Magdeburg from its reconstruction to present times (Years 1946 to 1999)
1947 | By the SMAD order no. 180 of 21st July 1947, the province Saxony-Anhalt is renamed Land of Saxony-Anhalt. |
1951 | The first new building in the centre of Magdeburg after 1945, a residential building on the corner of Keplerstraße and Otto-von-Guericke-Straße, is completed. The former Krupp Gruson Factory is renamed “Schwermaschinenbau Ernst Thälmann”. The Buckau-R. Wolf machine factory is renamed ”Schwermaschinenbau Karl Liebknecht“. |
1952 | The Land of Saxony-Anhalt is abolished and most of its territory is divided between the municipal districts of Magdeburg and Halle. The village of Ottersleben is incorporated. |
1955 | The Cathedral reopens its gates to the public. The first tenants move into 60 flats in the Karl Liebknecht residential area. The restaurant “Stadt Prag” is opened. |
1958 | The ruins of the municipal theatre building near the station are detonated. The Magdeburg Puppet Theatre in Warschauer Straße opens its doors. The Barleber lake becomes a local recreation centre. |
1961 | The University of Heavy Mechanical Engineering is granted the status of a Technical University of Applied Sciences. The university is named after "Otto von Guericke". |
1962 | Magdeburg celebrates the first Telemann Festival. |
1965 | Louis Armstrong gives a concert in the Hermann Gieseler Hall. The football club 1st FC Magdeburg is founded. |
1970 | The Till Eulenspiegel fountain designed by Heinrich Apel is erected on the Old Market. |
1974 | The ring road until Halberstädter Straße is opened to traffic. |
1977 | The concert hall “Georg Philipp Telemann” is opened in the Monastery of Our Lady. |
1986 | The cornerstone of the new building of the Institute for Neurobiology and Brain Research at the Academy of Sciences is laid on the grounds of the Medical Academy. |
1987 | The Technical College “Otto von Guericke“ is granted the status of a Technical University. |
1990 | Magdeburg becomes capital city of the Land of Saxony-Anhalt and also a member of the Deutsche Städtetag (German Association of Cities and Towns). Dr Willi Polte is elected Mayor. A fire raging in Magdeburg’s “Großes Haus der Bühnen“ theatre causes severe damage. |
1991 | The municipal Greenhouses are renamed Gruson Greenhouses. The 3rd Stoßarmee (Red Army) is the last Soviet troop to leave Magdeburg. |
1992 | The University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg is officially established. |
1993 | The first German swimming casino is opened on a motor ship called “JackPott”. The last operating coking plant in East Germany, the Magdeburg Großgaserei, is shut down. A ceremonial act is held in the Stadthalle to celebrate the official formation of the Otto-von-Guericke-University, after the merging of the Medical Academy, the Technical University and the Pedagogic University. In the presence of the Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker, the “Romanesque Road”, a tourist highlight leading through Saxony-Anhalt, is ceremonially opened. |
1997 | The Municipal Theatre at Universitätsplatz is reopened after its destruction by a fire in 1990. The Bördelandhalle at Berliner Chaussee is inaugurated as a new site for cultural and sporting events in Magdeburg. Up to 7500 visitors can enjoy games of the SC Magdeburg's handball team as well as concerts and events of all kinds. |
1999 | Magdeburg hosts the 25th Federal Garden Show. On the grounds of the former Red Army barracks at Jerichower Platz, an area of 100 ha is completely redesigned and the Elbauenpark is created where visitors can enjoy a leisurely stroll through the scenic park. |