Venenien was incorporated into Merseburg on 1 January 1949. The parish Kötzschen followed on 1 July 1950.[4] Since 30 May 1994, Meuschau is part of Merseburg.[5] Trebnitz, previously part ofKreypau, followed in 2003.[6]Beuna was annexed on 1 January 2009.[7]Geusa is a part of Merseburg since 1 January 2010.[8]
Merseburg was first mentioned in 850. KingHenry the Fowler built a royal palace at Merseburg; in the 933Battle of Riade, he gained his great victory over theHungarians in the vicinity.
Thietmar, appointed in 973, became the first bishop of the newly createdbishopric of Prague inBohemia. Prague had been part of thearchbishopric of Mainz for a hundred years before that. From 968 until theProtestant Reformation, Merseburg was the seat of theBishop of Merseburg, and in addition to being for a time the residence of themargraves of Meissen, it was a favorite residence of the German kings during the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries. Fifteendiets were held here during the Middle Ages, during which time its fairs enjoyed the importance which was afterwards transferred to those ofLeipzig. After Ekkehard's treacherous death on 3 April 1002,Bolesław I Chrobry took Merseburg and Meissen, and then Milsko with Bautzen and Strehla, with the help of the local Slavic population. The German princes accepted the sovereignty of the Polish prince in these areas. Some historians believe that since the convention in Gniezno, the Brave might have had certain rights to the German throne after Otto III, guaranteed by some succession document. Merseburg was later the site of a failed assassination attempt on Polish rulerBolesław I Chrobry in 1002.[9] The town suffered severely during theGerman Peasants' War and also during theThirty Years' War.
Merseburg is where theMerseburg Incantations were rediscovered in 1841. Written down inOld High German, they are hitherto the only preserved German documents with a heathen theme. One of them is a charm to release warriors caught during battle, and the other is a charm to heal a horse's sprained foot.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Merseburg was transformed into an industrial town, largely due to the pioneering work done byCarl Bosch andFriedrich Bergius, who laid down the scientific fundamentals of the catalytic high-pressureammonia synthesis from 1909 to 1913. The nearbyLeuna works continue this tradition of chemical industry.[10] TheMerseburger Tageblatt was published as a local newspaper in Merseburg.
Merseburg was badly damaged inWorld War II. In 23 air raids, 6,200 dwellings were completely or partly destroyed.[11] The historic town centre was almost completely destroyed.
Like many towns in the former East Germany, Merseburg has had a general decline in population since German Reunification despite annexing and merging with a number of smaller nearby villages.
Population of Merseburg(from 1960, population on 31 December, unless otherwise indicated):
1834 to 1933
1834:08,830
1875: 13,664
1880: 15,205
1890: 17,669
1925: 25,630
1933: 31,576
1939 to 1984
1939: 38,058
1946: 33,9781
1950: 38,4412
1960: 47,199
1981: 50,932
1984: 48,399
1990 to 2007
1990: 43,8153
1995: 41,576
2000: 37,127
2005: 34,581
2006: 34,411
2007: 34,0394
from 2008
2008: 34,623
2009: 34,313
2010: 35,419
2012 33,520
2015 34,052
from 2016
2016 33,931
2017 34,197
2021: 34,785
2022: 35,815
Data source from 1990: Statistical Office of Saxony Anhalt 1 29 October 2 31 August 3 3 October 4 14 July 2008
Among the notable buildings of Merseburg are theMerseburg Cathedral of StJohn the Baptist (founded 1015, rebuilt in the 13th and 16th centuries) and the episcopal palace (15th century). The cathedral-and-palace ensemble also features a palace garden.
Other sights include the Merseburg House of Trades with a cultural stage and the German Museum of Chemistry, Merseburg.
The Merseburg Palace Festival with the Historical Pageant, the International Palace-Moat Concerts, Merseburg Organ Days and the Puppet Show Festival Week are events celebrated every year.
^Gemeinden 1994 und ihre Veränderungen seit 01.01.1948 in den neuen Ländern, Verlag Metzler-Poeschel, Stuttgart, 1995,ISBN3-8246-0321-7, Herausgeber: Statistisches Bundesamt
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