Brunswick or
Braunschweig
[key], city, Lower Saxony, central Germany, on the Oker River. It is an
industrial and commercial center; its major industry is metalworking. Other
manufactures include pianos, electronic equipment, food products, and
printed materials. Reputedly founded c.861 and chartered in the 12th cent.,
Braunschweig became (13th cent.) a prominent member of the Hanseatic League.
In 1753 the residence of the dukes of Braunschweig was shifted there from
Wolfenbüttel. In 1830 the duke was deposed and the city became a
self-governing municipality. The city has a 12th-century Romanesque
cathedral, which contains the tombs of Henry the Lion (d. 1195) and Emperor
Otto IV (d. 1218); several Gothic churches; and a famous fountain
representing Till Eulenspiegel, the legendary prankster. The city is the
site of a technical university (the oldest in Germany) and an art museum.
The philosopher and dramatist Gotthold Lessing (1729–81) is buried in
Brunswick.
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