Quedlinburg

Thie city of Quedlinburg in the German Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt has existed since at least the early ninth century, when a settlement known as Gross Orden existed at the site of the modern Quedlinburg. As such the city first appears in 922, as part of a donation by Henry I the Fowler. The records of this donation were collected at the abbey of Corvey.

After Henry's death, members of many leading families settled in Quedlinburg. Later, a women's convent was established there, where daughters of the higher nobility received educations.

The Quedlinburg castle complex, founded by Otto I the Great in 936, was an imperial seat of the Saxon emperors.

In 972 a Reichstag (Imperial Convention) was held at the court of emperor Otto I the Great where many nobles, including Mieszko, duke of Poland and Boleslav, duke of Bohemia, gathered to pay homage to the emperor.

After the 1945 take-over by the communists many buildings deteriorated. The suppression of former history before communism was somewhat slowed down and inhabitants started conservation and restoration measures. A good number of historical buildings and timbered houses (Fachwerkbauten) were declared National Monuments and are listed with the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

External links

• www.quedlinburg.de (http://www.quedlinburg.de/), the city's website (in German)