DEUTSCHLAND | GERMANY |
Bundesland: Sachsen-Anhalt | Saxony-Anhalt |
Landkreis: Jerichower Land |
Burg is situated at the river Ihle and at the Elbe-Havel canal at the eastern edge of the Elbe lowland, about 25 km northeast of Magdeburg. Burg is the capital of the district Jerichower Land. The municipality has a population of about 24,400 (2006).
Burg was first mentioned in AD 948 in a document of Emperor Otto I confirming the foundation of the bishopric of Brandenburg. The fortifications of the town were renewed from 1213 onward; large parts of the fortifications still exist today. After being almost completely destroyed during the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), the town began to flourish again when Huguenots were invited to live here. The industrial development started in the 19th century, and was boosted by the opening of the railway line from Magdeburg to Berlin in 1846.
The church Unser Lieben Frau (Lady Church) [top picture, right] was first mentioned in 1186. The original, Romanesque church was rebuilt in Gothic style after a large fire in the 17th century.
The water tower [top picture, left] was built in 1902. The reservoir holds 400,000 litres of water.
The post office building [bottom left picture] in neo-Gothic brickwork architecture of the late 19th century is still in use. The original roof of the tower has been removed.
The buildings of the former shoe manufactory Tack & Cie. on the Magdeburger Chaussee (former Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz) [bottom right picture] have been renovated and since 2000 are in use as a vocational school.
The military philosopher and historian Carl von CLAUSEWITZ (1780–1831) was born in Burg bei Magdeburg. His most famous book, “Vom Kriege” (“On War”), was edited, based on several ealier manuscripts, by his wife and was published in 1832.
Another famous native of Burg bei Magdeburg is the German writer Brigitte REIMANN (1933–1973). Her probably most important work, the novel “Franziska Linkerhand”, appeared unfinished in 1974.