Osterwieck | |
|---|---|
 View over Osterwieck and Harz range | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Osterwieck within Harz district  | |
  Osterwieck  Osterwieck | |
| Coordinates:51°58′N10°43′E / 51.967°N 10.717°E /51.967; 10.717 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Saxony-Anhalt |
| District | Harz |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2021–28) | Dirk Heinemann[1] (SPD) |
| Area | |
• Total | 212.67 km2 (82.11 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 123 m (404 ft) |
| Population (2022-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 10,898 |
| • Density | 51/km2 (130/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 38835 |
| Dialling codes | 039421, 039422, 039458 |
| Vehicle registration | HZ |
| Website | www |
Osterwieck (pronunciationⓘ) is a historictown in theHarz district, in theGerman state ofSaxony-Anhalt.
The municipal area stretches along the riverIlse, north ofWernigerode and theHarz mountain range.
The town Osterwieck consists of the followingOrtschaften or municipal divisions:[3]
TheAltstadt (Old Town) with St. Stephen's Church is a stop on the scenicGerman Timber-Frame Road and on theRomanesque Road.
The settlement was first mentioned about 780 whenCharlemagne in course of theSaxon Wars crossed theOker river and had a church dedicated toSaint Stephen erected at a place then calledSalingenstede. This church became a centre of the Christian mission among the paganSaxons, overseen byHildegrim of Châlons, and the origin of the laterBishopric of Halberstadt. On 1 April 974, EmperorOtto II issued a deed grantingmarket andmint rights toSeligenstadt, this is commonly regarded as the date of the town's foundation.
The name Osterwieck was first mentioned in a 1073 letter by ArchbishopLiemar of Bremen to BishopBurchard II of Halberstadt. Destroyed by a blaze in 1511, the town was rebuilt and today features an ensemble of about 400Fachwerk buildings. The nave of the St. Stephen Church erected in the 16th century is one of the oldestProtestant church buildings, while itsRomanesque twin steeples date back to 1100.
On 1 January 2010 the former municipalitiesAue-Fallstein,Berßel,Bühne,Lüttgenrode,Rhoden,Schauen, andWülperode were merged into Osterwieck.[4] TheVerwaltungsgemeinschaftOsterwieck-Fallstein was disbanded at the same time.
Seats in the town's council (Stadtrat) as of 2014 local elections:
Osterwieck istwinned with:
Hornburg, Germany
Ardouval,Les Grandes-Ventes,Lisses andSaint-Hellier in theSeine-Maritimedépartement, France
(in German)
Towns and municipalities in the district ofHarz | ||
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