Halberstadt

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Halberstadt

Coat of arms	Location

Administration
Country	Germany
State	Saxony-Anhalt
District	Harz
Town subdivisions	5
Mayor	Andreas Henke (Left)
Basic statistics
Area	82.22 km² (31.7 sq mi)
Elevation	119 m (390 ft)
Population	39,318 (31/12/2006)
- Density	478 /km² (1,239 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	HZ
Postal code	38820
Area code	03941
Website	www.halberstadt.de Coordinates: 51°53′45″N 11°2′48″E / 51.89583, 11.04667

Halberstadt is a city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt and the capital of the district of Harz.

The city was severely damaged in World War II, but retains many important historic buildings and much of its ancient townscape. Notable places in Halberstadt include the Liebfrauenkirche and St. Stephen Cathedral, churches built in the 12th and 13th centuries, respectively. The cathedral is notable among those in northern European cities in having retained its medieval treasury in virtually complete condition. Among its treasures are the oldest surviving tapestries in Europe, dating from the 12th century.^{[citation needed]}

Germania Halberstadt is a football club which plays in Halberstadt.

1 History
2 Jewish culture
3 Notable residents
4 Sister cities
5 External links

[edit] History

Halberstadt was made an episcopal see in 814 and was a popular trade point in the 13th-14th centuries. The Bishopric of Halberstadt was secularized in 1648 according to the Peace of Westphalia and became the Principality of Halberstadt within Brandenburg-Prussia.

Halberstadt became part of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701, but became part of the Kingdom of Westphalia, a Napoleonic client-state, in 1807. After the defeat of Napoleon, the town was restored to Prussia and subsequently administered within the Province of Saxony. The town became part of Saxony-Anhalt from 1945–1952, after which it was within Regierungsbezirk Magdeburg in East Germany. After the reunification of Germany, Halberstadt became part of a restored Saxony-Anhalt.

A performance of John Cage's composition As Slow As Possible began in the Burchardikirche in Halberstadt in 2001; the performance is scheduled to take 639 years.

[edit] Jewish culture

In the 17th century, Halberstadt had one of the largest Jewish communities in central Europe. At the time, nearly one in twelve of the town's inhabitants, almost 700 people, were Jewish. Notable amongst them was Berend Lehmann.

One example of Lehmann's work was the impressive synagogue he financed in Bakenstrasse, which was completed in 1712. In 1938, after Kristallnacht, most of the building was taken down as the attack on it was said to have left it in danger of collapsing.

A short distance from the synagogue, in the Rosenwinkel alley, Lehmann also had a house built for students of Judaism, with a collection of theological writings. This building, known as the "Klaus", was where many important students of the Talmud and rabbis were taught. The "Klaus" gave Halberstadt the reputation of being an important centre for the study of the Torah. Today the Moses Mendelssohn Academy is based there; this organises exhibitions, congresses and presentations and provides a wide range of information about the Jewish culture and way of life.