Stade (pronounced "SHTAH-duh") is a city in northern Germany, located in the state of Lower Saxony. It's also known as the Hanseatic City of Stade. The city was first mentioned in official records way back in 934 AD.

Stade is the main city of the district that shares its name. It's about 45 kilometers (28 miles) west of Hamburg and is part of the larger Hamburg Metropolitan Region. The city is found near the lower parts of the Elbe river and is also a stop on the famous German Timber-Frame Road, which features many beautiful old buildings.

Exploring Stade's Rich History
What to See in Stade
Getting Around Stade
Local Businesses and Industries
Stade's Twin Towns
Famous People from Stade
- Notable Aristocracy
- Sports Personalities
Gallery
See also

Exploring Stade's Rich History

People first settled in the Stade area around 30,000 BC, showing how long humans have lived there!

Early Challenges and Viking Raids

In the 990s, Swedish and Danish Vikings, led by Eric the Victorious, attacked Stade. They took over the town and carried off many important Saxons as slaves. Most of the Vikings left with their treasures, but a small group stayed. These remaining Vikings were later defeated by soldiers sent by the emperor.

Stade's Place in the Prince-Archbishopric

From 1180, Stade was part of the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen. This was a powerful area ruled by a prince-archbishop. In 1208, King Valdemar II of Denmark and his troops captured Stade. However, Valdemar's cousin, Prince-Archbishop Valdemar, quickly took it back, only to lose it again to King Valdemar II.

In 1209, Emperor Otto IV convinced King Valdemar II to move his troops north of the Elbe river. This allowed the deposed Prince-Archbishop Valdemar to reclaim Stade.

Special Rights for Stade Citizens

On May 2, 1209, Emperor Otto IV gave Stade important town privileges (Stadtrecht). This meant the citizens of Stade were personally free and could make their own laws. Property within the city could be freely passed down through families. Fair legal processes were set up, and limits were placed on fines. Otto IV also promised to protect citizens from being taken hostage.

After some more back-and-forth battles between Danish and German forces, Stade remained a part of the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen from 1216 onwards.

1572 drawing of Stade. You can see the St. Cosmae et Damiani Church and St. Wilhadi Church.

Stade in 1640, drawn by Matthäus Merian.

Stade and the Hanseatic League

During the Middle Ages (from the 1200s to the late 1600s), Stade was an important member of the Hanseatic League. This was a powerful group of trading cities around the Baltic and North Seas. However, over time, Stade became less important compared to the growing city of Hamburg.

In 1611, Stade made an agreement with Sephardic Jews, allowing them to start a community. Later, in 1613, Ashkenazic Jews also settled in the city. However, due to wars and changes in power, records of Jewish communities in Stade disappear after 1630 for a while.

In 1648, after the Thirty Years' War, the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen became a monarchy called the Duchy of Bremen. This duchy, along with the nearby Principality of Verden, was given to the Swedish crown. Stade had already been under Swedish control since 1645. It was part of the Swedish province of Bremen-Verden-Wildeshausen from 1645 to 1712. You can still see some buildings in Stade that were built by the Swedes!

Stade as a Swedish Fortress

Stade was at its peak until the Thirty Years' War. In 1628, the city was conquered by Johann t’Serclaes von Tilly. Soon after, Sweden took control until 1636. After a short period of Danish rule, Sweden recaptured Stade in 1643. The Peace of Westphalia officially gave Sweden control of Stade and the Archbishopric of Bremen.

A huge fire on May 26, 1659, destroyed two-thirds of the town. But the people of Stade rebuilt it following the same plan.

From 1675 to 1676, during the Swedish-Brandenburg War, Swedish Stade was captured by Denmark-Norway and other states. Stade, which was the headquarters for the Swedish governor, was under siege for several months in 1676. After the Treaty of Saint Germain in 1679, Stade was returned to Sweden.

The Swedish rule ended in 1712. Danish troops attacked the town during the Great Northern War. They shelled Stade from August 29 to September 7, 1712, destroying 152 houses. During the time it was under Swedish rule, Stade was the capital of the province.

Danish and Hanoverian Rule

In 1712, Denmark-Norway conquered Stade and the entire Bremen-Verden area. Stade remained the capital even after the Danes gave it to the Electorate of Hanover in 1715. When new administrative forms replaced Bremen-Verden in 1823, Stade continued to be the capital of the Stade region.

Stade faced tough times with the plague epidemics in 1355 and 1712. These outbreaks killed at least 30–40% of the city's population.

Modern Times in Stade

In 1757, during the French Invasion of Hanover, the British and Hanoverian forces, along with the government, found safety in Stade.

By the late 1600s, Ashkenazi Jews began to live in Stade again. In 1842, the Kingdom of Hanover gave equal rights to Jewish people. It also encouraged them to set up Jewish communities and a regional rabbinate (a group of rabbis). In 1845, a regional rabbi, Joseph Heilbut, was appointed in Stade. He served 16 Jewish communities in the Stade Region, which had about 1,250 Jewish people in 1864.

Former synagogue of Stade, 2016.

Stade's synagogue opened in 1849 but closed in 1908 due to money problems. The Jewish population in the Stade Region slowly decreased over time. Sadly, most of the remaining Jewish people were deported during the Nazi era. During World War II, Stade was not damaged by Allied bombings.

Stade nuclear power plant (offline) in 2006.

In recent decades, Stade has grown economically thanks to chemical and aerospace industries near the Elbe river. Big companies like Dow Chemical and Airbus have locations there. The Stade Nuclear Power Plant, which is now closed, was also located by the Elbe. It operated from 1972 to 2003 and was Germany's second oldest reactor when it closed.

What to See in Stade

The Old Town of Stade has many interesting historic buildings. Some of the most famous include:

The St. Cosmae et Damiani Lutheran Church
The Wilhadi Lutheran Church
The city hall
The Schwedenspeicher (Swedish warehouse)
The Zeughaus (Swedish armoury)

Near Stade, you can also see the giant towers of Elbe Crossing 1 and Elbe Crossing 2. The towers of Elbe Crossing 2 are among the tallest in Europe!

Getting Around Stade

In late 2007, the S3 line of the S-Bahn Hamburg (a local train system) was extended to Stade. Trains leave Stade station every 20 minutes during busy times. They can get you to Hamburg central station in about an hour.

Local Businesses and Industries

Stade is home to several important companies:

Dow Chemical: A large chemical company.
Airbus Deutschland GmbH: A major aerospace company.
E.ON: An energy company with a power plant.
Air Liquide: Produces industrial gases.
Air Products & Chemicals: Also produces industrial gases.
Aluminium Oxid Stade GmbH: An aluminium oxide refinery.
Stähler Agrochemie: Makes fertilizer and biocides.
PROKON Nord Energiesysteme GmbH: Focuses on wind turbines and biofuel.
Lindemann (Bauunternehmen): A construction company.

Stade's Twin Towns

Stade has special connections with other cities around the world, called "twin towns" or "sister cities":

Giv'at Shmuel, Israel
Gołdap, Poland
Karlshamn, Sweden

Famous People from Stade

Many interesting people have connections to Stade:

Peter von Sivers (1674–1740): A Russian naval officer.
August Karl von Goeben (1816–1880): A Prussian general.
Max von Bahrfeldt (1856–1936): A Prussian general.
Ernst Hans Ludwig Krause (1859–1942): A doctor, botanist, and mycologist.
Jost Fitschen (1869–1947): A botanist known for his work with trees.
Ernst-Eberhard Hell (1887–1973): A general in the Wehrmacht during World War II.
Eberhard von Koerber (1938–2017): A manager who was on the Board of BMW.
Stefan Aust (born 1946): A journalist and former chief editor of Der Spiegel.
Carsten Eggers (born 1957): A sculptor and painter.
Angela Denoke (born 1961): An opera singer.
Juliette Schoppmann (born 1980): A singer.

Notable Aristocracy

Henrik Horn (1618–1693): A Swedish nobleman and admiral.
Maria Aurora von Königsmarck (1662–1728): A countess and mistress of Augustus the Strong.
Amalia von Königsmarck (1663–1740): A Swedish noblewoman, painter, actor, and poet.
Philip Christoph von Königsmarck (1665–1694): A Swedish count and soldier.
Ulrich de Maizière (1912–2006): A general who helped create the "Innere Führung" (Inner Leadership) in the German army.

Sports Personalities

Dirk Dammann (born 1967): A footballer who played many games.
Andrasch Starke (born 1974): A jockey who won the German flat racing Champion Jockey title 9 times.
Tabea Kemme (born 1991): A footballer who played for the German women's national team.
Marnon Busch (born 1994): A footballer who has played over 260 games.