Nienburg, Saxony-Anhalt

Nienburg
Coat of arms of Nienburg
Location of Nienburg within Salzlandkreis district
BarbySeelandSeelandBördeaueSeelandBörde-HakelBörde-HakelIlberstedtBorneSeelandSeelandWolmirslebenGierslebenSeelandGüstenPlötzkauAlslebenNienburgEgelnBarbyBernburgCalbeSchönebeckBördelandKönnernHecklingenAscherslebenStaßfurt
Nienburg is located in Germany
Nienburg
Nienburg
Nienburg is located in Saxony-Anhalt
Nienburg
Nienburg
Coordinates: 51°49′N 11°45′E / 51.817°N 11.750°E / 51.817; 11.750
CountryGermany
StateSaxony-Anhalt
DistrictSalzlandkreis
Government
 • Mayor (2021–28) Susan Falke[1]
Area
 • Total
79.10 km2 (30.54 sq mi)
Elevation
65 m (213 ft)
Population
 (2022-12-31)[2]
 • Total
5,966
 • Density75/km2 (200/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
06429
Dialling codes034721
Vehicle registrationSLK
Websitewww.stadt-nienburg-saale.de

Nienburg (German: [ˈniːnˌbʊʁk] ) is a town in the district of Salzlandkreis in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is located in the lower Saale valley, approx. 5 km northeast of Bernburg. In January 2010 it absorbed the former municipalities Gerbitz, Latdorf, Neugattersleben, Pobzig and Wedlitz,[3] that became Ortschaften or municipal divisions of the town.[4] In 2020 its population was 6,104.

Nienburg is first mentioned in travel records dating from 961. The medieval centre of the town is occupied by the Benedictine monastery, Nienburg Abbey, later turned into a castle, recently destroyed by fire. The church of the monastery, over 1000 years old, was inaugurated in 1004, and is beautifully preserved to this day.

In 1623, during the Thirty Years' War, part of the town was destroyed. On December 6, 1825, an early cable-stayed bridge over the river Saale collapsed during a celebration honoring the bridge's patron. 55 people were killed, 60 were injured, and two people remained missing. The bridge had been open for just three months. A contributing factor may have been youths attempting to get the bridge to sway to the tune of "God Save the King."[5]

  1. ^ Bürgermeisterwahlen in den Gemeinden, Endgültige Ergebnisse, Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen-Anhalt, accessed 8 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden – Stand: 31. Dezember 2022" (PDF) (in German). Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen-Anhalt. June 2023.
  3. ^ Gebietsänderungen vom 01. Januar bis 31. Dezember 2010, Statistisches Bundesamt
  4. ^ Hauptsatzung der Stadt Nienburg (Saale), May 2020.
  5. ^ Birnstiel, Charles (4 November 2013). "Collapse of a cable-stayed road bridge in Germany in 1825". Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Engineering History and Heritage. 166 (4): 207–226. doi:10.1680/ehah.13.00007.