Itzehoe (; ) is a town in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. As the capital of the district Steinburg, Itzehoe is located on the Stör, a navigable tributary of the Elbe, 51 km (31.7 mi) northwest of Hamburg and 24 km (14.9 mi) north of Glückstadt. The population is about 32,530. History Itzehoe is the oldest town in Holstein. Its nucleus was a castle, built in 809 by Egbert, one of Charlemagne's counts, against the Danes. The community that sprang up around it was variously called Esseveldoburg, Eselsfleth and Ezeho. In 1201 the town was destroyed but it was restored in 1224. The new town was granted the Lübeck rights by Adolphus IV in 1238 and the old town in 1303. During the Thirty Years' War Itzehoe was twice destroyed by the Swedes, in 1644 and 1657, but was rebuilt on each occasion. It passed to Prussia in 1867, with the duchy of Schleswig-Holstein. Itzehoe is listed as a garrison depot (Wehrkreis X, Hamburg) of the former Infanteriedivision 225, which was implicated in the 1940 Vinkt Massacre in Belgium. Sights The Church of St. Laurentii and the building in which the Holstein estates formerly met are noteworthy. The town has a convent founded in 1256, many schools, a hospital and other benevolent institutions. Itzehoe is also the location of the Wenzel Hablik Museum. Transport Itzehoe is situated at the Marsh Railway and offers connections to Hamburg and the island of Sylt. During the period up to and including the Wacken Open Air festival many festival goers depart for the festival from Itzehoe using the 'Metal Shuttle Bus’, which leaves from near Itzehoe station. During this time the town can become very overcrowded and inundated with traffic. Twin towns – sister cities Itzehoe is twinned with: Cirencester, England, United Kingdom La Couronne, France Pasłęk, Poland Notable people Carl Julian (von) Graba (1799–1874), German lawyer and ornithologist who visited and studied the Faroe Islands Bruno Adler (1896–1954), Bishop of the German Christians Hans-Joachim Newiger (1925–2011), philologist H. G. Francis (1936–2011), writer Sabine Sinjen (1942–1995), actress Jerzy Janeczek (1944–2021), Polish actor Antje Blumenthal (born 1947), politician Sylvia Convey (born 1948), Latvian-Australian artist Olaf Berner (born 1949), teacher and handball player Heiger Ostertag (born 1953), historian Thomas Gerull (born 1962), fencer, Olympic medalist Sven Butenschön (born 1976), ice hockey player Lisa Tomaschewsky (born 1988), actress References External links Itzehoe Notgeld (emergency banknotes) depicting the