Editing Celle (section)

==History==

=== Middle Ages ===

Celle was first mentioned in a document of <small>A.D.</small> 985 as ''Kiellu''<ref>Adolf Bach: ''Deutsche Namenkunde.'' Band II, 1: ''Die deutschen Ortsnamen''. Heidelberg 1953, p. 36</ref> (which means ''Fischbucht''<ref>Heinrich Wesche: ''Unsere niedersächsischen Ortsnamen.'' o. O. 1957, S. 38</ref> or fishing bay). It was granted the right to mint and circulate its own coins under the [[minting rights]] during the 11th century and several coins were found in the [[Sandur hoard]] in the [[Faroes]]. In 1292 Duke [[Otto II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg|Otto II the Strict]] (1277–1330), a [[House of Welf|Welf]] who ruled the [[Principality of Lüneburg]] from 1277 to 1330, left [[Altencelle]], where there had been defences in the form of a [[circular rampart]] (the ''[[Circular rampart of Burg|Ringwall von Burg]]'') since the 10th century, and founded a rectangular settlement by the existing castle (''Burg'') {{convert|4|km|mi}} to the northwest. In 1301 he granted Celle its [[town privileges]]<ref>Heinrich Gottfried Gengler: ''Regesten und Urkunden zur Verfassungs- und Rechtsgeschichte der deutschen Städte im Mittelalter'', Erlangen 1863, [https://books.google.com/books?id=NdkcAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA479 S. 479–482]; see also [https://books.google.com/books?id=NdkcAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA982 S. 982–983].</ref> and in 1308 started construction on the town church.

In 1378 Celle became the ''[[Residenz]]'' of the dukes of [[Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg|Saxe-Wittenberg]] and in 1433 the [[princes of Lüneburg]] took up residence in the castle (''Schloss''). The ducal palace was situated on a triangle between the Aller and its tributary, the Fuhse. A moat connecting the rivers was built in 1433, turning the town centre into an island. In 1452 Duke [[Frederick the Pious]] of Lüneburg founded a [[Franciscan]] monastery. In 1464 the [[grain trade|grain shipping]] monopoly generated an economic upturn for the town.

===Early modern period===
[[File:Celle4.jpg|thumb|Rooftop view of Celle]]
[[File:CelleHugenottenstraße.jpg|thumb|Hugenottenstraße is the main street of the former French quarter]]
[[File:CelleEmigrantenstraße2.jpg|thumb|Emigrantenstraße, a historical street laid out for Austrian refugees]]
[[File:CelleWerck-UndZuchthaus2.jpg|thumb|JVA Celle which is often mistaken for a castle]]
In 1524 the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]] was introduced into Celle. In 1570 [[William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg|Duke William the Younger]] built the castle chapel, which was consecrated in 1585. <!-- In 1660 [[Christian Louis, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg|Duke Christian Louis]] of Celle erected a ''Reiherpfahl'' in Altenhagen with an inscription that commemorated the hunting of herons with falcons. ??? -->

In 1660 Celle had 3,750 inhabitants.<ref>Jürgen Ricklefs et al.: "Geschichte der Stadt Celle", p. 103. Köln 1959.</ref> From 1665 to 1705 Celle experienced a cultural boom as a ''Residenz'' under [[George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg|Duke George William]]. This has been put down in particular to his French wife, Eleonore d'Olbreuse, who brought fellow [[Huguenot]] Christians and Italian architects to Celle. During this time the [[Garden à la française|French]] and Italian Gardens were laid out and the [[baroque]] castle theatre built. Because of the [[Edict of Fontainebleau|persecution of Huguenots under Louis XIV]] many French Huguenots sought refuge in Germany, especially in Berlin and in the towns of Celle, [[Neuwied]] and [[Hanau]]. About 300 Huguenots settled in Celle, where a new residential area was laid out for them in the southwest of the centre.  Its main street, ''Hugenottenstrasse'', is still a sightworthy historical street with well-preserved wooden houses built at the beginning of the 18th century. Many French refugees worked in the castle as cooks and servants, but some of them opened shops in Celle as tailors, carpenters, joiners, confectioners, wig makers and glovers, thus introducing some French cuisine, fashion and lifestyle into the town. Some years later protestant refugees from Austria sought refuge in Celle as well. ''Emigrantenstraße'' is another historical street, which was laid out for the Austrians.

In 1705 the last duke of the Brunswick–Lüneburg line died and Celle, along with the [[Principality of Lüneburg]], passed back to the [[Electorate of Hanover|Hanover]] line of the [[House of Welf|Welfs]].<!-- NOT "Guelfs," who were an Italian line. Source: German Wikipedia articles on Celle, Otto II. (Lüneburg), etc., and English Wikipedia articles on Welf, Este, and Guelphs. --> By way of compensation for the loss of its status as a ''Residenz'' town numerous administrative institutions were established in Celle, such as the Higher Court of Appeal (''Oberappellationsgericht''), the prison and the [[Celle State Stud|State Stud Farm]]. That began its development into an administrative and judicial centre. Even today the Lower Saxony-Bremen State Social Security Tribunal and the High Court responsible for most of Lower Saxony are based in Celle, amongst others.

Celle is also still home to a prison (the [[Justizvollzugsanstalt Celle]] or ''JVA Celle''), which was built in a baroque style in the west of the city centre between 1710 and 1731.<ref>Hans Pusen: ''Harz, Hannover, Lüneburger Heide'', p. 34. München 1972</ref> Sometimes tourists mistake it for a castle because of its typical baroque architecture. That the citizens of Celle once − in a vote − chose to have a prison in Celle rather than a university in order to protect the virtue of their daughters is not verifiable but it has remained a persistent anecdote in popular folklore.

In August 1714 [[George I of Great Britain|George Elector of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick–Lüneburg]] (King George I) ascended to the British throne. Between then and 1866, when the town became [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussian]] during the [[Austro-Prussian War]] as part of the [[province of Hanover]], Celle was a possession of the British [[House of Hanover|Hanoverian line]].

In 1786 [[Albrecht Daniel Thaer|Albrecht Thaer]] founded the first German Agricultural Testing Institute in the meadows in the Dammasch (''dam marsh'') (today Thaer's Garden). The Albrecht-Thaer School is nowadays part of a vocational centre in the Celle sub-district of [[Altenhagen (Celle)|Altenhagen]].

[[File:Neues Rathaus (Celle).jpg|thumb|New Town Hall]]

===Modern period===
In 1842 the Cambridge Dragoons Barracks (''Cambridge-Dragoner-Kaserne'') for the homonymous regiment named after the Hanoveran Viceroy Duke [[Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge]], was built in Celle. After being extended in 1913 and partially rebuilt after a fire in 1936, it was renamed ''Goodwood Barracks'' in 1945 and from 1976 to 1996 was the headquarters of Panzerbrigade 33 in the German armed forces, the [[Bundeswehr]]. In 1989 it was renamed again to Cambridge-Dragoner-Kaserne. Since 1996 the area has mainly been used to house one of the largest youth centres in Lower Saxony.

From 1869 to 1872 an infantry barracks was built for the 77th Infantry Regiment which also gave the main street (running the length of the front of the barracks) its name of 77er Strasse. In 1938 it was renamed the ''Heidekaserne'' ("Heath Barracks"). After the [[Second World War]] the barracks was used by [[British Army|British troops]] until 1993 during which time 94 Locating Regiment Royal Artillery held residency for over 25 years, followed briefly by 14 Signal Regiment, which relocated from Scheuen until the barracks were handed back to the local authorities. Today the New Town Hall (''Neue Rathaus'') and Celle Council Offices are housed in the restored brick building. Residential buildings and a town park have been established on the rest of the terrain. 
[[File:Celle RRD.jpg|thumb|[[Steel engraving]] of the marketplace around 1845]]
In 1892 − with the help of numerous citizens' donations − the present-day ''Bomann Museum'' with its important folklore and town-history collections was founded. In 1913 the 74&nbsp;metre high [[clock tower]] was built on the town church and its clockwork underwent a major restoration in 2008. In the 1920s the silk mill was built. It was merged in 1932 with the one in [[Peine]] to become the ''Seidenwerk Spinnhütte AG''. This concern expanded during the [[Nazi era]] into an armaments centre under the name of Seidenwerk Spinnhütte AG. A subsidiary founded in 1936, the Mitteldeutsche Spinnhütte AG, led war preparations through its branches in the central German towns of [[Apolda]], [[Plauen]], [[Osterode am Harz|Osterode]], [[Pirna]] and [[Wanfried]]. Its only product was the [[parachute]] silk needed for the paratroopers of the [[Wehrmacht]].<ref>Hubertus Feußner, Die Spinnhütte, = Apoldaer Heimat. Beiträge zur Natur und Heimatgeschichte der Stadt Apolda und ihrer Umgebung 2008, S. 29ff.</ref>

During [[World War I]], Germany operated two [[German prisoner-of-war camps in World War I|prisoner-of-war camps]] in Celle, and among its prisoners were British, Polish, Romanian, French, Belgian and Russian POWs and civilians.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Stanek|first=Piotr|year=2017|title=Niemieckie obozy jenieckie dla Polaków z armii rosyjskiej w latach I wojny światowej (1916–1918)|journal=Łambinowicki rocznik muzealny|location=Opole|language=pl|volume=40|pages=60–61|issn=0137-5199}}</ref> In 1916–1917, the Germans operated a special sub-sector for Polish POWs at one of the camps, with the aim of subjecting them to propaganda and conscripting them into a planned German-controlled Polish army to fight against Russia.<ref>Stanek, pp. 45, 61</ref>

In September 1929 [[Rudolph Karstadt]] opened a [[Karstadt]] department store in Celle town centre, the façade of which was identical to that of the Karstadt store on [[Berlin]]'s Hermannplatz. The Celle branch was demolished in the 1960s and replaced by a controversial new building, the aluminium-braced facade of which was meant to represent Celle's [[timber framing|timber-framed houses]].

===Nazi era===
[[File:CelleTriftanlagenDenkmal.jpg|thumb|Memorial of [[Celler Hasenjagd]]]]
[[File:CelleTriftanlagenInfoTafel.jpg|thumb|Information board at the memorial]]
During [[Kristallnacht]], the anti-Jewish [[pogrom]] in [[Nazi Germany]] on 9/10 November 1938, the synagogue in Celle was saved from complete destruction only because it was in a very narrow lane and there would have been a risk to the adjacent leather factory and other parts of the historical city centre with its old wooden houses.

On 1 April 1939 Altenhäusen, Klein Hehlen, Neuenhäusen, Vorwerk and Wietzenbruch were incorporated into Celle. When [[World War II]] broke out, two serious Allied bombings occurred during the [[bombing of Celle]]: one on 22 February when the Celle railway station was attacked as a part of [[Operation Clarion]]{{cn|date=December 2024}} and on 8 April 1945, when 2.2% of the town was destroyed, especially the industrial areas and railway freight terminal. A train in which about 4,000 prisoners were being transported to the nearby [[Bergen-Belsen concentration camp]] was hit. The attack claimed hundreds of casualties, but some of the prisoners managed to escape into the nearby woods. [[SS]] guards and Celle citizens participated in the so-called 'Celle hare hunt' (''[[Celler Hasenjagd]]'').<ref>{{cite book|last=Celinscak|first=Mark|title=Distance from the Belsen Heap: Allied Forces and the Liberation of a Concentration Camp|year=2015|publisher=University of Toronto Press|location=Toronto|isbn=9781442615700}}</ref> The 'hunt' claimed several hundred dead and went on until 10 April 1945 and represented the darkest chapter in Celle's history.<ref>''"Shifting Memories. The Nazi Past in the New Germany"'' K. Neumann. University of Michigan Press, 2000</ref> The exact number of victims has not been determined. Several of the perpetrators were later tried and convicted of this [[war crime]]. A memorial with an information board and a copper-beech tree was inaugurated in Triftanlagen park on 8 April 1992. The German word for copper-beech is Blutbuche, meaning blood beech.

About 2.2% of Celle (67 houses) was destroyed in the Second World War. 550 houses were heavily damaged and 614 were slightly damaged. Celle was spared from further destruction by surrendering without a fight to advancing allied troops on 12 April 1945, so that the historical city centre and the castle survived the war completely unscathed.

===Military===
[[File:Bolkow Bo 105 2.jpg|thumb|German Army Anti-tank helicopter [[Bölkow Bo 105]] at Celle Air Base.]]
In [[Nazi Germany]], Celle was an important garrison location. Elements of the 17th and 73rd Infantry Regiments and the 19th Artillery Regiment were garrisoned in the town. Celle was also the headquarters of a military district command and a military records office.

The different German Army barracks (including the Freiherr von Fritsch Barracks in Scheuen and the Cambridge Dragoons Barracks in the city) were used as sites for the German [[Panzerbrigade 33|33rd Armoured Brigade]] until the 1990s. The [[Celle Air Base]] (Immelmann Barracks) in the District of Wietzenbruch is now the site of the Training Centre of the Army Aviation School and the Cambridge Dragoons Barracks has now become a youth cultural centre (CD-Kaserne).

The [[British Army]] barracks, which as Celle Station formed part of [[Bergen-Hohne Garrison]], were handed over to the German authorities on 5 November 2012. Since [[German reunification]], Celle has largely lost its role as a major garrison town.

===Post-war era===
After the war Celle applied, along with [[Bonn]] and [[Frankfurt]], to become the seat for the Parliamentary Council (''[[Parlamentarischer Rat]]''), the immediate post-war governmental body in Germany, later superseded by the West German [[Bundestag]]. In the end the privilege went to [[Bonn]].

Trenchard Barracks in Celle was the most modern barracks in Germany during the war, with blackout blinds between the double-glazed windows and other features which became commonplace afterwards. The cellar doors were trial rooms for the number of inmates from Belsen who could be gassed.  When Belsen concentration camp was liberated Trenchard Barracks was used as a hospital for surviving inmates who needed treatment. Later it became the Barracks for the 1st Battalion of the Rifle Brigade.

On 1 January 1973 Celle lost its status as an independent town (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') and became the largest municipality in the new district (''Kreis'') of Celle. It also became the largest town in the new region (''[[Regierungsbezirk]]'') of [[Lüneburg (region)|Lüneburg]]. At the same time the localities of Ummern, Pollhöfen and Hahnenhorn were incorporated into [[Gifhorn district]]. Since then the parish of Hohne has looked after six villages ([[Hohne]], Helmerkamp, [[Spechtshorn]], Ummern, Pollhöfen and Hahnenhorn) in two rural districts. The town of Celle has also incorporated a number of villages from the surrounding area.

On 25 July 1978 a staged bomb attack was made on the outer wall of the prison. This was initially blamed on the [[Red Army Faction]], but was later revealed to have been perpetrated by [[Lower Saxony]]'s intelligence service, the [[Verfassungsschutz]]. The incident became known as the [[Celle Hole]].
 
In 2004 the region of Lüneburg was dissolved along with the rest of Lower Saxony's administrative districts. Celle is currently the twelfth largest town in [[Lower Saxony]].

===Incorporation of municipalities===
* 1 April 1939: Altenhäusen, [[Klein Hehlen]], [[Neuenhäusen]], [[Vorwerk, Celle|Vorwerk]] und [[Wietzenbruch]]
* 1 January 1973: [[Altencelle]], [[Altenhagen (Celle)|Altenhagen]], Alvern, Bostel, Boye, Burg, [[Garßen]], [[Groß Hehlen]], Hustedt, Lachtehausen, Scheuen and [[Westercelle]].

===Growth in population===
In the [[Middle Ages]] and [[early modern period]] Celle only had a few thousand inhabitants. The population grew only slowly and dropped frequently as a result of many wars, epidemics and periods of famine. Not until the beginnings of industrialisation in the 19th century did population growth accelerate. It reached a total of 8,800 in 1818 but by 1900 this had more than doubled to 20,000. The incorporation of the surrounding villages on 1 April 1939 saw a further (artificial) rise in numbers to 38,000.

Shortly after the [[Second World War]] the many refugees and displaced persons from Eastern Europe led to a steep rise in the number of inhabitants within just a few months from around 17,000 to 55,000 by December 1945. The addition of new municipalities on 1 January 1973 saw an additional 18,691 people being included within the borough of Celle and bringing the total population to 75,178 − its historical high point.
On 30 June 2005 the official number of inhabitants within Celle borough, according to an update by the Lower Saxony State Department of Statistics, was 71,402 (only main residences, and after adjustments with the other state departments).

The following overview shows the population numbers based on the 'catchment area' at the time. The 1818 figure is an estimate, the rest are based on census results(¹) or official updates by the Department of Statistics. From 1871 the returns show the population actually present, from 1925 the resident population and since 1987 the population residing at their main residence. Before 1871 the numbers are based on various, different census-gathering processes.
 
{|
|-
| valign="top" |
{| class="wikitable"
|- class="hintergrundfarbe5"
! style="background: #E0E0E0;" | Year
! style="background: #E0E0E0;" | Population
|-
| 1818 || style="text-align:right;"| 8,800
|-
| 3 December 1855 ¹ || style="text-align:right;"| 13,117
|-
| 3 December 1861 ¹ || style="text-align:right;"| 14,100
|-
| 3 December 1864 ¹ || style="text-align:right;"| 14,900
|-
| 3 December 1867 ¹ || style="text-align:right;"| 16,200
|-
| 1 December 1871 ¹ || style="text-align:right;"| 16,147
|-
| 1 December 1875 ¹ || style="text-align:right;"| 18,200
|-
| 1 December 1880 ¹ || style="text-align:right;"| 18,800
|-
| 1 December 1885 ¹ || style="text-align:right;"| 18,800
|-
| 1 December 1890 ¹ || style="text-align:right;"| 18,901
|-
| 2 December 1895 ¹ || style="text-align:right;"| 19,438
|}
| valign="top" |
{| class="wikitable"
|- class="hintergrundfarbe5"
! style="background: #E0E0E0;" | Year
! style="background: #E0E0E0;" | Population
|-
| 1 December 1900 ¹ || style="text-align:right;"| 19,883
|-
| 1 December 1905 ¹ || style="text-align:right;"| 21,390
|-
| 1 December 1910 ¹ || style="text-align:right;"| 23,263
|-
| 1 December 1916 ¹ || style="text-align:right;"| 20,521
|-
| 5 December 1917 ¹ || style="text-align:right;"| 19,997
|-
| 8 October 1919 ¹ || style="text-align:right;"| 23,589
|-
| 16 June 1925 ¹ || style="text-align:right;"| 25,456
|-
| 16 June 1933 ¹ || style="text-align:right;"| 27,734
|-
| 17 May 1939 ¹ || style="text-align:right;"| 37,799
|-
| 31 December 1945 || style="text-align:right;"| 55,059
|-
| 29 October 1946 ¹ || style="text-align:right;"| 52,281
|}
| valign="top" |
{| class="wikitable"
|- class="hintergrundfarbe5"
! style="background: #E0E0E0;" | Year
! style="background: #E0E0E0;" | Population
|-
| 13 September 1950 ¹ || style="text-align:right;"| 59,667
|-
| 25 September 1956 ¹ || style="text-align:right;"| 57,239
|-
| 6 June 1961 ¹ || style="text-align:right;"| 58,506
|-
| 31 December 1965 || style="text-align:right;"| 58,766
|-
| 27 May 1970 ¹ || style="text-align:right;"| 57,155
|-
| 31 December 1975 || style="text-align:right;"| 74,347
|-
| 31 December 1980 || style="text-align:right;"| 72,820
|-
| 31 December 1985 || style="text-align:right;"| 70,482
|-
| 25 May 1987 ¹ || style="text-align:right;"| 71,222
|-
| 31 December 1990 || style="text-align:right;"| 72,260
|-
| 31 December 1995 || style="text-align:right;"| 73,936
|}
| valign="top" |
{| class="wikitable"
|- class="hintergrundfarbe5"
! style="background: #E0E0E0;" | Year
! style="background: #E0E0E0;" | Population
|-
| 31 December 2000 || style="text-align:right;"| 72,127
|-
| 30 June 2005 || style="text-align:right;"| 71,402
|-
| 1 January 2006 || style="text-align:right;"| 71,371
|-
| 1 January 2008 || style="text-align:right;"| 70,850
|-
| 31 December 2011 || style="text-align:right" | 69,972
|-
| 31 December 2014 || style="text-align:right" |68,721
|-
| 31 December 2017 || style="text-align:right" |69,706
|}
|}
¹ Census results