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114-643: Celle ( German pronunciation: [ˈtsɛlə] ) is a town and capital of the district of Celle in Lower Saxony , in north-central Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the river Aller , a tributary of the Weser , and has a population of about 71,000. Celle is the southern gateway to the Lüneburg Heath , has a castle ( Schloss Celle ) built in the Renaissance and Baroque styles and

228-586: A Karstadt department store in Celle town centre, the façade of which was identical to that of the Karstadt store on Berlin 's Hermannplatz. The Celle branch was demolished in the 1960s and replaced by a controversial new building, the aluminium-braced facade of which was meant to represent Celle's timber-framed houses . During Kristallnacht , the anti-Jewish pogrom in Nazi Germany on 9/10 November 1938,

342-470: A Renaissance style. Another major attraction is the Stadtkirche (town church) 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). Originally it was a small gothic chapel built in 1380, but it was enlarged from 1675 to 1698 and transformed into a baroque church with impressive stucco ornaments. Hugenottenstrasse

456-454: A lion rampant azure surrounded by seven hearts gules on an inescutcheon bendwise or . The helmet on the full coat of arms is described as follows: On the shield is a blue and white wreathed helmet with a mantling , blue on the outside and white on the inside. The crest consists of two sickles leaning outwards with red handles. The sickles have their points upwards, blades inward-facing and are decorated with peacock 's eyes on

570-491: A castle because of its typical baroque architecture. That the citizens of Celle once − in a vote − chose to have a prison in Celle rather than a university in order to protect the virtue of their daughters is not verifiable but it has remained a persistent anecdote in popular folklore. In August 1714 George Elector of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick–Lüneburg (King George I) ascended to the British throne. Between then and 1866, when

684-625: A major garrison town. After the war Celle applied, along with Bonn and Frankfurt , to become the seat for the Parliamentary Council ( Parlamentarischer Rat ), the immediate post-war governmental body in Germany, later superseded by the West German Bundestag . In the end the privilege went to Bonn . Trenchard Barracks in Celle was the most modern barracks in Germany during the war, with blackout blinds between

798-592: A number of villages from the surrounding area. On 25 July 1978 a staged bomb attack was made on the outer wall of the prison. This was initially blamed on the Red Army Faction , but was later revealed to have been perpetrated by Lower Saxony 's intelligence service, the Verfassungsschutz . The incident became known as the Celle Hole . In 2004 the region of Lüneburg was dissolved along with

912-589: A picturesque old town centre (the Altstadt ) with more than 400 timber-framed houses , making Celle one of the most remarkable members of the German Timber-Frame Road . From 1378 to 1705 Celle was the official residence of the Lüneburg branch of the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg ( House of Welf ), who had been banished from their original ducal seat by its townsfolk. The town of Celle lies in

1026-458: A princely council evolved, formed mainly of members of the Lüneburg ministeriales . The composition of these nobles at that time was not consistent, but depended on the residence of the duke. Only with the emergence of Celle as the ducal seat in the middle of the 15th century did it take a clear shape, although individual advisors were members of the duke's inner circle for a long time. At

1140-503: A result. So when they appeared before the town of Lüneburg with a fresh request for funds in September 1392, they had to agree to a significant treaty, the so-called Lüneburg Sate , in which the estates were granted numerous privileges and the dukes had to submit to the authority of a council of the landowners of the estates, in return for a loan of 50,000 marks. The years that followed were characterised by renewed tensions between

1254-547: A school in Celle, was founded by Albrecht Daniel Thaer in 1796. The Bomann Museum opposite the castle has works by the artist Eberhard Schlotter and has exhibitions of local folklore and town history. It houses the Tansey Collection, a collection of portrait miniatures . The Celle Art Museum ( Kunstmuseum Celle ) with its Robert Simon collection is affiliated with the Bomann Museum. In the castle itself

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1368-494: A son, the first house of Lüneburg became extinct. According to Welf house rules and the desire of William, Duke Magnus II Torquatus of Brunswick would have been the rightful heir. Emperor Charles IV , however, considered it an imperial fiefdom, however, and granted the principality to Albert of Saxe-Wittenberg and his uncle Wenceslas , thus precipitating the Lüneburg War of Succession . The town of Lüneburg supported

1482-532: A specific area: the consistory ( Konsistorium ) for questions on church matters, the Kriegsrat for military affairs and the Haushaltsrat for financial management. The old office Kammerrat was replaced by a privy councillor ( Geheime Rat ) who was primarily responsible for matters of foreign policy. In the 13th and 14th centuries, regional magistracies ( Gogerichte ) handled the local administration of

1596-583: A total of 8,800 in 1818 but by 1900 this had more than doubled to 20,000. The incorporation of the surrounding villages on 1 April 1939 saw a further (artificial) rise in numbers to 38,000. Shortly after the Second World War the many refugees and displaced persons from Eastern Europe led to a steep rise in the number of inhabitants within just a few months from around 17,000 to 55,000 by December 1945. The addition of new municipalities on 1 January 1973 saw an additional 18,691 people being included within

1710-420: A town park have been established on the rest of the terrain. In 1892 − with the help of numerous citizens' donations − the present-day Bomann Museum with its important folklore and town-history collections was founded. In 1913 the 74 metre high clock tower was built on the town church and its clockwork underwent a major restoration in 2008. In the 1920s the silk mill was built. It was merged in 1932 with

1824-876: Is August, which has 1.5 times the amount of precipitation as February, the driest month. Monthly precipitation varies only slightly and is very evenly spread throughout the year. Only 1% of German weather stations show a lower annual variation. The Celle weather station has recorded the following extreme values: The town of Celle has the following 17 boroughs or Stadtteile , some of which were previously independent villages (population as at 1 January 2005): Altencelle (4,998), Altenhagen (922), Blumlage/Altstadt (8,526), Bostel (455), Boye (832), Garßen (2,978), Groß Hehlen (2,773), Hehlentor (7,974), Hustedt (736), Klein Hehlen (5,782), Lachtehausen (639), Neuenhäusen (8,082), Neustadt/Heese (10,887), Scheuen (1,165), Vorwerk (2,842), Westercelle (7,183) and Wietzenbruch (4,805). Celle

1938-490: Is a historical street with well-preserved wooden houses built at the beginning of the 18th century. It was the main street of a residential area specially laid out for French Huguenots who sought refuge in Celle because of the Persecution of Huguenots under Louis XV in the 17th century. The oldest house dates from 1693. On the corner of Emigrantenstraße, another historical street which was laid out for Austrian refugees at

2052-573: Is clear from the fact that inter alia all the princes of the various lines carried the title of Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. In addition, the two capitals, Lüneburg and Brunswick, remained in the common ownership of the House of Welf until 1512 and 1671 respectively. When John died in 1277, the regency was held by his brother, Albert, on behalf of John's underage son, Otto the Strict , before Otto assumed power himself in 1282. Otto asserted his rule through

2166-667: Is the Residenz Museum , which makes use of its premises and an exhibition to document the princely House of Welf . The Garrison Museum deals with the history of Celle Garrison from 1866 to the present day, whilst the Shooting Museum ( Schützenmuseum ) in Haus der Stadtmauer is devoted to Celle's shooting club history. The work of Celle's Neues Bauen architect, Otto Haesler, is charted by the Haesler Museum. And in

2280-592: The Amt of Gifhorn , leaving Ernest the Confessor to rule alone. One priority for Duke Ernest "the Confessor" was to pay off the principality's massive debts. When he came to power, all the offices ( Ämter ) were pledged, with the exception of the Schlossvogtei . Consequently his efforts were aimed primarily at the redeeming them again ( Wiedereinlösung ). The necessary tax increases led to serious clashes with

2394-516: The Count of Schaumburg were to govern on their behalf. The eldest son, Francis Otto assumed power in 1555, but abdicated as early as 1559 in favour of his brothers, Henry and William . Following Henry's resignation ten years later, William officially reigned alone until his death in 1592, but due to serious mental problems, he only played a very limited part in political life and spent his last years in mental derangement. His rule, like his father's,

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2508-598: The Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg , but retained its vote in the Reichstag as Brunswick-Celle . When the Principality of Lüneburg emerged as a result of the division of Brunswick-Lüneburg in 1269, the domain of the Lüneburg princes consisted of a large number of territorial rights in the region of Lüneburg. However, it could not be described as a unified state, because many rights were owned by other vassals of

2622-526: The Hildesheim Diocesan Feud and the associated political opposition to Emperor Charles V , Henry was forced to abdicate in 1520 in favour of his sons Otto and Ernest the Confessor . Otto relinquished his princedom in 1527 and was compensated with the Amt of Harburg . In 1539, their youngest brother, Francis , who had also shared the reins of power since 1536, also abdicated and was given

2736-536: The Sate and to pay homage to the dukes of Lüneburg. In the course of the clashes that now arose between the dukes and the town of Lüneburg, numerous battles were fought across the entire country. Through the support of the Hanseatic towns of Hamburg and Lübeck , Lüneburg achieved military superiority, so that the Celle dukes sued for peace with their opponents. In October 1397 there was a contractual agreement between

2850-494: The Second World War the barracks was used by British troops until 1993 during which time 94 Locating Regiment Royal Artillery held residency for over 25 years, followed briefly by 14 Signal Regiment, which relocated from Scheuen until the barracks were handed back to the local authorities. Today the New Town Hall ( Neue Rathaus ) and Celle Council Offices are housed in the restored brick building. Residential buildings and

2964-780: The State Stud Farm . That began its development into an administrative and judicial centre. Even today the Lower Saxony-Bremen State Social Security Tribunal and the High Court responsible for most of Lower Saxony are based in Celle, amongst others. Celle is also still home to a prison (the Justizvollzugsanstalt Celle or JVA Celle ), which was built in a baroque style in the west of the city centre between 1710 and 1731. Sometimes tourists mistake it for

3078-509: The baroque castle theatre built. Because of the persecution of Huguenots under Louis XIV many French Huguenots sought refuge in Germany, especially in Berlin and in the towns of Celle, Neuwied and Hanau . About 300 Huguenots settled in Celle, where a new residential area was laid out for them in the southwest of the centre. Its main street, Hugenottenstrasse , is still a sightworthy historical street with well-preserved wooden houses built at

3192-451: The glacial valley of the Aller , about 40 kilometres (25 mi) northeast of Hanover , 60 kilometres (37 mi) northwest of Brunswick and 120 kilometres (75 mi) south of Hamburg . With 71,000 inhabitants it is, next to Lüneburg , the largest Lower Saxon town between Hanover and Hamburg. The town covers an area of 176.05 square kilometres (67.97 sq mi). Flowing from

3306-499: The Ämtern . Since the 16th century these courts lost their influence and disputes about forested land were decided by other courts. From 1562 the highest, ecclesiastical court was the consistory ( Konsistorium ) in Celle, which was responsible for all marital matters, cases between churches and cases between the laity and the clergy. In the 17th century the Lüneburg Landschaft emerged as an institution representing

3420-657: The 19th Artillery Regiment were garrisoned in the town. Celle was also the headquarters of a military district command and a military records office. The different German Army barracks (including the Freiherr von Fritsch Barracks in Scheuen and the Cambridge Dragoons Barracks in the city) were used as sites for the German 33rd Armoured Brigade until the 1990s. The Celle Air Base (Immelmann Barracks) in

3534-463: The CDU won the majority of votes. The town council has 42 elected members as well as the directly elected mayor ( Oberbürgermeister ). Since the local elections of 11 September 2016, it has consisted of ten parties or voting groups: Blazoning : Azure , a castle , triple-towered, embattled above the port , all argent, masoned sable , the port sable, the towers roofed gules . The port charged with

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3648-538: The Calenberg duke, George, troops were organised for the entire Welf House of Brunswick-Lüneburg that, for the first time, provided a permanent standing army in the service of the dukes. After the disbandment of the common army for the overall House of Brunswick-Lüneburg in 1644, elements of its regiments joined the Principality of Lüneburg and formed the Lüneburg Army. In 1650 troop strengths were reduced at

3762-577: The Cambridge Dragoons Barracks ( Cambridge-Dragoner-Kaserne ) for the homonymous regiment named after the Hanoveran Viceroy Duke Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge , was built in Celle. After being extended in 1913 and partially rebuilt after a fire in 1936, it was renamed Goodwood Barracks in 1945 and from 1976 to 1996 was the headquarters of Panzerbrigade 33 in the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr . In 1989 it

3876-636: The Dannenberg line received the Amt of Wustrow as compensation. In 1671 the barony of Dannenberg went back to the Welf line in Celle. As well as the ducal counsellors, who at that time were noble ( edelfrei ) vassals , a number of medieval court offices, who had emerged in the 12th century, can still be found in the 13th. These are the offices of seneschal ( Truchseß ), butler ( Schenk ), chamberlain ( Kämmerer ) and marshal ( Marshall ), which were held by certain hereditary noble families. For example,

3990-599: The District of Wietzenbruch is now the site of the Training Centre of the Army Aviation School and the Cambridge Dragoons Barracks has now become a youth cultural centre (CD-Kaserne). The British Army barracks, which as Celle Station formed part of Bergen-Hohne Garrison , were handed over to the German authorities on 5 November 2012. Since German reunification , Celle has largely lost its role as

4104-637: The Franciscan abbey at Celle. After both brothers had died in 1464 and 1471 respectively, Frederick the Pious left the abbey again in order to hold the reins of power for his 3-year old nephew, Henry the Middle , the son of Otto of Lüneburg and Anna of Nassau. When Frederick died in 1478, Anna of Nassau ruled the principality for her son until he was old enough to take power in Celle in 1486; she then retired to her dower at Lüchow Castle. Because of his role in

4218-491: The Lüneburg estates. When Duke Francis died childless in 1549, the territory of Gifhorn went back to Celle. When Duke Henry went against a gentleman's agreement with his brother William and married Ursula of Saxe-Lauenburg in 1569, he had forsake sharing the government of the principality and was compensated instead with the Amt of Dannenberg and the Klosteramt of Scharnebeck . The barony of Danneberg remained part of

4332-460: The Principality of Calenberg; and their uncle, Bernard, received the Principality of Lüneburg, thus becoming the progenitor of the Middle House of Lüneburg. After Duke Bernard died in 1434, his eldest son, Otto became the ruling prince. In 1446 he was followed by his brother, Frederick the Pious , who abdicated, however, in 1457 in favour of his sons, Bernard and Otto , in order to enter

4446-460: The Principality of Lüneburg and all its dependencies should be his and his descendants as an indivisible whole. However, after Ernest's death in 1611, and given the difficulty of ever new divisions, the remaining brothers made another agreement in 1612. Under this new arrangement, each of the brothers would exercise power in succession, but only one of them would marry a woman of appropriate rank (so only their children could inherit). This would continue

4560-459: The Principality of Lüneburg, however, and important sovereign rights, such as foreign policy or tax policy, remained with the government in Celle . In 1592, after the death of Duke William , the territory was enlarged with the Ämter of Hitzacker , Lüchow and Warpke, but Henry's demands for a transfer of sovereignty were not met. After the Principality of Grubenhagen had returned to Celle in 1617,

4674-581: The Reformation . In charge of the Amt was a bailiff-cum-magistrate ( Amtmann ), who was appointed by the duke. Belonging to the Amt was the so-called Amtshof , which was originally run by the Amtsmann , but from the 17th century was usually leased. The Ämter reported to the ducal treasury, the Rentkammer , in Celle. The Ämter exercised the duke's territorial rights and were involved in

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4788-475: The Second World War. 550 houses were heavily damaged and 614 were slightly damaged. Celle was spared from further destruction by surrendering without a fight to advancing allied troops on 12 April 1945, so that the historical city centre and the castle survived the war completely unscathed. In Nazi Germany , Celle was an important garrison location. Elements of the 17th and 73rd Infantry Regiments and

4902-618: The Welfs. The Lüneburg War of Succession resulted in a large plenitude of power going to the estates within the principality . To secure the support of towns and the lower nobility , both the Welfs and the Ascanians were forced to give the estates wide privileges , and enfeoff them with numerous rights and castles . The Celle dukes, Bernard and Henry had emerged victorious from the conflict to be sure, but faced huge financial problems as

5016-586: The Wittenbergs and took the opportunity to escape from the immediate influence of the duke, destroying the ducal castle on the Kalkberg on 1 February 1371 and forcing him to relocate his residence to Celle . An attempt on 21 October 1371, St. Ursula's Day , to overthrow Lüneburg militarily and to secure the old ducal rights, failed. In the military conflict that followed, neither the Brunswicks nor

5130-416: The Wittenbergs were able to enforce their claims, and only the peace of Hanover in 1373, ended the war, at least for a time. According to the agreement reached there, the Welfs and the Wittenbergs were to rule alternately. Magnus Torquatus had already died in 1373, so the treaty between the two contending houses was further reinforced by the marriage of his two eldest sons, Frederick and Bernard I , to

5244-532: The Younger built the castle chapel, which was consecrated in 1585. In 1660 Celle had 3,750 inhabitants. From 1665 to 1705 Celle experienced a cultural boom as a Residenz under Duke George William . This has been put down in particular to his French wife, Eleonore d'Olbreuse, who brought fellow Huguenot Christians and Italian architects to Celle. During this time the French and Italian Gardens were laid out and

5358-549: The armies raised by the knights; later they largely replaced them in the 17th century because of their military superiority. Until the 17th century there were very few standing armies. Only the Duke's bodyguard and the soldiers guarding the residence in Celle were in the permanent employ of the dukes. In the early stages of the Thirty Years War , the fighting troops were still made up of mercenaries until, in 1631, under

5472-485: The aulic court and administrative ordinances (the Hofgerichtsordnung and Polizeiordnung ). William left 15 children, including seven sons: Ernest , Christian , Augustus , Frederick , Magnus, George , and John. In 1592, all the brothers agreed to entrust the government of the whole realm (with limitation) to Ernest, initially for eight years, and in 1600 for a further ten. Then in 1610, they agreed that

5586-401: The beginning of the 18th century, Neuhäuser Kirche, a Lutheran church was founded in 1710. It was enlarged from 1852 to 1866. Its steeple dates from the same period. Even a large prison ( Justizvollzugsanstalt, JVA ) was built in a baroque style in the west of the city centre from 1710 to 1731. It was the only historical building of Celle which was damaged during the air raid on 8 April 1945. It

5700-422: The beginning of the 18th century. Many French refugees worked in the castle as cooks and servants, but some of them opened shops in Celle as tailors, carpenters, joiners, confectioners, wig makers and glovers, thus introducing some French cuisine, fashion and lifestyle into the town. Some years later protestant refugees from Austria sought refuge in Celle as well. Emigrantenstraße is another historical street, which

5814-503: The borough of Celle and bringing the total population to 75,178 − its historical high point. On 30 June 2005 the official number of inhabitants within Celle borough, according to an update by the Lower Saxony State Department of Statistics, was 71,402 (only main residences, and after adjustments with the other state departments). The following overview shows the population numbers based on the 'catchment area' at

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5928-605: The castle ( Schloss ). The ducal palace was situated on a triangle between the Aller and its tributary, the Fuhse. A moat connecting the rivers was built in 1433, turning the town centre into an island. In 1452 Duke Frederick the Pious of Lüneburg founded a Franciscan monastery. In 1464 the grain shipping monopoly generated an economic upturn for the town. In 1524 the Reformation was introduced into Celle. In 1570 Duke William

6042-448: The chancery court ( Kanzleigericht ) in Celle was only responsible for dealing with major offences. Lüneburg achieved even greater independence and had both greater and lesser jurisdictions. In the 13th and 14th centuries the regional magistracies ( Gogerichte ) were responsible for the administration of justice. Their magistrates ( Gorichter ) were usually freely elected by the community under their jurisdiction, but some were appointed by

6156-467: The darkest chapter in Celle's history. The exact number of victims has not been determined. Several of the perpetrators were later tried and convicted of this war crime . A memorial with an information board and a copper-beech tree was inaugurated in Triftanlagen park on 8 April 1992. The German word for copper-beech is Blutbuche, meaning blood beech. About 2.2% of Celle (67 houses) was destroyed in

6270-595: The double-glazed windows and other features which became commonplace afterwards. The cellar doors were trial rooms for the number of inmates from Belsen who could be gassed. When Belsen concentration camp was liberated Trenchard Barracks was used as a hospital for surviving inmates who needed treatment. Later it became the Barracks for the 1st Battalion of the Rifle Brigade. On 1 January 1973 Celle lost its status as an independent town ( Kreisfreie Stadt ) and became

6384-403: The ducal lineage and maintain the unity of the Principality. They drew lots: the lot fell to the second youngest brother, George, who married Anne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1617. After the death of George's brother Frederick of Lüneburg , George's eldest son Christian Louis inherited Lüneburg in 1648 and became the founder of the new line of Lüneburg. In 1665, Christian Louis died, and

6498-460: The duke or a lesser noble. Their powers of jurisdiction were transferred to the Ämter as the latter became established. Thereafter the Ämter were responsible for the initial handling of civil law matters for the majority of subjects in the principality. More serious crimes would be investigated by the Ämter and the sentence pronounced by the chancery court in Celle, once the case had been referred. Where towns had lesser or higher jurisdictions,

6612-456: The dukedom was drawn from the two largest towns in the territory, Lüneburg and Brunswick . Following the death of Otto, his two sons split the duchy in 1267 or 1269, into subordinate principalities; Brunswick going to Albert and Lüneburg to John . Together, the two principalities continued to form the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg which remained undivided according to imperial law, something that

6726-456: The early years was a further territorial consolidation of the principality. For example, they were able to considerably increase their estate in the region of Gifhorn through the purchase of the village of Fallersleben , the County of Papenteich and Wettmarshagen. Another top priority was their political support for the towns, which were striving to develop themselves economically. For instance,

6840-460: The emperor. It existed from 1269 until 1705 and its territory lay within the modern-day state of Lower Saxony in Germany. The principality was named after its first capital, Lüneburg (also called Lunenburg in English), which was ruled jointly by all Brunswick-Lüneburg lines until 1637. From 1378, the seat of the principality was in Celle . It lost its independence in 1705 when it was annexed by

6954-550: The estates ( Landstände ) of the Principality of Lüneburg. In addition to participating in legislation and approving taxes, it had a right to represent various administrative bodies and was thus involved in the administration of the Principality. Up to the 16th century military forces were provided by the Lehnsmiliz , knights required to do military service, and the militia (under the Heerbann ) who were drawn from elements of

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7068-459: The estates. However, Ernest succeeded in asserting himself, and in enforced reduction of the state debt. His second major work was the introduction of the Protestant Reformation . Ernest had himself studied at Wittenberg and had been in contact with Luther 's teachers there. Soon after succeeding, he began to reform the church of Lüneburg to Lutheranism. At the 1527 Landtag recess, even those nobles who had been hostile declared their support for

7182-419: The existing magistracies and sometimes based on them. Little information is available about exactly how these advocacies were established. From the 16th century the term Amt was used, and districts subordinate to the Ämter were then known as Vogteien . The process for establishing the offices ( Ämter ) was basically completed in the 16th century with the emergence of the ecclesiastical Klosterämter after

7296-431: The form of a circular rampart (the Ringwall von Burg ) since the 10th century, and founded a rectangular settlement by the existing castle ( Burg ) 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) to the northwest. In 1301 he granted Celle its town privileges and in 1308 started construction on the town church. In 1378 Celle became the Residenz of the dukes of Saxe-Wittenberg and in 1433 the princes of Lüneburg took up residence in

7410-413: The government of the principality, Francis received Gifhorn Castle as compensation along with the Ämter of Fallersleben, Gifhorn and Isenhagen. Even though Francis tried to force through his full sovereignty over his domain, important sovereign rights were retained by the ducal house in Celle. For example, Celle was still responsible for foreign policy issues and the Gifhorn nobility remained part of

7524-428: The governor, the Celle advocate and the chancellor reported. The Kammerrat was responsible for key policy decisions, particularly in financial matters and the area of foreign policy, while the duties of the chancery were restricted merely to administration. In 1618 several council chambers ( Ratsstuben ) were set up in accordance with a new ordinance, the Regimentsordnung . These chambers were each responsible only for

7638-412: The head of the ducal chancery, the Kanzlei , the highest authority mentioned in the documents was the chief secretary or Kanzleivorsteher . Beneath him were the scribes, most of whom came from the Lüneburg clergy . In the 16th century, in addition to noble councillors, who by this time were known as Landräte , there were often learned, foreign advisors. The chancery was headed by the chancellor who

7752-411: The imperial crown. Not until the acquisition of numerous counties and rights in the 13th and 14th centuries did the rulers of Lüneburg succeed in building a unified state. Following the division of the principalities of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Lüneburg between Bernard and Henry in 1409, the territorial development of the state was largely complete. At that time, the Principality of Lüneburg included

7866-421: The jurisdiction of specific groups of people and areas. For example, there were so-called "internal, stake, fence, village, road and field courts" ( Binnen-, Pfahl-, Zaun-, Dorf-, Straßen- und Feldgerichte .) For all civil and criminal legal disputes that involved the use of woodland, the "woodland courts" ( Holzungsgerichte ) were responsible, that met once or twice a year and whose boundaries were independent of

7980-411: The larger part of the Lüneburg Heath and the Wendland , and measured about 11,000 square kilometres (4,200 sq mi). The Principality of Lüneburg was created by the division of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , a state that had been formed in 1235 from the allodial lands of the Welfs in Saxony and given as an imperial fief to Otto the Child , a nephew of Henry the Lion . The name of

8094-459: The largest municipality in the new district ( Kreis ) of Celle. It also became the largest town in the new region ( Regierungsbezirk ) of Lüneburg . At the same time the localities of Ummern, Pollhöfen and Hahnenhorn were incorporated into Gifhorn district . Since then the parish of Hohne has looked after six villages ( Hohne , Helmerkamp, Spechtshorn , Ummern, Pollhöfen and Hahnenhorn) in two rural districts. The town of Celle has also incorporated

8208-520: The left charged with the lion of the Dukes of Lüneburg . Celle is twinned with: The buildings in Celle's old town centre date back to the 16th century, among them numerous (and some 480 restored) half-timber houses with wood carvings, making Celle an important city for tourism in the southern Lüneburg Heath region. One of the most famous houses is Hoppenerhaus dating from 1532. The Old Latin School

8322-418: The local families, the von Bernstorffs and the von Lüneburgs, were not only responsible for lower and higher courts, but also ran the administration of the principality on behalf of the duke. The towns of Celle, Harburg, Lüchow, Dannenberg, Hitzacker and Soltau were independent administrations and not part of the Ämter system. In addition to their own administration, they also ran their own lesser jurisdictions;

8436-463: The merchants of Lüneburg benefited considerably from work to make the River Ilmenau navigable between Lüneburg and Uelzen and from trade agreements between the Lüneburg princes and the dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg . The two brothers reigned jointly until the death of Otto III in 1352, leaving William in sole charge until his own death in 1369. When William II of Lüneburg died in 1369 without

8550-665: The new faith. In 1530, Ernest signed the Augsburg Confession , and brought back with him the Augsburg reformer Urbanus Rhegius , who was largely responsible for the implementation of the Reformation in Lüneburg over the succeeding decades. When Duke Ernest died, his sons were still minors, and their two uncles, Otto and Francis, refused the regency. As a result, the Emperor decreed that the Archbishop of Cologne and

8664-601: The northeast, the Lachte discharges into the Aller within the town, as does the Fuhse flowing from the southeast. The Aller heads westwards towards Verden an der Aller , where it joins the Weser . Celle's annual precipitation is 692 millimetres (27.2 in), which puts it in the middle third of locations in Germany. 39% of the Deutscher Wetterdienst 's weather stations record lower values. The wettest month

8778-539: The northwest. It is joined by many tributaries coming from the south. To look after cultural matters the Lüneburg Regional Association ( Lüneburgischer Landschaftsverband ) was founded as a registered association ( eingetragener Verein ). The lion and the heart were part of the arms of the Lüneburg , a subdivision of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg . The Principality was occasionally (but incorrectly) also known as Brunswick-Celle, since Celle

8892-465: The old storage barn ( Treppenspeicher ) built in 1607, as well as the orangery , built in 1677 for the Institute of Apiculture, an exhibition of beekeeping may be viewed. Celle (district) The district is located in the southernmost parts of the Lüneburg Heath ( Lüneburger Heide ). The Aller River enters the district in the east, runs through the town of Celle and leaves the district in

9006-679: The one in Peine to become the Seidenwerk Spinnhütte AG . This concern expanded during the Nazi era into an armaments centre under the name of Seidenwerk Spinnhütte AG. A subsidiary founded in 1936, the Mitteldeutsche Spinnhütte AG, led war preparations through its branches in the central German towns of Apolda , Plauen , Osterode , Pirna and Wanfried . Its only product was the parachute silk needed for

9120-411: The outside edges. The town flag is divided into two equal stripes in the town colours of blue and white. It may also contain the town coat of arms. The town of Celle has an official seal whose design is based on the oldest town seal of 1288 with the circumscription Stadt Celle . It depicts a gatehouse between two castle towers. In the open gateway under a decorative helmet there is a shield tilting to

9234-598: The paratroopers of the Wehrmacht . During World War I , Germany operated two prisoner-of-war camps in Celle, and among its prisoners were British, Polish, Romanian, French and Russian POWs and civilians. In 1916–1917, the Germans operated a special sub-sector for Polish POWs at one of the camps, with the aim of subjecting them to propaganda and conscripting them into a planned German-controlled Polish army to fight against Russia. In September 1929 Rudolph Karstadt opened

9348-519: The princely court during its final flourish. During his reign the baroque theatre was built that is still open today, the French Garden was laid out and palace façade designed in its current baroque form. After his death in 1705, George of Hanover , who was both the benefactor of Georges William's 1658 renunciation in favour of his younger brother Ernest Augustus and the husband of George William's morganatic daughter Sophie Dorothea , inherited

9462-482: The principality. In addition to the exercising juridical authority they were responsible inter alia , for "the muster of tied villeins, the organization of defence and for taking charge of the militia" ( Aufgebot der folgepflichtigen Hintersassen, Verteidigungsorganisation bis hin zur Sorge für die Landwehren ). Beginning in the 13th century, advocacies ( Vogteien ) emerged in the Principality of Lüneburg as providers of local administration, sometimes in parallel with

9576-519: The principality; the ducal chancery in Celle continued to be responsible for border and territorial issues, the noble knights the Amt of Harburg continued to participate in the Lüneburg estates assembly and enfeoffed by the duke in Celle. When Otto died in 1549, the Amt of Harburg should have reverted to the dukes of Celle, but Otto's son, Otto the Second, succeeded in 1560 in having a new regulation added to

9690-460: The prosecution of numerous feuds against the lesser nobility, which enabled him to achieve consolidate his ducal authority within the state. He also continued the "systematic acquisition policy" ( planmässige Erwerbspolitik ) in the Lüneburg principality that had operated since the time of Otto the Child, "rounding off the Lüneburg allodial estate" ( Arrondierung des Lüneburger Allodialbesitzes ) through

9804-500: The purchase of numerous lands and rights, including those of Bleckede and Hitzacker , the County of Dannenberg and the County of Wölpe . Duke Otto was followed by his sons, Otto III of Lüneburg and William of Lüneburg . The instruction issued by their father in 1318 whereby the principality would be divided after his death between Otto III and his brother, William II, was ignored by the brothers and in 1330 they assumed joint control of an undivided state. The focus of their rule in

9918-451: The purposes of Bundestag elections the town of Celle belongs to the constituency of Celle-Uelzen. In 1983, 1987, 1990 and 1994 Klaus-Jürgen Hedrich ( CDU ) won the direct vote. In 1998, 2002 and 2005 Peter Struck ( SPD ) won the majority of votes. In 2009 Henning Otte (CDU) received the direct mandate. For Lower Saxony State Parliament ( Landtag ) elections Celle forms the constituency of Celle-Stadt with its surrounding area. In 2003

10032-471: The raising of sovereign taxes. Importantly, they were also the first level of jurisdiction for all civil disputes and lesser criminal cases. In addition, they were the administrative centre for the ducal estate, i.e. they levied the manorial obligations due to the Duke. Special cases were brought before the so-called "closed aristocratic courts" ( geschlossenen adeligen Gerichte ) in Gartow and Wathlingen. Here

10146-578: The request of the estates ( Landsstände ), but were expanded significantly again in 1651 and 1665 during the rule of Duke George William. The troops were deployed during this period in several European wars, including those in Venice , Spain and the Netherlands . Although the Principality of Lüneburg was not directly involved in these conflicts, the dukes in Celle made their troops available to foreign forces in return for payment for their services. When

10260-491: The rest of Lower Saxony's administrative districts. Celle is currently the twelfth largest town in Lower Saxony . In the Middle Ages and early modern period Celle only had a few thousand inhabitants. The population grew only slowly and dropped frequently as a result of many wars, epidemics and periods of famine. Not until the beginnings of industrialisation in the 19th century did population growth accelerate. It reached

10374-548: The royal court in Celle that was permanently in session. There was no clear division of responsibility; the choice of court was left to the plaintiff. As a final resort there was the option of appealing to the imperial chamber court ( Reichskammergericht ) in Wetzlar. In the Principality of Lüneburg, in addition to the chancery court and the courts at Amt level there existed numerous aristocratic patrimonial courts ( Patrimonialgerichte ), whose responsibilities were confined to

10488-471: The rulers and the landowners and attempts by the dukes to weaken the standing of the Lüneburg Sate . In 1396 it was finally rejected. After he had secured the assistance Sweden and Mecklenburg by concluding a treaty of friendship and security, Duke Henry , soon to be followed by his brother, Bernard , took the town of Uelzen as his residence, which forced the town to announce its withdrawal from

10602-405: The rural population. The conscription of the Lehnsmiliz resulted from their feudal obligations to the dukes of Celle; that of the militia from their obligation to their landlords. With the advent of firearms in the 15th century, mercenaries were increasingly engaged; they were committed to serve for a particular conflict and then discharged from the service. To begin with they only supplemented

10716-513: The severance agreement of 1527. Harburg was defined as an hereditary possession and its territory increased by the district of Moisburg . When the Harburg line became extinct in 1642, the territory reverted to the lordship of the ducal house in Celle. Personal disagreements between the brothers Ernest and Francis in 1539 led to the emergence of a domain at Gifhorn , the so-called Duchy of Gifhorn . In return for renouncing his participation in

10830-491: The state of Lüneburg, which was merged into the Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg and finally lost its independence. In the 16th century several Welf secondary lines emerged which received their own territories: Following his marriage to lady-in-waiting Metta von Campen in 1527, Duke Otto relinquished his participation in the government of the principality, and was compensated with the Amt of Harburg as his own territorial lordship. Harburg remained an integral part of

10944-464: The synagogue in Celle was saved from complete destruction only because it was in a very narrow lane and there would have been a risk to the adjacent leather factory and other parts of the historical city centre with its old wooden houses. On 1 April 1939 Altenhäusen, Klein Hehlen, Neuenhäusen, Vorwerk and Wietzenbruch were incorporated into Celle. The only serious allied bombing attack on the city during World War II occurred on 8 April 1945, when 2.2% of

11058-460: The time. The 1818 figure is an estimate, the rest are based on census results(¹) or official updates by the Department of Statistics. From 1871 the returns show the population actually present, from 1925 the resident population and since 1987 the population residing at their main residence. Before 1871 the numbers are based on various, different census-gathering processes. ¹ Census results For

11172-620: 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 . In 1786 Albrecht Thaer founded the first German Agricultural Testing Institute in the meadows in the Dammasch ( dam marsh ) (today Thaer's Garden). The Albrecht-Thaer School is nowadays part of a vocational centre in the Celle sub-district of Altenhagen . In 1842

11286-506: The town was destroyed, especially the industrial areas and railway freight terminal. A train in which about 4,000 prisoners were being transported to the nearby Bergen-Belsen concentration camp was hit. The attack claimed hundreds of casualties, but some of the prisoners managed to escape into the nearby woods. SS guards and Celle citizens participated in the so-called 'Celle hare hunt' ( Celler Hasenjagd ). The 'hunt' claimed several hundred dead and went on until 10 April 1945 and represented

11400-480: The townsfolk would be dealt with in the civic courts. Cases for subjects that came under the jurisdiction of the 'closed aristocratic courts' in Wathlingen and Gartow were heard by the respective lords of the manor ( Gutsherren ). The chancery court handled all civil and criminal cases involving the nobility and the majority of senior officials. The chancery court also acted as a court of appeal as did, from 1536,

11514-512: The two daughters of Wenceslas and by the marriage of Magnus's widow to Albert of Saxe-Wittenberg. The younger brother of Frederick and Bernard, Henry the Mild refused, however, to accept the agreement and continued to prosecute the war. It was not until after the Battle of Winsen in 1388, when Wenceslas lost his life, that the Wittenbergs gave up their claims and the principality was finally secured by

11628-405: The von Grote family provided the seneschal and the von Medings the marshal. The butler and the chamberlain were initially supplied by the vom Berge family and, when they died out, the von dem Knesebecks became the chamberlains and the von Behrs were the butlers. These offices are mentioned up to the 14th century, but had largely lost their political influence, by the turn of that century. At that time

11742-422: The warring parties, but the restitution of the Lüneburg Sate that had been sought by the town of Lüneburg was not forthcoming. The joint reign of brothers, Bernard and Henry , from 1388 to 1409 was followed by another division of the principality in which Bernard was given Brunswick and Henry received Lüneburg. After Duke Henry's death in 1416, he was followed by his two sons, William and Henry . Their rule

11856-433: Was also a scholar. From that time the chancery acted, not simply as an office, but was also the advisory chamber of the councillors ( Räte ) and the seat of the chancery court ( Kanzleigericht ). After 1536 financial matters were the responsibility of the treasury ( Rentenkammer ), headed by the treasurer ( Rentmeister ). After the death of Ernest the Confessor in 1546 a regency was formed for his minor sons. The government

11970-418: Was built in 1602. The most impressive building in Celle is the ducal palace, Schloss Celle , which was built in 1530 in a well-kept park at the site of the former castle. It was enlarged in a baroque style in the 17th century, and a renaissance chapel and a special theatre which is the oldest theatre in Germany were added in 1674. The Old City Hall which is famous for its sandstone carvings was built 1561-1579 in

12084-619: Was characterized primarily by the financial constraints under which the country continued to suffer in the wake of the Lüneburg War of Succession. In 1428 there was a further division of the Welf estate between the 2 brothers and their uncle, Bernard, Prince of Brunswick. The brothers William and Henry received the land between the Deister and the Leine , which was later to become the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, having acquired

12198-487: Was dominated by an enforced policy of debt relief. But reconciliation with the town of Lüneburg in 1562 and the associated acquisition of part of the principality's debt and imperial taxes by the town played a major role in easing the parlous financial situation. Further important reforms included the Lutheran Church Order , adopted in 1564, which practically completed the Reformation in Lüneburg, as well as

12312-616: Was first mentioned in a document of A.D. 985 as Kiellu (which means Fischbucht or fishing bay). It was granted the right to mint and circulate its own coins under the minting rights during the 11th century and several coins were found in the Sandur hoard in the Faroes . In 1292 Duke Otto II the Strict (1277–1330), a Welf who ruled the Principality of Lüneburg from 1277 to 1330, left Altencelle , where there had been defences in

12426-483: Was its capital for some time. The only difference is the number of hearts (the original coat of arms included more than one heart). Free municipalities Unincorporated area Princes of L%C3%BCneburg The Principality of Lüneburg (later also referred to as Celle ) was a territorial division of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg within the Holy Roman Empire , immediately subordinate to

12540-642: Was laid out for the Austrians. 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 . By way of compensation for the loss of its status as a Residenz town numerous administrative institutions were established in Celle, such as the Higher Court of Appeal ( Oberappellationsgericht ), the prison and

12654-440: Was led by a so-called governor ( Statthalter ), who oversaw the administration of the court and royal office. The Celle advocate ( Vogt ), the chancellor and the vice-chancellor also belonged to the government. This institution remained as the highest state authority even after Ernest's sons took power. In 1593, a new office of Kammerrat was created, following the adoption of a new "Chancery and Government Ordinance", to which only

12768-527: Was renamed again to Cambridge-Dragoner-Kaserne. Since 1996 the area has mainly been used to house one of the largest youth centres in Lower Saxony. From 1869 to 1872 an infantry barracks was built for the 77th Infantry Regiment which also gave the main street (running the length of the front of the barracks) its name of 77er Strasse. In 1938 it was renamed the Heidekaserne ("Heath Barracks"). After

12882-493: Was repaired after the war. Sometimes tourists walking from the railway station to the centre mistake it for a castle because of its typical baroque architecture. Celle has a synagogue built in 1740, one of the few that survived the Nazi pogrom night of 1938, thanks to its location in a narrow street of wooden half-timber houses next to an important leather factory that would have been collaterally damaged. The Albrecht Thaer School,

12996-423: Was temporarily succeeded by George's third son John , who usurped the throne over George's second son George William , who then held the Principality of Calenberg . George William soon displaced John in Lüneburg, but had to cede Calenberg to John, and also the Principality of Grubenhagen , which had been acquired by the House of Lüneburg in 1617. George William, often called the "heath duke" ( Heideherzog ), led

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