Clausthal-Zellerfeld
| Clausthal-Zellerfeld | ||
|---|---|---|
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Church in 2005 | ||
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  Clausthal-Zellerfeld | ||
Location of Clausthal-Zellerfeld within Goslar district  | ||
| Coordinates: 51°48′18″N 10°20′08″E / 51.80500°N 10.33556°ECoordinates: 51°48′18″N 10°20′08″E / 51.80500°N 10.33556°E | ||
| Country | Germany | |
| State | Lower Saxony | |
| District | Goslar | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Wolfgang Mönkemeyer (CDU) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 43.71 km2 (16.88 sq mi) | |
| Population (2013-12-31)[1] | ||
| • Total | 15,769 | |
| • Density | 360/km2 (930/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) | |
| Postal codes | 38678 | |
| Dialling codes | 05323 | |
| Vehicle registration | GS, BRL, CLZ | |
| Website |
www.samtgemeinde- oberharz.de | |
Clausthal-Zellerfeld is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the southwestern part of the Harz mountains. Its population is approximately 15,000. Clausthal-Zellerfeld was the seat of the former Samtgemeinde ("collective municipality") Oberharz.
Geography
City districts
- Altenau-Schulenberg im Oberharz (since 2015)
- Buntenbock (since 1972)
- Clausthal-Zellerfeld
- Wildemann (since 2015)
History
Actually, Clausthal-Zellerfeld consists of two towns: Clausthal and Zellerfeld were merged in 1924 to form an administrative unit. Clausthal is well known for the old Clausthal University of Technology and its magnificent buildings, while Zellerfeld is a typical tourist resort for hikers and winter sportsmen. Clausthal-Zellerfeld is the largest town in the area that is situated in the mountains rather than on the edge.
Mining in the area began in the 16th century. Modern wire rope was invented to service the iron mines in the 1830s by the German mining engineer Wilhelm Albert in the years between 1831 and 1834 for use in mining in the Harz Mountains in Clausthal. It was quickly accepted because it proved superior to ropes made of hemp or to metal chains, such as had been used before and soon found its way into diverse applications, including most notably, suspension bridges. The Innerste Valley Railway was inaugurated in 1877 and extended to Altenau in 1914. The impressive station building and 70 buildings in the town were destroyed in an air raid on 7 October 1944.[2] 92 people lost their lives.
Mining activity halted in 1930 because the ore deposits were exhausted and no longer financially valuable. Today, there are large remains of mines in the surrounding Harz region, some of which are now tourable museums. The railway line was closed in 1976. The former railway station, which was rebuilt from 1961-1963 after being destroyed in 1944, houses the tourist information and the municipal library today.
The Clausthal University of Technology was established in 1775 for the education of mining engineers. Today, it is a technical university for teaching engineering.
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1821 | 11,757 | — |
| 1848 | 14,739 | +25.4% |
| 1871 | 14,080 | −4.5% |
| 1885 | 13,917 | −1.2% |
| 1905 | 13,758 | −1.1% |
| 1925 | 12,973 | −5.7% |
| 1933 | 11,855 | −8.6% |
| 1939 | 11,788 | −0.6% |
| 1946 | 15,786 | +33.9% |
| 1950 | 17,643 | +11.8% |
| 1956 | 15,585 | −11.7% |
| 1961 | 15,849 | +1.7% |
| 1968 | 16,468 | +3.9% |
| 1970 | 15,714 | −4.6% |
| 1975 | 16,690 | +6.2% |
| 1980 | 16,270 | −2.5% |
| 1985 | 16,250 | −0.1% |
| 1990 | 17,061 | +5.0% |
| 1995 | 16,703 | −2.1% |
| 2000 | 15,413 | −7.7% |
| 2005 | 15,075 | −2.2% |
| 2010 | 14,579 | −3.3% |
| 2011 | 12,798 | −12.2% |
| 2012 | 12,772 | −0.2% |
| 2013 | 12,923 | +1.2% |
Politics
Town council
2006 local elections:
Culture and sights
- Oberharzer Wasserwirschaft (Upper Harz Water Management)
Museums
- Upper Harz Mining Museum
- GeoMuseum of Clausthal University of Technology
Buildings
- Plants of Upper Harz Water Regale
- Market Church in Clausthal, the largest wooden church in Germany with 2,200 seats, built 1639-42. Tower dating from 1637.
- Old pharmacy Bergapotheke in Zellerfeld, built in 1674, with wood carvings
- Protestant Salvator Church in Zellerfeld, built 1674-83
- Clausthal mint (1617–1849)
- Oberbergamt building in Clausthal, built 1726-30
- Dietzel House in Zellerfeld, dating from 1674
- Former railway station, destroyed 1944 and rebuilt 1961-63
- House where Robert Koch was born
- Rosenhöfer Radstuben (wheel chamber)
- Ruins of Werk Tanne, ammunition factory during WW2
Persons
People from Clausthal-Zellerfeld
- Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767), composer
- Heinrich Halfeld (1797-1873), engineer
- Robert Koch (1843–1910), microbiologist
- Otto Erich Hartleben (1864–1905), poet and dramatist
- Dietrich Grönemeyer (born 1952), physician
- Daniel Böhm (born 1986), biathlete
Notable people associated with Clausthal-Zellerfeld
- Johann Friedrich Ludwig Hausmann (1782–1859), mineralogist
- Wilhelm Albert (1787–1846), mining administrator and inventor
- Friedrich Adolph Roemer (1809–1869), geologist
- Arnold Sommerfeld (1868–1951), theoretical physicist
International relations
Twin towns – Sister cities
Clausthal-Zellerfeld is twinned with:
Gallery
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Steel headframe of Ottiliae shaft; Clausthal-Zellerfeld. This is the oldest still-existing headframe in Germany, built in 1876
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Aula Academica
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Salvatoris church
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Mining Office
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View on Marktkirche - Clausthal-Zellerfeld church in winter
References
- ↑ Landesbetrieb für Statistik und Kommunikationstechnologie Niedersachsen, 102 Bevölkerung - Basis Zensus 2011, Stand 31. Dezember 2013 (Tabelle K1020014)
- ↑ Evert Heusinkveld. Die Innerstetalbahn Langelsheim - Altenau, p. 11. Nordhorn 2007
- ↑ "L'Aigle découverte - Nos villes jumelles". Ville de L'Aigle. Retrieved 2013-07-20.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Clausthal-Zellerfeld. |
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Clausthal-Zellerfeld. |
- clausthal-zellerfeld.de (German)
- Clausthal-Zellerfeld at DMOZ
"Clausthal". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.
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