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'Celle' () is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated in the southernmost part of the Lüneburg Heath on the banks of the river Aller, a tributary of the Weser.

Contents

Geography

History

Landmarks

Twin towns

See also

External links

Geography

Celle includes 17 sections, some of which were previously independent villages: Altencelle, Altenhagen, Blumlage/Altstadt, Bostel, Boye, Garssen, Gross Hehlen, Hehlentor, Hustedt, Klein Hehlen, Lachtehausen, Neuenhaeusen, Neustadt/Heese, Scheuen, Vorwerk, Westercelle, and Wietzenbruch.

History

Celle was first mentioned in a document of A.D. 986 as Kellu, (settlement on the river) and had the right to mint and circulate its own coins ( [minting privileges]) during the 11th century. In 1292 Duke Otto II the Strict (1266–1330), a Welf who ruled the Principality of Lüneburg from 1277 to 1330, granted Celle its town privileges. In 1378 Celle became the residence of dukes of Saxony-Wittenberg and in 1433, the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg. The ducal palace was situated on a triangle between the river Aller and its tributary, the Fuhse. A moat connecting the rivers was built in 1433, turning the town center into an island. In 1705 the last duke of the Brunswick–Lüneburg line died, and Celle, along with the Principality of Lüneburg, passed back to the Hanover line of the Welfs. In August 1714, George Elector of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick–Lüneburg (King George I) ascended to the British throne. Between then and 1866, when the town became Prussian during the Austro-Prussian_War as part of the province of Hanover, Celle was a possession of the British Hanoverian line.

Landmarks

The buildings in Celle’s old town center date back to the 16th century, among them numerous (and some 480 restored) half-timber houses, making Celle an important city for tourism in the southern Lüneburg Heath region. The most impressive building is the ducal palace, Schloss Celle, which was built in 1530 at the site of the former castle. Another major attraction is the Stadtkirche (town church, 1308) with its white tower, from where the town trumpeter blows a fanfare twice a day (an old tradition that was revived as a tourist attraction). Celle has a synagogue built in 1740, one of the few synagogues that survived the Nazi pogrom night of 1938, thanks to its location next to an important leather factory that would have been collaterally damaged.
Celle is also known for the 'Bomann Museum', a museum of regional history and modern art; and for being an entry point for tourists to the Lüneburg Heath.
During World War II, the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where Anne Frank died, was located near Celle; today, a memorial and exhibition center mark the camp site.
The Albrecht-Thaer-Schule, a school in Celle, was founded by Albrecht Daniel Thaer in 1796.
Celle also hosts a ''Weihnachtsmarkt'' (Christmas market) every year in the old town center.

Twin towns

Since January 17, 1990, Celle has been a twin town of Sumy, Ukraine. Celle also has city partnerships with:

★ Celle Ligure, Italy

★ Hämeenlinna, Finland

★ Holbæk, Denmark

★ Kwidzyn, Pomeranian Voivodship, Poland

★ Meudon, France

★ Tavistock, United Kingdom

★ Tyumen, West Siberia, Russia

★ Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

See also

★ Lüneburg-Celle

★ Celler Hasenjagd

External links

★ Official site