Buxtehude
- For the German Baroque composer, see Dieterich Buxtehude
| Coat of arms | Map of Buxtehude in Germany |
|---|---|
| No picture yet | No Picture yet |
| Basic Information | |
| State: | Lower Saxony |
| District: | Stade |
| Area: | 76.49 km² |
| Population: | 37,901 source (2004) |
| Population density: | 490 residents/km² |
| Elevation: | 5 m above sea level |
| Postal code: | 21614 |
| Area code: | 04161 |
| Latitude and Longitude: | 53°28′N 9°42′E / 53.467°N 9.700°E |
| License plate prefix: | STD |
| Website: | www.buxtehude.de Official Webpage |
| Mayor: | Jürgen Badur (independent) |
Buxtehude is the second largest town in the district of Stade.
location: yet to come
Politics and Administration
yet to come
History
yet to come
Sister Cities
Economy
Since 1881 Buxtehude has its own railroad station on the R50 line between Hamburg and Cuxhaven. Late 2007 this line is to be added to the system of the rapid transit Hamburg S-Bahn by the HVV. Since 1928 there also is a second railroad line crossing Buxtehude, the EVB, (Elb-Verbindungs-Bahn - literally Elbe river connection trains) between Hamburg's outermost district and Bremerhaven on the coast of the North Sea. The Este river connects the city to the important Elbe river 6 miles north. Earlier in history this connection was used to ship goods into the small harbor, which still exists but has decreased in accessibility by city developments and aggradation. A major highway, scheduled for completion in 2010, is going to connect the town to Hamburg.
Companies
Several major comapnies are set in Buxtehude:
- Unilever, an Anglo-Dutch company in the personal care and food sector.
- KID-Systeme GmbH, a Buxtehude-based supplier for airplane cabin electronics. Official Webpage
- Airbus S.A.S, the world's leading commercial aircraft manufacturer.
- Bacardi, the world's largest privately held, family-owned spirits company.
- INTERPANE, a German manufacturer of insulation glass. Official Webpage
- Pioneer Hi-Bred, a subdivision of the world's biggest American-based chemical producer DuPont, the world's larget developer and exporter of seeds Official Webpage.
- Nord Kalksandsteinwerke, a German producer of lime sand bricks and other building material Official Webpage.
Schools
- "Hochschule 21", a private college with a renowned architecture program. Official Webpage.
- "Gymnasium Halepaghen-Schule", local highschool. Member in the "Qualitynetwork for Schools in Lower Saxony, Humanitarian School and rating highest in the county. Official Webpage German Wikipedia Site
- "Gymnasium Süd", local highschool Official Webpage.
- "Volkshochschule Buxtehude", community college.
- "Malerschule", private art school.
- "Berufsbildende Schulen Buxtehude", public secondary schools for the sectors of economics, informatics and electrotechnics. Official Webpage.
Culture
Buxtehude is known as "The Fairytale Capital" of the world. The tale of "The Bunny and the Hedgehog" by the Brothers Grimm is set in this town. Furthermore the name is used in numerous German tales. And thus people claim there actually does not exist a town by the name of Buxtehude. Thus a German proverb "...nach Buxtehude jagen" means to send someone to far.
Museums
- Museum for Regional History and Art (seen in the article picture)
Local Dialects
German and a regional dialect called Plattdüütsch or Low German, which is rarely spoken now but can be still heard from old folks. Also one of the local high schools Halepaghen-Schule holds a Low German reading contest each school year.
Tourism
Buxtehude enjoys a good reputation as a warm, visitor-friendly town preserving its cultural and regional heritage without denying the future. Besides the beautiful old part of town, the main church of Sankt Petri (St. Peter) and the Zwinger are great places to pay a visit to. The Altes Land adjacent to Buxtehude and the close Elbe river serve as great get-aways for a bicycle tour or a long hike. Buxtehude can as well be used as your hub for tours to the nearby cities of Hamburg and Bremen.
Regular events
For the interested visitor, some events held every year:
Buxtehuder Pistennacht
The Pistennacht is an event where bars, restaurants and clubs in the old part of town are open all night long. A stage downtown and some individual places offer live music.
Pfingstmarkt Altkloster
The Pfingstmarkt is the biggest fair in northern Germany along the national highway "B73". It is always held on the German holiday of Pfingsten exactly 50 days after Easter close to Buxtehude. It features 130 exhibitors with many rides including a Ferris Wheel and Bumper Cars as well as lottery booths, snack booths and sit-down food locations. In 2004 140.000 visitors flocked to the fair compared to 10.000 in 1904 and 100.000 in the 1970s.
Altstadtfest
Like the Pistennacht, the Altadtfest (literally: "Old Town") is held downtown. Every year on the first weekend of June the whole old part of town turns into a party with several stages with live music. Sunday morning the city's biggest flea market is held around the Fleth. For the occasion of Altstadtfest the town is decorated in the city colors of blue and yellow.
Weinfest
Vinum is the motto for the annual celebration of vine in old town Buxtehude. For one weekend the city dedicates itself to culture of vine and many booths for vine testing and entertainment open.