Editing Celle (section)

==Main sights==
[[File:Celle Fachwerkhaus 2-halves.jpg|thumb|Half-timbered house (Bergstr.) with incorrectly replaced halves]]
[[File:Celle Kirchturm 0025.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Church St.Marien with its white steeple]]
The buildings in Celle's old town centre date back to the 16th century, among them numerous (and some 480 restored) [[Timber framing|half-timber houses]] with wood carvings, making Celle an important city for tourism in the southern [[Lüneburg Heath]] region. One of the most famous houses is ''Hoppenerhaus'' dating from 1532. The Old Latin School was built in 1602. The most impressive building in Celle is the ducal palace, [[Schloss Celle]], which was built in 1530 in a well-kept park at the site of the former castle. It was enlarged in a baroque style in the 17th century, and a renaissance chapel and a special theatre which is the oldest theatre in Germany were added in 1674. The Old City Hall which is famous for its sandstone carvings was built 1561-1579 in a [[Renaissance]] style.<ref>Hans Pusen: ''Harz, Hannover, Lüneburger Heide'', p. 34. München 1972</ref>  Another major attraction is the ''Stadtkirche'' (town church) with its white tower, from where the town trumpeter blows a fanfare twice a day (an old tradition that was revived as a tourist attraction). Originally it was a small gothic chapel built in 1380,  but it was enlarged from 1675 to 1698 and transformed into a baroque church with impressive stucco ornaments.

''Hugenottenstrasse'' is a historical street with well-preserved wooden houses built at the beginning of the 18th century. It was the main street of a residential area specially laid out for French [[Huguenots]] who sought refuge in Celle because of the [[Persecution of Huguenots under Louis XV]] in the 17th century. The oldest house dates from 1693. On the corner of Emigrantenstraße, another historical street which was laid out for Austrian refugees at the beginning of the 18th century, Neuhäuser Kirche, a Lutheran church was founded in 1710. It was enlarged from 1852 to 1866. Its steeple dates from the same period.

Even a large prison (''Justizvollzugsanstalt, JVA'') was built in a baroque style in the west of the city centre from 1710 to 1731. It was the only historical building of Celle which was damaged during the air raid on 8 April 1945. It was repaired after the war. Sometimes tourists walking from the railway station to the centre mistake it for a castle because of its typical baroque architecture.

Celle has a synagogue built in 1740, one of the few that survived the Nazi pogrom night of 1938, thanks to its location in a narrow street of wooden half-timber houses next to an important leather factory that would have been collaterally damaged. <!--according to the German Wikipedia article on Celle...which is not a RS!--->

The Albrecht Thaer School, a school in Celle, was founded by [[Albrecht Thaer|Albrecht Daniel Thaer]] in 1796.

=== Museums ===
[[File:Celler Schloss.png|thumb|[[Celle Castle]]]]
[[File:Celle Bomann-Museum 0027.jpg|thumb|left|Bomann-Museum near castle with coat of arms]]
The Bomann Museum opposite the castle has works by the artist [[Eberhard Schlotter]] and has exhibitions of local folklore and town history. It houses the Tansey Collection, a collection of [[portrait miniature]]s. The Celle Art Museum (''Kunstmuseum Celle'') with its Robert Simon collection is affiliated with the Bomann Museum.

In the castle itself is the ''Residenz Museum'', which makes use of its premises and an exhibition to document the princely [[House of Welf]]. The Garrison Museum deals with the history of Celle Garrison from 1866 to the present day, whilst the Shooting Museum (''Schützenmuseum'') in ''Haus der Stadtmauer'' is devoted to Celle's shooting club history. The work of Celle's ''Neues Bauen'' architect, Otto Haesler, is charted by the Haesler Museum. And in the old storage barn (''[[Treppenspeicher]]'') built in 1607, as well as the [[orangery]], built in 1677 for the Institute of Apiculture, an exhibition of beekeeping may be viewed.

===Theatre===
The ''[[Schlosstheater Celle]]'' was founded in 1674 and is the oldest, still working theatre in Germany and the oldest [[baroque]] theatre in Europe. It has a main auditorium and two smaller stages (''Malersaal'' and ''Turmbühne'') as well as an additional external venue (''Halle 19'').
Located at the edge of the old town (''Altstadt'') is the performing arts theatre ''Kunst & Bühne'' which is supported by the town and whose repertoire ranges from comedy to songs, jazz, cabaret and films.

===Parks===
The picturesque [[French Garden, Celle|French Garden]] lies immediately south of the ''Altstadt'' and is where the Lower Saxon Institute of Apiculture may be found. The [[Celle Castle#Castle Park|Castle Park]], with its moats, is on the site of the former defensive fortifications of the ducal castle. Along ''Bahnhofstraße'' there is an area of common pasture used as a public park and play area (''Triftanlagen'').
On the right bank of the Aller are the Dammasch Meadows, a popular destination for trips and recreation, and immediately next to them is the garden of medicinal plants and the Thaers Garden with its little manor house. By the New Town Hall (''Neues Rathaus'') is the recently laid-out town park. Other important open areas include the various town cemeteries, such as the picturesque forest cemetery, the ''Waldfriedhof'', with its nature garden.

===Image gallery===
<gallery mode=packed>
File:CelleRathaus.jpg|Old City Hall
File:Celle3.jpg|Houses in the ''Altstadt''
File:CelleNeuenhäuserKirche2.jpg|Neuenhäuser Kirche
File:Hoppener Haus-1.jpg|''Hoppener Haus'', the most famous and attractive timber-framed house in Celle's ''Altstadt''
File:Hoppener Haus Inschrift-1.jpg|Portrait of Ernest the Confessor on the ''Hoppener Haus'' in Celle
File:Celle, St. Ludwigs-Kirche.jpg|[[St Ludwig's Church, Celle|St Ludwig's]], the Catholic Church of Celle
File:Cellestreets.jpg|A half-timber house-lined street in Celle
</gallery>