Nordhausen

Nordhausen, city, Thuringia Land (state), central Germany. It lies on the Zorge River, at the southern slopes of the Harz Mountains, in the fertile lowland known as the Goldene Aue (“Golden Meadow”). First mentioned in 927 as the site of a royal castle near the older Frankish settlement of Northusen (Nordhusa), it was made a free imperial city in 1290 and accepted the Protestant Reformation in 1522. It lost its independence in 1802, when it was annexed by Prussia, forming part of Prussian Saxony until 1945 (except for the period 1807–13, when it was Westphalian). In 1950 it incorporated the neighbouring villages of Salza and Krimderode. Industries include brewing, distilling, and the manufacture of chewing tobacco, machinery, tools, and transport equipment. A narrow-gauge railway connects the city to other tourist destinations in the Harz Mountains. Although Nordhausen suffered heavy air attacks during World War II, some historic buildings survive, including the 17th-century city hall with the oaken statue of Roland (1717), a symbol of civic liberty; the late Gothic cathedral, with a Romanesque crypt; and the 13th-century church of St. Blasius, which contains works by Lucas Cranach the Elder and Lucas Cranach the Younger. The city has a civic museum, a technical college, and a theatre. Pop. (2003 est.) 44,311.