Schöningen

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Schöningen
Schöningen
Administration
Country	Germany
State	Lower Saxony
District	Helmstedt
Mayor	Matthias Wunderling-Weilbier (Ind.)
Basic statistics
Area	35.36 km2 (13.65 sq mi)
Elevation	114 m  (374 ft)
Population	12,719  (31 December 2006)
- Density	360 /km2 (932 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	HE
Postal code	38364
Area code	05352
Website	www.schoeningen.de Coordinates: 52°07′59″N 10°56′59″E / 52.13306°N 10.94972°E / 52.13306; 10.94972

Schöningen is a city of 13,000 inhabitants (2005) in the district of Helmstedt, Lower Saxony, Germany. In its current form, it was created in 1974 by joining the municipalities of Esbeck, Hoiersdorf, and Schöningen.

The main industry in Schöningen is open-cast mining of lignite, which is used for electricity generation in the Buschhaus plant. Both mining and generation are operated by E.ON subdivisions, open-cast mining will be closed down in 2015. The Buschhaus plant now inhibits three lines of thermal waste treatment.

[edit] History

The first historical mentioning of Schöningen was in 747. In the 14th century, Schöningen became a city; at the same time the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg built a palace here.

In archaeology, Schöningen is famous for seven palaeolithic wooden spears found in an opencast mine near the town. The spears are about 400,000 years old (Klein. 2005. p114), and are the world's oldest known wooden artifacts. They were found in combination with the remains of about 20 wild horses, whose bones contain numerous butchery marks. This is considered proof that early humans were active hunters.

[edit] Twin towns

Schöningen is twinned with:

• Beni Hassen, Monastir Governorate, Tunisia
• Oschersleben, Germany
• Outokumpu, Finland
• Zolochiv, Ukraine

[edit] References

KLEIN, R. 2005. Hominin dispersals in the old world. In Scarre, C (ed.) The human past: World prehistory and the development of human societies. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd.

[edit] External links

• Official site
• Schöningen Spears Project

v • d • e Towns and municipalities in Helmstedt (district) Bahrdorf | Beierstedt | Büddenstedt | Danndorf | Frellstedt | Gevensleben | Grafhorst | Grasleben | Groß Twülpstedt | Helmstedt | Ingeleben | Jerxheim | Königslutter | Lehre | Mariental | Querenhorst | Räbke | Rennau | Schöningen | Söllingen | Süpplingen | Süpplingenburg | Twieflingen | Velpke | Warberg | Wolsdorf

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