Clausthal-Zellerfeld

Clausthal-Zellerfeld

Church in 2005

Coat of arms
Clausthal-Zellerfeld

Coordinates: 51°48′18″N 10°20′08″E / 51.80500°N 10.33556°E / 51.80500; 10.33556Coordinates: 51°48′18″N 10°20′08″E / 51.80500°N 10.33556°E / 51.80500; 10.33556
Country Germany
State Lower Saxony
District Goslar
Government
 • Mayor Wolfgang Mönkemeyer (CDU)
Area
 • Total 43.71 km2 (16.88 sq mi)
Elevation 560 m (1,840 ft)
Population (2015-12-31)[1]
 • Total 15,818
 • Density 360/km2 (940/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 38678
Dialling codes 05323
Vehicle registration GS, BRL, CLZ
Website www.samtgemeinde-
oberharz.de

Clausthal-Zellerfeld is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the southwestern part of the Harz mountains. Its population is approximately 15,000. Clausthal-Zellerfeld was the seat of the former Samtgemeinde ("collective municipality") Oberharz.

Geography

City districts

History

Clausthal-Zellerfeld originally consisted of two towns which were merged in 1924 to form an administrative unit. Clausthal is well known for the old Clausthal University of Technology and its magnificent buildings, while Zellerfeld is a typical tourist resort for hikers and winter sportsmen. Clausthal-Zellerfeld is the largest town in the area that is situated in the mountains rather than on the edge.

Mining in the area began in the 16th century. Modern wire rope was invented to service the iron mines in the 1830s by the German mining engineer Wilhelm Albert in the years between 1831 and 1834 for use in mining in the Harz Mountains in Clausthal. It was quickly accepted because it proved superior to ropes made of hemp or to metal chains, such as had been used before and soon found its way into diverse applications, including most notably, suspension bridges. The Innerste Valley Railway was inaugurated in 1877 and extended to Altenau in 1914. The large station building and 70 other buildings in the town were destroyed in an air raid on 7 October 1944.[2] 92 people lost their lives.

Mining activity halted in 1930 because the ore deposits were exhausted. Today, there are large remains of mines in the surrounding Harz region, some of which are now museums. The railway line was closed in 1976. The former railway station, which was rebuilt from 1961-1963 after being destroyed in 1944, houses the tourist information and the municipal library today.

The Clausthal University of Technology was established in 1775 for the education of mining engineers. Today, it is a technical university for teaching engineering.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
182111,757—    
184814,739+25.4%
187114,080−4.5%
188513,917−1.2%
190513,758−1.1%
192512,973−5.7%
193311,855−8.6%
193911,788−0.6%
194615,786+33.9%
195017,643+11.8%
195615,585−11.7%
196115,849+1.7%
196816,468+3.9%
197015,714−4.6%
197516,690+6.2%
198016,270−2.5%
198516,250−0.1%
199017,061+5.0%
199516,703−2.1%
200015,413−7.7%
200515,075−2.2%
201014,579−3.3%
201112,798−12.2%
201212,772−0.2%
201312,923+1.2%
Former railway station

Politics

Town council

2006 local elections:

Culture and sights

Dietzel House dating from 1674, which now also houses the tourist information office

Museums

Buildings

Persons

People from Clausthal-Zellerfeld

House where Robert Koch was born
Robert Koch

Notable people associated with Clausthal-Zellerfeld

Arnold Sommerfeld 1897

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Clausthal-Zellerfeld is twinned with:

References

  1. ↑ Landesbetrieb für Statistik und Kommunikationstechnologie Niedersachsen, 102 Bevölkerung - Basis Zensus 2011, Stand 31. Dezember 2015 (Tabelle K1020014)
  2. ↑ Evert Heusinkveld. Die Innerstetalbahn Langelsheim - Altenau, p. 11. Nordhorn 2007
  3. ↑ "L'Aigle découverte - Nos villes jumelles". Ville de L'Aigle. Archived from the original on 2013-08-01. Retrieved 2013-07-20.
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