Uelzen

Uelzen (German pronunciation: [ˈʔʏltsən], Low German Ülz’n) is a town in northeast Lower Saxony, Germany, and capital of the county of Uelzen. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, a Hanseatic town and an independent municipality.

Uelzen is characterised by timber-framed architecture and also has some striking examples of North German brick Gothic. But the county town earned pan-regional fame when Friedensreich Hundertwasser was selected to redesign the station. The final work of the celebrated Viennese artist and architect was ceremonially opened in 2000 as the Hundertwasser Station, Uelzen and has since been a popular tourist magnet.

The Polabian name for Uelzen is Wilcaus (spelled Wiltzaus in older German reference material), possibly derived from wilca or wilsa (< Slavic *olăša) 'alder'.

Geography

Location

Uelzen lies on the edge of the Lüneburg Heath. The town is a transport hub on the north-south axis from Hamburg to Hanover as well as the east-west axis from Bremen to Berlin. Also of economic importance is its location on the Elbe Lateral Canal. The town's has a charming setting, situated as it is on the heath river, the Ilmenau, with its grassy river banks, small parks and water meadows. Large areas in the vicinity of Uelzen have been set aside as nature parks with moors, woods, lakes and heathland: the Elbhöhen-Wendland Nature Park, Lüneburg Heath Nature Park and Lower Saxon Elbe Valley Water Meadows Biosphere Reserve.

Uelzen (district)

Uelzen (German pronunciation: [ˈʏltsən]) is a district (Landkreis) in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by (from the south and clockwise) the districts of Gifhorn, Celle, Heidekreis, Lüneburg and Lüchow-Dannenberg, and by the state of Saxony-Anhalt (district of Altmarkkreis Salzwedel). The county capital is the town of Uelzen.

History

From the Middle Ages on the region was part of the duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg and its successor states.

Geography

The district comprises the eastern part of the Lüneburg Heath (Lüneburger Heide). The Ilmenau river has its source in the district. From here it runs northwards to the town of Lüneburg. The countryside is flat and sparsely populated.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms displays:

Towns and municipalities

References

External links

Media related to Landkreis Uelzen at Wikimedia Commons