Naumburg

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Naumburg (Saale)


Country	Germany
State	Saxony-Anhalt
District	Burgenlandkreis
Population	29.722 (2005)
Area	76,04 km²
Population density	391 /km²
Elevation	130 m
Coordinates	51°16′ N 11°80′ E
Postal code	06601-06618
Area code	15 2 56 062
Licence plate code	BLK
Mayor	Hilmar Preißer (CDU)
Website	www.naumburg.de

This article is about the town in Saxony-Anhalt; for Naumburg in Hesse, see Naumburg, Hesse.

Naumburg is a town in Germany, on the Saale River. It is in the district Burgenlandkreis in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, formerly a part of East Germany. It is approximately 60 km southwest of Leipzig, 50 km south-southwest of Halle, and 40 km north-northeast of Jena.

Industries of the city include manufacture of foodstuffs, textiles, machinery and toys.

The town is in a wine-growing region, with numerous vineyards in the surrounding area.

1 History
2 Main sights
3 People
4 External links

[edit] History

Naumburg was first mentioned in 1012 as the new castle of the Ekkehardinger, the Margrave of Meissen, was founded at the crossing of two trade-routes. The successful foundation not long beforehand of a Propstei Church on the site of the later Naumburger Cathedrial was mentioned in the Merseburger Bishops Chronicles in 1021. In 1028 Pope John XIX gave his approval for the transfer of the Bishopric from Zeitz to Naumburg. Until the Reformation (until 1568) Naumburg was the seat of the bishops. The last Catholic bishop was Julius von Pflug. The foundation of the Cathedral school is dated to 1030. Naumburg is known as a town since 1144.

Naumburg was a significant trading centre on the Via Regia in the Middle Ages, especially through the Naumburger Trade Fairs, first known to have taken place in 1278. The emergence of leipzig as a trade-fair centre from 1500 and the Thirty Year War adversely affected the Naumburg economy.

The territory of the parish which was secularised in middle of the 16th century was handed over to the Dukes of Saxony, who administered the district through a government endowment(Stiftsregierung) and later provided Administrators.

After the fraternal competition between the four brothers of John George I Elector of Saxony in 1657 the Naumburger administrative area belonged to the secondogeniture area of Saxony-Zeitz, which the youngest son Moritz inherited.

Before the Moritzburg was built in Zeitz, the Naumburger city castle served as the residence of this line. This period came to an end with the death of the last Protestant representative of the line Saxony-Zeitz in the year 1718. The Naumburger administrative area reverted to the Dresdner Dukes of Saxony, it was thereby fully integrated into the albertine Saxony, however it remained until 1815 the seat of its own administrative authority (e.g. Consistory of the area Naumburg-Zeitz). After the Vienna Congress in 1815 Naumburg was ceded to Prussia and in 1832 cathedral sovereignty.

In 1846 the town was connected to the rail track from Halle to Erfurt, in 1889 to Artern and eventually in 1900 to Teuchern. On the 15th September 1892 Naumburg received a tramline, which was powered with steam for the first years. From the 2nd January 1907 it was converted to electrical operation.

Although industrialisation was only weakly developed, a Workers' club was founded in 1848. During the 1920 Kapp Putsch 5 workers were killed. The establishment of the local Communist Party followed in December 1920. In the German Democratic Republic Naumburg was a site of mechanical engineering, pharmaceutical industry and the metal and shoe industries. Additionally, Naumburg was used as a garrison town by the Soviet Air Force. Unofficial figures are given that one Soviet soldier per inhabitant was stationed in the barracks in Naumburg. The political changes in 1989 led to many demonstrations and gatherings in the churches of the city.

Naumburg was founded by the margraves of Meissen around 1000 CE. Later it was ceded to the bishops of Zeitz, when the diocese seat was moved here in 1028. In 1142 it received town rights.

In the 15th century Naumburg was a free member of the Hanseatic League but, in 1564, it was conquered by Saxony, to which remained until 1815, when became part of Prussia.

Historical population levels(ab 1960 31. December):

1300 - ca. 3000
1755 - 6.987
1840 - 12.674
1875 - 16.258
1880 - 17.868
1890 - 19.807
1925 - 29.337

1933 - 31.427
1939 - 36.940
1946 - 41.379 1
1950 - 40.595 2
1960 - 37.377
1981 - 33.585
1984 - 32.610

1995 - 30.867
1997 - 30.530
2000 - 30.399
2001 - 30.388
2002 - 30.279
2003 - 29.933
2004 - 29.927
2006 - 29.521 3

1 29. October
2 31. August
3 30. June

[edit] Main sights

Naumburg in 1900

Naumburg Cathedral

The most important architectural landmark of the town is the St. Peter and Paul Cathedral (also known as Naumburger Dom), an impressive late Romanesque and Gothic Cathedral, built between the 13th and 15th centuries. The early Gothic western gallery was built in 1250. The eastern gallery was added in the high gothic style in the first half of the 14th Century. The Romanesque Crypt under the east gallery was established around 1170 and was part of an earlier building. Both of the east spires are comprised of eight sided levels and have Baroque canopies. The pulpit dates from 1466. The southwest spire was initially completed in 1884; both west spires beside the west gallery are closely modelled on the spires of the cathedrals of Laon and Bamberg.

Its interior includes glass windows from the Middle Ages, as well as the famous 13th century statues of the founders of the cathedral, Margrave Ekkehard and his wife Uta, with other local noblemen and women.

The western tower is open to the public from Easter 2007, having been closed for some time for renovations.

Other attractions include:

The late Gothic town hall (Rathaus).
The late Renaissance residence of the Duke Moritz of Saxony-Zeitz.
The Gothic St. Wenceslas Church, which displays paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder and the Hildebrandt organ that Johann Sebastian Bach played on.
The former bishop's castle Schönburg, which overlooks the town and the Saale River.