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.
The ancient town is probably to be identified with Leufana or Leuphana, a town listed in Ptolemy (2.10). 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 for a long time was 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 time of prosperity its importance declined after 1600. The saline was closed in 1980, and the mining of salt was eventually stopped after a thousand years. The town gained new relevance by 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 famous Nazi, Heinrich Himmler, committed suicide in Lüneburg after he'd been captured by the British Army by swallowing a potassium cyanide capsule before his interrogation could begin.
Lüneburg is twinned with Scunthorpe, England
People
External links
- [Official Website (in German)]
- [Official Website (in English)]
- [Webcam of downtown Lüneburg]
- [University of Applied Sciences]
- [University of Lüneburg]
- [Directory with links related to Lüneburg (in German)]
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