History of the city of Neumarkt in the Upper Palatinate
The history of the city of Neumarkt in the Upper Palatinate begins around the year 1100. Initially founded as a new market square between Nuremberg and Regensburg, the city quickly developed into the center of the region. The story reached a climax when Neumarkt became the seat of the Wittelsbach Count Palatine in the Upper Palatinate in the 15th and 16th centuries. After that, the city lost its importance and could only develop into an economic location again in the 19th century. In 1945 the city was largely destroyed, but in the second half of the 20th century it could develop into the economic and cultural center of the western Upper Palatinate.
Prehistory and early history (up to 1000)
Traces of a first settlement can be traced back to the Neolithic Age (3000 BC - 1800 BC). B. the burial mounds near the districts of Höhenberg and Voggenthal as well as some ribbon ceramic finds near Velburg. Other burial mounds and above all the gold hat found in the neighboring market town of Postbauer-Heng indicate that settlement activity under the Celts in the Bronze Age around 1000 BC. Continued to increase. Several fastenings designed as square entrenchments are z. B. near Lauterhofen and Berngau-Dippenricht, also a rampart on the high plateau of the Buchberg.
After the fall of the Roman Empire , the Bavarians penetrated today's Bavaria and slowly expanded north of the Danube. The numerous places ending in -ing date from this time, the 6th or 7th century, including Pölling , which was probably founded as the foundation of a certain Bollo. The first Franconian royal courts then appeared in Berngau and Lauterhofen.
Foundation and beginnings (1000–1410)
The exact founding dates of Neumarkt are not known, but the establishment as "new market" is assumed for the beginning of the 12th century on the trade route between Nuremberg and Regensburg. It crossed, probably at today's Bernfurter Weiher in the Altenhof district, the route from Bohemia in the direction of Landshut , there was also a customs post here. Large parts of the Neumarkt basin were then owned by the Lords of Wolfstein-Sulzbürg , which suggests that they were the founders, but cannot be proven. In 1135 a Friedericus de Niuwenmarchte appeared as a witness in a transfer of ownership to the convent, and in 1160 a Marchward du Nuwenmarchet was mentioned in a donation book from the Reichenbach convent . However, the geographical references make it unlikely that Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz is meant: A reference to Cham in the Bavarian Forest , which was also referred to as "Neuer Markt" because it was founded elsewhere, is more likely. It is generally assumed that the city was planned around 1130 along two main axes, as was common for the founding of cities at that time. On March 19, 1232, in a contract between Bishop Sifrid von Regensburg and his servant Conrad von Hohenfels, an unnamed mayor of Neumarkt is listed as a witness ( Regesta Imperii V, 1,2 n. 4229). Neumarkt was first mentioned with certainty in a document in 1235, when Emperor Frederick II guaranteed freedom from customs duties between Neumarkt and Nuremberg and the city as well as imperial immediacy . In addition to Nuvenmarchet ("New Market"), the city was usually referred to as Neoforo or Novoforo ("New Forum"). Between 40 and 65 people were killed in Neumarkt on July 27, 1298 as part of the so-called Rintfleisch pogrom . In 1315, the first sources reported of a city fortification, which consisted of a city wall with 2 gates.
Despite repeated confirmation of imperial freedom (e.g. 1401, 1417 and 1521) it was not possible to enforce this status, especially against the Wittelsbachers . At the end of the Hohenstaufen imperial family in 1268, Neumarkt fell to Ludwig of Bavaria and thus to the Wittelsbach family. The German kings tried u. a. Adolf von Nassau in 1295 and Albrecht in 1301 to put the city under their direct influence again, but political disputes led Neumarkt back to the Wittelsbachers after a short time. With the house contract of Pavia in 1329, which divided the Wittelsbacher Lande, their claim was confirmed and Neumarkt fell to the Palatinate near Rhine .
On May 15, 1381, the robber knight Eppelein von Gailingen, arrested by a Nuremberg mercenary troop in Postbauer, was executed in Neumarkt.
In March 1388, under Palatine Ruprecht I (Palatinate) , a court of arbitration takes place in Neumarkt, which is supposed to end the city war between the Swabian League of Cities and the Bavarian dukes. A settlement is reached in favor of the cities, but this will be revised again in the course of further negotiations.
Palatinate royal seat (1410–1544)
In the 15th and 16th centuries, Neumarkt was the Palatinate royal seat . After the death of Ruprecht III. In 1410 the Electoral Palatinate was divided among his four sons and heirs . Johann (* 1383; † 1443) received the "Upper Palatinate" and moved his seat of government to Neumarkt. Under Palatine Johann, the city's high-rise buildings such as the town hall, the Palatine Palace , the Church of St. John , the Court Church and the Reitstadel were built. His son Christoph (* 1416, † 1448) received the Danish royal dignity and had Heinrich von Parsberg administer Neumarkt as governor. Christoph left no heirs and ended the Pfalz-Neumarkt line , so that the Upper Palatinate territories came to the Pfalz-Mosbach-Neumarkt line .
Count Palatine Otto I (* 1390; † 1461) ruled alternately from Mosbach and Neumarkt, only his son Otto II (* 1435; † 1499) resided mainly in Neumarkt again. There he received the Polish king's daughter Hedwig in 1475 and escorted her as bridal guide to Landshut, where she was married to the Duke's son Georg, who later became Georg the Rich , at the so-called Landshut wedding . The Count Palatine, also known as Otto Mathematikus, devoted himself more and more to his astronomical interests in the course of time and in 1490 returned the business of government to the Kurlinie under Philip the Sincere .
The Landshut War of Succession did not stop at Neumarkt either: In July 1504, around 5,000 (according to other sources 8,000) men from Nuremberg soldiers with around 40 cannons (according to other sources 80) marched against Neumarkt. The situation in the city came to a head, as the mercenaries stationed there wanted to hand the city over to the enemy and plunder it. The situation relaxed again when the electoral vice-cathedral Ludwig von Eyb from Amberg came with a group of armed men to ensure order. He placed an additional 500 (according to other sources 1500) Bohemian soldiers under Captain von Kanitz in the city. The siege began on July 12th. The Nuremberg attackers did not succeed in completely enclosing the city. The upper gate (then Deininger gate) remained open. The besiegers concentrated in the northern part of the city. There, after heavy fire from the enemy artillery, the defenders could no longer hold a hill in front of the lower gate. The northern suburb with the Heilig-Geist-Spital was then set on fire by the retreating defenders so as not to provide cover for the Nuremberg attackers. The people of Nuremberg tried to take Wolfstein Castle, but failed because the crew had received support from Amberg. The besiegers now burned the mills in front of the city. The enemy artillery caused severe damage to the city and especially to the city fortifications. The lower gate, other towers and parts of the city wall were in ruins. The besieged responded with an evening raid in the direction of Bernfurt, which led to losses on both sides. Finally, the people of Nuremberg, who had asked for imperial support in vain and had hoped for it, gave up and secretly withdrew during the night on July 30, 1504. Parts of the city were badly devastated.
Frederick II of the Palatinate (* 1482; † 1556), also known as "Frederick the Wise", finally returned to the Neumarkt Residence, had it expanded into a magnificent moated castle and also completed the construction of the court church. In 1531 the city officially lost its status as a Free Imperial City when Emperor Charles V transferred it to the Count Palatine as hereditary property. Presumably due to a renewed outbreak of the plague, the Neumarkt city doctor Marcus Deas Veringer (Markus Beringer) wrote a book called the plague regiment in 1533. In 1544 Friedrich II received the electoral dignity and moved with his court to Heidelberg, the time as royal seat was ended.
Early modern times and times of upheaval (1544–1815)
The final loss of these privileges meant that Neumarkt lost immense importance. In political and economic life, the city then only played a role for the surrounding region, and growth almost came to a standstill. Only in the middle of the 19th century did an upswing become noticeable again.
In 1562 the plague raged in the city and the surrounding area. In the 16th century, under Count Palatine Ottheinrich, Luther's teachings made themselves felt in the then Catholic Neumarkt, which Friedrich's widow Dorothea successfully opposed until her death in 1580. From around 1590, the Count Palatine Johann Casimir introduced Calvinism in Neumarkt . Another outbreak of the plague is reported for 1612. When the Upper Palatinate and Neumarkt came to Bavaria in 1628 during the Thirty Years' War , Catholic doctrine prevailed again. In 1630 and 1631 the plague raged again in the city. Neumarkt was occupied twice by Swedish troops, namely from 1633 to 1635 during the fighting for Regensburg and from 1646 to 1649. In both cases the city was sacked.
On March 17, 1703, the Bavarian town and garrison was occupied by Austrian troops and troops of the Frankish Empire under General Styrum in the War of the Spanish Succession after a five-day siege . From 1708 to 1714 the city, like the entire Upper Palatinate, came under Palatinate-Neuburg rule. Something similar happened 40 years later in the War of the Austrian Succession . Austrian troops occupied the city in 1743 under General Feldzeugmeister Thüngen. The Bavarian Freikorpsführer Johann Michael Gschray managed to win the city back for Bavaria for a short time, but in 1744 it fell back to the Austrians until the peace treaty in 1745.
During the coalition wars, there was a dramatic encounter between French and Austrian troops in the summer of 1796, when the French barricaded themselves in the city and the Austrians threatened complete destruction. Only through the courageous intervention of Neumarkt blacksmith Veit Jung , who opened the Upper Gate on his own initiative, could worse be prevented. When Bavaria became a kingdom under Napoleon I from 1806 , Neumarkt received the status of a royal Bavarian city and became the seat of a regional court.
At the end of the 18th century a large band of robbers was active in the area around Neumarkt ( Great Franconian Thieves and Robbers ). Received is z. B. still a copy of a threatening letter to the Neumarkter Schultheiss from the year 1799. This was probably written by the robber Franz Troglauer .
Upswing and Industrial Revolution (1815-1914)
In the 19th century, Neumarkt gradually transformed into an industrial location. From 1830, several thousand people also worked in the Neumarkt area on the construction of the Ludwig-Danube-Main Canal ; when it was completed in 1846, Neumarkt became a port city. The formerly high expectations of the canal were never to be fulfilled, however, as the railway line to Nuremberg and Regensburg as well as the branch to Beilngries and later the one to Regensburg soon overtook it from 1871. The first industrial area outside the city walls developed along today's Bahnhofstrasse. In 1884, the Express factory was the first bicycle factory in continental Europe (outside of England), and in 1894, the first explosives factory in Bavaria was opened under French management . Around 1900 the first sewer system was installed in the inner city area, followed by water and gas pipes and in 1905 the municipal bathing establishment. In 1909, on February 4th, heavy rains melted the snow cover and caused flooding, which mainly affected the southern part of the city around Regensburger Strasse and caused severe damage.
First World War and Weimar Republic (1914–1933)
The economic effects of the First World War were soon felt in Neumarkt as well. The scarcity of raw materials meant that in 1917, for example, the tin lids of beer mugs were confiscated and silver coins were replaced by aluminum ones. In 1918 food, especially meat and potatoes, became scarce. Over 300 Neumarkters remained dead on the battlefields of this war. After the end of the war, the supplies of gas and coal were very limited, for example rail traffic to Nuremberg, Regensburg and Beilngries was severely restricted.
In the 1920s, the city administration tried very hard to attract new industries. In 1921 the former parade ground was sold to the wood wholesaler Pfleiderer from Heilbronn, which later relocated its headquarters here as Pfleiderer (company) . In 1922 the Eberhard Faber pencil factory founded a factory on today's EFA-Straße. In August 1924 Neumarkt was connected to the public power supply. The economic boom also meant that the population grew significantly. In the 1920s, the city recorded the largest population growth in the Upper Palatinate.
In September 1923 a first local group of the NSDAP was founded in Neumarkt , which appeared publicly on the German Day on September 23rd. After the ban in November 1923, their supporters initially joined the Völkischer Block . The departure of active partisans from Neumarkt, however, meant that the National Socialist movement soon disintegrated. It was not until 1928 that the party was re-established.
In 1926 the Kolping House burned down with its theater hall. As a result, theater life in the city almost came to a standstill. It took until 1934 before a newly built journeyman's house could be reopened.
National Socialism, Dietrich-Eckart-Stadt (1933–1945)
From 1933 the NSDAP also took over power in Neumarkt. As the birthplace of Dietrich Eckart , it had the official name affix Dietrich-Eckart-Stadt , in January 1934 Adolf Hitler inaugurated a memorial in his honor in the city park. WASAG AG's explosives factory in what is now Wasag-Park became an important manufacturer of hand grenades and mines as early as the mid-1930s. Here - and also in other Neumarkt companies - more and more forced laborers , especially from Eastern Europe, were employed as the war progressed . In 1942, the National Socialists set up an internment camp for them in what is now the Wolfstein district; Soviet prisoners in particular were also housed in the branch in the paper mill in Mühlstrasse, where conditions were particularly inhumane. Hundreds of them died and were buried in a cemetery for foreign war victims, including women and children.
As everywhere in the empire, Jews were first humiliated and harassed, and later persecuted and deported. On November 9, 1938 , the synagogue on Hallertorstrasse was set on fire and largely destroyed. Neumarkt became “ free of Jews ” on Good Friday 1942 when the last 15 Jews were taken to concentration camps .
Shortly before the end of the war, Neumarkt was largely destroyed by two American air raids on February 23 and April 11, 1945 . The civilian population withdrew to the surrounding suburbs of Woffenbach, Pölling and Berg. The last people remaining in the city tried several times to hand over the city without a fight to the US troops who had already advanced to Postbauer-Heng and Berg, but two SS divisions resisted until the end. Fierce fighting broke out between American and German soldiers throughout the city. Among other things, an American was pushed back into the court church, where the balls are still stuck in the base of the main altar. Over 90% of the old town and the station district were in ruins when they were captured by US troops on April 22, 1945 . The present-day district of Voggenthal was "overlooked" by the Americans, so that the people of Voggenthal initially waited in vain and finally asked the troops in the neighboring Höhenberg to be liberated.
1945 until today
The reconstruction following the World War led to a predominance of the typical architecture in the cityscape. However, it was possible to preserve the historical character of the old town. It was not until the end of the 20th century that the Reitstadel (1980) and the Lower Gate (1989) could be rebuilt. In 1968 the A3 motorway reached Neumarkt. As part of the regional reform of 1972 , the independent city of Neumarkt was incorporated into the Neumarkt district on June 1 and declared a major district town , with the municipalities of Pölling , St. Helena, Holzheim, Lippertshofen, Mühlen and Pelchenhofen as well as parts of the municipalities of Woffenbach and Stauf incorporated were. The Neumarkt district was merged with the Parsberg district and parts of the Hilpoltstein and Riedenburg districts. The municipality of Kastl went to the district of Amberg-Sulzbach . In the same year the observatory was built on the Mariahilfberg under voluntary management.
In 1980, the ring roads started with the construction, was on 1 September 1993. Finally, with the first city buses of the public transport introduced. The redevelopment of the old town, which began in 1990, revitalized the cityscape considerably; the Rathausplatz and Klostergasse were converted into a pedestrian zone . The individual quarters of the old town are gradually being renovated and new residential complexes are being built. In 1997 the former slaughterhouse at Unteren Tor was demolished to make way for the Jura-Galerie , a modern shopping center. The project was controversial from the start, and a referendum in 2000 initially stopped the project.
In 1998 the 8th Bavarian State Horticultural Show took place in Neumarkt from April 24th to October 4th ; the contract was only awarded in 1995 after Landshut resigned for financial reasons. The garden show, which was prepared in record time and took place around the Ludwig-Danube-Main Canal between Holzheim and Altenhof, is still one of the most successful in Bavaria. In July 2004 the much discussed Lothar Fischer Museum was opened. In the course of the construction of this museum, the city park behind the castle was redesigned. Plans for the construction of a town hall in the town park have been in progress since 1997, and construction was scheduled to start in 2007. The associated resolution of the city council has not yet been implemented.
In December 2010 the city was connected to the Nuremberg S-Bahn network with the S3 line .
On September 23, 2008, the city received the title “ Place of Diversity ” awarded by the federal government . As part of a sustainability project by UNESCO , Neumarkt was awarded the title " City of the World Decade " for 2007/2008, 2009/2010, 2011/2012 and 2013/2014.
literature
- Johann Nepomuk von Löwenthal, History of the Schulteißenamt and the city of Neumarkt on the Nordgau or in today's Upper Palatinate , Munich, 1805
online on commons
- Kurt Romstöck: The Neumarkt Residence and its Regents , MZ-Druck Regensburg, 1980
- Kurt Romstöck: Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz from 1500 to 1945 , MZ-Druck, 1985
- Kurt Romstöck: Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz from 1945 to 1995 , printing center of the Mittelbayerische Zeitung, 1994
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Memorial sites for the victims of National Socialism. A documentation, volume 1. Federal Agency for Civic Education, Bonn 1995, ISBN 3-89331-208-0 , p. 177
- ^ Neumarkt.de: City awards