Alfeld

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Alfeld


Country	Germany
State	Lower Saxony
District	Hildesheim
Population	20,887 (2005-09-18)
Area	72.86 km²
Population density	287 /km²
Elevation	145 m
Coordinates	51°59′ N 09°50′ E
Postal code	31061
Area code	05181
Licence plate code	HI
Mayor	Bernd Beshausen
Website	www.alfeld.de

Alfeld is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located on the Leine river in the district of Hildesheim.

The town was founded in 1214. Sights in Alfeld include the town hall (1586) with its octagonal tower, the church Saint Nicolai and the Fillerturm, a medieval watchtower. More famous are the Seven Mountains (German: Sieben Berge) in the north and the Lippoldshöhle ("Lippold's cave"), where a legendary robber-knight is said to have lived.

The assertion, that in Alfeld the popular fairy tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was born, is false. Even though, the miners who mined ore In the Seven Mountains believed in the existence of dwarfs, it is more likely that the cradle of the fairy tale is to be searched in France. The version the brothers Grimm heard and wrote down, as they travelled through the Seven Mountains, on the so called "Maerchenstrasse" (Street Of Fairytales) is just one of many.

The biggest employer of the city is the SAPPI (South African Pulp and Paper Industry) factory with its big chimney, which has become one of Alfeld's landmarks. Even more famous than SAPPI is the "Fagus Werk", rebuilt in 1910-1915 after the blueprints of architect Walter-Gropius, what is said to be trend-setting for modern architecture.