WOLFENBTTEL

city, Lower Saxony Land (state), northwestern Germany. The city lies along the Oker River, just south of Brunswick. First mentioned in 1118, it grew around the castle that became a favourite Welf residence about 1283. Chartered in 1540, it was captured by the Protestant Schmalkaldic League in 1542 and was transferred to Brunswick in 175354. The old town has many Renaissance and Baroque half-timbered houses, including the house of Gotthold Lessing, the 18th-century critic and dramatist. Larger buildings include the castle residence of the duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbttel and St. Mary's Church (160423). Wolfenbttel's Herzog-August Library contains a notable collection of medieval manuscripts. Wolfenbttel's industries include canning and the manufacture of agricultural machinery and chemical and musical equipment. Pop. (1995 est.) 53,622.