Bad Gandersheim

Bad Gandersheim
Town
Coat of arms
Location of Bad Gandersheim within Northeim district
Bad Gandersheim Show map of Germany Bad Gandersheim Show map of Lower Saxony
Coordinates: 51°52′19″N 10°1′31″E / 51.87194°N 10.02528°E / 51.87194; 10.02528
Country	Germany
State	Lower Saxony
District	Northeim
Government
• Mayor (2021–26)	Franziska Schwarz[1] (SPD)
Area
• Total	9.049 km2 (3.494 sq mi)
Elevation	143 m (469 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31)[2]
• Total	9,552
• Density	1,100/km2 (2,700/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	37575–37581
Dialling codes	05382
Vehicle registration	NOM, EIN, GAN
Website	www.bad-gandersheim.de

Bad Gandersheim (

In the late 19th century, the town began to become known for the curative powers of its mineral springs, and in 1932 Gandersheim received the official right to call itself a spa town, thus Bad Gandersheim, on account of these springs.

In the summer of 1926 there was a three-day "Roswitha Memorial Celebration in 1000-year old Gandersheim". This was the first time the medieval author was used as a symbolic figure for the town. Similar celebrations took place in 1930 and 1933; these had clear national-socialist themes: "German Culture" versus "Jewish-Communist Decadence."

During World War 2, from October 1944 to April 1945, the town was the site of a subcamp of the Buchenwald Concentration Camp that produced aircraft parts.

In 1952, the town celebrated the 1100-year jubilee of the founding of the monastery by Liudolf. A history play, The Song of Gandersheim, was presented in the market square. This was the unofficial prelude to the summer festival Gandersheimer Domfestspiele, which has been presented yearly on the plaza in front of the abbey church since 1959. Since this time, it has established itself as Lower Saxony's largest professional summer theatre festival. In 2006, its four major productions were attended by approximately 55,000 theatre visitors.

Mayors

• 1968–1970: Hans-Dieter Gottschalk (1932-2005)
• 1974–1986: Heinz Köhler (1919-2010)
• 1986–1991: Uwe Schwarz (SPD)
• 1991–1996: Rudolf Hermes (CDU)
• 1996–2001: Uwe Schwarz (SPD)
• 2001–2014: Heinz-Gerhard Ehmen (independent)
• 2014-incumbent: Franziska Schwarz (SPD)

Twin towns

• Rotselaar, Belgium
• Skegness, United Kingdom

Notable residents

• Hrotsvitha (c. 935–973), secular canoness who wrote drama and Christian poetry
• Wilhelm Keitel (1882-1946), field marshal of Nazi Germany, executed for war crimes
• Bodewin Keitel (1888-1953), general, brother of Wilhelm Keitel
• Herbert Otto Gille
  (1897-1966), general of the Waffen-SS
• Wolfgang Liebe (1911-2005), an aircraft engineer, aerodynamics, inventor of the wing fence
• Wolfgang Schöne (born 1940), a bass-baritone in opera and concert.

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Bad Gandersheim.

• Official website (in German)

References