Merseburg

Merseburg
Merseburger Schloss
Coat of arms
Merseburg
Location of Merseburg within Saalekreis district
Coordinates: 51°22′0″N 12°00′0″E / 51.36667°N 12.00000°E / 51.36667; 12.00000Coordinates: 51°22′0″N 12°00′0″E / 51.36667°N 12.00000°E / 51.36667; 12.00000
Country	Germany
State	Saxony-Anhalt
District	Saalekreis
Government
• Lord Mayor	Jens Bühlingen (CDU)
Area
• Total	54.73 km2 (21.13 sq mi)
Population (2012-12-31)[1]
• Total	33,520
• Density	610/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	06217
Dialling codes	03461
Vehicle registration	SK, MER, MQ, QFT
Website	www.merseburg.de

Merseburg ([ˈmɛɐzəbʊrk]) is a town in the south of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt on the river Saale, approx. 14 km south of Halle (Saale). It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a diocese founded by Archbishop Adalbert of Magdeburg. The University of Merseburg is located within the town.

Names

• Czech: Merseburk, Meziboř
• French: Mersebourg
• German: Merseburg
• Latin: Merseburga
• Polish: Międzybórz
• Sorbian: Mjezybor

History

Pre-history and Middle Ages

Merseburg was first mentioned in 850. King Henry the Fowler built a royal palace at Merseburg; in the 933 Battle of Riade, he gained his great victory over the Hungarians in the vicinity.

Thietmar of Merseburg, appointed in 973, became the first bishop of the newly created bishopric of Prague in Bohemia. Prague had been part of the archbishopric of Mainz for a hundred years before that. From 968 until the Protestant Reformation, Merseburg was the seat of the Bishop of Merseburg, and in addition to being for a time the residence of the margraves of Meissen, it was a favorite residence of the German kings during the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries. Fifteen diets were held here during the Middle Ages, during which time its fairs enjoyed the importance which was afterwards transferred to those of Leipzig. Merseburg was the site of a failed assassination attempt on Polish ruler Bolesław I Chrobry in 1002.^[2] The town suffered severely during the German Peasants' War and also during the Thirty Years' War.

Merseburg in 1650

17th century to 20th century

From 1657 to 1738 Merseburg was the residence of the Dukes of Saxe-Merseburg, after which it fell to the Electorate of Saxony. In 1815 following the Napoleonic Wars, the town became part of the Prussian Province of Saxony.

Merseburg is where the Merseburg Incantations were rediscovered in 1841. Written down in Old High German, they are hitherto the only preserved German documents with a heathen theme. One of them is a charm to release warriors caught during battle, and the other is a charm to heal a horse's sprained foot.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Merseburg was transformed into an industrial town, largely due to the pioneering work done by Carl Bosch and Friedrich Bergius, who laid down the scientific fundamentals of the catalytic high-pressure ammonia synthesis from 1909 to 1913. Enterprises, too, blazed a trail in the course of the transformational process. Ultimately, a chemical park emerged at nearby Leuna which is one of the most modern sites of its kind in Europe with high ecological standards.

Merseburg was badly damaged in World War II. In 23 air raids 6,200 dwellings were completely or partly destroyed.^[3] The historic town centre was almost completely destroyed.

Briefly part of Saxony-Anhalt after the war, it was then administered within the Bezirk Halle in East Germany. It became part of Saxony-Anhalt again after reunification of Germany.

Historical population

Like many towns in the former East Germany, Merseburg has had a general decline in population since German Reunification despite annexing and merging with a number of smaller nearby villages.

Population of Merseburg (from 1960, population on 31 December, unless otherwise indicated):

1834 to 1933 1834: 08,830 1875: 13,664 1880: 15,205 1890: 17,669 1925: 25,630 1933: 31,576

1939 to 1984 1939: 38,058 1946: 33,978 1 1950: 38,441 2 1960: 47,199 1981: 50,932 1984: 48,399

1990 to 2007 1990: 43,815 3 1995: 41,576 2000: 37,127 2005: 34,581 2006: 34,411 2007: 34,039 4

from 2008 2008: 34,623 2009: 34,313 2010: 35,419

Data source from 1990: Statistical Office of Saxony Anhalt
1 29 October
2 31 August
3 3 October
4 14 July 2008

Annexations

Venenien was annexed into Merseburg on 1 January 1949. The parish Kötzschen followed on 1 July 1950. Since 30 May 1994, Meuschau is part of Merseburg.^[4] Trebnitz followed later. Beuna was annexed on 1 January 2009.^[5] Geusa is a part of Merseburg since 1 January 2010.^[6]

Main sights

Among the notable buildings of Merseburg are the Merseburg Cathedral of St John the Baptist (founded 1015, rebuilt in the 13th and 16th centuries) and the episcopal palace (15th century).

The cathedral-and-palace ensemble with its palace garden (Schlossgarten), Merseburg House of Trades with a cultural stage and the German Museum of Chemistry, Merseburg, all bear witness to Merseburg’s history. The Merseburg Palace Festival with the Historical Pageant, the International Palace-Moat Concerts, Merseburg Organ Days and the Puppet Show Festival Week are events celebrated every year.

Notable residents

• Thietmar of Merseburg, bishop and chronist
• Thilo of Trotha, bishop, known through the local legend of the raven
• Johannes Knolleisen, canon
• Ernst Haeckel, biologist
• Lucian Müller, classical scholar
• Klaus Tennstedt, conductor
• Elisabeth Schumann, singer
• Karl Adolph von Basedow, physician
• Jawed Karim, YouTube co-founder
• Szymon Bogumił Zug, architect and designer of gardens

International relations

Merseburg is twinned with:

• Châtillon, France
• Genzano di Roma, Italy
• Bottrop, Germany

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Merseburg.

• Official website (German)

Towns and municipalities in the district of Saalekreis Bad Dürrenberg Bad Lauchstädt Barnstädt Braunsbedra Farnstädt Kabelsketal Landsberg Leuna Merseburg Mücheln Nemsdorf-Göhrendorf Obhausen Petersberg Querfurt Salzatal Schkopau Schraplau Steigra Teutschenthal Wettin-Löbejün