Stade
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| Country | Germany |
| State | Lower Saxony |
| District | Stade |
| Population | 45,928 (2005) |
| Area | 110.03 km² |
| Population density | 417 /km² |
| Elevation | 9 m |
| Coordinates | 53°36′ N 9°29′ E |
| Postal code | 21680-21684 |
| Area code | 04141, 04146 |
| Licence plate code | STD |
| Mayor | Hans-Hermann Ott (CDU) |
| Website | stade.de |
Stade is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany and part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region (Metropolregion Hamburg). It is the seat of the district named after it. It was founded in 994. As of 2001, its population was 45,152. It includes the bigger villages of Bützfleth, Hagen and Haddorf, which have sub-villages theirselves.
The first human settlers came to the Stade area in 30,000 BC. In 1209, Stade received the "Stadtrecht" (Town privileges). In medieval times (from the 1200s to the late 1600s), Stade was a prominent member of the Hanseatic League, but was later eclipsed by Hamburg. Stade was also occupied by Sweden from 1645 to 1712, and some of the buildings built by the Swedes are still in use today.
In 1355 and in 1712, Stade suffered from the plague epidemic, which killed at least 30-40% of the city's population. During World War II, Stade remained completely untouched by allied bombings.
In past decades, Stade has benefited greatly from the presence of chemical and aerospace industry at the Elbe River, such as Dow Chemical and Deutsche Airbus. There is also a nuclear power plant at the Elbe River, which was connected to the power grid in 1972, making it Germany's second oldest reactor. Following Germany's 2002 decision to phase out nuclear power generation, Stade was the first German plant to be affected, closing down permanently on November 14, 2003. The process of dismantling the facility is supposed to be completed by 2015. Close to the nuclear plant there is an inactive oil-fired power station, the Schilling Power Station.
Near Stade there are the gigantic pylons of Elbe Crossing 1 and Elbe Crossing 2. The pylons of Elbe Crossing 2 are the tallest in Europe and the sixth-tallest in the world.
In 2007, a metropolitan rail line (S-Bahn) will be extended from Hamburg to Stade. Trains departing Stade every 20 minutes will reach central Hamburg in less than an hour. The new transit connection can be expected to increase the city's attractiveness for commuters as well as businesses.
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