Eisleben is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is famous as the hometown of Martin Luther; because of this, its official name is Lutherstadt Eisleben. In 2015, Eisleben had a population of 24,198.

Eisleben has two parts old town and new town (Altstadt and Neustadt). The new town was created for Eisleben's miners in the 14th century.

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

History

Eisleben was first written about in 997 as a market called Islebia, and in 1180 as a town. The counts of Mansfeld governed the area until the 18th century. In 1780, Eisleben came directly under the Electorate of Saxony. After the Napoleonic Wars, Eisleben became part of the Kingdom of Prussia. The Prussian Province of Saxony became part of the Free State of Prussia in the German Reich after World War I. After World War II, Eisleben became part of the new state of Saxony-Anhalt in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) until Germany's reuinification in 1990.

Helfta

In 1229, the Counts of Mansfield started a convent for women. At first, it was on the grounds of their castle. Then they built a separate convent at Helfta near Eisleben, which opened in 1258. It was governed under either the Benedictine or Cistercian model. It became known for its powerful and mystical abbesses, including Gertrude of Hackeborn, Gertrude the Great and Mechtild. However, Duke Albrecht of Brunswick destroyed the convent in 1342. It was rebuilt the next year. It closed in 1524, but later reopened on a smaller scale until 1542

In 1542, it came under the control of local farmers. In 1712 it became a farm run by the Prussian state. In 1994, the Catholic Diocese of Magdeburg bought the property and began restoring the building. Cistercian nuns from Seligenthal in Bavaria moved in starting in approximately 1999.

Martin Luther

The Protestant reformer Martin Luther was born in Eisleben on November 10, 1483. His father, Hans Luther, was a miner. Luther's family moved to Mansfeld when he was only a year old; he lived in Wittenberg most of his life. Luther preached his last sermon and died in Eisleben in 1546.

Eisleben started preserving its Luther memorials in 1689.

In 1997, Eisleben's "Birth House" and "Death House" were added to the World Heritage List. Also, Luther was baptised in Eisleben's St. Peter and Paul Church. He preached his last sermons at St. Andreas Church.

Historical population 
The population has been declining since the mid-1960s due to declining birth rates and people moving away. The municipal area has been enlarged several times by merging with neighboring districts.

* population as of 31st December, except for 1964–1981: census

People

 Gertrude the Great (1256–1301), mystic, saint of the Catholic Church
 Martin Luther (1483–1546), Protestant reformer, author and professor of theology
 Johannes Agricola (1494–1566), Protestant reformer
 Michael Teuber (1524–1586), lawyer
 Caspar Schütz (around 1540-1594) German historian
 Friedrich Koenig (1774–1821), printer
 Ludwig Geyer (1779–1833), painter, playwright and actor
 Friedrich August von Quenstedt (1809–1889), geologist and paleontologist
 Carl Fischer (1841–1906), worker and author
 Max Schneider (1875–1967), music historian
 Hermann Lindrath (1896–1960), CDU politician and minister
 Egbert Hayessen (1913–1944), major and resistance fighter of 20 July 1944
 Ute Starke (born 1939), gymnast, Summer Olympics 1960, 1964 and 1968
 Gudrun Berend (1955-2011), hurdler
 Thomas Lange (born 1964), two-time Olympic champion in rowing
 Timo Hoffmann (born 1974), boxer

Twin town
 Wycliffestead Lutterworth, United Kingdom, since 2015

References

Other websites

 Official homepage
 Luther Sites in Eisleben
 3D - model of the Birthplace Luther 

Landmarks in Germany
Martin Luther
World Heritage Sites in Germany