The city of Merseburg, which has around 34,000 inhabitants and is a
former imperial palace, is located in the south of the federal state of
Saxony-Anhalt, around 10km south of Halle. Along with Halle and
Bitterfeld-Wolfen, it is a center of the "chemical triangle". Merseburg
is heavily industrialized by the chemical works Buna (north), Leuna
(south) and former lignite opencast mining (Geiseltal) and coal
processing in the west.
Although one of the oldest cities in the
region (first documented mention in the 9th century) and a former
bishop's seat, Merseburg today has a rather fragmented cityscape with
little due to war damage in World War II and the fact that the
reconstruction in GDR times was not based on historical models
contiguous old structure. The two most important buildings (cathedral
and castle) rise out of this, located on a hill.
The neighboring
towns of Leuna and Schkopau, which have grown together with Merseburg,
are also dealt with in this article.
In the early and high Middle
Ages, Merseburg was one of the most important cities in what is now
central Germany. It was first mentioned around 890. History experts
associate it primarily with the so-called "Merseburg Spells", a
collection of pagan incantations written in Old High German from the 9th
or 10th century. In 968, Emperor Otto I founded the diocese of
Merseburg. The city, then still near Germany's eastern border, remained
an important religious center with its Benedictine abbey and Romanesque
cathedral well into the 16th century. Merseburg was one of the favorite
palaces of Emperor Heinrich II. The diocese of Merseburg was
comparatively small, but included such important cities as Leipzig.
The Reformation came to Merseburg in the mid-16th century. The
Benedictine abbey was dissolved and the bishopric's territory annexed by
the secular Electorate of Saxony. From the mid-17th to the 18th century,
Merseburg was the residence of a branch of the Saxon dukes. After the
Congress of Vienna in 1815, the city came under Prussian rule and became
the administrative seat of a government district to which the south of
the province of Saxony (roughly equivalent to today's southern
Saxony-Anhalt, including the much larger city of Halle) belonged.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Merseburg and in particular
its suburb Schkopau became locations for the chemical industry. The Buna
works in Schkopau were founded in 1936 as part of the National
Socialists' self-sufficiency policy (i.e. independence from raw material
imports) and were the first place where rubber was synthesized on an
industrial scale. During the division of Germany, Plaste und Elaste from
Schkopau in the GDR was a well-known term for plastics. Large parts of
the historic old town were replaced by "socialist" new buildings. After
reunification, many workers lost their jobs because most of the
companies that had become unprofitable had to close or massively
restructure their production. Merseburg lost around a third of its
population compared to the 1980s, in 2015 the city still had around
34,000 inhabitants. The Bunawerke are now a subsidiary of the US group
Dow Chemical.
In 2008, the southern cloister of the Merseburg Cathedral was
renovated for the purpose of re-presenting the unique pieces of the
Merseburg Cathedral treasures, which are known nationally due to their
special cultural and historical significance.
In the treasury in
the cloister of Merseburg Cathedral, in addition to valuable manuscripts
such as the magnificently painted Merseburg Bible from the 13th century,
a Romanesque portable altar, an ivory casket from the middle of the 13th
century and an altar retable can be seen. The mummified hand of the
anti-king Rudolf of Swabia, who fell in 1080, is also on display. A
facsimile of the famous Merseburg magic spells can be admired in the
"Magic Spells Vault" below the treasury.
Bishop Thilo von Trotha owned a golden signet ring, a gift from his
friend, the Bishop of Naumburg. One morning he left it by the open
window and, after a short absence, noticed that the ring had been lost.
In his anger, he accused his longtime servant of theft. Although the
servant protested his innocence, he had him executed. Even after the
head was cut off, his outstretched arms are said to have protested his
innocence. When the ring was later found in a raven's nest, Thilo von
Trotha had a bird cage erected in the castle courtyard as a reminder not
to pass judgment in a fit of anger, in which a raven has since atoned
for the theft. As a permanent souvenir, the bishop included a raven with
a ring in his beak in his coat of arms. – However, his family probably
had this raven with a ring in their coat of arms before that. (Cf. coat
of arms of Krosigk, his possible place of birth)
Such a raven is
still kept in a cage today, but the old custom is controversial among
animal rights activists. Therefore, in June 2006, the traditional cage
in front of the palace was significantly enlarged. The raven now lives
with a partner in an aviary that is now almost nine meters long and four
meters wide.
Cultural History Museum Schloss Merseburg: In addition to exhibits
from prehistory and early history, e.g. Presentations on the medieval
Palatinate and diocese history, on art and culture in the Duchy of
Saxony-Merseburg and on the city's modern history. The castle and castle
garden are part of the Saxony-Anhalt Garden Dreams project
German
Chemistry Museum in Merseburg: Technical objects document the
development of the chemical industry in the area around Merseburg and in
the central German chemical region.
Kunststiftung ben zi bena
Merseburg e.V.: In changing exhibitions, the art foundation offers a
juxtaposition or conflict of artistic perspectives from the former FRG
and the former GDR.
Willi Sitte Gallery: The Willi Sitte Foundation
for Realistic Art exhibits the artistic work and other collected works
of art by the painter and graphic artist Willi Sitte. The gallery was
opened in 2006 in the presence of former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder
(SPD).
Galerie Tiefer Keller: Gallery that shows works by young
artists in changing exhibitions.
Kunsttanke: Atelier, experimental
stage and workshop at Domstraße 5
Peter Sodann Library: In 2006, the
“Association for the promotion, preservation and expansion of a
collection of literature published in East Germany between 1945 and
1990” was founded in Merseburg under the chairmanship of the actor Peter
Sodann. The aim of the association was to set up a library in Merseburg
with all the books published in the GDR by 2009 and to make it
accessible to everyone. However, the library was relocated to
Stauchitz/district Staucha.
The internationally renowned Merseburg Organ Days have a firm place
in the musical life of Saxony-Anhalt and draw numerous music lovers to
the Merseburg Cathedral every September. Internationally renowned
organists, famous orchestras and well-known soloists and choirs have
made the organ festival known far beyond the borders of the region.
Initiated in the 1960s, they have been staged since 1994 as part of the
Saxony-Anhalt Music Festival under the direction of the Leipzig
Gewandhaus and Merseburg Cathedral organist Michael Beauty from the
"Freundeskreis Musik und Denkmalpflege in Kirchen des Merseburger Land
e.V."
The focus of the Merseburg Organ Days is the Merseburg
Romantic Great Organ created by Friedrich Ladegast between 1853 and
1855. Particularly associated with the name of Franz Liszt, the Ladegast
organ is an instrument of outstanding importance in music history.
Broadcasts can also be heard regularly on Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk and
Deutschlandradio Kultur.
Merseburg Castle with raven cage
Merseburg chapter house with
cathedral chapter archive and library (exhibition of Merseburg magic
spells)
Palace garden with palace garden salon and orangery,
monuments, including the equestrian statue of King Friedrich Wilhelm
III, the Iron Cross and water feature
Merseburger Ständehaus (culture
and congress center) with monumental paintings by Hugo Vogel
Market
with Old Town Hall and Staupenbrunnen (16th century) and the Saalelf
fountain (20th century)
Zech Palace
Domapothek zum Rautenkranz
Palm Tree Inn
superintendency
Crooked gate
Black Bastion
French Fountain
cathedral fountain
Owl Tower with remains of the
city wall
Neumarktmühle (16th century)
Neumarkt Bridge (View of
the Saale with Domburg)
Neumarkt with St. Thomae Cantuariensis church
High bridge (16th century)
City cemetery St. Maximi with historical
figures and chapel
South park and rose garden recreation area
Gotthard pond with fountain, planetarium and the Klia drain in the
direction of the Saale
City park and nature reserve "Saale-Aue"
(Saaleradwanderweg)
Soviet Cemetery of Honor for 261 Red Army
soldiers in Merseburg-Süd
redesigned Entenplan with fountain and the
former Dobkowitz department store
Monument to King Henry I by Paul
Juckoff 1933
Sculpture symposium on the banks of the Saale
numerous other fountains and sculptures spread over the city area,
including the season fountain
Upper water art - baroque water tower
built in 1738 by Johann Michael Hoppenhaupt
Cathedral Curia from the
Renaissance and Baroque periods (Cathedral Street), including In acie
ambitus and Simonis et Judae
in italics the Latin patronage as links
Merseburg Cathedral St.
Laurentii et Johannis baptistae (with a Ladegast organ)
City Church
of St. Maximi
Neumarkt Church of St. Thomae Cantuariensis
Altenburg Church of St. Viti
Benedictine monastery of St. Petri
(founded in 1091; remains preserved)
Church of St. Sixti (Romanesque
church ruins with a water tower on top from 1889)
Church of St.
Norbert (Roman Catholic)
Church of St. Ullrich in Merseburg-Süd
(Roman Catholic, consecrated in 1959, profaned in 2016)
Church of the
New Apostolic Congregation
in the districts:
Church of St.
Dionysius in Atzendorf
Church in Niederbeuna
Church in Oberbeuna
(by Johann Michael Hoppenhaupt)
Church of St. Thomas in Blösien with
a Ladegast organ
Cross Chapel in Freiimfelde
Church of St. George
in Geusa
Church in Kötzschen (by Johann Michael Hoppenhaupt)
Church of St. George in Meuschau
Church of St. Cyriakus in Zscherben
as well as:
Parish Hall of the Evangelical Free Church
(Brotherhood)
Merseburg New Year's Run (January 1)
Merseburg Puppet Theater
Festival (March)
Merseburg DEFA Film Days (March, since 2006)
Merseburg Rabenmarkt, arts and crafts and pottery market at the
cathedral (last weekend in March and October)
Merseburg Castle
Festival (June)
International Castle Moat Concerts (June–September)
Merseburg Organ Days (September)
Merseburg Magic Festival (October)
Merseburg Castle Christmas (December)
Cabaret, lectures and concerts
in the Ständehaus
Merseburg cathedral music, organ sound 12 and
motets in the cathedral
By plane
Leipzig Halle Airport (IATA: LEJ) is about 30 km
north-east and can be reached via the B 181 and A 9. There is no direct
public transport connection, so you have to change trains in Halle
(approx. 45 minutes in total) or take a taxi (around €50).
By
train
Merseburg can be reached every two hours with the regional
express lines RE 16 (Halle-Erfurt) and RE 18 (Halle-Jena) and every hour
with the regional train lines RB 25 (Halle-Jena-Saalfeld) and RB 78
(Querfurt-Merseburg). Depending on the type of train, it takes about
10-12 minutes from Halle, 1:05 hours from Erfurt, 1:07 hours from
Magdeburg (IC from Halle). Coming from Leipzig you have to change trains
in Halle and with a transfer time of 6 minutes it only takes 45 minutes,
around 15 minutes less than the continuous bus from Leipzig.
The
train station is about 700 meters west of the city center.
Not
the fastest, but an unusual way to get there is the interurban tram line
5 from Halle via Merseburg to Bad Dürrenberg (at 31 kilometers one of
the longest tram lines in Germany). It takes about 50 minutes to get
from Halle city center to Merseburg.
By bus
Flixbus stops at
Merseburg once or twice on trips between Berlin and Gera, Berlin and
Munich (and beyond Munich towards Austria). The long-distance buses stop
at the train station.
Bus line 131 runs hourly from Leipzig
Central Station (via the western parts of Leipzig and the Nova Eventis
shopping center in Günthersdorf) to Merseburg. The journey from Leipzig
Hbf to the train station in Merseburg takes exactly one hour and costs
€6 for full-paying passengers.
On the street
To the west of
the city, the A 38 Göttingen-Leipzig runs along with the symbol: AS 24
Merseburg-Nord and symbol: AS 25 Merseburg-Süd. From the north and south
you can reach Merseburg via the A 9 Berlin-Munich (junction symbol: AS
17 Leipzig-West. The B 91 Halle-Merseburg-Weißenfels-Zeitz runs through
Merseburg itself. It has been expanded to four lanes as far as
Merseburg. There are also the B 181, which connects Leipzig and the
aforementioned junction of the A 9 with Merseburg.
Five bus lines operate in Merseburg and, from Halle, the Merseburger
Überlandbahn (line 5 of Halle's tramway). Central bus transfer points
are at the train station and, about 200 meters to the east,
Merseburg-Zentrum with the tram.
Merseburg is part of the tariff
area of the Central German Transport Association (MDV). Travelers can
use all network tickets that include the Merseburg fare zone on all
public transport. The Saxony-Anhalt (Saxony, Thuringia) ticket is also
valid on city buses and trams.
Cheap
1 Pizzeria Marco Polo, Koenig Heinrichstrasse 8, 06217
Merseburg. Tel: (0)3461 210421. Italian cuisine. Open: Wed + Fri 11 a.m.
– 2 p.m. + 5 p.m. – 11 p.m., Sat – Tue + Thu 5 p.m. – 10 p.m. Price:
Pizzas from €4.90.
Various snack bars/barbecues with Arabic and
Turkish cuisine - very popular, cheap and tasty - can be found near the
train station.
Medium
2 To the rail, Naumburger Str. 232,
06217 Merseburg. Tel: (0)3461 500485, email: zurschiene@aol.com. German
cuisine. A brunch is offered on the first Sunday of every month. A
holiday apartment consisting of a double room is also available (per
night depending on the occupancy from 20 €, breakfast per person 5 €).
Open: Mon + Tue are days of rest, Wed + Thu 11 am – 2 pm + 5 pm – 9 pm,
Fri + Sat 11 am – 2 pm + 5 pm – 11 pm, Sun 11 am – 2 pm; 24.12. + 31.12.
closed. Price: main courses €8.50–14.60; Sunday brunch €14.50.
3 Taj
Mahal, Burgstr. 6, 06217 Merseburg. Phone: (0)3461 2769066, Fax: (0)3461
2769068, Email: info@tajmahal-merseburg.de. Indian cuisine in the former
restaurant & cafe "Am Entenplan" Open: daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Price: main courses €8.90–14.90.
4 Restaurant Dynastie, Teichstrasse
2, 06217 Merseburg. Tel: (0)3461 214066, Email: Kimdynastie@gmail.com.
Asian cuisine. Open: Mon + Tue 5.30 p.m. – 10 p.m., Wed – Sun 11.30 a.m.
– 2.30 p.m. + 5.30 p.m. – 10 p.m. Price: lunch dishes €7.90-9.90, main
courses €9.50-16.50.
5 Restaurant & Cafe "ben zi bena", Domplatz 6,
06217 Merseburg. Phone: (0)3461 824930, Fax: (0)3461 213587, Email:
info@benzibena.de. Open: Daily.
6 Café am Kloster, Am Kloster 1,
06217 Merseburg. Tel: (0)3461 824840. In addition to cakes, the menu
also offers some German and Mediterranean dishes. Open: May – Oct Tue –
Sun 11 a.m. – 8 p.m., closed on Mondays; Nov - Apr Tue - Sun 11 a.m. - 6
p.m., Mon is closed. Price: main courses €6.20–11.20.
7 Ratskeller
Merseburg, Ölgrube 2, 06217 Merseburg. Tel.: (0)3461 289983, fax:
(0)3461 289965, email: hoga@ratskeller-merseburg.de. Next to the
restaurant there is a vaulted cellar and a cocktail bar. German cuisine
with events such as B. a knight's meal for €21.90 per person.
8
Restaurant Zur Sülze, Klobikauer Str. 104, 06217 Merseburg. Tel.:
(0)3461 212825, email: info@gastro-team-huffziger.de.
9 Tavern Zeus,
Gotthardstrasse 36, 06217 Merseburg. Tel.: (0)3461 2603829, fax: (0)3461
3719915, e-mail: info@taverne-zeus.de. Greek kitchen. Open: Mon is a day
off, Tue – Sun 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. + 5:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. Price:
lunch dishes €5.20-6.90, main courses €6.90-17.50.
Upscale
The
sun - Mediterranean cuisine (mainly Italian classics), currently the
hippest location in town - young and modern (http://sonne-merseburg.de/)
- one part restaurant, the other part café next door. extremely
recommended
CriSyVas Bar and Restaurant (http://chrisyvas.de/) directly between
the cathedral and the city center - recommended for a relaxed and casual
evening.
In addition, various small bars and shisha clubs near
the train station - just stop by.
Cheap
1 Hotel & Pension "Am Park", Gutenbergstrasse 18, 06217
Merseburg. Tel.: (0)3461 215472, fax: (0)3461 215481, e-mail:
info@hotel-ampark-merseburg.de. Open: The reception is staffed daily
from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Price: apartments from 3 people €27.50.
2
Pension Gutjahr, Naumburger Strasse 100, 06217 Merseburg. Tel.: (0)3461
503650, Fax: (0)3461 503650. A covered summer terrace including a
barbecue area is available. Feature: pension. Price: single room from
€22, double room from €36.
3 A very special guesthouse at Krummen
Tor, Domstraße 10, 06217 Merseburg. Tel.: (0)3461 248611, Fax: (0)3461
200471, Email: info@pension-der-besonderen-art.de. Feature: pension.
Price: Single room from €37, double room from €49 (breakfast €7 extra
per person).
Medium
4 Check-Inn Hotel, Dorfstr. 12, 06217
Merseburg. Tel.: +49 3461 305550, fax: +49 3461 3055511, e-mail:
info@check-inn-hotel.de. Business hotel with standard facilities,
sufficiently large rooms in a quiet location. Very good Italian
restaurant in the house. Check-in: 15.00-23.00, otherwise by
arrangement. Check-out: 07.00-11.00. Price: Single room from €48.50,
double room from €56 (if you book directly, there is a 5% discount).
5 Hotel Zum Goldenen Löwen, Von-Harnack-Str. 1 - 5, 06217 Merseburg.
Tel.: (0)3461 201591, fax: (0)3461 201592, e-mail:
hotelzumgoldenenloewen@web.de. The hotel has a restaurant with
home-style cooking and a beer garden. Price: Single room from €50,
double room from €60 (breakfast €5 extra per person); Parking fee 5€ per
day.
6 Merseburger Rabe, Ottoweg 19, 06217 Merseburg. Tel.: (0)3461
525425, fax: (0)3461 525427, e-mail: info@merseburger-rabe.de.
Restaurant with a cozy beer garden available. Open: Restaurant: daily 11
a.m. – 2.30 p.m. + from 5 p.m. Price: single room from €50, double room
from €70; Surcharge for breakfast 5€ per person.
7 Skyhotel
Merseburg, Thüringer Weg 28, 06217 Merseburg. Phone: (0)3461 342620,
Fax: (0)3461 34262222, Email: info@skyhotel-merseburg.de. The
"Rabennest" restaurant on the 11th floor offers a beautiful view over
Merseburg and Leuna. Open: Breakfast daily 6 a.m. - 10 a.m., weekends 7
a.m. - 11 a.m., Restaurant Rabennest Mon-Wed, Fri & Sat: 6 p.m. - 10
p.m. Price: Single room from €44, double room from €54, suite from €89.
8 Hotel Restaurant Am Stadtstadion, Hohndorfer Weg 10, 06217 Merseburg.
Tel.: (0)3461 212060, fax: (0)3461 212245, e-mail: info@stadtstadion.de.
The restaurant offers regional specialties and home-style cooking. Open:
Restaurant: Mon is closed, Tue 5 p.m. – 10 p.m., Wed – Sat 11 a.m. – 2
p.m. + 5 p.m. – 10 p.m., Sun 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Price: Single room from
€50, double room from €70 (incl. breakfast buffet).
Upscale
9
Radisson Blu Hotel, Oberaltenburg 4, 06217 Merseburg. Phone: +49 (0)3461
45200, Fax: +49 (0)3461 452100, Email: info.merseburg@radissonblu.com.
Hotel (133 rooms) in an original manor house from the 18th century (and
a modern extension) in the middle of the old town, right next to the
palace gardens and the Estates House. The restaurant serves local and
international cuisine. Features: ★★★★, Free WiFi, Wheelchair Accessible.
Open: Restaurant "Belle Époque": daily 06:00 - 23:00. Check-in: from 3
p.m. Check-out: until 12:00 p.m. Price: double room from €76/BB.
1 Sonnen-Apotheke, Straße des Friedens 87, 06217 Merseburg =. Tel.:
(0)3461 509267, fax: (0)3461 509268, e-mail:
kontakt@sonnen-apotheke24.de. Open: Mon - Fri 8 a.m. - 6.30 p.m., Sat 9
a.m. - 12 p.m.
2 Teich-Apotheke, Eisenbahnstr. 1, 06217 Merseburg.
Phone: (0)3461 214123, Fax: (0)3461 214133, Email:
gerdg.madry@t-online.de. Open: Mon - Fri 8 a.m. - 6.30 p.m., Sat 9 a.m.
- 12 p.m.
1 Tourist Information Center, Burgstraße 5, 06217 Merseburg. Tel: (0)3461 19433.
The first settlements in the area of present-day Merseburg can be traced back to prehistoric times. Finds from the graves of the linear and corded ceramics, the Bronze Age, the late Hallstatt period, the Roman imperial period, the migration period and settlements of the Elbe Slavs can be found in the Museum of Cultural History at Merseburg Castle.
The first written
mention of Merseburg was in the years 881/899 in the Hersfeld tithe
register as mersiburc civitas. After 919, King Heinrich I expanded the
town into a palace. Heinrich had married the daughter of Count Erwin of
Merseburg, so that the place came under the rule of the Saxon dynasty.
He strengthened the fortifications on the castle hill and had the dining
room decorated with frescoes after his victory against the Hungarians at
Riade. At the same time, he settled a troop made up of thieves and
robbers who had been spared, the so-called "Merseburger Schar" (legio
Mesaburiorum), as reinforcements in the outer bailey.
In 955,
after finally defeating the Hungarians at the Battle of Lechfeld, King
Otto I vowed to found a diocese. After the synod of Ravenna in 967, Otto
I founded the archbishopric of Magdeburg in 968 with the suffragan
bishoprics of Zeitz, Meissen and the diocese of Merseburg. The areas for
this had to be handed over to the diocese of Halberstadt, which had
existed for some time.
Merseburg was previously on the border of
the Hassegau.
The diocese was dissolved in 981 and only
re-established in 1004 by King Henry II. Until the time of the
Reformation, Merseburg was to remain a bishop's seat and an important
religious center on Germany's eastern border. In terms of area, the
diocese was one of the smallest in Germany and comprised the south of
what is now Saxony-Anhalt and parts of what is now the Free State of
Saxony. The city of Leipzig also belonged to the diocese, which meant
that the respective bishop acted as chancellor of Leipzig University.
The seal of the university still includes the two Merseburg cathedral
patrons St. Johannes and St. Laurentius.
At the end of the Middle
Ages, as the center of the Merseburg Bishopric, it comprised around 310
parish and branch churches and over the years was the residence of 43
bishops.
A Benedictine monastery in Merseburg was first mentioned
in 1012. From 1015, the cathedral of St. John the Baptist and Laurentius
was built as a replacement for an older St. John's Church and festively
consecrated on October 1, 1021 in the presence of Emperor Heinrich II
and his wife Kunigunde. Merseburg remained the preferred Palatinate for
Henry II and his entourage.
In 1188, the market east of the Saale
in the direction of Leipzig was confirmed by a document from Emperor
Friedrich I Barbarossa. In it, the Neumarkt Church is also attested for
the first time. At that time, the first Saale bridge already existed
here. In the meantime, Merseburg already had a far-reaching influence as
a trading location, as evidenced, for example, by the naming of the
Brama Merseburska (Merseburger Tor) in Kulm in West Prussia, 490
kilometers away. In the years 1218/19, the market on the left bank of
the Saale was protected by a city wall that adjoined the already
fortified Domfreiheit. Civil self-government of the city was first
mentioned in 1289, and the city's coat of arms appears on the seal of a
document. In 1323 the first of six serious city fires destroyed large
parts of the city.
In 1428 Merseburg, together with other towns
and against the resistance of the bishops, joined the Hanseatic League,
to which it was to belong until at least 1604. Around 1470, the
three-winged castle (the fourth wing is the cathedral) was rebuilt in
the late Gothic style. The first printing works were in Merseburg as
early as 1473.
In the 15th century Bishop Thilo von Trotha
(1466-1514) had the three-winged palace complex redesigned. When Leipzig
was partitioned in 1485, Merseburg was added to the Albertine Duchy of
Saxony.
In the course of the Reformation and the
beginning of the Peasant Wars, the citizens and farmers of Merseburg
wrote the 16 Merseburg Articles, in which they opposed the constantly
new services and charges (taxes for water, wood, pasture land, fields,
charges for small livestock, numerous fines, etc.). . On May 3, 1525,
bishop Adolf had to flee to Leipzig as a result of unrest. On May 8, the
insurgents tried to storm the Domfreiheit. After conviction in court
hearings in June, four citizens and four farmers were beheaded on June
10, 1525 in the Merseburg market.
In the years 1510 and 1537,
major renovations were carried out on the cathedral.
On July 1,
1543, Lic. Laurentius Reynhard held the first evangelical sermon in the
town church of St. Maximi and the Reformation began to take hold. At the
beginning of August 1545, Martin Luther preached three times in
Merseburg Cathedral and ordained George III. as coadjutor and thus
spiritual successor to the previous Catholic bishop. Due to the defeat
of the Evangelicals in the Schmalkaldic War, Merseburg became Catholic
again for a short time. After the death of the last Catholic bishop,
Michael Helding, in 1561, the Reformation finally prevailed. The
Benedictine monastery was dissolved and partially demolished. The
Domgymnasium Merseburg was founded in 1575 on the basis of the old
cathedral school. The territory of the Bishopric was secularized and in
1565 came into the possession of the Electors of Saxony. In the same
year, eleven-year-old Alexander of Saxony, who had nominally
administered the diocese of Merseburg as administrator since the death
of the last bishop, had died. Until the beginning of the 18th century,
however, a separate monastery government remained. Furthermore,
Merseburg was the main town of the Merseburg Office of Merseburg. From
1605 to 1608 extensive conversions and extensions were made to the
palace.
From 1621 to 1622, Merseburg had a tipper mint in which
interim coins were struck under mint master Georg Sömmerling. These were
tipper coins ranging from a three-pfennig tipper coin to a 60-groschen
tipper thaler.
From 1656 to 1738 Merseburg was the residence of
the Dukes of Saxe-Merseburg. This period was associated with lively
building activity and a cultural upswing for the city. After the line of
dukes had expired, Merseburg fell back to Electoral Saxony, to which it
belonged until 1815.
After the Congress of Vienna
in 1815, Merseburg became the capital of the Prussian administrative
district of Merseburg and the district of Merseburg in the province of
Saxony until 1945. The Provincial Estates Day, the parliament of the
province of Saxony, met for the first time in 1825 in the Merseburg
Castle Garden Salon. In 1895, the Provincial Committee met for the first
time in the plenary hall of the newly built Merseburg Estates House.
In 1832 the suburbs of Altenburg and Neumarkt were merged with the
cathedral district and the inner city.
In 1841 the Merseburg
magic spells were discovered in the Merseburg cathedral chapter library.
In 1846, the city was connected to the Halle–Naumburg railway line.
In 1909 a new city hospital opened its doors, on the
site of which part of the Carl-von-Basedow Clinic now stands.
In
1916, construction of the Merseburg ammonia works, which later became
the Leuna works, began south of the city. In the years 1936/37 the Buna
works in the neighboring town of Schkopau followed. In 1921, Merseburg
left the Merseburg district and formed its own urban district.
In
1935, a military airfield was put into operation west of the city and an
air force garrison stationed there.
The construction of the
central canal as a bypass canal with a tow train lock was started. This
was intended to replace the Meuschau and Rischmühle locks, but was not
completed due to the war.
During the Second World War, Merseburg
was bombed several times. The east wing of the castle and large parts of
the city center were almost completely destroyed and the tow train lock
damaged.
After the Second World War, Merseburg became the district town of the Merseburg district. The Technical University of Leuna-Merseburg was founded in 1954. From 1955, residential construction was concentrated primarily on the outskirts of Merseburg-Süd and Merseburg-West. From 1968, the so-called "socialist reconstruction" began in Merseburg, to which large parts of the old town fell victim. Only the political change in 1989 stopped the decay and demolition of entire streets.
The first free
elections since 1945 took place in 1990 and a comprehensive
redevelopment concept for the old town was initiated.
The turn
also meant the end for the NVA barracks on the western outskirts. Since
the mid-1980s, it has housed a few hundred construction workers who had
to work in the Buna works and Leuna works.
Until 1991, Merseburg
was still the location for the 6th Fighter Bomber Division and the 85th
Guards Fighter Regiment (16th Air Army) of the GSSD.
In 1992,
Merseburg took part in the modern Hanseatic Days for the first time. In
the same year, the Merseburg University of Applied Sciences was founded
and the administrative community of Merseburg was formed by the city of
Merseburg and the municipalities of Beuna (Geiseltal) and Geusa. At the
end of March 1993, the Technical University of Carl Schorlemmer was
dissolved and divided equally into the Merseburg University of Applied
Sciences and the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Merseburg
branch.
In 1994, Merseburg became the district town of the
Merseburg-Querfurt district. A name change occurred on December 23,
1997, when the city changed its name from Merseburg (Saale) to
Merseburg. In 2004 the city of Merseburg was included in the IBA
(International Building Exhibition Urban Redevelopment 2010). With its
“New Milieus – New Opportunities” concept, the city of Merseburg tackled
the problem of population decline directly and developed new strategies
to reduce population losses.
In 2007, Merseburg became the
administrative seat of the newly created Saalekreis district as a result
of the district reform in Saxony-Anhalt.
In September 2007, the
then Mayor Reinhard Rumprecht (independent) received a criminal order
for illegal possession of child pornographic material, which is why he
then resigned from his office.
From June 13th to 15th, 2008, the
Saxony-Anhalt Day took place in Merseburg together with the 40th Castle
Festival under the motto "Merseburg enchants". More than 200,000 people
visited the city during this three-day state festival.
Venenien was incorporated on January 1, 1949. The municipality of Kötzschen followed on July 1, 1950. Meuschau has belonged to Merseburg since May 30, 1994. Trebnitz joined in 2003. Beuna was incorporated on January 1, 2009. Geusa has been a district of Merseburg since January 1, 2010.
Position
Merseburg is located on the eastern edge of the
Querfurter Platte, mainly on the left bank of the Saale, into which the
Geisel flows in the city area. The Leipzig lowland bay stretches to the
east.
The city forms the gateway to the region of the
Saale-Unstrut valley, which is rich in palaces and castles. To the
north-east, Merseburg borders on the Saale-Elster-Aue, to the south-west
on the Unteres Geiseltal region.
City outline
The urban area
includes the towns of Merseburg, Annemariental, Atzendorf, Beuna
(Geiseltal), Blösien, Elisabethhöhe, Freiimfelde, Geusa, Kötzschen,
Meuschau, Neumarkt, Trebnitz, Venenien, Gut Werder and Zscherben.
Neighboring communities
Neighboring municipalities of Merseburg
are Schkopau in the north, Leuna in the south and Braunsbedra and Bad
Lauchstädt in the west. The town of Schkopau is 6 km north of Merseburg,
and the town of Leuna is 5 km to the south. As a result of
incorporations, districts of Schkopau and Leuna border on Merseburg in
the east.
From Thietmar von Merseburg until the Renaissance, the city's name
was derived from the Roman god of war Mars, after which the town is said
to have been founded by Roman soldiers.
The first part of the
city name is ambiguous. For example: Old Saxon meri and Germanic mari
for standing water, watery terrain or swamp. Furthermore, the reduction
of a Germanic personal name with two members such as Merifrid, Merowig,
Meriswid or Meriswind or the short form Marso would be conceivable.
Ultimately, the name of a tribal group such as Marsi, Marsaki or
Marsingi cannot be ruled out, because Merseburg was in the Friesenfeld
and the original settlement by splinter groups from the North Sea coast
is quite possible.
The interpretation of the city name from
Slavic language means, such as Mezibor ('borderland'), has insufficient
basis and is rejected by linguists.
Sebastian Müller-Bahr (CDU) has been Lord Mayor since July 4, 2022.
He was elected in the March 27, 2022 runoff with 56.49%. Voter turnout
was 28.8%.
Bellay Gatzlaff has been the mayor since August 1,
2017.
The coat of arms of the city of Merseburg shows a stylized silver
cathedral in red over a continuous, castellated, black-jointed silver
circular wall with four pointed-roofed towers with golden knobs. The
middle towers are slightly higher and covered with an open Gothic church
portal crowned by a golden cross with a linear black rosette. The outer
towers each have three, the middle towers each two black round-arched
window openings next to each other. In the open portal, on an altar with
a damascened golden cover, the black-haired head of John the Baptist,
clad in gold, is depicted on a golden bowl.
The colors of the
city are red and silver (white).
Merseburg maintains town twinnings
Châtillon (Hauts-de-Seine)
near Paris in France (since May 1, 1963)
Genzano di Roma in Italy
(since January 16, 1971)
Bottrop in North Rhine-Westphalia (since
March 10, 1989)
railroad
A connection to the railway network has existed since
1846 through the Halle–Bebra railway line. Until 2004, Merseburg station
was a stop for Interregio trains on the Frankfurt am Main–Berlin line.
Until 1998 there was a direct train connection to Leipzig via Leuna and
Günthersdorf, later trains went to Leipzig-Leutzsch. In the 1960s, the
Merseburg–Halle-Nietleben railway line was built: a railway connection
between Merseburg and Halle-Neustadt via the Buna works. The regional
train line RB81 running on this route was discontinued in December 2007
due to a lack of passengers.
Merseburg can be reached every hour
with the regional train line RB25 (Halle-Saalfeld) and every two hours
with the regional express lines RE16 (Halle-Erfurt) and RE18
(Halle-Jena). In addition, the regional train line RB78
(Merseburg–Querfurt) begins in Merseburg. The RB79
(Merseburg–Schafstädt), which also started in Merseburg, was
discontinued on December 14, 2014.
From March 2011, the Merseburg
railway junction was extensively modernized. Track and catenary systems
as well as an electronic signal box were rebuilt. At the station, the
platforms and the passenger tunnel were completely renewed. Most of the
work was completed in 2013.[23] In the south-west of the city is the
Merseburg Bergmannsring station, which is served by trains on the RB78
Merseburg–Querfurt regional train line.
tram
On April 11,
1913, the Merseburger Überlandstrassenbahn AG (MÜBAG) was founded for
the traffic development of the lignite area in the Geiseltal with an
overland route to Müchel. Over the years, the route has been rebuilt and
dismantled several times due to the expansion of opencast lignite
mining, which means that it is only used between Merseburg-Zentrum and
Merseburg-Süd. In 1951 it became part of the Halle tram network.
Merseburg also has a connection to the Halle tram network with the
interurban line 5 (tram line Halle-Ammendorf-Bad Dürrenberg), which is
the longest continuous tram line in Europe. This is operated by
Hallesche Verkehrs-AG (HAVAG).
bus transport
The following
connections run from Merseburg through the PlusBus of the Saxony-Anhalt
state network and the Mitteldeutscher Verkehrsverbund:
Line 131:
Merseburg - Wallendorf - Günthersdorf - Dölzig - Leipzig
Line 724:
Merseburg - Ammendorf - Döllnitz - Raßnitz - Schkeuditz
Line 728:
Merseburg - Knapendorf - Bad Lauchstädt - Schafstädt - Querfurt
City bus and regional bus lines are operated by the local passenger
transport company Merseburg-Querfurt (PNVG).
Street
Merseburg
is connected to the federal autobahn 9 (Berlin-Munich) via the Leipzig
West/Merseburg junction. The Merseburg-Nord and Merseburg-Süd exits on
the Südharzautobahn federal autobahn 38 (Göttingen-Halle/Leipzig)
provide the connection to the city.
The federal highway 91
Halle-Merseburg-Weißenfels-Zeitz runs through Merseburg, which has been
developed as an expressway in the Halle-Merseburg area. Furthermore, the
federal highway 181 to Leipzig begins here, which has been partially
expanded to four lanes in Merseburg. Leipzig/Halle Airport is about 30
km north-east and can be reached via the B 181 and A 9. The
Merseburg-Meuschau lock and the Rischmühlen lock ensure the navigability
of the Saale.
In Merseburg there is an office of the regional editorial office
Halle/Saalekreis/Merseburg of the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung (Neuer
Landbote). In addition, the city is the seat of the weekly advertising
papers Wochenspiegel and Supersonntag as well as numerous printing and
advertising companies.
Since 1997, the Merseburg citizens'
television, the Offene Kanal Merseburg-Querfurt (OKMQ), has been one of
the seven citizens' television stations in Saxony-Anhalt.[24] The
distribution area extends to the cable networks in Merseburg, Leuna, Bad
Dürrenberg and Günthersdorf. The OKMQ program is also published as a
live stream on the Internet.
In addition to the administrative headquarters of the Saalekreis
district, Merseburg is also home to the Merseburg District Court and a
police station.
The city of Merseburg maintains a city library,
an indoor swimming pool and, together with the district, the
Rischmühlenhalle for club and popular sports.
The
Carl-von-Basedow-Klinikum is the only hospital in the Saalekreis; it has
about 650 beds. The district is responsible for this. It serves as the
academic teaching hospital of the Martin Luther University
Halle-Wittenberg.
Schools
Two high schools are located in Merseburg.
The
oldest of the two is the Domgymnasium, founded in 1575.
The
second high school is the Herder high school.
There are also two
secondary schools in the city, including the Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Merseburg secondary school. Five state-run primary schools and one
independent (the Protestant Johannes School) and two comprehensive
schools are located in Merseburg. In addition, there are two special
schools, one for the mentally handicapped and another for the learning
disabled, as well as a district adult education center and a district
music school.
University of Merseburg
The Merseburg University
of Applied Sciences, which emerged from the Leuna-Merseburg University
of Applied Sciences, was founded on April 1, 1992. It is divided into
the departments of engineering and natural sciences, economics and
information sciences and social work.media.culture. There are currently
eleven basic bachelor's courses, nine master's courses and numerous
further education programs on offer. About 3000 students study at the
university.
European Romanesque Center
On July 10, 2006, the
European Romanesque Center was founded at the Martin Luther University
in Halle-Wittenberg as a non-profit association for the study and
communication of European Romanesque. Since May 2008 it has been an
affiliated institute of the Martin Luther University based in the south
cloister of the Merseburg Cathedral. The European Romanesque Center is a
scientific research and public educational institution that bundles
existing potential and diverse activities on the subject of Romanesque
in Saxony-Anhalt and networks it nationally and internationally. The
intention is, on the one hand, to promote regional and national work on
the Romanesque and to present it in specialist conferences, thus giving
young scientists from all over Europe a platform for their research. On
the other hand, the topic of Romanesque should be conveyed to a broader
public.