Musician and composer born in Uelzen on September 11, 1786. A contemporary of Beethoven and Goethe, Kuhlau was referred to in literature as the "Beethoven of the flute." To avoid military service, Kuhlau fled to Denmark in 1811 and rose to fame there. He composed, among other works, successful Singspiele, piano sonatas, sonatinas, and chamber music pieces—many of them with flute. The city of Uelzen has honored the composer Kuhlau since 1970 with the International Friedrich Kuhlau Flute Competition, which was first announced as part of the celebrations for the city's historic event, "700 Years of City Rights." In the same year, a sculpture for Kuhlau was placed on the Old Town Hall in Uelzen.