Itzehoe is situated in the south-west of Schleswig Holstein, about 60km north-west of Hamburg. The county seat of Steinburg counts close to 32,000.
Itzehoe is located between North- and Baltic Sea and surrounded by nice forests and agricultural land. You can spend some time close to the river “Stoer”, which is a favorite place of the region for nature lovers and for sports.
Downtown there are many nice restaurants, cozy bars and shopping opportunities. As part of the “week of Itzehoe” there is for example the wine festival around the city center and the Malzmuellerwiesen every year, where you can find many booths for drinks and food.
In the 12th century Itzehoe was mentioned for the first time, in 1657 the city was almost destroyed completely in the war of the Danish and Swedish. The cloister of the church Laurentii is the only survived construction of the Middle Ages in the city. Besides the church the historical courthouse, the monastery of the Cistercian convent and the “Prinzesshof” – a former mansion – are significant buildings in Itzehoe.
In the first half of the 20th century the economy was characterized by its cement plant and its harbor. Today the Fraunhofer institute for silicon technology (ISIT) and the association for technological support in Itzehoe (IZET) have an important economic impact on the whole area.