Eisleben

Coordinates: 51°31′43″N 11°32′48″E / 51.52861°N 11.54667°E / 51.52861; 11.54667
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eisleben
Town
Coat of arms of Eisleben
Coat of arms
Location of Eisleben within Mansfeld-Südharz district
SalzlandkreisHarz (district)SaalekreisThuringiaSaxony-AnhaltGerbstedtAllstedtSeegebiet Mansfelder LandSüdharzAhlsdorfBenndorfBlankenheimBornstedtHelbraHergisdorfKlostermansfeldWimmelburgEislebenHettstedtMansfeldSangerhausenSangerhausenBergaBrücken-HackpfüffelEderslebenKelbraWallhausenArnstein
Mansfeld-Südharz
Subdivisions6
Government
 • Mayor (2019–26) Carsten Staub[1] (CDU)
Area
 • Total143.81 km2 (55.53 sq mi)
Elevation
114 m (374 ft)
Population
 (2022-12-31)[2]
 • Total22,639
 • Density160/km2 (410/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
06295
Dialling codes03475, 034773, 034776
Vehicle registrationMSH, EIL, HET, ML, SGH
Websitewww.eisleben.eu

Eisleben is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is famous as both the hometown of the influential theologian Martin Luther and the place where he died; hence, its official name is Lutherstadt Eisleben.

First mentioned in the late 10th century, Eisleben is divided into the old town of Alstadt, and new town of Neustadt. Neustadt was created for Eisleben's miners in the 14th century. As of 2020, Eisleben had a population of 22,668. It lies on the

Halle–Kassel railway
.

History

Eisleben was first mentioned in 997 as a market called Islebia, and in 1180 as a town. The

Protestant Reformation, Count Hoyer VI of Mansfeld-Vorderort (1477–1540) remained loyal to his Catholic faith, but the family's Mittelort and Hinterort branches sided with Martin Luther
.

The

Thirty Years War. Count Albert VII of Mansfeld-Hinterort (1480–1560) signed the Protestant Augsburg Confession in 1530 and joined the Schmalkaldic League, a defensive confederation of Protestant princes which ultimately lost the Schmalkaldic War over Saxony to the forces of Emperor Charles V
but gained Lutheranism's recognition as an official religion within the Holy Roman Empire, letting princes determine the official religion within their lands.

After the

Dukes of Württemberg
. She died in 1601, terminating the family's Mittelort branch.

In 1574, the surviving Mansfeld counts Hans Hoyer, Hans Georg, Hans Albrecht and Bruno concluded an agreement with the

Elector of Brandenburg
.

20th century

The Prussian Province of Saxony became part of the Free State of Prussia after World War I. It was the scene of fighting during the March Action in 1921.

On 6 June 1927, American aviator

Charles Albert Levine was the passenger), and breaking Charles Lindbergh's distance record that set only two weeks earlier in Paris
.

In 1947, after

Verwaltungsgemeinschaft ("collective municipality") Lutherstadt Eisleben
.

21st century

Between 2004 and 2010, the town Eisleben absorbed 10 former municipalities: Volkstedt in 2004,[3] Rothenschirmbach and Wolferode in 2005,[4] Polleben and Unterrißdorf in 2006,[5] Bischofrode, Osterhausen and Schmalzerode in 2009,[6] and Burgsdorf and Hedersleben in 2010.[7]

Historical population

The population has been declining since the mid-1960s due to declining birth rates and outward migration,[8] although the municipal area has been enlarged several times by merging with neighboring districts.[9]

Year 1964 1971 1981 1989 1995 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008
Inhabitants* 44,773 41,682 37,330 35,374 31,882 29,526 28,848 28,040 27,037 26,190
Year 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Inhabitants* 25,489 25,380 24,384 24,284 24,346 24,198
* population as of 31 December, except for 1964–1981: census

Geography

The town Eisleben consists of Eisleben proper and the following 11 Ortschaften or municipal divisions:[10]

Helfta

Main article: Monastery of Helfta
Convent of Our Lady, Helfta

The Counts of Mansfield in 1229 endowed a nunnery on the grounds of their castle, then built another monastery at Helfta near Eisleben, which was founded in 1258. Governed under either

Diocese of Magdeburg bought the property using donations from all over the world and soon began restoration. Cistercian nuns from Seligenthal in Bavaria moved into the cloister starting circa 1999,[11] Since 2006 Helfta has been on the southern portion of a major European cultural route, the Romanesque Road
.

Martin Luther

Luther Memorials in Eisleben
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Part ofLuther Memorials in Eisleben and Wittenberg
Includes
  1. Luther's birthplace
  2. The house in which Luther died
CriteriaCultural: (iv)(vi)
Reference783
Inscription1996 (20th Session)
Area0.20 ha (22,000 sq ft)
Buffer zone1.93 ha (208,000 sq ft)

The

Hans Luther, was a miner like many in Eisleben. Luther's family moved to Mansfeld when he was only a year old and he lived in Wittenberg
most of his life. Seemingly by chance Luther preached his last sermon and died in Eisleben in 1546.

Eisleben took steps to preserve its Luther memorials as far back as 1689, and pioneered "heritage tourism." Danish poet Hans Christian Andersen came to Eisleben while researching Lutheran links as well as touring through Saxony and the Harz Mountains in 1831.[12]

In 1997, Martin Luther's "

World Heritage Site, together with the Luther sites in Wittenberg, because of their testimony to the lasting worldwide effects of Luther's religious and political reforms.[13]
Also, Luther was baptised in Eisleben's St. Peter and Paul Church (the original font survives) and preached his last sermons at St. Andreas Church, both of which continue in use.

Notable people

Martin Luther as a monk in 1520
Friedrich August von Quenstedt in 1868

Twin towns – sister cities

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

Eisleben is twinned with:[14]

References

  1. Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen-Anhalt
    , accessed 8 July 2021.
  2. Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen-Anhalt
    . June 2023.
  3. Statistisches Bundesamt
  4. Statistisches Bundesamt
  5. Statistisches Bundesamt
  6. Statistisches Bundesamt
  7. Statistisches Bundesamt
  8. ^ Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen-Anhalt: Lutherstadt Eisleben – Landkreis Mansfeld-Südharz. Bevölkerungsstand (seit 1964) und Bevölkerungsbewegungen. Archived 12 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine Update: 27 July 2016. In: statistik.sachsen-anhalt.de, retrieved 8 August 2016.
  9. Statistisches Bundesamt
    , see 2004, 2005, 2006, 1 January 2009 and 2010.
  10. ^ Hauptsatzung der Lutherstadt Eisleben, § 18, November 2020.
  11. ^ Witt, Claudia. "The History Of The Convent Of Helfta". Archived from the original on 3 February 2014.
  12. ^ Mogens Brøndsted, Sven Hakon Rossel, Hans Christian Andersen (Rodopi, 1996) p. 141
  13. ^ "Luther Memorials in Eisleben and Wittenberg". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  14. ^ "Städtepartnerschaften". eisleben.eu (in German). Eisleben. Retrieved 10 March 2021.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eisleben.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Eisleben.
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