Wolfenbüttel: A city full of history

Christina/ August 10, 2020/ The daily grind

What was meant to be a small closing time trip turned out to be a veritable foto session within and around Wolfenbüttel. I have not visited the town for a while and I am surprised by now how the city duffed itself. The district town captivates its visitors by art and culture. Another eye-catcher are the numerous half-timbered houses and the so called town canal „Little Venice“. The latter is a legacy of the Swedes from the 16th century who have also built other canals.

The Swedish damm
Most probably I have passed by this Sweden-damm-information board on the bicycle route at the Okeraue for many times and did not take notice of it. But today it is different. I stop and I am fascinated how rich in history the Braunschweiger Land is. Lately it was the debate on the atrocities at the Lechlumer Holz and now it is the siege of Wolfenbüttel by the Swedes. Not going too much into detail I still would like to share some facts with you that left me slump: in the 17th century Wolfenbüttel was part of the best defended cities within the Holy Roman Empire! By building that damm the Swedes wanted to flood Wolfenbüttel and thus ingest it.

Goslar in the Harz mountains turned out to be a traitor. In opposite to Braunschweig the city supplied the besiegers with workers and tools for the embanking. As a consequence of the wall Wolfenbüttel was underwater for many weeks with a height of 1,60 m. In December 1627 the city fell after houses collapsed and the people starved because grain could not be processed any more. Duke Friedrich Ulrich took the city over.

Peace however did not last very long. Fourteen years later there was another siege and repeated flooding of Wolfenbüttel. Through peace negotiations duke August finally got his seat of power back. By that the Thirty Year’s War was over.

Old city gleaming in new splendor
Coming from Groß-Stöckheim I see at first the manorial Herzog-August library, an institution of international standing. Just next to it there is the Lessinghaus and on the market square there is a nice water fountain. The houses around the square have been very nicely renovated, cafés with a view onto the castle museum are a place to rest. Despite Corona there are preparations going on at the castle courtyard for the Open-Air-cinema. The „Kultursommer“ at Wolfenbüttel is in full swing.
I stroll through the streets with my bike and I am amazed by what I see. I like the beautiful houses around the Harztor and the Krumme Straße. I take so many pictures and benefit from the warm sunset light. The dozily calm on the streets caused by the heat and the holiday season makes me easygoing and reflective. As regards to urban development I always liked Wolfenbüttel as a city.

Fraternities
I am astonished of what I take notice of when being on the watch. The historic signs from the butcher and backery fraternities I have never seen before. On my way home I pass by the moat. There I discover a former washing station. Turning around the corner I reach the Holzmarkt with its splendid church of St. Trinitatis. Again everything seems to be newly renovated and appealing to me. A pleasing to the eye.

After a while I can break away from it. I guess this has not been my last excursion to Wolfenbüttel.

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