Westerstede

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
coat of arms Germany map
Coat of arms of the city of Westerstede
Westerstede
Map of Germany, position of the city of Westerstede highlighted

Coordinates: 53 ° 15 '  N , 7 ° 55'  E

Basic data
State : Lower Saxony
County : Ammerland
Height : 6 m above sea level NHN
Area : 179.23 km 2
Residents: 22,952 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density : 128 inhabitants per km 2
Postal code : 26655
Primaries : 04488, 04409
License plate : WST
Community key : 03 4 51 007
LOCODE : DE WSE
City structure: 24 districts

City administration address : 		Am Markt 2
26655 Westerstede
Website : www.westerstede.de
Mayor : Michael Rösner (UWG)
Location of the city of Westerstede in the Ammerland district
Landkreis Wesermarsch Bad Zwischenahn Edewecht Apen Westerstede Rastede Wiefelstede Landkreis Ammerland Niedersachsen Landkreis Cloppenburg Oldenburg Landkreis Oldenburg Landkreis Leer Landkreis Frieslandmap
About this picture
City park Westerstede
City park Westerstede

Westerstede ( Lower German Westerstäe ) is the county seat of ammerland in the northwest of Lower Saxony .

geography

Westerstede from the air
Westersteder town hall during the Rhodo
St. Petri Church in Westerstede
Bethaus Felde - oldest Baptist church in Germany
Landscape window "Rhododendron"
Exhibition Rhodo 2006
Stone sculpture manor by Norbert Marten on the Wittenheimer Burgplatz in Westerstede

Westerstede is located about 20 kilometers northwest of Oldenburg on the federal highway 28 and about 30 kilometers from Leer .

City structure

The Westerstede urban area comprises 49 districts, including: Burgforde , Eggeloge , Felde , Fikensolt , Garnholt , Gießelhorst , Halsbek , Halstrup , Hollriede , Hollwege with Hollwegerfeld, Hüllstede , Ihausen , Ihorst , Karlshof , Linswege , Linswegerfeld , Mansie , Lindern , Moorburg , New England , Ocholt , Howiek , Ocholterfeld , Ollenharde , Petersfeld , Seggern, Tarbarg , Torsholt , Westerloy , Westerloyerfeld , Westerstederfeld .

Karlshof

Karlshof, the youngest district of Westerstede, is located directly on the “ Fintlandsmoor ” nature reserve . The Karlshof Moorgut , which was listed as a historical monument in 2011, and the peat extraction have shaped the development of a recreational area with lakes, ponds, birch moor forests, forests and pastures.

history

The settlement was first mentioned in 1123 with the construction of the St. Petri Church . The building and the property were donated by the Freiherr zu Fikensholt. In the Middle Ages, there was a rampart here. Numerous surrounding villages belonged to the parish of today's municipality. These, and especially some of the Hausmannshöfe, are much older than the documents at hand. Finds of hand axes , stone axes and scrapers prove that the area of ​​today's Westerstedes was settled early on. There is evidence of a place to live here as early as the Middle Stone Age. The same applies to the old Geest villages in the municipality. This first church building made of wood was replaced by a stone building in 1232.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, Westerstede and the surrounding villages often suffered from the warlike feuds between the Oldenburg Counts and the East Frisian chiefs for supremacy in North Oldenburg . Here in the border area between Oldenburg and East Frisia there was a "battle" on March 28, 1457, in which the invaded East Frisians were defeated by farmers from the surrounding villages. To commemorate this act, the so-called Friesian monument in Fikensolterfeld near Mansie was built from large boulders in 1912 . In 1526 the Reformation began to gain a foothold in the Ammerland. In 1579 a Protestant pastor preached in the Sankt-Petri-Kirche for the first time. In the same year the first school in town was mentioned. The county of Oldenburg and thus also Westerstede were largely spared from the acts of war of the Thirty Years' War , as the sovereign, Count Anton Günther , through wise policy and donations of noble horses from his famous breeding to the generals, the fighting and plundering armies outside the borders of his country could hold. In contrast, the plague of Westerstede and the Ammerland in 1666/67 brought great losses. In 1702 the parish Westerstede had 2,674 inhabitants, 100 years later there were over 3,700.

Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig granted the Westerstedern market rights in 1785. At that time, the ban law still existed . In the parish of Westerstede there were two stately ban mills, one in Burgforde and one in Gießelhorst. The mill ban was lifted after 1800, and 97 years later there were 16 private windmills in the municipality. In 1811 the French occupied the Duchy of Oldenburg, and Westerstede now had Napoleon as sovereign as well. This foreign rule ended in 1813: On November 6th, 200 Cossacks stormed the churchyard where the French had holed up. At that time there was great poverty in the country. Two years later, on April 15, 1815, a devastating fire broke out in the center of the village. After a few hours, over 50 houses, barns and stables were in ruins. Westerstede owes the then bailiff von Negelein the generous and rapid reconstruction of the place according to a plan that decisively shaped the future development. Since then, the enlarged market square in front of the church has been at the center of a partially new road network.

In 1858 Westerstede became the official seat of the old Westerstede office, which was enlarged by Zwischenahn and Edewecht . The official building built in 1819 - today the police station - served its purpose for over 150 years until the new district building on Ammerlandallee. In 1876 the place was connected to the railway network with the opening of the narrow-gauge railway to Ocholt. In 1922 National Socialist ideas began to take hold in Westerstede Platz. In 1927 the municipality received the town hall on the market. Until then, an office had been set up in the home of the respective community leader. In 1929 the number of National Socialists in the elections increased. The approval grew and so did the pressure on the Jewish minority group. In 1933, after Hitler came to power, there was broad support for National Socialism in the population (over 80%). Of the 33 Jewish citizens, 16 emigrated and 15 perished as a result of Nazi terror. Karl Polak was among the emigrants . A memorial plaque from 1988 on the city library, the former home of the Polak family, refers to the persecution of Jewish fellow citizens. Furthermore, the only Jewish cemetery in the Ammerland is located in Westerstede . In Westerstede there was an economic upswing during this time. B. by building a water tower for the central local water supply. On May 3, 1945, Westerstede was occupied as a military hospital by Polish and Canadian troops without a fight, without causing any significant damage. With the exception of Halsbek, the villages in the municipality hardly suffered from fighting.

The first refugees had already reached the place in March 1945. In the following years the community became a strong reception area for the compatriots expelled from the eastern provinces of Germany. The population jumped from 10,320 to 15,957.

Soon after the end of the war, but increasingly after the currency reform in June 1948 , the local political development work began. Housing and school construction were of central importance in those years. On May 28, 1977 Westerstede was given city rights. Until then, the municipality, as the seat of the Ammerland district, was one of the few main district cakes in Germany because it was not a municipality with city rights . With the expansion of the city center into a pedestrian zone and the connection to the motorway, the town, as a central center between Oldenburg and Leer, acquired the character of a modern district town with today over 22,000 inhabitants. Westerstede belonged to the administrative region Weser-Ems until December 31, 2004 , which was dissolved as a result of an administrative reform at the end of this date.

Religions

The majority of the population of the city of Westerstede, around 63%, belong to the Evangelical Lutheran faith. Around 8% are Catholic .

Denomination proportion of
Evangelical Lutheran 62.73%
Other, non-denominational 29.69%
Roman Catholic 07.93%

Population development

Population development of Westerstede from 1998 to 2016
year Residents
1998 21,141
1999 21,312
2000 21,335
2001 21,433
2002 21,668
2003 21,800
year Residents
2004 21,915
2005 21,906
2006 22,117
2012 21,927
2016 22,399

politics

advice

The council of the city of Westerstede consists of 34 council women and councilors. This is the specified number for a municipality with a population between 20,001 and 25,000. The 34 council members are elected by local elections for five years each. The current term of office began on November 1, 2016 and ends on October 31, 2021.

The full-time mayor Michael Rösner (UWG) is also entitled to vote in the council.

The results of the last local council elections were as follows:

Political party Sept 11, 2016 Sept 11, 2011 Sept 10, 2006 Sept 9, 2001
CDU 38.95% 12,318 13 seats 34.1% 9,817 12 seats 37.7% 10,857 13 seats 31.5% 9,058 11 seats
SPD 22.90% 7,244 8 seats 25.8% 7,411 9 seats 22.9% 6,588 8 seats 32.9% 9,464 12 seats
FDP 11.18% 3,538 4 seats 15.8% 4,555 5 seats 23.8% 6,852 8 seats 18.5% 5,312 6 seats
Green 10.12% 3,201 3 seats 13.5% 3,874 4 seats 6.0% 1,714 2 seats 5.9% 1,688 2 seats
UWG 15.00% 4,746 5 seats 10.8% 3,099 4 seats 9.6% 2,752 3 seats 11.0% 3,168 4 seats
Individual applicants 576% 576 1 seat - - - - - - - - -
voter turnout 10,882 of 18,470 9,993 of 18,027 10,031 of 17,610 9,939 of 16,815
58.9% 55.4% 57.0% 59.1%

mayor

DEU Westerstede COA.svg
Flag Westerstede.svg

The full-time mayor of the city of Westerstede has been Michael Rösner (UWG) since 2019. In a runoff election on June 16, 2019, he was elected with 51.29% of the vote and was able to just outperform his opponent Hilke Hinrichs (non-party) with 48.77%. The turnout was 49.32%. Rösner took office on November 1, 2019.

badges and flags

Description in the main statute: “The coat of arms of the city of Westerstede shows a green oak tree on a green hill in a white (silver) shield area. In front of the oak tree there is a pointed yellow (gold) sign with two red zigzag bars. "

The flag shows the color red in the upper half and the color yellow in the lower half. The center of the flag is covered with the city coat of arms.

Town twinning

A partnership with the city of Pleszew in Poland has existed since January 2004 .

Culture and sights

Buildings

Works of art

  • By the sculptor Norbert Marten
    • "Manor" , stone sculpture with two stone guards, Wittenheimer Burgplatz , Burgforde
    • Historic winged altar of St. Petri Church with bronze addition
    • "Paulus", bronze half-relief in the Paulus Church, Westerstede-Ocholt by sculptor Norbert Marten
  • "Petrus-Fenster" of the St. Petri Church by the glass artist Wilhelm Buschulte
  • By the sculptor Alice Peters-Ohsam
    • Stone and bronze fountain (1984), market square
    • The market woman "Oma Apen" made of bronze (design 1980, execution 2012), market square
    • Standing bronze girl (1960), Thalenweide behind the library
    • Mourners from clinker brick (1958), Thalenweide
    • Bronze trumpeter (around 1990), An der Krömerei 2
    • Bronze musicians (1990), Postplatz

theatre

  • Freilichttheatergemeinschaft Westerstede e. V.
  • Association for culture enjoyment - the lecture association

Parks

Linswege Rhododendron Park
  • Maxwald Park Fikensolt
  • Linswege Rhododendron Park
  • City park Thalenweide with the former water tower (today apartments and tower café)

music

  • Choirs: Cappella Vocale Westerstede, Gospel Souls Ihausen
  • Concerts in the chapel Felde
  • Concerts in the St. Petri Church
  • Concerts in the Robert-Dannemann-Forum
  • Concerts (some of the high school) in the high school auditorium
  • Rock 'n Rhodo Festival (Hössen)
  • Music school: Ammerland Music School V., GSJM guitar school Jens Machens
  • Rock bands: Nachtaktiv, Drowned In A Daydream, Everend, The Six Leaves, Budapest Bumsorchester, Reported Speech, Van Veen, Disrupted, The Fuzzels
  • Acoustic bands: Dead Fuse

Sports

  • Hössensportzentrum with indoor pool with parent-child area and water slide, outdoor pool, sports school (28 beds) with conference rooms, youth hostel (68 beds) with conference rooms, sports halls, fitness center, sports fields, beach field, skater area
  • Bike paths and hiking trails
  • Robert-Dannemann-Schule sports hall

Regular events

  • The Rhododendron Festival ("Rhodo") is held every four years (see the list of rhododendron parks ).
  • Every two years the Freilichttheatergemeinschaft Westerstede e. V. on the old market open-air theater.
  • Spring and autumn market on the first weekend in May and November.
  • The Westerstede City Olympics take place every two years, in which teams with at least 6 to a maximum of 10 members compete against each other in various disciplines. The disciplines are cycling , shooting , relay race , tug of war (6 team members pull a fire engine), bosses and relay swimming .
  • Annual summer festival of the Jens Machens guitar school.
  • Serenade, summer concert and summer party of the Westerstede grammar school.

Economy and Infrastructure

traffic

Highway

The A 28 motorway runs through the city , with Westerstede having three interchanges in the city. The motorway connects Westerstede to the trunk road network, connects the middle center Westerstede in a south-easterly direction with the next upper center Oldenburg and leads in a west direction to the neighboring middle center Leer. Neighboring cities and highways north, east and southwest of Westerstede can be reached via state roads. The planned A 20 (formerly A 22) will branch off east of Westerstede from the A 28 to Drochtersen.

The state bus route S35, which opened on May 5, 2017 in the Bremen / Lower Saxony transport association , uses the motorway to connect Westerstede directly and quickly with Oldenburg. It runs every hour with travel times of 14 to 45 minutes between the two cities, depending on the stops selected.

railroad

The Westerstede-Ocholt train station is in the Ocholt district on the Oldenburg – Leer railway line .

Two routes that are only used for freight traffic or that are no longer used regularly branch off here:

Citizen bus

In addition to the normal public transport offer, a citizen bus operated by the BürgerBus Westerstede e. V. , which connects the city from Monday to Friday 7 times a day with the districts of Hollwege, Moorburg, Hollriede, New England, Halsbek and Eggeloge. On Sundays and public holidays, the Westerstede-Ocholt train station and the districts of Fikensolt, Mansie, Lindern and Ocholt are also connected 7 times a day.

Established businesses

  • The main line of business in the city is tourism with holiday apartments, campsites and cycle paths as well as gastronomy. Horticulture plays a major role ; especially tree nurseries and the cultivation of flowers and ornamental plants.
  • A global furniture manufacturer , the Steinhoff Moebel group of companies , has its head office in Westerstede and its headquarters are in Johannesburg, South Africa. The company was founded in 1964.
  • Dostofarm, a medium-sized manufacturer of natural additives and special products for animal nutrition and animal husbandry, has been based in Westerstede since 1999.
  • Ammerländer Versicherung is based in Westerstede.
  • The DORMA company has a branch in Ocholt.
  • The glass manufacturer Semcoglas has its headquarters in Westerstede.

Healthcare

  • Ammerland-Klinik, academic teaching hospital of the Hannover Medical School with 343 beds and approx. 1200 employees. The Ammerland Clinic has various certified centers: breast center since 2005, intestinal center since 2006, vascular center (vascular surgery and radiology) since 2003, stroke unit (stroke) since 2007, chest pain unit since 2013, endometriosis center, pelvic floor center.
  • Bundeswehr Hospital Westerstede in cooperation with the Ammerlandklinik, since 2008.
  • The Ammerland Clinic and the Bundeswehr Hospital together form the Westerstede Clinic Center.

Gainful employment

There are 7,757 people in employment in the city of Westerstede. Thereof

  • 40.12% work in the public service or other areas.
  • 29.06% work in the manufacturing industry.
  • 21.89% work in trade, transport or communication.
  • 8.93% work in agriculture and forestry (including horticulture).

education

  • Brakenhoffschule (elementary school) Westerstede
  • School on Goethestrasse (special school for learning / learning support) Westerstede
  • Robert-Dannemann-Schule (secondary and secondary school) Westerstede
  • Europaschule Gymnasium Westerstede
  • Westerstede-Gießelhorst primary school
  • Westerstede-Halsbek primary school
  • Reliable elementary school Westerstede-Ocholt
  • Full half-day elementary school Westerstede-Westerloy (integration classes)
  • Carlo Collodi School (state-recognized special needs school for social and emotional development) Westerstede-Linswege
  • Eibenhorst-Schule Torsholt (state-approved school for educational assistance) Westerstede-Torsholt
  • Evangelisches Bildungswerk Ammerland (EBA)
  • District Volkshochschule Ammerland (KVHS)
  • Ammerland Music School V.

Picture gallery

  • Welcome to Westerstede

  • St. Peter's Church (2012)

  • District Court (2012)

  • "De Krömeree" (2012)

  • Westerstede-Felde Airfield (2012)

  • Moorburg district (2012)

  • Castle Square Mansingen (2012)

  • Marktfrau, Grandma Apen by Alice Peters-Ohsam , 2012

  • Memorial plaque for the Westerstede town hall

People and personalities

sons and daughters of the town

Associated with Westerstede

Honorary citizen

  • Albert Post (1896–1992), former member of the Lower Saxony state parliament and mayor of Westerstede
  • Manfred Hüniken (1928–2017), former mayor of the city of Westerstede

literature

  • D. Zoller: Castles and noble residences in Ammerland. Cloppenburg 1971.
  • Oldenburger Jahrbuch Volume 91 (1991), special print Westerstede, Oldenburger Landesverein für Geschichte, Natur- und Heimatkunde e. V., from the city archive of the city of Westerstede.
  • Werner Vahlenkamp: The history of the Westersted Jews. Plois-Verlag, Westerstede 1988, ISBN 3-9801906-4-1 .
  • Hermann Ries: Chronicle of the community Westerstede. Westerstede 1973.

Web links

Commons : Westerstede  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ State Office for Statistics Lower Saxony, LSN-Online regional database, Table 12411: Update of the population, as of December 31, 2019  ( help ).
  2. ^ Friesian monument in Fikensolterfeld near Mansie , accessed on August 3, 2014
  3. ^ Federal Statistical Office (ed.): Historical municipality directory for the Federal Republic of Germany. Name, border and key number changes in municipalities, counties and administrative districts from May 27, 1970 to December 31, 1982 . W. Kohlhammer GmbH, Stuttgart / Mainz 1983, ISBN 3-17-003263-1 , p. 275 .
  4. ↑ http://www.westerstede.de/internet/page.php?naviID=905000017&site=905000102&brotID=905000017&typ=2&rubrik=905000004 Numbers, data, facts - religious affiliation as of June 30, 2012
  5. ^ Lower Saxony Municipal Constitutional Law (NKomVG) in the version of December 17, 2010; Section 46 - Number of MPs , accessed on January 5, 2017
  6. ↑ Overall result of municipal elections on September 11 , 2016, accessed on January 5, 2017
  7. ↑ City of Westerstede - overall results of the mayoral election on June 16, 2019 , accessed on November 1, 2019
  8. ↑ http://www.rgre.de/rgre-partschaftenen/orgEinheit/view/1918
  9. ↑ http://www.stadtolympiade-westerstede.de/
  10. ↑ Verkehrsverbund Bremen / Lower Saxony (ed.): Olaf Lies opens state bus route S35 . May 5, 2017 ( vbn.de [accessed on May 6, 2017] leaflet , folding timetable ).
  11. ^ [1] Brief letter Ocholt
  12. ↑ http://www.westerstede-touristik.de/erleben-enthaben/draisinenspass/
  13. ↑ http://www.buergerbus-westerstede.de/fahrplan.php
  14. ↑ Hans Sedlmaier: Rank 201 to 300 of the best list. In: Focus Online . July 25, 2007, accessed October 14, 2018 .
  15. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from July 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / boerse.fr-online.de
  16. ^ Teaching hospitals website of the MH Hannover, accessed on September 15, 2015
  17. ↑ https://www.nwzonline.de/ammerland/kultur/new-york-berlin-westerstede-wichtigster-musikpreis-der-welt-grammy-fuer-einen-ammerlaender_a_50,0,3181041419.html