Tangermünde
Encyclopedia
Tangermünde is a town in the district of Stendal
, in the northeastern part of Saxony-Anhalt
, Germany
. It is situated on the Elbe
river in the Altmark
region.
The name Tangermünde means the mouth of the Tanger River -- where it meets the Elbe.
In the 13th century it was governed by a succession of Vogt
s, such as Ruthger von Blumenthal
(1275). The Margrave John II hid his treasure under the parish church, and passed the secret to his son Otto Sagittarius. When the latter was held to ransom, he used the treasure to pay for his release.
The town was one of the favourite places of Kaiser Karl IV
in the 14th century before it became the residence of the Hohenzollern electors of Brandenburg from 1415 on.
Tangermünde lost the grace of the princes in 1488 after a rebellion and the residence was relocated to Berlin
-Cölln.
Brick buildings, an almost entirely preserved city wall with well-fortified gates, the castle complex and a variety of the half-timbered houses lend a unique charm to the town. But not only these stone witnesses to the past agree on the appeal of the town. Tangermünde is also the setting of Theodor Fontane
's historical novel Grete Minde
about a girl who was accused of arson in 1617 and was executed in 1619.
In German culture, this building is referred to as Rathaus and serves as a civic meeting center. The building performs a secular purpose, as a town hall for the community, but it’s exterior is evocative of a mixture of Romanesque and Gothic features.
This building contains gothic and Romanesque structural elements that appear on the exterior of the building (the interior of the building has not been widely photographed.
Some of the more prominent features of the town hall are its high gables. On the façade are three staggered gables, with one central gable extending above the peak height of the roofline. These gables are a feature of brick architecture during this period.
Adorning each gable are miniature spires, evocative of high gothic architecture popularized on cathedral exteriors. Each gable contains one large central circular window with two smaller ones below it, all with highly decorative tracery. These central circular windows are reminiscent of the grandiose rose windows that appear on the west façade of many gothic cathedrals.
“The most remarkable feature is the gable end richly decorated with octagon buttresses, having stories of canopied niches — the gable is stepped between these buttresses”. This observational analysis of the building dates from late nineteenth century, therefore its terminology differs from modern architectural jargon.
Many of the ground floor windows and doorways are exaggerated with ornamental archivolted brickwork.
One of the most intriguing features of the town hall is its use of colour on the exterior. The highlighting and trabeation of the exterior are white and the tracery and decorative grills are dark blue. The rest of the building is composed of red brick. The colors create a very distinctive visual palette that makes the building unique.
(B 188) which connects it to Stendal
and Rathenow
, as well as, via the Autobahn A 2, to Berlin
and Hanover
. The river Elbe
is crossed over a new bridge built in 2001.
The first road bridge was opened for the traffic in 1933 and blown up in April 1945. Shortly afterwards, a temporary bridge was constructed, which served until 2001.
There is a railway line which connects the town with Stendal
. The first line was opened in 1886.
Stendal (district)
Stendal is a district in the north-east of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Neighboring districts are Jerichower Land, Börde, Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, the district Lüchow-Dannenberg in Lower Saxony, and the districts Prignitz, Ostprignitz-Ruppin and Havelland in Brandenburg.- History :In the...
, in the northeastern part of Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...
, Germany
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...
. It is situated on 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...
river in the Altmark
Altmark
The Altmark is a historic region in Germany, comprising the northern third of Saxony-Anhalt. As the initial territory of the Brandenburg margraves, it is sometimes referred to as the "Cradle of Prussia", as by Otto von Bismarck, a native from Schönhausen near Stendal.- Geography :The Altmark is...
region.
History
Tangermünde can look back at an 1000-year history. It was firstly mentioned in 1009.The name Tangermünde means the mouth of the Tanger River -- where it meets the Elbe.
In the 13th century it was governed by a succession of Vogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
s, such as Ruthger von Blumenthal
Von Blumenthal
The von Blumenthal family are German nobility from Brandenburg-Prussia. Other, unrelated, families of this name exist in Switzerland and formerly in Russia, and many unrelated families called "Blumenthal" without "von" are to be found worldwide.The family was already noble from earliest times ,...
(1275). The Margrave John II hid his treasure under the parish church, and passed the secret to his son Otto Sagittarius. When the latter was held to ransom, he used the treasure to pay for his release.
The town was one of the favourite places of Kaiser Karl IV
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
in the 14th century before it became the residence of the Hohenzollern electors of Brandenburg from 1415 on.
Tangermünde lost the grace of the princes in 1488 after a rebellion and the residence was relocated to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
-Cölln.
Brick buildings, an almost entirely preserved city wall with well-fortified gates, the castle complex and a variety of the half-timbered houses lend a unique charm to the town. But not only these stone witnesses to the past agree on the appeal of the town. Tangermünde is also the setting of Theodor Fontane
Theodor Fontane
Theodor Fontane was a German novelist and poet, regarded by many as the most important 19th-century German-language realist writer.-Youth:Fontane was born in Neuruppin into a Huguenot family. At the age of sixteen he was apprenticed to an apothecary, his father's profession. He became an...
's historical novel Grete Minde
Grete Minde
Grete Minde is a 1977 Austrian-German drama film directed by Heidi Genée. It was entered into the 27th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Katerina Jacob - Grete Minde* Siemen Rühaak - Valtin Zernitz* Hannelore Elsner - Trude Minde...
about a girl who was accused of arson in 1617 and was executed in 1619.
Town hall
The Tangermünde Town Hall is a late medieval building constructed in the 1430s.In German culture, this building is referred to as Rathaus and serves as a civic meeting center. The building performs a secular purpose, as a town hall for the community, but it’s exterior is evocative of a mixture of Romanesque and Gothic features.
This building contains gothic and Romanesque structural elements that appear on the exterior of the building (the interior of the building has not been widely photographed.
Some of the more prominent features of the town hall are its high gables. On the façade are three staggered gables, with one central gable extending above the peak height of the roofline. These gables are a feature of brick architecture during this period.
Adorning each gable are miniature spires, evocative of high gothic architecture popularized on cathedral exteriors. Each gable contains one large central circular window with two smaller ones below it, all with highly decorative tracery. These central circular windows are reminiscent of the grandiose rose windows that appear on the west façade of many gothic cathedrals.
“The most remarkable feature is the gable end richly decorated with octagon buttresses, having stories of canopied niches — the gable is stepped between these buttresses”. This observational analysis of the building dates from late nineteenth century, therefore its terminology differs from modern architectural jargon.
Many of the ground floor windows and doorways are exaggerated with ornamental archivolted brickwork.
One of the most intriguing features of the town hall is its use of colour on the exterior. The highlighting and trabeation of the exterior are white and the tracery and decorative grills are dark blue. The rest of the building is composed of red brick. The colors create a very distinctive visual palette that makes the building unique.
St. Stephanskirche
This church was built in several stages. Nothing is left of the original construction, because it burned in the town fire of 1617. The church is famous for its Scherer organ built in 1624, one of the top 10 organs in Europe. It has been completely restored and can be heard again in the church since September 1994.Transportation
North of the town lies the Bundesstraße 188Bundesstraße 188
The Bundesstraße 188 or B 188 is one of the longer German federal highways crossing northern Germany. It connects the B3 with the B5....
(B 188) which connects it to Stendal
Stendal
Stendal is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is the capital of Stendal District and unofficial capital of the Altmark. Its population in 2001 was 38,900. It is located some west of Berlin and around east of Hanover...
and Rathenow
Rathenow
Rathenow is a town in the district of Havelland in Brandenburg, Germany, with a population of 26,433 .-Overview:The Protestant church of St. Marien Andreas, originally a basilica, and transformed to the Gothic style in 1517-1589, and the Roman Catholic Church of St...
, as well as, via the Autobahn A 2, to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and 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...
. The river 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...
is crossed over a new bridge built in 2001.
The first road bridge was opened for the traffic in 1933 and blown up in April 1945. Shortly afterwards, a temporary bridge was constructed, which served until 2001.
There is a railway line which connects the town with Stendal
Stendal
Stendal is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is the capital of Stendal District and unofficial capital of the Altmark. Its population in 2001 was 38,900. It is located some west of Berlin and around east of Hanover...
. The first line was opened in 1886.