas. These were a refuge castle on the Kalkberg, a market area, a village near the river, and a salt production area. The river port was added later. The town's shape from this time is still easy to see today. Lüneburg had six old town gates.

Stadtteile

Lüneburg has many parts, called Stadtteile, such as Altstadt, Bockelsberg, Ebensberg, and others. Some smaller areas have their own names too.

Subsidence

The historic part of Lüneburg was built above a salt dome that was mined for salt. As more salt was mined, the ground began to sink by several metres. This caused many houses and a church to become unstable and they had to be removed. The salt mine finally closed in 1980, but the ground is still sinking a little. Today, we can still see the effects of this sinking in some places in the town.

Climate

Lüneburg has an oceanic climate. Winter temperatures can reach about 1 °C (34 °F) and summer temperatures around 17 °C (63 °F). Rain falls fairly evenly through the year, with a bit more in summer. The town has recorded some very hot and very cold temperatures, as well as times with lots of rain and times with very little.

Demographics

Lüneburg was a big town in the past, with around 14,000 people in the Late Middle Ages. Its population went down and up over time. By 1939, about 35,000 people lived there. After World War II, many people moved to Lüneburg, so the population grew quickly.

Today, Lüneburg has about 77,000 people. It is one of the bigger towns in the area around Hamburg Metropolitan Region. Some nearby villages are also growing, and Lüneburg plans to include them to become even larger.

Governance

Lüneburg is part of State Constituency 49 Lüneburg and Federal Constituency No. 38 Lüchow-Dannenberg – Lüneburg.

Council

Here are the results from the local election in 2021 for Lüneburg's town council:

Mayor

Before World War II, the town's leader was called the lord mayor and was in charge of all town matters. After the war, the way this worked changed for a while. Now, since 1996, there is again one main leader called the lord mayor, who is chosen by the people to run the town. There are also other mayors who help with special jobs.

Some past mayors include:

• 1945–1946: Werner Bockelmann, SPD
• 1946–1949: Ernst Braune, SPD
• 1949–1951: Paul Müller, DP
• 1951–1952: Erich Dieckmann, DP
• 1952–1954: Peter Gravenhorst, DP
• 1954–1955: Reinhold Kreitmeyer, FDP
• 1955–1958: Peter Gravenhorst, DP
• 1958–1961: Wilhelm Hilmer, SPD
• 1961–1964: Erich Drenckhahn, CDU
• 1964–1978: Alfred Trebchen, SPD
• 1978–1981: Heinz Schlawatzky, SPD
• 1981–1987: Horst Nickel, CDU
• 1987–1991: Jens Schreiber, CDU
• 1991–2021: Ulrich Mädge, SPD
• since 2021: Claudia Kalisch, Bündnis 90/Die Grünen

Today, the mayors are Hiltrud Lotze (SPD), Jule Grunau (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), and Christel John (CDU).

Twin towns – sister cities

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

Lüneburg has special partnerships with cities in different countries. These include:

• Scunthorpe, England, UK (since 1960)
• Naruto, Japan (since 1974)
• Clamart, France (since 1975)
• Ivrea, Italy (since 1988)
• Viborg, Denmark (since 1992)
• Tartu, Estonia (since 1993)

Lüneburg also has friendly ties with the German towns Kulmbach and Köthen.

Sports

The Lüneburger SK Hansa football team was created when Lüneburger SK joined together with the football part of Lüneburger SV, and Oberliga.

Education

Lüneburg has a university called the Leuphana Universität Lüneburg. It used to be called Universität Lüneburg. Over 9,000 students go to this university.

Transport

Lüneburg has a train station called Lüneburg station. The closest airport is Hamburg Airport, which is about 77 kilometers (48 miles) to the northwest of Lüneburg.

Notable people

Lüneburg has been home to many interesting people over the years.

Online culture and entertainment

• Mark Zimmermann (born 1998), a popular player and streamer of the video game Counter-Strike 2 on Twitch.

Public service and thinking

• Lucas Bacmeister (1530–1608), a Lutheran church leader and music composer
• Johann von Götzen (1599–1645), a nobleman and important military leader
• Jean Armand de Lestocq (1692–1767), a French adventurer who helped shape Russia's early policies under Elizabeth of Russia
• Johanna Stegen (1793–1842), a brave woman during the Napoleonic Wars who helped soldiers by carrying supplies in her apron, earning the title "The Heroine of Lüneburg"
• Paul von Hindenburg (1847–1934), a general and leader who became President of Germany from 1925 to 1934
• Walter Bötcher (1898–1981), a key city leader of Lüneburg from 1955 to 1963

Arts

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750), the famous composer, attended St. Michael's School and sang in its choir from 1700 to 1703
• Heinrich Heine (1797–1856), a well-known poet who may have written his famous poem Lorelei in Lüneburg
• Susanne Linke (born 1944), a dancer and creator of new styles in German dance theatre
• Annegret Soltau (born 1946), a visual artist known for her creative works
• Mirko Reisser (born 1971), also called DAIM, an artist known for his graffiti

Science & business

• Bernhard Riemann (1826–1866), a mathematician who made important discoveries in numbers and shapes
• Gustav Wallis (1830–1878), a plant collector who brought many new plants to Europe
• Louis Boehmer (1843–1896), a scientist who helped improve farming in Japan
• Detlev Ganten (born 1941), a medical expert in how medicines work and body processes

Sport

• Bahne Rabe (1963–2001), a rower who won gold at the 1988 Summer Olympics and bronze at the 1992 Summer Olympics
• Anja Noske (born 1986), a rower who has won two world championship titles
• Fabian Stenzel (born 1986), a footballer with over 310 professional games
• Sören Ludolph (born 1988), a runner who competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics