Aurich
Aurich | ||
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Aurich town centre's pedestrian zone | ||
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Aurich | ||
Location of Aurich within Aurich district | ||
Coordinates: 53°28′17″N 07°29′01″E / 53.47139°N 7.48361°ECoordinates: 53°28′17″N 07°29′01″E / 53.47139°N 7.48361°E | ||
Country | Germany | |
State | Lower Saxony | |
District | Aurich | |
Government | ||
• Mayor | Heinz-Werner Windhorst (Ind.) | |
Area | ||
• Total | 197.21 km2 (76.14 sq mi) | |
Population (2015-12-31)[1] | ||
• Total | 41,489 | |
• Density | 210/km2 (540/sq mi) | |
Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) | |
Postal codes | 26603 - 26607 | |
Dialling codes | 04941 | |
Vehicle registration | AUR | |
Website | www.aurich.de |
Aurich ( German pronunciation ; Low German: Auerk, Frisian: Auwerk) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Aurich.
History
County of East Frisia 1464–1744
Kingdom of Prussia 1744–1808
Kingdom of Holland 1808–1810
First French Empire 1810–1813
Kingdom of Prussia 1813–1815
Kingdom of Hanover 1815–1866
Kingdom of Prussia 1866–1871
German Empire 1871–1918
Weimar Republic 1918–1933
Nazi Germany 1933–1945
Allied-occupied Germany 1945–1949
West Germany 1949–1990
Germany 1990–present
The history of Aurich dates back to the 13th century, when the settlement of Aurechove was mentioned in a Frisian document called the Brokmerbrief in 1276. In 1517, Count Edzard from the House of Cirksena began rebuilding the town after an attack. He established the town centre, which is still in place today. In 1539, the land authorities were brought together in Aurich, making it the county capital and, later, East Frisia, remaining the seat of the land authorities when East Frisia was inherited by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1744. After the Prussian Army was defeated in the Battle of Jena in 1807, Aurich became part of the Kingdom of Holland in 1808. In 1810, the Kingdom of Holland was annexed by France and Aurich was made the capital of the department Ems-Oriental of the First French Empire. After Napoleon was defeated in 1814, it passed to the Kingdom of Hanover in 1815, and then was annexed by Prussia in 1866 and made part of the Province of Hanover.
From October 21, 1944, until December 23, 1944, a Nazi concentration camp was established in Aurich. The camp was a subcamp to the Neuengamme concentration camp.[2]
After World War II, Aurich became part of the new state of Lower Saxony.
Coat of arms
Aurich's coat of arms is drawn by the blazon: "Arms: Landscape with chief two-thirds sky and base third earth, a shield Gules emblazoned with letter 'A' Or, an open-topped crown Or above, two growing trees Vert at sides. Crown: A battlement Gules with three merlons and two embrasures. Supporters: Two branches of mistletoe with leaves and berries Or.".
Note that the coat of arms of the eponymous district differs.
Notable residents
- Karl Deichgräber (1903–1984), classical philologist
- Rudolf Eucken (1846-1926), German philosopher, winner of the 1908 Nobel Prize for Literature
- Karl Heinrich Ulrichs (1825-1895), writer
- Friedrich August Peter von Colomb (1775-1854), Prussian general
- Yitzhak Raveh (1906–1989), Israeli judge
- Aloys Wobben (1952-), German engineer
See also
Notes
- ↑ Landesbetrieb für Statistik und Kommunikationstechnologie Niedersachsen, 102 Bevölkerung - Basis Zensus 2011, Stand 31. Dezember 2015 (Tabelle K1020014)
- ↑ The camp is listed as No. 51 Aurich, Kreis Aurich in the official German list.
References
- Official German list of concentration camps Record of the concentration camp and its sub-camps (German)
External links
- Official site
- Official site (German)