The Annals of Quedlinburg ( Latin : Annales Quedlinburgenses ; German : Quedlinburger Annalen ) were written between 1008 and 1030 in the convent of Quedlinburg Abbey . In recent years a consensus has emerged that it is likely that the annalist was a woman. The annals are mostly dedicated to the history of the Holy Roman Empire ; they also contain the first written mention of the name of Lithuania ("Litua"), in a description of an event dated to March 1009. The original document has disappeared, surviving only as a 16th-century copy held in Dresden , but its contents endure as a scholarly resource.
40-481: The city of Quedlinburg , Germany, was first mentioned in writing in a document dated to 922. Saint Mathilda founded Quedlinburg Abbey , a religious community for women, there in 936, leading it until her death in 966. The abbey became a premier educational institution for the female nobles of the Duchy and Electorate of Saxony , and maintained its mission for nearly 900 years. The city served as an imperial palatinate of
80-522: A book discussing fear of the millennium . The first written occurrence of Lithuania 's name has been traced to the Quedlinburg Annals in the descriotion of year 1009. The passage reads: Sanctus Bruno qui cognominatur Bonifacius archepiscopus et monachus XI. suæ conuersionis anno in confinio Rusciæ et Lituæ a paganis capite plexus cum suis XVIII, VII. Id. Martij petijt coelos. In English: Saint Bruno, also called Boniface, archbishop and monk, in
120-605: A new religion. The cathedral was closed in 1938 and during the war. The local crematory was kept busy burning the victims of the Langenstein-Zwieberge concentration camp. Georg Ay was local party chief from 1931 until the end of World War II . During the war, Quedlinburg was the location of a subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp and a subcamp of the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp . American occupation during
160-404: A start date of 1000. It has been suggested that the annalist temporarily abandoned the project between 1016 and 1021. The exact reasons for this suspension of the work are unknown. Work on the project continued between 1021 and 1030, when its authors were able to report a military victory against Mieszko II Lambert , King of Poland . The primary task of the annalists was to record the heritage of
200-491: Is 120.42 square kilometres (46.49 square miles). Before the incorporation of the two (previously independent) municipalities of Gernrode and Bad Suderode in January 2014, it was only 78.14 square kilometres (30.17 square miles). The town Quedlinburg consists of Quedlinburg proper and the following Ortsteile or municipal divisions: Quedlinburg has an oceanic climate (Cfb) resulting from prevailing westerlies , blowing from
240-619: Is a professor at Vilnius University and one of the best known Lithuanian historians, specializing in the research of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania . After graduating from Žemaitė school in Telšiai , he enrolled in Vilnius University in 1974. Bumblauskas received his doctoral degree in 1987, and was mentored by Edvardas Gudavičius . He was formerly dean of the Faculty of History and now heads
280-518: Is a town situated just north of the Harz mountains, in the district of Harz in the west of Saxony-Anhalt , Germany . As an influential and prosperous trading centre during the early Middle Ages, Quedlinburg became a center of influence under the Ottonian dynasty in the 10th and 11th centuries. The castle, church and old town with around 2,100 timber houses, dating from this time of influence, were added to
320-482: Is again on display here. The former Stiftskirche St. Wiperti was established in 936 when the Kanonikerstift St. Wigpertus (of male canons) was moved from the castle hill to make way for what became Quedlinburg Abbey. The church was built at the location of the first Ottonian Royal palace at Quedlinburg. Around 1020, a three-aisled crypt was added to the basilica. The crypt, which survived all later alterations to
360-431: Is clear that this missionary attempted to Christianize the pagan king Netimer and his subjects. However, Netimer's brother, refusing to accept Christianity, killed Bruno and his followers. The historian Alfredas Bumblauskas has suggested that the story records the first baptismal attempt in the history of Lithuania . Quedlinburg Quedlinburg ( German pronunciation: [ˈkveːtlɪnbʊʁk] )
400-606: Is known to have existed since at least the early 9th century, when there was a settlement known as Gross Orden on the eastern bank of the River Bode . It was first mentioned as a town in 922 as part of a donation by King Henry the Fowler ( Heinrich der Vogler ). The records of this donation were held by the abbey of Corvey . According to legend, Henry had been offered the German crown at Quedlinburg in 919 by Franconian nobles, giving rise to
440-571: Is located in Halberstadt . Regionalfernsehen Harz (RFH; Harz Regional Television) broadcasts on the local cable television network. A number of novels have been set in Quedlinburg and the surrounding area, such as Wilhelm Raabe 's Der Schüdderump . The first part of Theodor Fontane 's novel Cécile (1887) takes place in Quedlinburg and Thale, as do the various novels of Dorothea Christiane Erxleben and Julius Wolff 's The Robber Count: A Story of
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#1732844540236480-500: Is one of the lowest in Germany, which has an annual average hovering around 440 mm. In August 2010, Quedlinburg was the driest place in Germany, with only 72.4 L/m . The mayor is Frank Ruch (CDU), elected in 2022. Quedlinburg is twinned with: In the centre of the town are a wide selection of half-timbered buildings from at least five different centuries (including a 14th-century structure, one of Germany's oldest), while around
520-510: Is the author of Senosios Lietuvos istorija 1009–1795 (A History of Old Lithuania: 1009–1795) published in Vilnius in 2005. In 2014, Bumblauskas claimed that the relations with the Belarusians should be reconsidered (e.g. by establishing counterpropaganda institutions) because of what he called was Belarusian appropriation of the history of Lithuania . Bumblauskas also stressed that Algirdas
560-496: The Ottonian dynasty and of Quedlinburg itself. The Annals incorporate the stories of a number of historic and legendary figures such as Attila the Hun , King Dietrich of the Goths , and others. The historian Felice Lifshitz has suggested that the amount of saga material integrated into its narrative is without parallel. The Annals of Quedlinburg became an important research source; during
600-538: The UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994 because of their exceptional preservation and outstanding Romanesque architecture . Quedlinburg has a population of more than 24,000. The town was the capital of the district of Quedlinburg until 2007, when the district was dissolved. Several locations in the town are designated stops along a scenic holiday route, the Romanesque Road . The town of Quedlinburg
640-464: The 12th century they were used by at least five contemporary historians. Felice Lifshitz asserts that the Annals of Quedlinburg played a key role in shaping the ways in which influential Germans of the 19th and 20th centuries saw their medieval past. They continue to be analyzed in other contexts: by scholars of Beowulf discussing its use of the term Hugones to mean Franks , by climatologists , and in
680-625: The 18th century, however. The abbey was secularized in 1802 during the German Mediatisation , and Quedlinburg passed to the Kingdom of Prussia as part of the Principality of Quedlinburg. Part of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Westphalia from 1807 to 1813, it was included within the new Prussian Province of Saxony in 1815. In all this time, ladies ruled Quedlinburg as abbesses without "taking
720-583: The Department of Theory of History and Cultural History at Vilnius University. He has sponsored and participated in several TV shows about history and culture (e.g. Būtovės slėpiniai with Edvardas Gudavičius ). Bumblauskas has been a visiting scholar at the University of Helsinki , the University of Graz , and the University of Warsaw , and is a member of the editorial board of the Przegląd Wschodni . He
760-519: The German emperors from the House of Liudolfings, where Henry the Fowler , the founder of that dynasty (House of Liudolfings), was buried. Quedlinburg was situated not far from Magdeburg , the Royal Assembly of the empire, and its annalists could therefore rely on genuine information from the royal house and obtain eyewitness accounts. The city lost some stature under the rule of Henry II , who broke with
800-518: The Harz Country (1884). Other novels set in the area include Gerhard Beutel's Der Stadthauptmann von Quedlinburg (1972), Helga Glaesener 's Du süße sanfte Mörderin (You Sweet, Gentle Murderess; 2000), and ten novels by Christian Amling about the fictional private investigator Irenäus Moll. Because of its historical architecture, Quedlinburg has been used as the backdrop for various film and television projects. Several episodes (64, 67--70, 76) of
840-487: The church, is also a designated stop on the Romanesque Road today. The nearest airports to Quedlinburg are Hannover , 120 kilometres (75 miles) northwest, and Leipzig/Halle Airport , 90 kilometres (56 miles) southeast. Much closer, but only served by a few airlines, is Magdeburg-Cochstedt . An airfield is located at Ballenstedt-Assmussstedt for general aviation . Regional trains operated by Deutsche Bahn and
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#1732844540236880-526: The death of Emperor Otto I , a Reichstag (Imperial Convention) was held at the imperial court in which Mieszko , duke of Polans , and Boleslav , duke of Bohemia , as well as numerous other nobles from as far away as Byzantium and Bulgaria , gathered to pay homage to the emperor. On the occasion, Otto the Great introduced his new daughter-in-law Theophanu , a Byzantine princess whose marriage to Otto II brought hope for recognition and continued peace between
920-594: The eleventh year of his convertion, on border of Ruthenia and Lithuania was killed by the pagans together with 18 of his people on March 9th, and went to heaven. Regarding the translation of "VII. Id. Martij": in the Roman calendar dates were counted backward from three specific points in the lunar month. In this particular case, "VII. Id. Martij" literally means 7th of the Ides of March ", i.e., around 15-7 = 8th or 9th of March. From other sources that describe Bruno of Querfurt , it
960-472: The high-pressure area in the central Atlantic towards Scandinavia. Snowfall occurs almost every winter. January and February are the coldest months of the year, with an average temperature of 0.5 °C and 1.5 °C. July and August are the hottest months, with an average temperature of 17 °C (63 °F) and 18 °C (64 °F). The average annual precipitation is close to 438 mm with rain occurring usually from May to September. This precipitation
1000-408: The historic steam narrow gauge railway , Alexisbad and the high Harz plateau. The castle and Stiftskirche St. Servatius still dominate the town like in the early Middle Ages. The church is a prime example of German Romanesque style . The treasure of the church, containing ancient Christian religious artifacts and books, was stolen by an American soldier but brought back to Quedlinburg in 1993 and
1040-675: The last months of World War II brought back the Protestant bishop and the church bells, and the Nazi-style eagle was removed from the tower. However, in the 1980s, upon the death of one of the US military men, the theft of medieval art from Quedlinburg came to light. Quedlinburg was administered within Bezirk Halle while part of the Communist East Germany from 1949 to 1990. It became part of
1080-685: The old town of Quedlinburg and the castle mount with the Stiftskirche (collegiate church) are listed as one of UNESCO 's World Heritage Sites . Quedlinburg is one of the best-preserved medieval and Renaissance towns in Europe, having escaped major damage in World War II. In 2006, the Selke valley branch of the Harz Narrow Gauge Railways was extended to Quedlinburg from Gernrode , giving access to
1120-453: The outer fringes of the old town are examples of Jugendstil buildings, dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The old town of Quedlinburg is among the largest in Germany with a size of around 90 hectares. 2000 half-timbered houses can be found here. The oldest, the "Ständerbau", dates back from 1347. Another famous building is called "Klopstockhaus", the birthplace of poet Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock . Since December 1994,
1160-535: The private Transdev company run on the standard-gauge Magdeburg–Thale line connecting Quedlinburg station with Magdeburg , Thale, and Halberstadt. In 2006, the Selke Valley branch of the Harz Narrow Gauge Railways was extended into Quedlinburg from Gernrode, giving access via the historic steam-operated narrow-gauge railway to Alexisbad and the High Harz plateau. Quedlinburg is connected by regional buses to
1200-658: The resistance of the town and expelled the bishop's forces. Quedlinburg was forced to leave the Hanseatic League and was subsequently protected by the Electorate of Saxony . Both town and abbey converted to Lutheranism in 1539 during the Protestant Reformation . In 1697, Elector Frederick Augustus I of Saxony sold his rights to Quedlinburg to Elector Frederick III of Brandenburg for 240,000 thalers. Quedlinburg Abbey contested Brandenburg-Prussia 's claims throughout
1240-608: The rulers of the Eastern and Western empires. In 994, Otto III granted the right of market, tax, and coining, and established the first market place to the north of the castle hill. The town became a member of the Hanseatic League in 1426. Quedlinburg Abbey frequently disputed the independence of the town, which sought the aid of the Bishopric of Halberstadt . In 1477, Abbess Hedwig , aided by her brothers Ernest and Albert , broke
Annals of Quedlinburg - Misplaced Pages Continue
1280-598: The series Ärger im Revier (Trouble in the Precinct) broadcast by RTL Zwei were filmed in Quedlinburg. From 2012 to 2017, the ARD daytime series Heiter bis tödlich: Alles Klara was filmed in the city and its vicinity, with 48 episodes over three seasons. The following films were partially filmed in Quedlinburg: Alfredas Bumblauskas Alfredas Bumblauskas (born 18 November 1956)
1320-400: The state of Saxony-Anhalt upon German reunification in 1990. During Quedlinburg's Communist era, restoration specialists from Poland were called in during the 1980s to carry out repairs on the old architecture. Today, Quedlinburg is a center of restoration of Fachwerk houses. Quedlinburg is the setting for the acclaimed 2016 Frantz , serving as a quintessential small German town in
1360-486: The surrounding villages and small towns. Additionally, there are long-distance buses to Berlin. The Mitteldeutsche Zeitung ( Central German Newspaper ) maintains a local newsroom in Quedlinburg. In addition, the newspapers SuperSonntag (SuperSunday), Wochenspiegel (Weekly Mirror), and Harzer Kreisblatt (Harz District Newspaper) are published locally. The local public broadcaster is Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR; Central German Broadcasting ), whose regional office
1400-515: The town being called the "cradle of the German Reich". After Henry's death in 936, his widow Saint Matilda founded a religious community for women ( Frauenstift ) on the castle hill, where daughters of the higher nobility were educated. The main task of this collegiate foundation, Quedlinburg Abbey , was to pray for the memory of King Henry and the rulers who came after him. The Annals of Quedlinburg were also compiled there. The first abbess
1440-479: The tradition of celebrating Easter there; the Annals portray him unfavorably, and demonstrate the extent to which a royal monastery was entitled to criticize its monarch. The Annals open with a chronicle of world history from the time of Adam to the Third Council of Constantinople in 680-681, based on chronicles by Jerome , Isidore , and Bede . The narrative is largely borrowed from multiple older sources until
1480-473: The veil"; they were free to marry. The last of these ladies was a Swedish princess, an early fighter for women's rights, Sofia Albertina . During the Nazi regime , the memory of Henry I became a sort of cult, as Heinrich Himmler saw himself as the reincarnation of the "most German of all German" rulers. The collegiate church and castle were to be turned into a shrine for Nazi Germany . The Nazi Party tried to create
1520-485: The wake of WWI, home to a family who is reeling from the death of a son in the war. The town is located north of the Harz mountains, about 123 m above NHN . The nearest mountains reach 181 m above NHN. The largest part of the town is located in the western part of the Bode river valley. This river comes from the Harz mountains and flows into the river Saale , a tributary of the river Elbe . The municipal area of Quedlinburg
1560-431: The year 1002, although original reports from as early as 852 are present. Beginning in 993, the narrative begins including events which represent the annalist's own eyewitness testimony concerning events at and around Quedlinburg. The amount of detail increases significantly from 1008 onwards, leading some analysts to conclude that 1008 was the actual date that the Annals were first compiled, although Robert Holzman argues for
1600-530: Was Matilda, a granddaughter of King Henry and St. Matilda. The Quedlinburg castle complex, founded by King Henry I and built up by Emperor Otto I in 936, was an imperial Pfalz of the Saxon emperors. The Pfalz , including the male convent, was in the valley, where today the Roman Catholic Church of St. Wiperti is situated, while the women's convent was located on the castle hill. In 973, shortly before
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