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Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is a city in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Situated on the river Elbe, it has a population of about 50,000. The importance of Wittenberg historically was due to its seat of the Elector of Saxony, a dignity held by the dukes of Saxe-Wittenberg and also to its close connection with Martin Luther and the dawn of the Protestant Reformation; several of its buildings are associated with the events of this time. Part of the Augustinian monastery in which Luther dwelt, first as a monk and later as owner with his wife and family, is preserved and considered to be the world's premier museum dedicated to Luther. Various Luther and Melanchthon memorial sites were added to the UNESCO world heritage list in 1996. ==History== A settlement was first mentioned in 1180 as a small village founded by Flemish colonists under the rule of the House of Ascania. In 1260, this village became the residence of the dukes of Saxe-Wittenberg, and in 1293 the settlement was granted its town charter as a free-standing town. Wittenberg developed into an important trade center during the following several centuries, because of its central location. When the Ascanians died out, the property of Saxe-Wittenberg passed to the House of Wettin. This town became an important regional political and cultural center at the end of the 15th Century, when Frederick III "the Wise", the Elector of Saxony, made his residence in Wittenberg. Several parts of boundaries of the town were extended soon afterward. The second bridge over the Elbe River was built from 1486 through 1490 and the castle church (the ''Schlosskirche'' in German) was erected from 1496 through 1506. The Elector's palace was rebuilt the same time. In 1502, the University of Wittenberg was founded, and it gave a home to some important thinkers, such as Martin Luther—a professor of theology beginning in 1508—and Philipp Melanchthon—a professor of Greek starting in 1518. On 31 October 1517, Luther nailed his 95 theses against the selling of indulgences at the door of the All Saints', the Castle Church, marking the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. The Anabaptist movement also had one of its earliest homes in Wittenberg, when the Zwickau prophets moved there in late 1521, only to be suppressed by Luther when he returned from the Wartburg in spring 1522. The Capitulation of Wittenberg (1547) is the name given to the treaty by which John Frederick the Magnanimous was compelled to resign the electoral dignity and most of his territory to the Albertine branch of the House of Wettin. In 1760, during the Seven Years' War, the Prussian-occupied town was bombarded by the Austrians. It was occupied by the French in 1806, and refortified in 1813 by command of Napoleon. In 1814, it was stormed by the Prussian Army under Tauentzien, who received the title of "von Wittenberg" as a reward. In 1815, Wittenberg became part of Prussia and was administered within the Province of Saxony. Wittenberg continued to be a fortress of the third class until the reorganisation of German defences after the foundation of the new German Empire led to its being dismantled in 1873. Unlike many other historic German cities during World War II, Wittenberg's city centre was spared destruction during the war. The Allies agreed not to bomb Wittenberg, though there was fighting in the city, with bullet pock-marks visible on the statues of Luther and Melanchthon at the market square, or so the popular version of the city's history goes. In actuality, the Luther statue was not even present in the city square during much of the war. It was stored at Luther Brunnen, a roadhouse only a few kilometers north of the city. Wittenberg's reputation as a city protected from Allied bombing is also not historically accurate. On the outskirts of Wittenberg was the ''Arado Flugzeugwerke'' (the Arado Aircraft Factory), which produced components of airplanes for the Luftwaffe. This factory was staffed by Jews, Russians, Poles, political prisoners and even a few Americans—all prisoners engaging in forced labour. Despite the prisoner status of its workers, American and British planes bombed the factory near the end of the war. One thousand prisoner workers were killed. The recent publication of "...und morgen war Krieg!" by Renate Gruber-Lieblich attempts to document this tragic bombing of Wittenberg. At the end of the war, Wittenberg was occupied by Soviet forces and became part of East Germany in 1949. During the East German period, it was part of Halle District. By means of the peaceful revolution in 1989, the communist regime was brought down and the city has been governed democratically since 1990. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Wittenberg」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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