Lüneburg
Lüneburg is a city in Lower Saxony in north Germany. It is about 50 km southeast of Hamburg. It is the capital of the District of Lüneburg. About 102,660 people live there.
 | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Lüneburg within Lüneburg district  | |
| Coordinates: 53°15′9″N 10°24′52″E / 53.25250°N 10.41444°ECoordinates: 53°15′9″N 10°24′52″E / 53.25250°N 10.41444°E | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Lower Saxony |
| District | Lüneburg |
| Subdivisions | 14 districts |
| Government | |
| • Lord mayor | Ulrich Mädge (SPD) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 70.34 km2 (27.16 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 17 m (56 ft) |
| Population (2006-12-31) | |
| • Total | 72,057 |
| • Density | 1,024.41/km2 (2,653.21/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 21335–21337–21339 |
| Vehicle registration | LG |
| Website | www |
The Ilmenau River, a tributary of the Elbe, flows through Lüneburg.
In the Middle Ages, the town was very rich due to the salt trade. Salt used to be transported along the Old Salt Route to the Baltic Sea from where it was sent by ship to other countries. There were salt mines near the town for a thousand years. Salt mining stopped in 1980. The salt mining caused a lot of deforestation. The countryside changed into heathland which is called the Lüneburger Heide (Lüneburg Heath).
On May 23, 1945, 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
Town hall
Old harbour
Lüneburg Media
Lüneburg Innenstadt Luftaufnahme 01
Lüneburg Innenstadt Luftaufnahme 02
View from the Kalkberg towards the east, with all three main churches
Miniature of Lüneburg in the Sächsische Weltchronik, 13th century
Hans Bornemann's The punishment of Aegeas (~1450). In the background a view of Lüneburg with St. Nicholas' Church
The slightly leaning spire of the church of St. John
Map of Lüneburg Heath
Aerial photograph of the south of the town centre
A compass rose
References
Other websites
Media related to Lüneburg at Wikimedia Commons
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