Lüneburg
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- The title of this article contains the character ü. Where it is unavailable or not desired, the name may be represented as Lueneburg.
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| Country | Germany |
| State | Lower Saxony |
| District | Lüneburg |
| Population | 71,659 (2005) |
| Area | 70.34 km² |
| Population density | 1,019 /km² |
| Elevation | 17 m |
| Coordinates | 53°15′ N 10°24′ E |
| Postal code | 21335-21339 |
| Area code | 04131 |
| Licence plate code | LG |
| Mayor | Ulrich Mädge (SPD) |
| Website | lueneburg.de |
Lüneburg (also Lueneburg, known as Lunenburg in English) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, about 50km southeast of Hamburg. It is the capital of the District of Lüneburg. Population: 70,312 (2005).
The ancient town is probably to be identified with Leufana or Leuphana (Greek: Λευφάνα), a town listed in Ptolemy (2.10) in the north of Germany on the west of the Elbe, but this identification is not universally accepted.
In medieval times, the town was remarkably rich due to the salt trade. There were several salterns surrounding the town. The salt was exported to the neighbouring fiefs. Along the Old Salt Route it was transported via Lauenburg to Lübeck and from there shipped to all the Baltic coasts. Lüneburg was for a long time one of the capitals of the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg; the town and its salt were major factors of power and wealth of the Hanseatic League.
Lüneburg was first mentioned in 956. After a long period of prosperity, its importance declined after 1600. The salt mine was closed in 1980, ending the thousand-year tradition of salt mining. The town gained new relevance from its university, which was founded in 1989. The deforestation of the surrounding area for the salt production created the unique landscape of the Lüneburg Heath.
The Ilmenau River, a tributary of the Elbe, flows through Lüneburg.
The Nazi war criminal Heinrich Himmler committed suicide in Lüneburg after he had been captured by the British Army. He swallowed a potassium cyanide capsule before his interrogation could begin.
Lüneburg is twinned with Scunthorpe, England
 Am Sande |
 Old crane and old store at the medieval Lüneburg harbour |
 Lüneburger Rathaus |
[edit] People
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography by William Smith (1857).
[edit] External links
- Official Website (in German)
- Official Website (in English)
- University of Applied Sciences
- University of Lüneburg
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