Elze | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Elze within Hildesheim district  | |
 Location of Elze | |
  Elze  Elze | |
| Coordinates:52°7′N09°44′E / 52.117°N 9.733°E /52.117; 9.733 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Lower Saxony |
| District | Hildesheim |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–25) | Wolfgang Schurmann[1] (CDU) |
| Area | |
• Total | 47.81 km2 (18.46 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 79 m (259 ft) |
| Population (2023-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 9,252 |
| • Density | 193.5/km2 (501.2/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 31008 |
| Dialling codes | 05068 |
| Vehicle registration | HI |
| Website | www.elze.de |
Elze (German pronunciation:[ˈɛltsə]ⓘ) is a town in thedistrict of Hildesheim, inLower Saxony,Germany. It is situated on the riverLeine, approximately 15 km (9.3 mi) west ofHildesheim. The municipality of Elze also comprises the villages ofEsbeck, Mehle, Sehlde, Sorsum, Wittenburg andWülfingen.
Elze is one of the oldest settlement in the area, as its name stems fromLatin:aula caesaris, a castle ofCharlemagne which he had established about 800 in theSaxon estates after his victory over dukeWidukind in theSaxon Wars. The emperor also founded a missionary diocese here, dedicated toSaints Peter and Paul which became the origin of theBishopric of Hildesheim. KingLouis the Pious relocated the episcopal see to Hildesheim in 815, however theLutheran parish church is still devoted to Peter and Paul and the saints are also depicted in the town's coat of arms.
The village ofWittenburg is the site of a formerAugustininancanons regular monastery, established in the 14th century in the place of a former castle, maybe erected by members of theBillung dynasty as early as 805. The abbey decayed in the course of theProtestant Reformation, while theGothic monastery church is preserved.
In 1856 theKingdom of Hanover opened theHanoverian Southern Railway (Hannöversche Südbahn) fromHanover toKassel with a station in Elze. After the annexation byPrussia in 1866, the town became an important railway junction with the building of theElze–Löhne railway (Weserbahn) toLöhne inWestphalia by entrepreneurBethel Henry Strousberg, finished in 1875. Elze is also the junction of theBundesstraße 1 andBundesstraße 3 federal highways.
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