Ballenstedt
Ballenstedt | |
---|---|
Location of Ballenstedt within Harz district | |
Coordinates: 51°43′12″N 11°14′15″E / 51.72000°N 11.23750°E | |
Country | Germany |
State | Saxony-Anhalt |
District | Harz |
Government | |
• Mayor (2022–29) | Dr. Michael Knoppik[1] |
Area | |
• Total | 86.61 km2 (33.44 sq mi) |
Elevation | 236 m (774 ft) |
Population (2022-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 8,794 |
• Density | 100/km2 (260/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
Postal codes | 06493 |
Dialling codes | 039483 |
Vehicle registration | HZ |
Website | www.ballenstedt.de |
Ballenstedt is a town in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.
Geography
It is situated at the northern rim of the Harz mountain range, about 10 km (6 mi) southeast of Quedlinburg. The municipal area comprises the villages of Asmusstedt, Badeborn, Opperode, Radisleben, and Rieder. Ballenstedt is a stop on the scenic Romanesque Road.
History
The
Ballenstedt church was mentioned in a charter of 1073
In 1512 the citizens of Ballenstedt were vested with
After the war, the town and the former monastery were rebuilt as a Baroque summer residence by the Ascanian princes of Anhalt-Bernburg. In 1765 the enlightened prince Frederick Albert completely moved his residence from Bernburg to Ballenstedt Castle and induced a time of prosperity, including the erection of a castle theatre in 1788, the oldest theatre in Saxony-Anhalt and the domain of composers like Albert Lortzing and Franz Liszt.
A part of the re-unified Duchy of Anhalt from 1863 on, Ballenstedt became known as a residential town for the well-to-do retired like Princess Friederike of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, who died at Ballenstedt Castle in 1902, or the painter and author Wilhelm von Kügelgen, whose house is now a museum.
Politics
This section needs to be updated.(July 2021) |
Seats in the municipal assembly (Stadtrat) as of 2004 elections:
- Christian Democratic Union: 8 (41.2%)
- The Left: 4 (18.2%)
- Free Voters: 3 (12.6%)
- Free Democratic Party: 3 (12.5%)
- Social Democratic Party of Germany: 1 (7.5%)
- Independent: 1 (5.4%)
The coat of arms is derived from the insignia of the Counts of Ballenstedt, which is also the origin of the coat of arms of Saxony. It was first manifested in 1560 after Ballenstedt received town rights.
Places of interest
- Albert the Bear
- Castle Park: created by Peter Joseph Lenné; castle and castle park belong to the Saxony-Anhalt Garden Dreams project
- Ballenstedt Castle Theatre: played by Albert Lortzing and Franz Liszt
- Großer Gasthof castle hotel: originally built in 1733 as an armoury, converted in 1756 by the Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel ducal master builder, Martin Peltier de Belfort, into a guest house
- Local History Museum, opposite the Großer Gasthof in the upper part of the avenue
- Kügelgen House, Kügelgenstr. 35a
- Yellow House (Gelbes Haus), on the exit to the town towards Rieder, built as a roadside toll house
- Allee: representative, a kilometre long approach to the castle, centre point of the town
- Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus): timber-framed building erected in 1683
- New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus): representative building, built in 1906 based on a design by Berlin architect Alfred Messel
- St. Nicholas' Church: Late Gothic church, built in 1326, burnt down in 1498, rebuilt in 1501
- Town wall, can still be seen in Wallstraße
- Wall towers along the town wall (Oberturm, Unterturm, Marktturm – the latter is accessible, key in the restaurant opposite)
- Swimming baths, built 1907-08
- Teufelsmauer (Harz)
- Gegensteine nature reserve
- Bismarck Tower, Opperode
- Roseburg (castle)
- Oberhof Ballenstedt
Transport
Ballenstedt is located at the Bundesstraße (federal highway) 185, leading to the Bundesstraße 6 and the Bundesautobahn 14. Train service was suspended in 2003. A small asphalt runway is about 5 km (3 mi) outside the town.
Notable people
Born in Ballenstedt
- Uta von Ballenstedt (1000 - before 1046), founder of the Naumburg Cathedral
- Johann Arndt (1555-1621), theologian
- Pauline zur Lippe(1769-1820), regent of the Principality of Lippe
- Caroline Bardua (1781-1864), painter
- Princess Louise of Anhalt-Bernburg(1799-1882), Princess of Prussia
- Gustav Strube (1867-1953), composer
- Rear Admiral
- Wilhelm Thiele (1897-1990), politician (NSDAP)
- Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt (1898-1983), Princess
- Eduard, Prince of Anhalt(born 1941), since 1963 head of the house Anhalt-Ascania
- Justus Pfaue (1942-2014), novelist and screenwriter
- Eckhard Lesse (born 1948), long-distance runner
Died in Ballenstedt
- Karl Christian Agthe, composer, born 16 June 1762 in Hettstedt, died 27 November 1797
- Wilhelm von Kügelgen, painter, born 20 November 1802 in Saint Petersburg, died 25 May 1867
- Wilhelm Vöge, art historian, born 16 February 1868 in Bremen, died 30 December 1952.
Twin towns
- Kronberg im Taunus, Germany
References
- Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen-Anhalt, accessed 10 November 2022.
- Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen-Anhalt. June 2023.
- ^ "DFG-Viewer: (König Heinrich IV.)". dfg-viewer.de.
External links
- Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). 1911. .
- Ballenstedt-Blog.de (german)
- Ballenstedt-Blog.de (english)