History of the city of Gernrode
The history of the city of Gernrode is largely determined by the collegiate church of St. Cyriacus , founded in 961 . In the shadow of the monastery, a market town Gernrode was created , which was granted town charter in 1539.
Foundation of the women's foundation in Gernrode
Margrave Gero founded in the year 959 in his castle Geronisroth after the death of his two sons and Sigfrid Gero the convent Gernrode and sat his daughter Hathui one as abbess. King Otto I confirmed the foundation on July 17th, 961.
His successors gave the chapter in documents the freedom to choose an abbess and adopt a guardian according to the needs of the monastery. Gernrode was in the district of the Halberstadt diocese , but was directly subordinate to the Pope and the Emperor. According to a document dated March 25, 964, the monastery owned churches and goods in 76 localities. The abbesses to be elected were mostly princely daughters or from the high nobility; the number of canonesses is said to have been 24.
The monastery developed into an important Ottonian and Salic center and was on an equal footing with the imperial abbeys . Emperor Heinrich V was visiting Gernrode and Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa held a court day in Gernrode in 1188.
The first abbess Gernrodes Hathui died on July 4, 1014 after 50 years of reign; she was buried next to the grave of Margrave Gero. Since Hathui, 35 abbesses have headed the monastery in the 650 years of existence of the abbey, most of them from princely houses. The abbess of Gernrode had in 999 from Emperor Otto III. received the title of a gubernatrix . That meant she had the rights and duties of a sovereign - so she was a princess. The Gernröder Stift was thus on an equal footing with the large imperial abbeys of the time.
Market town in the shadow of the collegiate church
In the confirmation document from 961 a place Rode is mentioned for the first time, which was next to the monastery and the castle Geronisroth. The place Geronrod emerged as a clearing village after the ending -rode . Gernrode has been the name of the city since 1700 . The abbesses had sovereignty over the village of Gernrode. The abbess was assisted by a guardian in the performance of her duties; This had to protect the abbey from attacks and exercised the secular jurisdiction over the monastery and the high jurisdiction over the place Gernrode. In 1149 Albrecht the Bear became the guardian of the monastery from the Ascanian family . From then until the end of the abbey in 1616, the Ascanians mostly provided the abbey's protective bailiff.
The place was in the area around the church of St. Stephanus, which is mentioned in this document as the market church. In the east, the border in the valley of the Scheelichenbach can be assumed, there was also a city gate until the 19th century. The northern end is to be assumed in the area of Marktstrasse and Clara-Zetkin- Strasse, while today's Schulstrasse marks the southern boundary of the village. In the west, a large linden tree in the parish garden offered itself as a border tree .
In 1533 the first school building was built in Gernrode at the behest of Abbess Anna von Plauen and operated with funds from the abbey. A writing by Luther from 1524 evidently induced Elisabeth von Weida to have a school built, because he demanded that schools be built for the common people. Elisabeth von Weida died in 1532 , but her successors, Anna von Plauen and Anna von Kitlitz, continued their school policy and also maintained relations with the University of Wittenberg. At the school, children were equally taught regardless of their family status. Today it is assumed that it was probably the oldest Protestant elementary school in Germany. Classes continued in the classrooms until 1847.
The abbess Anna von Plauen gave the place the right to use a seal and a coat of arms in 1539. An express granting of the city charter, however, never seems to have taken place, but the Anhalt City Parliament, in which Gernrode had a seat and vote, congratulated in 1939 on the 400th anniversary of the granting of the city charter.
Due to its minor importance, Gernrode always remained a market town, the place and the market were not walled. In the 17th and 18th centuries Gernrode was still referred to in documents as a town and very rarely as a town .
After Anna von Kittlitz's death in 1558, disputes broke out between the canons and Prince Joachim Ernst von Anhalt , who wanted to use his position as guardian to enforce the election of his minor sister Elisabeth. He sent his councilors to Gernrode, but the plan failed due to the resistance of the chapter, which unanimously decided in favor of the dean Elisabeth II von Gleichen. Elisabeth II. Was the last abbess of Gernrode who did not come from the Princely House of Anhalt. When she died on December 19, 1564, the sister of the patroness of the same name was elected abbess.
When Elisabeth III. She opened the series of the Anhalt Princesses, who were already referred to as von Gernrode as children and only stayed in the monastery until they were married. Elisabeth renounced her dignity in 1570. She was followed by Anna Maria (1570–1577), Sibylle (1577–1581), Agnes Hedwig (1581–1586), Dorothea Maria (1586–1593), Sophia Elisabeth (1593–1614).
After Abbess Sophia Elisabeth von Anhalt left the monastery, no new election was held, so the position of Abbess remained vacant. The de facto incorporation of the monastery into the Principality of Anhalt was thus completed.
When Anhalt was divided into four parts in 1603, the monastery and the city were assigned to the senior citizen property. The administration and government of the former imperial direct monastery was now in the hands of the respective senior of the Anhalt princes. The legal succession was in 1728 by Emperor Karl VI. finally transferred to the Princely House of Anhalt. In 1802, the last loan was made by Franz II .
The time of the Anhalt princes and dukes
When the seniority estates were divided up in 1696, the northern part of the former monastery area, Großalsleben and Alikendorf, fell to Anhalt-Dessau . The areas on the Harz were given Anhalt-Bernburg . The city of Gernrode came to a branch line of the Anhalt-Bernburger to Anhalt-Harzgerode. From 1709 the town of Gernrode also belonged to the Principality of Anhalt-Bernburg.
In 1806 the Principality of Anhalt-Bernburg was elevated to a duchy. After the duchy had expired, it came together with the duchy of Anhalt-Köthen to form the duchy of Anhalt with the state capital Dessau in 1863 . The Principality of Anhalt-Bernburg was divided into two main areas in the 18th century - the state of Bernburg and the area in the Vorharz. The Anhalt area in the Vorharz consisted of five judicial offices: Ballenstadt, Gernrode, Güntersberge, Harzgerode, Hoym. The Gernrode office bordered Prussia to the north and west, and around 1739 the seat of the Gernrode office was the Princely Court of Justice . The building was located to the west of the collegiate church, presumably it was the former abbess' hall. In the early 18th century, rooms in the southern part of the former monastery district were used for occasional stays by the Anhalter Princes; their level was probably suitable for a court. Therefore, this part of the population was soon called "the castle"; the castle avenue, which is located today on the still preserved monastery wall, reminds of this. From 1721 Prince Karl Friedrich's wife , Wilhelmine Charlotte Countess of Ballenstedt, who was of civil descent, was banished to Gernrode together with her sons. The two sons were named Friedrich and Carl Leopold. Friedrich died in Gernrode in 1758, his brother became a general in Hessen-Kassel . He died there in 1769. Their mother had died in Gernrode in 1740.
The abbey district was converted into a domain in 1832 , and its use as an agricultural operation almost resulted in the destruction of the abbey church and the abbey district. The domain was bought back in 1858, and from 1859 the restoration of the church by Ferdinand von Quast began.
Prince Victor Friedrich von Anhalt-Bernburg was of importance for the city of Gernrode . He ruled from 1721 to 1765 in the style of the time as an absolutist ruler. He built a monument for himself in the city when, in 1754, he had a guest house built on the Stubenberg instead of a lawn bench, today's Hotel Stubenberghaus . Later this guest house was rebuilt and expanded and used as a hotel. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe stayed here in 1805 on his fourth trip to the Harz Mountains. The prince not only built this guest house, but also the Sternhaus and Viktorshöhe hunting lodges. Both later developed into popular excursion destinations.
The townscape of Gernrode was probably shaped by the Middle Ages until the 18th century. Around 1700 there were about 1000 inhabitants in the city. At the beginning of the 19th century, the character of the place changed and it began to become a place of relaxation. At that time, many well-known people visited Gernrode, especially the hotel on the Stubenberg with its beautiful location attracted visitors. In addition to Goethe, Heinrich von Kleist and Wilhelm von Kügelgen were guests there. Gernrode offered good conditions for a summer holiday, such as the mild climate and the location, which made a wide range of activities possible.
Through tourism, Gernrode developed into a modern small town, because the infrastructure had to be improved for vacationers due to the increasing demands. In addition, the construction of villas and factories began. At that time there were also three bathing establishments available to guests, the Osterteich , the Schraderbad and the Ottobad.
The transport connections were also greatly improved during this time, for example the Quedlinburg-Aschersleben railway line was opened in 1885 and the Selketal Railway opened in 1887 by the Gernröder-Harzgeröder railway company.
The 20th century
The post-war years brought hard times, hunger and deprivation for Gernrode as well. The inflation at the beginning of the Weimar Republic was tried in Gernrode as elsewhere by issuing vouchers.
From 1933, the National Socialists came to power under Adolf Hitler - in the state elections in 1932, the State of Anhalt already had a National Socialist government under Dr. Alfred Freyberg received. From 1933 to 1945, the state of Anhalt and the state of Braunschweig were under a Reich governor with special powers. During this time, the state of Anhalt and parts of the former Prussian province of Saxony formed the Gau Magdeburg-Anhalt . During this time there was also a school of the ( BDM ) in Gernrode in a villa from the Wilhelminian era.
During the Second World War , 178 men and women of various nationalities, mostly Poles, had to do forced labor in armaments companies . For Gernrode, the war brought a serious setback in development, with many wounded and injured to complain. At the end of the war there was an enormous influx of refugees and resettlers - the number of inhabitants exceeded 6000 during this time. All free beds in the city were used for accommodation.
On April 19, 1945, Gernrode was occupied by American troops without a fight, and they made the Stubenberg their headquarters. They appointed Dietrich Wilde from Suderode as the new mayor on May 1, 1945. After the allied agreement on the division of Germany, the American troops were replaced by Soviet troops in June 1945.
On September 8, 1946, the first municipal and district elections took place. The elections for the state parliament of the province of Saxony-Anhalt took place on October 20, 1946 - the first prime minister was Dr. Erhard Hubener . In 1947 the province adopted a constitution and called itself from February 25, 1947 the state of Saxony-Anhalt .
After the founding of the GDR in 1949, an administrative reform was carried out in 1952; the main parts of the state of Saxony-Anhalt were divided between the two districts of Magdeburg and Halle. The city of Gernrode came together with the district of Quedlinburg to the district of Halle . The district of Quedlinburg and the former Anhalt district of Ballenstedt were merged in 1950.
In the Gernrode was to build up FDGB -Feriendienstes started - this led to rising numbers of overnight stays. The Hotel Stubenberg became one of the first FDGB holiday homes in 1948. In 1952, the construction of the Fritz Heckert holiday home began, which is the union's first newly built holiday home. There was also the friendship holiday home, a former daughter's home. During this time, numerous company holiday homes were built by the companies - mostly in the former daughter's homes, which had since become superfluous. These numerous overnight accommodations resulted in an enormous number of vacationers.
In 1961 the 1000 year celebration was celebrated in Gernrode.
In Gernrode there was not only tourism but also industry; Thus, in 1960 VEB Harzer Uhren was founded, which came from a private watchmaking company - the company began in 1969 with the production of Harz cuckoo clocks. They are still produced today under the name Harzer Uhren. In addition, there were companies in Gernrode for the production of upholstered furniture and for the production of beverages and spirits. In agriculture, the areas of the farmers were combined into an LPG - it covered the whole spectrum of agriculture from fruit growing to cattle breeding to arable farming. Before the war there had already been a Teickner tree nursery in Gernrode. In 1972 it was merged with a tree nursery in Blankenburg to form VEG Saatzucht, Baumschulen und Landschaftsgestaltung Gernrode. In 1989 Gernrode celebrated the award of town charter 450 years ago in 1539.
The upheavals in the fall of the GDR in the autumn of 1989 brought the end of the holiday service of the trade unions and the holiday homes of most companies; there was an enormous slump in the number of holidaymakers. The former holiday homes were closed except for the Stubenberg. After reunification in 1990, the former districts of Halle and Magdeburg merged to form the state of Saxony-Anhalt. On October 14, 1990, the first Landtag of the new federal state was elected.
With the absence of holidaymakers and the closure of businesses, there was a sharp rise in unemployment. Attempts were made to find usage concepts for the former holiday homes, which failed; the former holiday homes Fritz-Heckert and Freunda are in serious decline and will probably have to be torn down. The Stubenberg was sold to a private investor in 1992 and was reopened as a hotel. Some of the companies located in Gernrode survived the fall of the Wall , but they were greatly reduced in size.
Since January 1st, 1994, the city has been part and seat of the administrative community of Gernrode / Harz . In addition to the city of Gernrode, the communities Rieder , Bad Suderode , Friedrichsbrunn and Stecklenberg belonged to it .
The 21st century
Since March 4, 2006, the narrow-gauge Selketalbahn has been connected to the normal rail network again. Scheduled traffic started on June 26, 2006 - just in time for the Harz Festival in Gernrode.
With the new district structure that came into force in Saxony-Anhalt on July 1, 2007 , Gernrode belongs to the new Harz district .
On January 1, 2011, Gernrode became a district of Quedlinburg due to the municipal reform. A lawsuit against the compulsory incorporation and for a unified community of Gernrode with Bad Suderode and Rieder had no suspensive effect. On February 19, 2013, the state constitutional court declared the incorporation unconstitutional and lifted it, Gernrode was independent again. On January 1, 2014, Gernrode was then again incorporated into Quedlinburg together with Bad Suderode.
On July 1, 2014, the new municipal constitutional law of the state of Saxony-Anhalt came into force. In its §14 (2) the municipalities are given the opportunity to assign this designation to the districts that were towns before the incorporation. The city of Quedlinburg has made use of this regulation. Your amended main statute dates from March 12, 2015. In §1 (3) the districts and localities are listed with their official names.
Bibliography and map index
- Andreas Popperodt: Historia Ecclesiae Gerenrodenses 1560. In: Johann Christoph Beckmann (Ed.): Accesiones Historia Anhaltinae as Annales Gernrodensis . 1716.
- Hans Hartung: On the past of Gernrode . Verlag Carl Mittag, Gernrode 1912.
- Berent Schwineköper (Hrsg.): Handbook of the historical sites of Germany . Volume 11: Province of Saxony Anhalt (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 314). 2nd, revised and expanded edition. Kröner, Stuttgart 1987, ISBN 3-520-31402-9 , pp. 136-138.
Individual evidence
- ^ The documents Konrad I, Heinrich I and Otto I. Edited by Theodor Sickel. Monumenta Germaniae Historica . The documents of the German kings and emperors 1. Hahn, Hanover 1879–1884, unaltered reprint Munich 1997, ISBN 3-921575-60-5 , p. 313 f. No. 229. Online edition
- ^ The documents of Friedrich I. Part 4. 1181–1190 . Edited by Heinrich Appelt. Monumenta Germaniae Historica . The documents of the German kings and emperors Vol. 10.4. Hahn, Hannover 1990, ISBN 3-7752-5151-0 , ISBN 3-7752-5152-9 , pp. 268-271 nos. 983-985. Online edition
- ↑ Hans Hartung: On the past of Gernrode . 1912, pp. 62 to 90.
- ↑ Hans Hartung: On the past of Gernrode . 1912, pp. 62 to 90.
- ↑ Hans Hartung: On the past of Gernrode . 1912, pp. 62-90.
- ↑ battle for three-way solution , means German newspaper 16 November, 2010
- ↑ Local constitution law of the state in the version of July 1, 2014
- ↑ Main statutes in the version of March 12, 2015
