Helmstedt
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| Helmstedt | |
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| Coordinates: | |
| Time zone: | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Administration | |
| Country: | Germany |
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| State: | Lower Saxony |
| District: | Helmstedt |
| City subdivisions: | 4 Boroughs |
| Mayor: | Heinz-Dieter Eisermann (Ind.) |
| Basic Statistics | |
| Area: | 46.97 km² (18 sq.mi.) |
| Population: | 25,389 (31 Dec. 2005) |
| - Density: | 541 /km² (1,400 /sq.mi.) |
| Elevation: | 123 m (404 ft) |
| Founded: | 952 |
| Further Information | |
| Postal code: | 38350 |
| Area code: | 05351 |
| Licence plate code: | HE |
| Website: | www.stadt-helmstedt.de |
Helmstedt [ˈhɛlmˌʃtɛt] is a city located at the eastern edge of the German state of Lower Saxony. It is the capital of the District of Helmstedt. Helmstedt has 26,000 inhabitants (2004). In former times the city was also called Helmstädt.
Helmstedt developed in the vicinity of the Benedictine St. Ludger's Abbey that was founded around 800 by Saint Liudger as a missionary station. Helmstedt was first mentioned in 952; it became a city in 1247. It belonged to the Abbacy of Werden until 1490, when it was bought by the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg. From 1576 to 1810, the University of Helmstedt was located here.
From the late 1940s to 1990, the town was the site of a major border crossing between the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic. The main rail and autobahn route between West Germany and Berlin, across the GDR, began at Helmstedt (Checkpoint Alpha). Official military traffic from NATO countries to West Berlin was allowed to use only this route.
[edit] External links
- Official site (in German)
- Helmstedt-CITYTOUR (photo-gallery)
- Map of Helmstedt
- Photos and information on Helmstedt's role in Allied military rail operations in 1969-70
- Riding with the locomotive engineer (engine driver) across the former intra-German frontier in 2005
- Photos of rail operations in and around Helmstedt in 1970-71 (in German)
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Büddenstedt | Grasleben | Helmstedt | Königslutter | Lehre | Schöningen | Velpke
