Itzehoe
Encyclopedia
Itzehoe is a town
in the German
state
of Schleswig-Holstein
.
As the capital of the district Steinburg
, Itzehoe is located on the Stör
, a navigable tributary of the Elbe
, 51 km northwest of Hamburg
and 24 km north of Glückstadt
. The population is about 32,530.
The church of St Lawrence, dating from the 12th century, and the building in which the Holstein estates formerly met, are noteworthy. The town has a convent
founded in 1256, many school
s, a hospital
and other benevolent institutions. Itzehoe is a busy commercial place.
Itzehoe is the oldest town in Holstein
. Its nucleus was a castle
, built in 809 by Egbert
, one of Charlemagne
's count
s, against the Danes
. The community which sprang up around it was variously called Esseveldoburg, Eselsfleth and Ezeho. In 1201 the town was destroyed, but it was restored in 1224. The new town was granted the Lübeck rights by Adolphus IV in 1238, and the old town in 1303. During the Thirty Years' War
Itzehoe was twice destroyed by the Swedes
, in 1644 and 1657, but was rebuilt on each occasion. It passed to Prussia
in 1867, with the duchy
of Schleswig-Holstein.
Itzehoe is listed as a garrison depot (Wehrkreis X, Hamburg) of the former Infanteriedivision 225. which was implicated in the 1940 Vinkt Massacre
in Belgium.
Itzehoe is also the location of the Wenzel Hablik
Museum.
During the period up to and including the Wacken Open Air
festival, many festival goers chose to depart for the festival from Itzehoe using the 'Metal Shuttle Bus' which departs from the station area. During this time, the town can become very overcrowded and traffic; slow.
Germany's lowest elevation is to be found a short distance from Itzehoe, in the Wilstermarsch
, which reaches 3.54 m below sea level
. The town is twinned with Cirencester
in the United Kingdom
.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
state
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
of Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
.
As the capital of the district Steinburg
Steinburg
Steinburg is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Dithmarschen, Rendsburg-Eckernförde, Segeberg and Pinneberg, and by the Elbe River .-History:...
, Itzehoe is located on the Stör
Stör
The Stör is a river in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, right tributary of the Elbe. Its total length is 87 km. The Stör rises east of Neumünster, and flows west through Neumünster, Kellinghusen, and Itzehoe. The Stör joins the Elbe near Glückstadt....
, a navigable tributary of the Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
, 51 km northwest of Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
and 24 km north of Glückstadt
Glückstadt
Glückstadt is a town in the Steinburg district of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located on the right bank of the Lower Elbe at the confluence of the small Rhin river, about northwest of Altona...
. The population is about 32,530.
The church of St Lawrence, dating from the 12th century, and the building in which the Holstein estates formerly met, are noteworthy. The town has a convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
founded in 1256, many school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
s, a hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
and other benevolent institutions. Itzehoe is a busy commercial place.
Itzehoe is the oldest town in Holstein
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
. Its nucleus was a castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
, built in 809 by Egbert
Egbert
Several Anglo-Saxon persons were named Ecgberht . The name itself means "Bright Edge," such as that of a blade.*Ecgberht of Kent *Saint Egbert , hermit and missionary...
, one of Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
's count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
s, against the Danes
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. The community which sprang up around it was variously called Esseveldoburg, Eselsfleth and Ezeho. In 1201 the town was destroyed, but it was restored in 1224. The new town was granted the Lübeck rights by Adolphus IV in 1238, and the old town in 1303. During the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
Itzehoe was twice destroyed by the Swedes
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, in 1644 and 1657, but was rebuilt on each occasion. It passed to Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
in 1867, with the duchy
Duchy
A duchy is a territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess.Some duchies were sovereign in areas that would become unified realms only during the Modern era . In contrast, others were subordinate districts of those kingdoms that unified either partially or completely during the Medieval era...
of Schleswig-Holstein.
Itzehoe is listed as a garrison depot (Wehrkreis X, Hamburg) of the former Infanteriedivision 225. which was implicated in the 1940 Vinkt Massacre
Vinkt Massacre
Vinkt is a small village in Belgium, with about 1200 inhabitants, now part of the town of Deinze and situated 20 km southwest of Ghent. It was near the Vinkt bridge over the Schipdonk Canal that in May 1940 at least 86 civilians were killed by the German Wehrmacht in an incident known in Belgium as...
in Belgium.
Itzehoe is also the location of the Wenzel Hablik
Wenzel Hablik
Wenzel August Hablik , also known as Wenceslav Hablik and Wilhelm August Hablik, was a painter and graphic artist, architect, designer, and craftsman of the early twentieth century, associated with German Expressionism.Hablik was born in Brüx, Bohemia...
Museum.
During the period up to and including the Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air is a summer open air heavy metal music festival. It takes place annually in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany...
festival, many festival goers chose to depart for the festival from Itzehoe using the 'Metal Shuttle Bus' which departs from the station area. During this time, the town can become very overcrowded and traffic; slow.
Germany's lowest elevation is to be found a short distance from Itzehoe, in the Wilstermarsch
Wilstermarsch
Wilstermarsch is an Amt in the district of Steinburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated around Wilster, which is the seat of the Amt, but not part of it....
, which reaches 3.54 m below sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. The town is twinned with Cirencester
Cirencester
Cirencester is a market town in east Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswold District. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
People
- Sabine SinjenSabine SinjenSabine Sinjen was a German film actress. She appeared in 54 films between 1957 and 1994.-Selected filmography:* Mädchen in Uniform * A Glass of Water * Napoléon II l'Aiglon...
(1942-1995), actress - Antje BlumenthalAntje BlumenthalAntje Blumenthal is a German politician and member of the CDU. From 2001 to 2009, she was a member of the Bundestag.- External links :*...
(born 1947), politician - Sylvia ConveySylvia ConveySylvia Convey is one of Australia's most distinctive outsider artists. She was born in a refugee camp at Itzehoe near Hamburg, Germany in 1948. With her Latvian parents and elder sister she sailed to Australia on the Skaugum in early 1950. They were part of the first wave of immigrants to arrive in...
(born 1948), artist - Heiger OstertagHeiger OstertagDr. Heiger Ostertag , is a German novelist.Born in 1953 in Itzehoe, he joined the German Air Force after finishing high school and trained as an officer in flight specialties. Afterwards he attended the Albert Ludwig University in Freiburg, Germany, where he majored in Scandinavian Studies, German...
(born 1953), historian - Sven ButenschönSven ButenschönSven Butenschön is a German-Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who has spent parts of eight seasons in the National Hockey League...
(born 1976), ice hockey player