Coordinates: 53°22′33″N 10°33′32″E / 53.37583, 10.55889

Lauenburg
Coat of arms	Location
Administration
Country	Germany
State	Schleswig-Holstein
District	Lauenburg
Mayor	Harald Heuer
Basic statistics
Area	9. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. Wikipedia talkFeatured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This list of countries, arranged alphabetically Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Germany (Deutschland is a Federal Republic consisting of sixteen States, known in German as Länder (singular is the northernmost of the 16 ''Bundesländer'' in Germany. The former English name was Sleswick-Holsatia the Danish name is German districts (de ''Kreise'' or de ''Landkreise'' in the states of Nordrhein-Westfalen and Schleswig-Holstein, singular de ''Kreis'' and de ''Landreis'' Burgomaster (alternatively spelled Burgo[[meister]], literally translated meaning master of the town or master of the Fortress Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. 54 km² (3. 7 sq mi)
Elevation	49 m  (161 ft)
Population	11,692  (30/06/2005)
- Density	1,226 /km² (3,174 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	RZ
Postal code	21481
Area code	04153

Lauenburg (listen (help·info)) is a town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The elevation of a Geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point often the mean sea level. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume Central European Time ( CET) is one of the names of the Time zone that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. Central European Summer Time ( CEST) is one of the names of UTC+2 Time zone, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. UTC+1 is used in the following locations Central European Time West Africa Time Western European Summer Time UTC+2 corresponds to the following Time zones Eastern European Time Egypt Standard Time Central Africa Time German car number plates ( Kfz-Kennzeichen) show the place where the car carrying them is registered __FORCETOC__ Postal codes in Germany, Postleitzahl (plural Postleitzahlen abbreviated to PLZ consist of five digits which indicate the wider area (first two digits and the see also Telephone numbering in Germany for further codes including service numbers cell phones etc A town is a type of settlement ranging from a few to several thousand (occasionally hundreds of thousands inhabitants although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan is the northernmost of the 16 ''Bundesländer'' in Germany. The former English name was Sleswick-Holsatia the Danish name is Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. It is situated at the northern bank of the river Elbe, east of Hamburg. The Elbe ( die Elbe Low German: de Ilv) is one of the major Rivers of Central Europe. Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany It is the southernmost town of the state of Schleswig-Holstein. Lauenburg belongs to the Kreis (district) of Lauenburg and had a population of 11,900 as of 2002. The town is also known in German as "Lauenburg an der Elbe" to differentiate it from other places with the name Lauenburg. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages.

History

The town was founded in 1182 by Bernard of Ascania, the ancestor of the Dukes of Lauenburg. The House of Ascania (Askanier was a Dynasty of German rulers Lauenburg was a duchy until 1689; the area of the medieval fief was roughly identical with today's district. A duchy is a territory fief, or domain ruled by a Duke or Duchess. In medieval times Lauenburg was a waypoint on the Old Salt Route, while today it is the southern terminus of the Elbe-Lübeck Canal. The Old Salt Route (German Alte Salzstraße) was a medieval trade route in northern Germany for the transport of salt. The Elbe-Lübeck Canal (also known as "Elbe-Trave Canal" is an artificial waterway in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

Culture and Sights

Lauenburg has a notable old town with a number of historic buildings from the 17th century and earlier. In the past these houses were mostly the homes of sailors. Today, the area appeals to artists as well as tourists. Furthermore, the 13th century built Maria-Magdalenen Church is another attraction of the old town of Lauenburg. The old town is nestled at the bottom of about 50 Meters high bluffs. The picturesque narrow streets up the hill lead to the so-called "upper town" where the Lauenburg castle is located. The old Lauenburg castle used to be the residence of the Dukes of Lauenburg and the political center of the Dukedom. Over the century most parts where destroyed and replaced by modern buildings. Though, the old castle tower remains till today. Nowadays, the castles serves as city and municipal administration. A walk up to the castle is worth the effort though, because of the view. One cannot only see the beautiful river Elbe and the old town of Lauenburg, but also the flat marshland of Lower-Saxony on the southern shore of the Elbe. On a clear day it is possible to see as far as Lüneburg, about 25 km southwest of Lauenburg. Another historic sight of Lauenburg is the "Palmschleuse", a historic lock, originally built in 1398 and renewed in the 17th century. It is the oldest lock in Europe.

Notable residents

• Karl Ludwig Harding (1765-1834)- Astronomer

Twin towns

View of Lauenburg from the Elbe.

Lauenburg is twinned with:

• Boizenburg (Germany)
• Dudelange (Luxembourg)
• Lębork (Poland) (formerly Lauenburg im Pommern)
• Manom (France)

External links

• Official website (German)
• Altstadt-Lauenburg (German)