Bitburg

Coordinates: 49°58′N 06°32′E / 49.967°N 6.533°E / 49.967; 6.533
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Bitburg
Town
Coat of arms of Bitburg
Coat of arms
Location of Bitburg within Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm district
Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm
Government
 • Mayor (2017–25) Joachim Kandels[1] (CDU)
Area
 • Total47.54 km2 (18.36 sq mi)
Elevation
320 m (1,050 ft)
Population
 (2022-12-31)[2]
 • Total16,852
 • Density350/km2 (920/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
54634
Dialling codes06561
Vehicle registrationBIT
Websitewww.bitburg.de

Bitburg (German pronunciation:

Luxembourg city. The American Spangdahlem Air Base
is nearby.

History

Historical affiliations

County of Luxembourg 1239–1353
Duchy of Luxembourg 1353–1795
French Republic 1795–1804
French Empire 1804–1815
 Kingdom of Prussia 1815–1871
 German Empire 1871–1918
 Weimar Republic 1918–1933
 Nazi Germany 1933–1945
 Allied-occupied Germany 1945–1949
 West Germany 1949–1990
 Germany 1990–present

The city's name derives from its Celtic toponym, Beda.

Bitburg originated approximately 2,000 years ago as a stopover for traffic from Lyon through Metz and Trier to Cologne. The first name mentioned was Vicus Beda. Emperor Constantine the Great expanded the settlement to a road castle around 330, the central part of which forms the town centre today. Bitburg is first documented only after the end of the Roman Empire around 715 as castrum bedense. It subsequently became part of Franconia.

The first mention of Bitburg in historic annals occurred in connection with the signing in 1239 of the Trier-Luxembourg Treaty between Archbishop Theoderich II of Trier and Countess Ermesinde II of Luxemburg, under which the town came under the archbishopric's protection. Bitburg received a town charter in 1262 from Count Henry V of Luxembourg.

In 1443, Bitburg came under the sway of the

Département des Forêts
. This led to a short lived economic upturn, and Bitburg received among other things a court and a land registry.

In 1815, under agreements at the

Duchy of Luxembourg for centuries, transferred to the Kingdom of Prussia, where until 1822 it belonged administratively to the province of Lower Rhine, and afterwards to the Rhine province. With the unification of Germany under Prussian dominance in 1871, Bitburg became part of the German Empire, and after World War I the Weimar Republic
of Germany.

Memorial to soldiers of two world wars

In the interwar years, Bitburg, like most of the

Westwall; new armed forces barracks; and the development of the Nims-Sauer Valley railway. It is said that the building now used as the post office at Bitburg Annex (what is left of Bitburg Air Base) was the headquarters for Adolf Hitler
when he was in the city.

In late December 1944, Bitburg was 85 percent destroyed by Allied bombing attacks, and later officially designated by the U.S. military as a "dead city." Subsequently, the town was occupied by Luxembourg soldiers, who were replaced by French forces in 1955.

In 1952 a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (

Bitburg Air Base over to the city, which devoted it to public works projects. The Nims-Sauer Valley railway was abandoned step by step, beginning in 1969. Parts of it were converted into a bicycle path (Radweg).[3]

In 1985, Bitburg came to international attention due to a ceremonial visit by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl to the nearby Kolmeshöhe Military Cemetery – which among its 2,000 graves included those of 49 members of the Waffen-SS. Chelsea Clinton had written a letter urging President Reagan not to visit the town.[4]

Economics and industry

Bitburger Pilsener

The most widely known Bitburg enterprise, and landmark of the city, is the

hectolitres
(in 2008).

In 1995, the former NATO base was designated the Bitburg Airfield Trade Area, providing commercial development district where 180 enterprises have established themselves.

Transport

Fritz von Wille: Die blaue Blume

Eifel line
(KBS 474). Trains that pass through include:

Points of interest

The Regional Museum of Bitburg-Prüm is housed in a former agricultural school. It contains numerous artifacts of the history of Bitburg and the Eifel Region in general.

In the cultural centre Haus Beda are exhibited works of the Düsseldorf painter Fritz von Wille (1860–1941), the Eifel's most widely known artist. More than 100 paintings are on display, including Die blaue Blume, Mosenberg, Burg Reifferscheid im Winter and Ein klarer Tag.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Bitburg is partnered or

twinned
with:

Born in Bitburg

References

  1. ^ Wahlen der Bürgermeister der verbandsfreien Gemeinden, Landeswahlleiter Rheinland-Pfalz, accessed 30 July 2021.
  2. Statistisches Landesamt Rheinland-Pfalz
    . 2023.
  3. ^ "Nims-Sauertalbahn", Wikipedia (in German), 2022-07-27, retrieved 2023-01-15
  4. ^ "Young Chelsea urged Reagan against Bitburg visit". Timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  5. ^ "Interactive City Directory". Sister Cities International. Archived from the original on 12 March 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2014.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bitburg.
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