Wolfenbüttel
City, Lower Saxony Land (state), northwestern Germany. The city lies along the Oker River, just south of Brunswick. First mentioned in 1118, it grew around the castle that became a favourite Welf residence about 1283. Chartered in 1540, it was captured by the Protestant Schmalkaldic League in 1542 and was transferred to Brunswick in 1753-54. The old town has many Renaissance and Baroque half-timbered houses, including the house of Gotthold Lessing, the 18th-century critic and dramatist. Larger buildings include the castle residence of the duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and St. Mary's Church (1604-23). Wolfenbüttel's Herzog-August Library contains a notable collection of medieval manuscripts.
Wolfenbüttel's industries include canning and the manufacture of agricultural machinery and chemical and musical equipment. Pop. (1995 est.) 53,622.
Copyright © 1994-2002 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Sources
- Encylopedia Britannica 2002, Expanded Edition DVD
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