Eisleben

Infobox German Location
Art = Stadt
image_photo =
Wappen = Wappen_Eisleben.pnglat_deg = 51 |lat_min = 31
lon_deg = 11 |lon_min = 33
Lageplan =
Bundesland = Sachsen-Anhalt
Landkreis = Mansfeld-Südharz
Verwaltungsgemeinschaft = Lutherstadt Eisleben
Höhe = 114
Fläche = 91.55
Einwohner = 23789
Stand = 2006-12-31
PLZ = 06295
Vorwahl = 03475
Kfz = MSH
Gemeindeschlüssel = 15 0 87 130
LOCODE = DE EIN
NUTS = DEE0A
Gliederung = 6
Adresse = Markt 1
06295 Eisleben
Website = [http://www.eisleben.eu www.eisleben.eu]
Bürgermeister = Jutta Fischer
Partei =

Infobox World Heritage Site
WHS = Luther Memorials in Eisleben and Wittenberg


State Party = GER
Type = Cultural
Criteria = iv, vi
ID = 783
Region = Europe and North America
Year = 1996
Session = 20th
Link = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/783

Eisleben is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is famous as the hometown of Martin Luther, hence its official name is Lutherstadt Eisleben. As of 2005, Eisleben had a population of 24,552. It lies midway along the rail line from Kassel to Halle.

Eisleben is divided into old and new towns (Altstadt and Neustadt); the latter of which was created for Eisleben's miners in the 14th century.

Eisleben was the capital of the district Mansfelder Land and is the seat of the "Verwaltungsgemeinschaft" ("collective municipality") Lutherstadt Eisleben.

History

Eisleben was first mentioned in 997 as a market called Islebia and in 1180 as a town. It belonged to the counts of Mansfeld until it passed to the Electorate of Saxony in 1780. It was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia in 1815 and was administered within the Prussian Province of Saxony. It became part of the new state of Saxony-Anhalt after World War II.

Martin Luther

The Protestant reformer Martin Luther was born in Germany on November 10, 1483. His father, Hans Luther, was a miner like many of Eisleben's citizens. Luther's family moved to Mansfeld when he was only a year old and he lived in Wittenberg most of his life, but by chance he was in Eisleben when he preached his last sermons and died (1546).

Eisleben was a pioneer of "heritage tourism" — it took steps to preserve its Luther memorials as far back as 1689.

Together with the Luther sites in Wittenberg, the "Birth House" and "Death House" of Martin Luther in Eisleben were designated a World Heritage Site in 1997. Also in Eisleben is the St. Peter and Paul Church, where Luther was baptized (the original font survives) and St. Andreas Church, where he preached his last sermons.

People

*Martin Luther (1483-1546), reformer
*Johannes Agricola (1494–1566), reformer
*Friedrich Koenig (1774-1833), printer
*Gudrun Berend (born 1955), hurdler
*Thomas Lange (born 1964), rower
*Timo Hoffmann (born 1974), boxer

External links

* [http://www.lutherstadt-eisleben.de Official homepage]
* [http://www.sacred-destinations.com/germany/eisleben.htm Luther Sites in Eisleben]