Osnabrück
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| Osnabrück | |
| Coat of arms | Location |
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| Administration | |
| Country |  Germany |
|---|---|
| State | Lower Saxony |
| District | Urban district |
| Lord Mayor | Boris Pistorius (SPD) |
| Basic statistics | |
| Area | 119.80 km² (46.3 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 63 m (207 ft) |
| Population | 163,357 (30/06/2006) |
| - Density | 1,364 /km² (3,532 /sq mi) |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Licence plate | OS |
| Postal codes | 49074–49090 |
| Area code | 0541 |
| Website | www.osnabrueck.de |
Osnabrück (IPA: [ɔsnaˈbʁʏk]) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehengebirge and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest, which is a series of parallel ridges running SE towards Bielefeld and beyond to Detmold, that makes the generally pretty area attractive to bicycle riders, amongst others. As of June 30, 2006, its population was 163,357, making it the third largest city in Lower Saxony.
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[edit] Name
The first part of the name, "Osna-" can be derived from the Low German words "Osse" (ox). Alternatively it can be derived from Hase, the name of the river flowing through the City. Undoubtedly, it is related to Osning, the old name of Teutoburg Forest. "Brück", the second part of the name, means "Bridge". The city gave name to the textile fabric of Osnaburg (remember: "-burg" means castle and in names, town).
[edit] History
Osnabrück developed as marketplace next to the bishop's see founded by Charlemagne, king of the Franks, 780. Some time before 803, the city became seat of the Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück. Also uncertain, but it makes Osnabrück the oldest bishopric in Saxony. In the year 804 Charlemagne possibly founded the Gymnasium Carolinum (a school), which would make it the oldest Gymnasium. But the charter with the date is disputed and could be a forgery.
In 889 it was given merchant, customs, and coinage privileges by King Arnulf of Carinthia. It is first mentioned as a "city" in records in 1147. Shortly afterwards, in 1157, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa granted the city fortification privileges (Befestigungsrecht). Most of the towers that were part of the medieval fortification are still visible in the city. Osnabrück became a member of the Hanseatic League in the 12th century, as well as a member of the Westphalian Federation of Cities.
The main period of witch hunting in Osnabrück was between 1561 and 1639. In the year 1582 during the reign of major Hammacher (1565-1588) 163 women were killed as alleged witches, most of them burned. During the tenure of major Dr. Pelster between 1636-1639, more than 40 women were killed as witches. In total, 276 women and 2 men were executed after a witch trial for wizardry.
In 1632 a Jesuit university was founded emanating from the Gymnasium Carlinum. One year later it was closed by the Swedish reign of the Prince-Bishop. Between 1643-1648 negotiations in Münster and Osnabrück led to the Peace of Westphalia.
The city passed to the Electorate of Hanover in 1803 during the German Mediatisation and then briefly to the Kingdom of Prussia in 1806. It was part of the Kingdom of Westphalia from 1807-10, after which it passed to the First French Empire. After the Napoleonic Wars, it became part of the Kingdom of Hanover in 1815. Osnabrück was then annexed by Prussia in 1866 after the Austro-Prussian War and administered within the Province of Hanover. The city became part of the new state of Lower Saxony in 1946 after World War II.
[edit] Main sights
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- Town Hall. It houses the Friedensaal, where the Peace of Westphalia was signed.
- St. Peter's Cathedral, founded in the 11th century. It has two façade towers, originally of the same size: in 1502-1543 the south western tower was enlarged, supposedly to make space for new cathedral bells which had been ordered and that turned out to be too large
- Heger Tor ("Heger Gate"), a monument to the soldiers from Osnabrück who died at the battle of Waterloo (1815).
- Bucksturm, the oldest tower in the city, and once part of the city walls. It was once used as prison for women accused of witchcraft.
- Ruwe Fountain" (1985), created for the city's 1200th birthday.
- Gladiator 2000 (1986), a gigantic painture (45 × 6 meters) by Nicolae Covaci.
[edit] Famous people
Personalities from Osnabrück include the writer Erich Maria Remarque and the painter Felix Nussbaum, for whom the city erected a very modern museum designed by Daniel Libeskind that opened in 1998. This looks like a scaled-down version of the same architect's well-known Jewish Museum in Berlin. British King George I was born and raised here, and the poet and scholar Johann Ernst Hanxleden was born in Osnabrück, as was the current Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, Christian Wulff,and reggae musician Gentleman. Victory Records recording artists Waterdown, known for their catchy post-hardcore sound, are based in Osnabrück. Actress Birgitta Tolksdorf, who made a name for herself in American television in the 1970s, as well as Peter van Pels, love interest of famous diarist Anne Frank, and his parents Auguste van Pels and Hermann van Pels, who would later gain fame from their roles in Anne's diary, all hailed from Osnabruck. The famous German stage and screen actor Mathias Wieman (1958 recipient of the Justus-Möser-Medaille) was born and raised in the city. The city is also hometown of well-known European politician and current European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pöttering.
[edit] Education
In addition to the Universität Osnabrück (University of Osnabrück) and the Fachhochschule Osnabrück (University of Applied Science), the Katholische Fachhochschule Norddeutschland (Catholic University of North Germany) has some of its faculties in the city of Osnabrück. Also the school, The Carolinum, is the oldest school in Germany.
[edit] Transportation
The city of Osnabrück is connected by road to the A1, the A30 and the A33. It shares the Münster Osnabrück International Airport together with the nearby city of Münster.
The "Hauptbahnhof" (Main Station) of Osnabrück is an important railway station. Travellers from the Netherlands heading for either Hamburg and Denmark, or Berlin and Eastern Europe, often have to change here.
An extensive bus service operated by Stadtwerke Osnabrück provides transportation within Osnabrück and the surrounding region.[1] The primary bus center is located at the Neumarkt shopping area, a short distance from the train station.
[edit] Districts of Osnabrück
The city is divided into 23 districts:
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[edit] Name
The origin of the name Osnabrück is disputed. The suffix -brück suggests a bridge over or to something (from German Brücke = bridge) but the prefix Osna- is explained in at least two different ways: the traditional explanation is that today's name is a corruption of Ochsenbrücke (meaning "ox' bridge") but others say that it is derived from the name of the Hase River which again is argued to be derived from Asen (Æsir), giving Osnabrück the meaning Bridge to the Gods.[1] The pronunciation of the city's name can also serve as a means of telling if one is a native of Osnabrück or a visitor: most people from Osnabrück stress the last syllable while most people from elsewhere stress the first one.
[edit] Notable residents
- Erich Maria Remarque, famous writer
- Gentleman (musician), a successful Reggae musician
- Heinrich Abeken, German theologian and Prussian Privy Legation Councillor in the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs in Berlin
- Felix Nussbaum, known mostly for his surrealist paintings
- Christian Wulff, Minister-President of Lower Saxony
- Hans Gert Pöttering, President of the European Parliament
- Mathias Wieman, famous actor.
[edit] Twin cities
Haarlem, Netherlands, since 1961
Angers, France, since 1964
Gmünd, Austria, since 1971 (friendship link)
Derby, United Kingdom, since 1976- Greifswald, Germany, since 1988
Tver, Russian Federation, since 1991
Evansville, Indiana, United States, since 1991 (friendship link)
Kwangmyong, Korea, since 1997 (friendship link)
Çanakkale, Turkey, since 2004
Vila Real, Portugal, since 2005
Hefei, China, since 2006 (friendship link)
Osnabrück is the only town in Germany that exchanges envoys with its twin cities. There are currently envoys from Derby, Angers, Haarlem, Çanakkale and Tver working in Osnabrück and envoys from Osnabrück are working in Derby, Angers and Çanakkale.
[edit] External links
- Osnabrueck.de Official website (German)
- City Panoramas
- Photo of the historic Town Hall
- Remarque centre (English) (German)
- University of Osnabrück (German) (German)
[edit] References
- Gerd Steinwascher (editor): Geschichte der Stadt Osnabrück Meinders & Elstermann, Belm 2006, ISBN 3-8892-6007-1
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