Wolfenbüttel

The dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg lived here from the fifteenth century until 1753 and built a planned residence town of canals and timber-framed streets, around eight hundred of which survive because the town was not bombed. The Herzog August Bibliothek was assembled by Duke August in the seventeenth century and by 1700 was regarded as the largest library in Europe; Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was its librarian from 1690 until his death, and Gotthold Ephraim Lessing held the post later and wrote Nathan the Wise here. Its holdings include the Gospels of Henry the Lion, once the most expensive book ever sold. Jägermeister has been produced in the town since 1934.

Background

The town stands on the Oker near where the Altenau joins it, about 13 kilometres south of Brunswick. Its name ends in büttel, meaning residence or settlement, and it is the southernmost of 172 northern German towns with that ending. The first record, as Wulferisbuttle, dates from 1118, when Count Widekind built a water castle here on the important road linking Brunswick with Halberstadt and Leipzig. By 1432 the Brunswick princes had made it their permanent residence. Duke Julius had much of it rebuilt in Renaissance style, with canals laid out by Hans Vredeman de Vries, gave the citizens market rights in 1570, and two years later founded the Ducal Library.

Source: Wikipedia, "Wolfenbüttel"

What you'll find

• The Herzog August Bibliothek - a library that was Europe's largest by 1700.
• The Lessing house - the writer's home beside the library, now a museum.
• The timber streets - around eight hundred framed houses unbombed.
• The ducal palace - state rooms in the former residence.

When to go

April to October; the library and museums close Mondays. Rare manuscripts are shown in rotation and rarely on permanent display. The town is quiet.

Practical notes

Famous manuscripts are usually not on show. The library is primarily a research institution. The town is small.

Nearby

Braunschweig lies north; the Harz rises south.

Key facts