Braunschweig

Braunschweig, city, Lower Saxony Land (state), northern Germany. It lies on the Oker River, some 40 miles (65 km) southeast of Hannover. Legend says that it was founded about 861 by Bruno, son of Duke Ludolf of Saxony, but it probably originated at a much later date. It was chartered and improved by Henry the Lion, duke of Saxony, in the 12th century and became a leading member of the Hanseatic League in the 13th century; it later declined as a result of civil and external discords. An early supporter of the Reformed faith, Braunschweig belonged to the Protestant League of Schmalkalden. It was capital of the duchy of Brunswick before 1918 and of the Land of the same name until incorporated into the new Land of Lower Saxony in 1946. It suffered heavy damage before being captured by Allied forces in 1945, and it has been rebuilt. Surviving medieval buildings include the 12th-century Romanesque cathedral of St. Blasius, which contains the tombs of the founder, Henry the Lion, and his English consort, Matilda; in the vault are the tombs of the Guelf rulers of the Brunswick line from 1681. Other surviving medieval churches include St. Martin’s, St. Katherine’s, St. Andreas’s, and St. Aegidien’s. The Burg Dankwarderode, a castle containing the treasure of the Guelfs, dates from the 12th century; on the castle square (Burgplatz) is the bronze Lion Monument (Löwendenkmal), emblem of Braunschweig, carved in 1166 as a symbol of Henry the Lion. Also notable are the old town hall (14th–15th century), the Renaissance Cloth Merchants’ Hall (Gewandhaus), and the Richmond Palace, built in 1768–69 by Prince Charles William Ferdinand, son of Charles I of Brunswick.

The city is a rail junction and has an airport. Its chief industries are metalworking, biotechnology, microelectronics, and the manufacture of machinery, motor vehicles, and tools. Braunschweig is also a leading German sugar market and is famous for its sausages, asparagus, and gingerbread.

The city is internationally renowned for scientific research. The Technische Universität Carolo-Wilhelmina zu Braunschweig, the oldest technical university in Germany, was founded as the Collegium Carolinum in 1745 (its current name dates from 1968). There are also federal institutes for physics and technology, biology, agriculture and forestry, and aviation. The Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum and the municipal museum have fine art collections, and there is also a museum of natural history. Pop. (2003 est.) 245,076.