Schöningen

Schöningen
Market place and St Vincent Church
Coat of arms
Schöningen
Location of Schöningen within Helmstedt district
Coordinates: 52°08′N 10°57′E / 52.133°N 10.950°E / 52.133; 10.950Coordinates: 52°08′N 10°57′E / 52.133°N 10.950°E / 52.133; 10.950
Country	Germany
State	Lower Saxony
District	Helmstedt
First mentioned	747
Government
• Mayor	Henry Bäsecke (Ind.)
Area
• Total	35.36 km2 (13.65 sq mi)
Elevation	114 m (374 ft)
Population (2015-12-31)
• Total	11,430
• Density	320/km2 (840/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	38364
Dialling codes	05352
Vehicle registration	HE
Website	www.schoeningen.de

Schöningen is a town of about 11,000 inhabitants in the district of Helmstedt, in Lower Saxony, Germany.

The town is located on the southeastern rim of the Elm hill range, near the border with the state of Saxony-Anhalt. In its current form, it was created in 1974 by joining the municipalities of Esbeck, Hoiersdorf, and Schöningen.

Schöningen station was served by regional trains on the Wolfenbüttel–Helmstedt railway line until it was closed in 2007. The town is a stop on the scenic German Timber-Frame Road.

In archaeology, Schöningen is famous for the Schöningen Spears, four ancient wooden spears found in an opencast mine near the town (Bamford & Henderson 2003). The spears are about 400,000 years old (Klein. 2005. p114), making them the world's oldest human-made wooden artifacts, as well as the oldest weapons, ever found. Three of them were probably manufactured as projectile weapons, because the weight and tapered point is at the front of the spear making it fly straight in flight, similar to the design of a modern javelin. The fourth spear is shorter with points at both ends and is thought to be a thrusting spear or a throwing stick (Bamford & Henderson 2003). They were found in combination with the remains of about 20 wild horses, whose bones contain numerous butchery marks, including one pelvis that still had a spear sticking out of it. This is considered proof that early humans were active hunters with specialized tool kits. The spears are currently on display at the paläon visitor centre, opened in 2013.

The first historical mentioning of the Saxon settlement in the Royal Frankish Annals dates back to 747, when the Carolingian Mayor of the Palace Pepin the Short stayed at Scahaningi during the conflict with his half-brother Grifo. Schöningen was the site of a Königspfalz of Pepin's son Charlemagne and later of the Ottonian dynasty. Saint Willigis, Archbishop of Mainz from 975, was probably born at Schöningen about 940. He served as archchancellor of Emperor Otto III who stayed here several times. Schöningen was the site of a Benedictine abbey founded in 983. Nearby Elm Castle, erected in the 11th century, was the seat of a commandry of the Teutonic Knights from 1221 onwards.