Osnabrück
Encyclopedia
Osnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony
, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund
, 45 km NE of Münster
, and some 100 km due west of Hanover
. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest
. As of December 31, 2010, its population was 164,119, making it the third-largest city in Lower Saxony
.
, king of the Franks
, 780. Some time before 803, the city became seat of the Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück
. Although the precise date is uncertain, Osnabrück is likely the oldest bishopric in Lower Saxony.
In the year 804 Charlemagne was said to have founded the Gymnasium Carolinum in Osnabrück
. This date would make it the oldest German Gymnasium
but the charter date is disputed by historians, some of whom believe it could be a forgery.
In 889 the town was given merchant, customs, and coinage privileges by King Arnulf of Carinthia
. It is first mentioned as a "city" in records in 1147. Shortly after in 1157, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa
granted the city fortification
privileges (Befestigungsrecht). Part of the medieval fortification, most of the towers are still visible in the city. Osnabrück became a member of the Hanseatic League
in the 12th century, as well as a member of the Westphalian Federation of Cities.
and the European wars of religion. In the year 1582 during the reign of mayor Hammacher (1565–1588), 163 women were killed as alleged witches, most of them burned. During the tenure of mayor Dr. Pelster between 1636–1639, more than 40 women were killed as witches. In total, 276 women and 2 men were executed after a witch trial for wizardry.
In 1632 a Jesuit university was founded, based on the Gymnasium Carolinum. One year later it was closed under the Swedish
reign of the Prince-Bishop
. Between 1643-1648 negotiations in Münster and Osnabrück led to the Peace of Westphalia
.
In the early 18th century, Osnabrück native Justus Möser
wrote an influential social and constitutional history, the Osnabrücker Geschichte, in the town. Following the Seven Years' War
, the town's population fell below 6,000, but an economic revival based on the linen
and tobacco
industries brought growth from the 1780s.
brought Prussia
n troops into the city in 1795, followed by the French in 1803. The town's population remained below 10,000 in this first decade of the nineteenth century. Control of Osnabrück passed to the Electorate of Hanover
in 1803 during the German Mediatisation
and then briefly to the Kingdom of Prussia
in 1806. It was part of the Kingdom of Westphalia
from 1807–10, after which it passed to the First French Empire
. After the Napoleonic Wars
, it became part of the Kingdom of Hanover
in 1815.
The town's first railroad was built in 1855, connecting it with Löhne
. Further rail connections were built in the following decades, connecting Osnabrück with Emden
in 1856, Cologne
in 1871, and Hamburg
in 1874. In 1866 Osnabrück was annexed by Prussia after the Austro-Prussian War
and administered within the Province of Hanover
. Economic and population growth was fueled by the expansions in the engineering and textile industries, with the Hammsersen weaving mill established in 1869 and the Osnabrücker Kupfer- und Drahtwerk metallurgical firm following in 1873. The last half of the century also brought the expansion of schools and the arrival of electrification and modern sanitation systems.
in the following year. As in other parts of Germany, Osnabrück experienced inflation and unemployment in the 1920s, with over 2,000 out of work in 1923 and nearly 14,000 receiving some kind of government assistance in 1928.
Politically, Osnabrück in the 1920s was a bastion of support for the Social Democrats and the Catholic Centre Party
. However, in the Reichstag elections of September 1930, the Nazi party received the highest percentage of votes in the city (nearly 28%), exceeding all the other parties. This was a significant increase on their electoral performance of 1928, when only 3.7% of Osnabrückers had supported the party. During the campaigns prior to the two federal elections of 1932, both Adolf Hitler
and Joseph Goebbels
made speeches before crowds of thousands in the city.
Following the Nazi seizure of power in January 1933, Osnabrück saw the implementation of National Socialist economic, political, and social programs. These resulted in economic growth for ethnic Germans who did not run afoul of the new regime, and the town went from over 10,000 unemployed in early 1933 to an actual labor shortage by 1938. However, dissenters, supporters of left-wing political parties, and Jews
did not share in this growth and found themselves discriminated against, imprisoned, or forced to close their businesses and leave town as Nazi pressure increased as the Second World War approached. During the war, both Jews and Romany were deported to concentration camps
and extermination camps The city suffered heavy bombing during World War II, but was rebuilt after the war.
In January 2009, 15,000 residents were evacuated when German bomb disposal teams had to come in and defuse two 250 kg (551 lb) World War II bombs.
The war ended in Osnabrück on April 4, 1945, when the XVII Corps of Montgomery's
Second Army entered the city with little resistance. Leading Nazis fled the city and the British appointed a new mayor, Johannes Petermann. However, power rested chiefly with the occupiers, represented locally by the military governor, Colonel Geoffrey Day. Relations between the occupiers and the people of Osnabrück were generally peaceful, though tensions existed; some small fights broke out between British soldiers and local youths and some Osnabrückers resented the relationships that developed between the occupiers and local women. Additionally, the British took over more than seventy homes for their own use by the middle of 1946. Amidst shortages, the black market thrived and became a main focus of police activity.
After World War II, when West Germany realigned its states, the city became part of the new state of Lower Saxony in 1946.
and the painters Friedrich Vordemberge-Gildewart
and Felix Nussbaum
. For the Jewish painter Nussbaum the city erected a very modern museum designed by Daniel Libeskind
that opened in 1998. This looks like a scaled-down version of the same architect's well-known Jewish Museum
in Berlin. British
King George I
was born and raised here, and the poet and scholar Johann Ernst Hanxleden
was born in Osnabrück, as was the President of Germany Christian Wulff
, and reggae musician Gentleman
. Victory Records
recording artists Waterdown
, known for their catchy post-hardcore
sound, are based in Osnabrück. Actress Birgitta Tolksdorf
, who made a name for herself in American television in the 1970s, as well as Peter van Pels, love interest of famous diarist Anne Frank, and his parents Auguste van Pels and Hermann van Pels, who would later gain fame from their roles in Anne's diary, all hailed from Osnabrück. The famous German stage and screen actor Mathias Wieman
(1958 recipient of the Justus-Möser-Medaille) (see German article Justus-Möser-Medaille) was born and raised in the city. Singer Kwon-Twon of Lincoln NE was born and raised here until the age of 16.
Friedrich Clemens Gerke
(* 22 January 1801 Osnabrück was a German
writer, journalist
, musician and pioneer of telegraphy who revised the Morse code
in 1848. It is Gerke's notation which is used today.
) and the Hochschule Osnabrück (University of Applied Science of Osnabrück). There also are all kinds of German grammar schools, including seven Gymnasien
. As mentioned above, one of them, The Carolinum, may be the oldest school in Germany, which still exists today.
and the A33
.
It shares the Münster Osnabrück International Airport
together with the nearby city of Münster
.
The "Hauptbahnhof
" (Main Station) of Osnabrück is an important railway station. Travellers from the Netherlands heading for either Hamburg
and Denmark, or Berlin and Eastern Europe, often have to change here.
An extensive bus
service operated by Stadtwerke Osnabrück provides transportation within Osnabrück and the surrounding region.http://www.stadtwerke-osnabrueck.de/66.htm The primary bus center is located at the Neumarkt shopping area, a short distance from the train station.
The city is divided into 23 boroughs:
), giving Osnabrück the meaning Bridge to the Gods. The pronunciation of the city's name can also serve as a means of telling if one is a native of Osnabrück or a visitor: most people from Osnabrück stress the last syllable while most people from elsewhere stress the first one.
The city gave name to the textile fabric of Osnaburg
(remember: "-burg" means castle and, in names, town).
in England. The partnership treaty between the two cities was signed on 17 February 1976.
Osnabrück made contact with the British authorities as early as 1948, hoping to find an English twin town and therefore reach an understanding with their former enemies from the Second World War. Unfortunately this attempt was unsuccessful and Osnabrück did not consider an English twin town again until 1972. The twinning agreement with Derby was signed four years later in the historical Hall of Peace in Osnabrück's town hall. Since then the two towns have exchanged envoys. Derby also has a square named after Osnabrück, with an obelisk to commemorate the twinning.
Osnabrück now has eleven twin and friendship cities: Derby
(England), Angers
(France), Haarlem
(Netherlands), Çanakkale
(Turkey), Tver
(Russia), Greifswald
(Germany), Vila Real
(Portugal), Hefei
(China), Evansville (USA), Gmünd (Austria), Gwangmyeong
(Korea) and there are five envoys working at the twinning office in Osnabrück, who represent Derby, Angers, Haarlem, Tver and Çanakkale.
Every year, Derby and Osnabrück each appoint an Envoy who spends twelve months in his or her twin city. The Envoy's role is varied, but encompasses areas such as promoting the exchange of ideas between the two cities, as well as acting as an educational and general information officer to promote awareness of the twinning scheme. They can help in all sorts of ways by: translating, giving talks to local societies and schools, finding pen friends and short term host families during work placements, working in day-to-day contact to assist groups who want to get involved in twinning by identifying and approaching possible counterparts, planning the annual mayweek trip and a lot more.
The exchange of Envoys between two cities is very unusual. The team of Envoys in Osnabrück changes every year and Osnabrück also sends envoys to Derby, Angers and Çanakkale. No other city in Germany participates in this exchange of Envoys, and in Britain, only one other city, Wigan, receives and sends an Envoy.
The twinning gives the inhabitants of both places the opportunity to interact with their international neighbours. Town twinning intends to enhance international understanding and break down social barriers.
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
, 45 km NE of Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
, and some 100 km due west of Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest
Teutoburg Forest
The Teutoburg Forest is a range of low, forested mountains in the German states of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia which used to be believed to be the scene of a decisive battle in AD 9...
. As of December 31, 2010, its population was 164,119, making it the third-largest city in Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
.
Medieval
Osnabrück developed as a marketplace next to the bishop's see founded by CharlemagneCharlemagne
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...
, king of the Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
, 780. Some time before 803, the city became seat of the Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück
Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück
The Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück was a prince-bishopric centred on the Roman Catholic Diocese of Osnabrück. The diocese was erected in 772 and is the oldest see founded by Charlemagne, in order to Christianize the conquered stem-duchy of Saxony....
. Although the precise date is uncertain, Osnabrück is likely the oldest bishopric in Lower Saxony.
In the year 804 Charlemagne was said to have founded the Gymnasium Carolinum in Osnabrück
Gymnasium Carolinum (Osnabrück)
The Gymnasium Carolinum in Osnabrück, Germany, was founded in 804 by Charlemagne, king of the Franks. It is reputedly the oldest school in Germany and is also one of the oldest schools in the world.-Twentieth Century:...
. This date would make it the oldest German Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
but the charter date is disputed by historians, some of whom believe it could be a forgery.
In 889 the town was given merchant, customs, and coinage privileges by King Arnulf of Carinthia
Arnulf of Carinthia
Arnulf of Carinthia was the Carolingian King of East Francia from 887, the disputed King of Italy from 894 and the disputed Holy Roman Emperor from February 22, 896 until his death.-Birth and Illegitimacy:...
. It is first mentioned as a "city" in records in 1147. Shortly after in 1157, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa was a German Holy Roman Emperor. He was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March, crowned King of Italy in Pavia in 1155, and finally crowned Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV, on 18 June 1155, and two years later in 1157 the term...
granted the city fortification
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
privileges (Befestigungsrecht). Part of the medieval fortification, most of the towers are still visible in the city. Osnabrück became a member of the Hanseatic League
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
in the 12th century, as well as a member of the Westphalian Federation of Cities.
Early Modern age
The main period of witch hunting in Osnabrück was between 1561 and 1639, a time of social unrest and tensions because of the Protestant ReformationProtestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
and the European wars of religion. In the year 1582 during the reign of mayor Hammacher (1565–1588), 163 women were killed as alleged witches, most of them burned. During the tenure of mayor Dr. Pelster between 1636–1639, more than 40 women were killed as witches. In total, 276 women and 2 men were executed after a witch trial for wizardry.
In 1632 a Jesuit university was founded, based on the Gymnasium Carolinum. One year later it was closed under the Swedish
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....
reign of the Prince-Bishop
Prince-Bishop
A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...
. Between 1643-1648 negotiations in Münster and Osnabrück led to the Peace of Westphalia
Peace of Westphalia
The Peace of Westphalia was a series of peace treaties signed between May and October of 1648 in Osnabrück and Münster. These treaties ended the Thirty Years' War in the Holy Roman Empire, and the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Dutch Republic, with Spain formally recognizing the...
.
In the early 18th century, Osnabrück native Justus Möser
Justus Möser
Justus Möser was a German jurist and social theorist.Having studied law at the universities of Jena and Göttingen, he settled in his native town as a lawyer and was soon appointed advocatus patriae by his fellow citizens...
wrote an influential social and constitutional history, the Osnabrücker Geschichte, in the town. Following the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
, the town's population fell below 6,000, but an economic revival based on the linen
Linen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
and tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
industries brought growth from the 1780s.
19th century
The French Revolutionary WarsFrench Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
brought 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...
n troops into the city in 1795, followed by the French in 1803. The town's population remained below 10,000 in this first decade of the nineteenth century. Control of Osnabrück passed to the Electorate of Hanover
Electorate of Hanover
The Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg was the ninth Electorate of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation...
in 1803 during the German Mediatisation
German Mediatisation
The German Mediatisation was the series of mediatisations and secularisations that occurred in Germany between 1795 and 1814, during the latter part of the era of the French Revolution and then the Napoleonic Era....
and then briefly to the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
in 1806. It was part of the Kingdom of Westphalia
Kingdom of Westphalia
The Kingdom of Westphalia was a new country of 2.6 million Germans that existed from 1807-1813. It included of territory in Hesse and other parts of present-day Germany. While formally independent, it was a vassal state of the First French Empire, ruled by Napoleon's brother Jérôme Bonaparte...
from 1807–10, after which it passed to the First French Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
. After the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, it became part of the Kingdom of Hanover
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg , and joined with 38 other sovereign states in the German...
in 1815.
The town's first railroad was built in 1855, connecting it with Löhne
Löhne
Löhne is a town in the district of Herford, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Löhne is situated on the river Werre, approx. 8 km north of Herford and 20 km south-west of Minden.-Neighbouring places:* Hüllhorst* Bad Oeynhausen...
. Further rail connections were built in the following decades, connecting Osnabrück with Emden
Emden
Emden is a city and seaport in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia; in 2006, the city had a total population of 51,692.-History:...
in 1856, Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
in 1871, and 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...
in 1874. In 1866 Osnabrück was annexed by Prussia after the Austro-Prussian War
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War was a war fought in 1866 between the German Confederation under the leadership of the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Italy on the...
and administered within the Province of Hanover
Province of Hanover
The Province of Hanover was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1868 to 1946.During the Austro-Prussian War, the Kingdom of Hanover had attempted to maintain a neutral position, along with some other member states of the German Confederation...
. Economic and population growth was fueled by the expansions in the engineering and textile industries, with the Hammsersen weaving mill established in 1869 and the Osnabrücker Kupfer- und Drahtwerk metallurgical firm following in 1873. The last half of the century also brought the expansion of schools and the arrival of electrification and modern sanitation systems.
20th century
In 1914 Osnabrück had over 70,000 inhabitants. The outbreak of the First World War brought food rationing; the Allied blockade and a harsh winter in 1917 led to further shortages. Following Germany's defeat in 1918 a council of workers and soldiers appeared during the November Revolution but was replaced by the new Weimar RepublicWeimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
in the following year. As in other parts of Germany, Osnabrück experienced inflation and unemployment in the 1920s, with over 2,000 out of work in 1923 and nearly 14,000 receiving some kind of government assistance in 1928.
Politically, Osnabrück in the 1920s was a bastion of support for the Social Democrats and the Catholic Centre Party
Centre Party (Germany)
The German Centre Party was a Catholic political party in Germany during the Kaiserreich and the Weimar Republic. Formed in 1870, it battled the Kulturkampf which the Prussian government launched to reduce the power of the Catholic Church...
. However, in the Reichstag elections of September 1930, the Nazi party received the highest percentage of votes in the city (nearly 28%), exceeding all the other parties. This was a significant increase on their electoral performance of 1928, when only 3.7% of Osnabrückers had supported the party. During the campaigns prior to the two federal elections of 1932, both Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
and Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
made speeches before crowds of thousands in the city.
Following the Nazi seizure of power in January 1933, Osnabrück saw the implementation of National Socialist economic, political, and social programs. These resulted in economic growth for ethnic Germans who did not run afoul of the new regime, and the town went from over 10,000 unemployed in early 1933 to an actual labor shortage by 1938. However, dissenters, supporters of left-wing political parties, and Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
did not share in this growth and found themselves discriminated against, imprisoned, or forced to close their businesses and leave town as Nazi pressure increased as the Second World War approached. During the war, both Jews and Romany were deported to concentration camps
Nazi concentration camps
Nazi Germany maintained concentration camps throughout the territories it controlled. The first Nazi concentration camps set up in Germany were greatly expanded after the Reichstag fire of 1933, and were intended to hold political prisoners and opponents of the regime...
and extermination camps The city suffered heavy bombing during World War II, but was rebuilt after the war.
In January 2009, 15,000 residents were evacuated when German bomb disposal teams had to come in and defuse two 250 kg (551 lb) World War II bombs.
The war ended in Osnabrück on April 4, 1945, when the XVII Corps of Montgomery's
Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, PC , nicknamed "Monty" and the "Spartan General" was a British Army officer. He saw action in the First World War, when he was seriously wounded, and during the Second World War he commanded the 8th Army from...
Second Army entered the city with little resistance. Leading Nazis fled the city and the British appointed a new mayor, Johannes Petermann. However, power rested chiefly with the occupiers, represented locally by the military governor, Colonel Geoffrey Day. Relations between the occupiers and the people of Osnabrück were generally peaceful, though tensions existed; some small fights broke out between British soldiers and local youths and some Osnabrückers resented the relationships that developed between the occupiers and local women. Additionally, the British took over more than seventy homes for their own use by the middle of 1946. Amidst shortages, the black market thrived and became a main focus of police activity.
After World War II, when West Germany realigned its states, the city became part of the new state of Lower Saxony in 1946.
Main sights
- Town Hall
- St. Peter's Cathedral, founded in the 11th century. It has two façade towers, originally of the same size.
- Gerdrudenberg Monastery
- Marienkirche
- Heger Tor ("Heger Gate"), a monument to the soldiers from Osnabrück who died at the battle of WaterlooBattle of WaterlooThe Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
(1815). - Bucksturm, the oldest tower in the city, and once part of the city walls. It was once used as prison for women accused of witchcraft.
- Ruwe Fountain" (1985), created for the city's 1200th birthday.
- Gladiator 2000 (1986), a gigantic painting (45 × 6 meters) by Nicolae Covaci.
- Felix Nussbaum HausFelix Nussbaum HausThe Felix Nussbaum Haus is a museum in Osnabrück, Germany, which houses the paintings of German-Jewish painter Felix Nussbaum. The building also houses an exhibition space, which focuses on racism and intolerance.-Origins:...
, a Gallery and Museum dedicated to the Jewish artist and painter Felix NussbaumFelix NussbaumFelix Nussbaum was a German-Jewish surrealist painter. Nussbaum’s artwork gives a rare glimpse into the essence of one individual among the victims of the Holocaust.- Early life and education :...
, who died in the Holocaust. It was designed by the architect Daniel LibeskindDaniel LibeskindDaniel Libeskind, is an American architect, artist, and set designer of Polish-Jewish descent. Libeskind founded Studio Daniel Libeskind in 1989 with his wife, Nina, and is its principal design architect...
. - Kalkriese Museum, situated on the battlefield of the Teutoburger Wald, in which German tribes under Arminius destroyed three Roman legions. It exhibits artefacts unearthed on the battlefield and tells the story of the battle.
- Osnabrück Castle, nowadays the main building of the University of OsnabrückUniversity of OsnabrückThe University of Osnabrück is a public university located in the city of Osnabrück in Lower Saxony, Germany.In 2010 it was attended by 9,298 students. In 2009, the staff of 1,570 consisted of 214 professors, 662 additional academic personnel and 694 non-academic personnel...
- Botanischer Garten der Universität OsnabrückBotanischer Garten der Universität OsnabrückThe Botanischer Garten der Universität Osnabrück , also known as the Botanischer Garten Osnabrück, is a botanical garden maintained by the University of Osnabrück...
, the university's botanical gardenBotanical gardenA botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names... - Old town with its small streets with buildings from middle-age
- Zoo of Osnabrück
- Vitischanze - old time defence station at the north west point of the old city, has the only undestroyed bridge in Europe with a so called defence walk below the bridge's surface walk, casino is installed within the Vitischanze, nearby a parking house called Vitischanze
- Haseuferweg
- Katharinenkirche (St. Catherine's Church) that dates back to 1248 and is one of the 150 tallest churches in the world and the tallest medieval building in the state of Lower SaxonyLower SaxonyLower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
.
Famous people
Personalities from Osnabrück include the writer Erich Maria RemarqueErich Maria Remarque
Erich Maria Remarque was a German author, best known for his novel All Quiet on the Western Front.-Life and work:...
and the painters Friedrich Vordemberge-Gildewart
Friedrich Vordemberge-Gildewart
Friedrich Vordemberge-Gildewart was a German Neo-plasticist painter...
and Felix Nussbaum
Felix Nussbaum
Felix Nussbaum was a German-Jewish surrealist painter. Nussbaum’s artwork gives a rare glimpse into the essence of one individual among the victims of the Holocaust.- Early life and education :...
. For the Jewish painter Nussbaum the city erected a very modern museum designed by Daniel Libeskind
Daniel Libeskind
Daniel Libeskind, is an American architect, artist, and set designer of Polish-Jewish descent. Libeskind founded Studio Daniel Libeskind in 1989 with his wife, Nina, and is its principal design architect...
that opened in 1998. This looks like a scaled-down version of the same architect's well-known Jewish Museum
Jewish Museum Berlin
The Jewish Museum Berlin , in Berlin, Germany, covers two millennia of German Jewish history. It consists of two buildings. One is the old Kollegienhaus, a former courthouse, built in the 18th century. The other, a new addition specifically built for the museum, designed by world-renowned architect...
in Berlin. British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
King George I
George I of Great Britain
George I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....
was born and raised here, and the poet and scholar Johann Ernst Hanxleden
Johann Ernst Hanxleden
Johann Ernst Hanxleden , known as Arnos Paathiri was a German Jesuit priest, missionary in India and a Malayalam/Sanskrit poet, grammarian, lexicographer, and philologist.-Journey to India:After doing philosophical studies in his...
was born in Osnabrück, as was the President of Germany Christian Wulff
Christian Wulff
Christian Wilhelm Walter Wulff is the President of Germany and a politician of the Christian Democratic Union. He was elected President on 2010 and publicly swore the oath of office on . A lawyer by profession, he served as Premier of the state of Lower Saxony from 2003 to 2010.-Early life and...
, and reggae musician Gentleman
Gentleman (musician)
Tilmann Otto , better known by his stage name Gentleman, is a German Reggae musician.- Personal life :...
. Victory Records
Victory Records
Victory Records is a Chicago-based record label founded by Tony Brummel. It is a privately held corporation. It also operates a music publishing company called "Another Victory, Inc." and is the distributor of several smaller independent record labels....
recording artists Waterdown
Waterdown
Waterdown is a hardcore punk and post-hardcore band from Osnabrück, Germany. The band started in 2000 and consists of six members: Axel Pralat , Michael Janczak , Phillip Meyer , Christian Kruse , Holger Behrens , and Ingo Rieser . The band was signed to Victory Records till 2007...
, known for their catchy post-hardcore
Post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...
sound, are based in Osnabrück. Actress Birgitta Tolksdorf
Birgitta Tolksdorf
Birgitta Tolksdorf is a German actress, best known in the United States for her role on the television series Love of Life, playing Arlene Lovett from 1974 to 1980. She is married to Daniel Bannister, an attorney in Hermann, MO; he was born in 1958.-External links:...
, who made a name for herself in American television in the 1970s, as well as Peter van Pels, love interest of famous diarist Anne Frank, and his parents Auguste van Pels and Hermann van Pels, who would later gain fame from their roles in Anne's diary, all hailed from Osnabrück. The famous German stage and screen actor Mathias Wieman
Mathias Wieman
Mathias Wieman was a German stage-performer, silent-and-sound motion picture actor.-Early life:...
(1958 recipient of the Justus-Möser-Medaille) (see German article Justus-Möser-Medaille) was born and raised in the city. Singer Kwon-Twon of Lincoln NE was born and raised here until the age of 16.
Friedrich Clemens Gerke
Friedrich Clemens Gerke
Friedrich Clemens Gerke was a German writer, journalist, musician and pioneer of telegraphy who revised the Morse code in 1848. It is Gerke's notation which is used today.-Life:...
(* 22 January 1801 Osnabrück was a German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
writer, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, musician and pioneer of telegraphy who revised the Morse code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
in 1848. It is Gerke's notation which is used today.
Education
Two institutes of higher education exist in Osnabrück, the Universität Osnabrück (University of OsnabrückUniversity of Osnabrück
The University of Osnabrück is a public university located in the city of Osnabrück in Lower Saxony, Germany.In 2010 it was attended by 9,298 students. In 2009, the staff of 1,570 consisted of 214 professors, 662 additional academic personnel and 694 non-academic personnel...
) and the Hochschule Osnabrück (University of Applied Science of Osnabrück). There also are all kinds of German grammar schools, including seven Gymnasien
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
. As mentioned above, one of them, The Carolinum, may be the oldest school in Germany, which still exists today.
Transportation
The city of Osnabrück is connected by road to the A1, the A30Bundesautobahn 30
is a highway in northwestern Germany. It runs from west to east, starting at the Dutch border. On the border it connects with the Dutch A1 motorway, hence, the A 30 is part of the important European connection Berlin - Amsterdam...
and the A33
Bundesautobahn 33
is an autobahn in Germany which connects the Bundesautobahn 30 in the north and the A 44 in the south.- History :The history of the A 33 began in the 1960s as the B 68...
.
It shares the Münster Osnabrück International Airport
Münster Osnabrück International Airport
Münster Osnabrück International Airport or Flughafen Muenster/Osnabrueck , is the 4th largest international commercial airport in North Rhine-Westphalia...
together with the nearby city of Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
.
The "Hauptbahnhof
Osnabrück Hauptbahnhof
Osnabrück Hauptbahnhof or Osnabrück Hbf is a railway station located in Osnabrück, Germany. The station was opened in 1895 and is located on the Wanne-Eickel–Hamburg, Löhne–Rheine, Osnabrück–Bielefeld and the Oldenburg–Osnabrück lines. The train services are operated by Deutsche Bahn, NordWestBahn...
" (Main Station) of Osnabrück is an important railway station. Travellers from the Netherlands heading for either 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 Denmark, or Berlin and Eastern Europe, often have to change here.
An extensive bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
service operated by Stadtwerke Osnabrück provides transportation within Osnabrück and the surrounding region.http://www.stadtwerke-osnabrueck.de/66.htm The primary bus center is located at the Neumarkt shopping area, a short distance from the train station.
Boroughs of Osnabrück
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Name
The origin of the name Osnabrück is disputed. The suffix -brück suggests a bridge over or to something (from German Brücke = bridge) but the prefix Osna- is explained in at least two different ways: the traditional explanation is that today's name is a corruption of Ochsenbrücke (meaning "ox' bridge") but others say that it is derived from the name of the Hase River which again is argued to be derived from Asen (ÆsirÆsir
In Old Norse, áss is the term denoting a member of the principal pantheon in Norse paganism. This pantheon includes Odin, Frigg, Thor, Baldr and Tyr. The second pantheon comprises the Vanir...
), giving Osnabrück the meaning Bridge to the Gods. The pronunciation of the city's name can also serve as a means of telling if one is a native of Osnabrück or a visitor: most people from Osnabrück stress the last syllable while most people from elsewhere stress the first one.
The city gave name to the textile fabric of Osnaburg
Osnaburg
Osnaburg was a coarse type of plain textile fabric, named for the city of Osnabrück . Originally made from flax yarns, it has been made from either flax, tow or jute yarns, sometimes flax or tow warp with mixed or jute weft, and often entirely of jute...
(remember: "-burg" means castle and, in names, town).
Notable residents
- Erich Maria RemarqueErich Maria RemarqueErich Maria Remarque was a German author, best known for his novel All Quiet on the Western Front.-Life and work:...
, famous writer - Heinrich AbekenHeinrich AbekenHeinrich Abeken , German theologian and Prussian Privy Legation Councillor in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berlin, was born and raised in the city of Osnabrück as a son of a merchant, he was incited to a higher education by the example of his uncle Bernhard Rudolf Abeken...
, German theologian and Prussian Privy Legation Councillor in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berlin - Felix NussbaumFelix NussbaumFelix Nussbaum was a German-Jewish surrealist painter. Nussbaum’s artwork gives a rare glimpse into the essence of one individual among the victims of the Holocaust.- Early life and education :...
, known mostly for his surrealist paintings - Christian WulffChristian WulffChristian Wilhelm Walter Wulff is the President of Germany and a politician of the Christian Democratic Union. He was elected President on 2010 and publicly swore the oath of office on . A lawyer by profession, he served as Premier of the state of Lower Saxony from 2003 to 2010.-Early life and...
, President of GermanyPresident of GermanyThe President of the Federal Republic of Germany is the country's head of state. His official title in German is Bundespräsident . Germany has a parliamentary system of government and so the position of President is largely ceremonial...
and former Minister-President of Lower SaxonyLower SaxonyLower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany... - Hans-Gert PötteringHans-Gert PötteringHans-Gert Pöttering is a German conservative politician , and was the President of the European Parliament from January 2007 to July 2009...
, former President of the European ParliamentPresident of the European ParliamentThe President of the European Parliament presides over the debates and activities of the European Parliament. He or she also represents the Parliament within the EU and internationally. The President's signature is required for enacting most EU laws and the EU budget.Presidents serve... - Mathias WiemanMathias WiemanMathias Wieman was a German stage-performer, silent-and-sound motion picture actor.-Early life:...
, famous actor - Tillman Otto a.k.a. GentlemanGentleman (musician)Tilmann Otto , better known by his stage name Gentleman, is a German Reggae musician.- Personal life :...
, reggae musician
International relations
Osnabrück is twinned with:| Haarlem Haarlem Haarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic... , Netherlands, since 1961 Angers Angers Angers is the main city in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins.... , France, since 1964 Gmünd, Austria, since 1971 (friendship link) Derby Derby Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407... , United Kingdom, since 1976 Greifswald Greifswald Greifswald , officially, the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald is a town in northeastern Germany. It is situated in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, at an equal distance of about from Germany's two largest cities, Berlin and Hamburg. The town borders the Baltic Sea, and is crossed... , Germany, since 1988 Tver Tver Tver is a city and the administrative center of Tver Oblast, Russia. Population: 403,726 ; 408,903 ;... , Russian Federation, since 1991 |
Evansville Evansville, Indiana Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the... , United States, since 1991 (friendship link) Gwangmyeong Gwangmyeong Gwangmyeong is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It borders Seoul to the north and northeast, Anyang to the east and south, and Siheung to the southwest.-Districts:There are 18 administrative districts in Gwangmyeong... , Korea Korea Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the... , since 1997 (friendship link) Çanakkale Çanakkale Çanakkale is a town and seaport in Turkey, in Çanakkale Province, on the southern coast of the Dardanelles at their narrowest point. The population of the town is 106,116 . The mayor is Ülgür Gökhan .... , Turkey Turkey Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe... , since 2004 Vila Real Vila Real, Portugal Vila Real is a city in Vila Real Municipality, Trás-os-Montes, northern Portugal.According to the 2001 census, the city had a total of 24,481 inhabitants.- History :... , Portugal, since 2005 Hefei Hefei Hefei is the capital and largest city of Anhui Province in Eastern China. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, and cultural centre of Anhui... , China, since 2006 (friendship link) |
Twinning with Derby
Osnabrück is twinned with DerbyDerby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
in England. The partnership treaty between the two cities was signed on 17 February 1976.
Osnabrück made contact with the British authorities as early as 1948, hoping to find an English twin town and therefore reach an understanding with their former enemies from the Second World War. Unfortunately this attempt was unsuccessful and Osnabrück did not consider an English twin town again until 1972. The twinning agreement with Derby was signed four years later in the historical Hall of Peace in Osnabrück's town hall. Since then the two towns have exchanged envoys. Derby also has a square named after Osnabrück, with an obelisk to commemorate the twinning.
Osnabrück now has eleven twin and friendship cities: Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
(England), Angers
Angers
Angers is the main city in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins....
(France), Haarlem
Haarlem
Haarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...
(Netherlands), Çanakkale
Çanakkale
Çanakkale is a town and seaport in Turkey, in Çanakkale Province, on the southern coast of the Dardanelles at their narrowest point. The population of the town is 106,116 . The mayor is Ülgür Gökhan ....
(Turkey), Tver
Tver
Tver is a city and the administrative center of Tver Oblast, Russia. Population: 403,726 ; 408,903 ;...
(Russia), Greifswald
Greifswald
Greifswald , officially, the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald is a town in northeastern Germany. It is situated in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, at an equal distance of about from Germany's two largest cities, Berlin and Hamburg. The town borders the Baltic Sea, and is crossed...
(Germany), Vila Real
Vila Real, Portugal
Vila Real is a city in Vila Real Municipality, Trás-os-Montes, northern Portugal.According to the 2001 census, the city had a total of 24,481 inhabitants.- History :...
(Portugal), Hefei
Hefei
Hefei is the capital and largest city of Anhui Province in Eastern China. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, and cultural centre of Anhui...
(China), Evansville (USA), Gmünd (Austria), Gwangmyeong
Gwangmyeong
Gwangmyeong is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It borders Seoul to the north and northeast, Anyang to the east and south, and Siheung to the southwest.-Districts:There are 18 administrative districts in Gwangmyeong...
(Korea) and there are five envoys working at the twinning office in Osnabrück, who represent Derby, Angers, Haarlem, Tver and Çanakkale.
Every year, Derby and Osnabrück each appoint an Envoy who spends twelve months in his or her twin city. The Envoy's role is varied, but encompasses areas such as promoting the exchange of ideas between the two cities, as well as acting as an educational and general information officer to promote awareness of the twinning scheme. They can help in all sorts of ways by: translating, giving talks to local societies and schools, finding pen friends and short term host families during work placements, working in day-to-day contact to assist groups who want to get involved in twinning by identifying and approaching possible counterparts, planning the annual mayweek trip and a lot more.
The exchange of Envoys between two cities is very unusual. The team of Envoys in Osnabrück changes every year and Osnabrück also sends envoys to Derby, Angers and Çanakkale. No other city in Germany participates in this exchange of Envoys, and in Britain, only one other city, Wigan, receives and sends an Envoy.
The twinning gives the inhabitants of both places the opportunity to interact with their international neighbours. Town twinning intends to enhance international understanding and break down social barriers.
External links
- Horses & Dreams Annual Horse Dressage Show
- Independent Film Festival Osnabrueck official website Unabhaengiges FilmFest OsnabrueckUnabhaengiges FilmFest OsnabrueckThe Unabhängige FilmFest Osnabrück is one of the eldest and most traditional film festivals in Lower Saxony, Germany. Every year it takes place on five days in October in Osnabrück. It is hosted by the non-profit association Osnabrücker FilmForum e.V. under the direction of Birgit Mueller and...
- The Ostensibles English Theatre in Osnabrueck, official website