Geesthacht

Coat of arms

Geesthacht

Location of Geesthacht within Lauenburg district

Coordinates: 53°26′N 10°22′E / 53.433°N 10.367°ECoordinates: 53°26′N 10°22′E / 53.433°N 10.367°E

Country

Government

• Mayor

Dr. Volker Manow

Area

• Total

33.18 km² (12.81 sq mi)

Population (2013-12-31)^[1]

• Total

29,363

• Density

880/km² (2,300/sq mi)

CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)

21498–21502

04152

Website

Geesthacht (German pronunciation: [ɡeːstˈhaxt]) is the largest city in the District of the Duchy of Lauenburg (Herzogtum Lauenburg) in Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany, 34 km southeast of Hamburg on the right bank of the river Elbe.

History

Around 800: A church is documented.
1216: First documentary mention of the settlement as Hachede, then a part of Saxony.
A change in the course of the Elbe cuts the settlement into two: Geesthacht and Marschacht (in today's Lower Saxony).
1296: Geesthacht becomes part of the Durchy of Saxe-Lauenburg, partitioned from Saxony
1370: Duke Eric III pawns Geesthacht - as part of the Herrschaft of Bergedorf - to Lübeck
1401: Duke Eric IV retakes the pawned area with force
1420: Geesthacht is ceded as part of a condominium to the Hanseatic cities Hamburg and Lübeck by the Peace of Perleberg.
1811: Geesthacht is annexed to France as part of the Bouches de l'Elbe département
1813: The condominium is restored
1865/66: The Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel establishes a glycerin factory in Geesthacht (on Krümmel hill) and invents dynamite. Krümmel becomes the first dynamite factory in the world.
1868: Lübeck sells its share in the condominium to Hamburg, Geesthacht becomes a part Hamburg's state territory
1906: Opening of the Bergedorf-Geesthachter Railway(BGE).
1918–1933: Geesthacht is a hotbed of radical leftist parties (USPD, KPD and SAPD) and acquires the nickname Little Moscow.
1924: Granted town privileges by the Hamburg state order of 2 January.
1928: Destruction of the historical town centre by a fire.
1937: In the context of the territorial reorganization of the State of Hamburg (Greater Hamburg Act), Geesthacht is transferred to the Prussian province of Schleswig-Holstein, there becoming part of the district (Kreis) of Duchy of Lauenburg.
1953: Suspension of passenger service on the Bergedorf-Geesthachter Eisenbahn (a railway line).

Politics

At present, the city council is composed as follows:

	CDU	SPD	GRÜNE	FDP	Linke	Offensive D	Total
2009	12	10	5	4	2	0	33
2003	17	12	3	2	0	2	36

Independent Mayor Dr. Volker Manow, who replaced Ingo Fokken after his unexpected death on June 29, 2009, was elected on December 13, 2009.

Twin towns

Hoogezand-Sappemeer (Netherlands), since 1966
Chadderton (England), since 1966
Plaisir (France), since 1975
Kuldīga (Latvia), since 1991

Economics and transportation

Geesthacht is a major energy and scientific research center. It has the Krümmel Nuclear Power Plant (closed 2011 after Fukushima - "Atomausstieg"), a boiling water nuclear reactor on the River Elbe, and a pumped storage hydroelectrical plant situated within a few hundreds metres of the nuclear power plant. It consists of an artificial lake 80m above the river, where the water is pumped up from, and storage for later use in generating electricity when demand is high.

Freeway 25 from Hamburg
Federal road B5 from Hamburg in the west to Lauenburg in the east
Disused railway line to Hamburg-Bergedorf
River port on the Elbe, Elbe locks
The nearest airport is at Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel
The nearest sea harbour is the Port of Hamburg

State institutions

Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht - research institute

Leisure and sports sites

Open-air swimming pool at the Elbe

Theatre

Kleines Theater Schillerstrasse - small art meetings and cinema

Museums

Krügersches Haus - a permanent exhibition relating the history of the city

Personalities

Honorary citizens

Rudolf Basedau (20 November 1897 – 23 October 1975), politician (SPD), member of the Schleswig-Holstein parliament

Trivia

The conservative politician Uwe Barschel, who was later involved in the "Waterkantgate" scandal, took his Abitur at the Otto-Hahn-Gymnasium in Geesthacht and as a student representative invited former Nazi admiral Dönitz to give a presentation on the topic of 'The Modernisation of History Classes' ("Aktualisierung des Geschichtsunterrichts"). Following the scandal, his principal committed suicide under the ensuing pressure.^[2]

Literature

Heinz Bohlmann: Fäuste, Führer, Flüchtlingstrecks. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Städte Geesthacht und Lauenburg/Elbe 1930–1950. Schwarzenbeck 1990. ISBN 3-921595-15-0
Bernhard Michael Menapace: "Klein-Moskau" wird braun: Geesthacht in der Endphase der Weimarer Republik (1928–1933). Kiel 1991. ISBN 3-89029-923-7
August Ziehl: Geesthacht - 60 Jahre Arbeiterbewegung 1890–1950. Geesthacht 1958.

References

External links

Towns and municipalities of Kreis Herzogtum Lauenburg

Albsfelde Alt Mölln Aumühle Bäk Bälau Basedow Basthorst Behlendorf Berkenthin Besenthal Bliestorf Börnsen Borstorf Breitenfelde Bröthen Brunsmark Brunstorf Büchen Buchholz Buchhorst Dahmker Dalldorf Dassendorf Düchelsdorf Duvensee Einhaus Elmenhorst Escheburg Fitzen Fredeburg Fuhlenhagen Geesthacht Giesensdorf Göldenitz Göttin Grabau Grambek Grinau Groß Boden Groß Disnack Groß Grönau Groß Pampau Groß Sarau Groß Schenkenberg Grove Gudow Gülzow Güster Hamfelde Hamwarde Harmsdorf Havekost Hohenhorn Hollenbek Hornbek Horst Juliusburg Kankelau Kasseburg Kastorf Kittlitz Klein Pampau Klein Zecher Klempau Klinkrade Koberg Kollow Köthel Kröppelshagen-Fahrendorf Krukow Krummesse Krüzen Kuddewörde Kühsen Kulpin Labenz Langenlehsten Lankau Lanze Lauenburg Lehmrade Linau Lüchow Lütau Mechow Möhnsen Mölln Mühlenrade Müssen Mustin Niendorf an der Stecknitz Niendorf bei Berkenthin Nusse Panten Pogeez Poggensee Ratzeburg Ritzerau Römnitz Rondeshagen Roseburg Sahms Salem Sandesneben Schiphorst Schmilau Schnakenbek Schönberg Schretstaken Schulendorf Schürensöhlen Schwarzenbek Seedorf Siebenbäumen Siebeneichen Sierksrade Sirksfelde Steinhorst Sterley Stubben Talkau Tramm Walksfelde Wangelau Wentorf, Sandesneben Wentorf bei Hamburg Wiershop Witzeeze Wohltorf Woltersdorf Worth Ziethen

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