Bad Nenndorf
Encyclopedia
Bad Nenndorf is a small town in the district of Schaumburg
, Lower Saxony
, Germany
. Its population is 10,210 (2005). It is situated approx. 12 km east of Stadthagen
, and 25 km west of Hanover
, at the southern edge of the North German Plain and the northern edge of the Deister
ridge. The area of the town includes the outlying villages of Riepen, Horsten and Waltringhausen.
in 936.
The first church was erected in 1136. The village was the property of the Counts of Schaumburg from 1311. Following the establishment of another small settlement to the SW of the village, the distinction was drawn between Gross Nenndorf and Klein Nenndorf. A further settlement by the name of Densinghausen, in the area of the modern town, was destroyed in the Thirty Years War. After the division of the county of Schaumburg in 1647, Nenndorf belonged to Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel).
The healing power of the sulphur springs, situated between Gross Nenndorf and Klein Nenndorf, and first recorded in 1546, was first generally recognised in the mid 18th century. On the initiative of Landgrave Wilhelm IX of Hesse-Kassel, the 'estate district' of Nenndorf, with bathing installations and spa park, was initiated in 1787. The sulphur springs, which until then had been despised as devil's excrement on account of their pungent odour, were reckoned among the most powerful in Europe, and could now finally be applied with great success for rheumatism, arthritis and skin complaints. Soon Nenndorf was one of the leading German spas. In 1866 Bad Nenndorf became the Royal Prussian state spa, and financial support from Berlin enabled it to expand further.
The geographical position of Bad Nenndorf was a major factor in its development. It lies on the northern edge of the Mittelgebirge (central uplands), on the Hellweg, a route between Rhine and Elbe which had been used for centuries. Thus the town obtained connections to the railway network (1847 in Haste and 1872 in Nenndorf), to the Mittellandkanal (1916 in Haste), and to the motorway in 1939.
The community (parish) of Bad Nenndorf was formed in 1929 by the amalgamation of Gross Nenndorf, Klein Nenndorf and the Estate District.
Towards the end of the Second World War, the town served as the headquarters of the U.S. 84th Infantry Division under Major-General Alexander R. Bolling
. It subsequently became part of the British Occupation Zone
and was the site of a British interrogation camp (1945 to 1947).
Bad Nenndorf is also the seat of the Samtgemeinde ("collective municipality") Nenndorf
and is twinned with Doudeville
, in Normandy
.
(CSDIC) through which several hundred Nazi and suspected Communist prisoners passed. The camp became the focus of controversy after allegations of mistreatment of prisoners emerged. One British Army
officer was convicted by a court-martial
in 1948 for his part in the affair. The controversy surfaced again in December 2005 with the publication of an article in British newspaper The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,1669544,00.html In 2006 http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2006/apr/03/uk.freedomofinformation under Freedom of Information the UK newspaper reported on starvation of prisoners. Photos were destroyed, but a few remained hidden.
Schaumburg
Schaumburg is a district of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Nienburg, Hanover and Hamelin-Pyrmont, and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia .-History:...
, Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Its population is 10,210 (2005). It is situated approx. 12 km east of Stadthagen
Stadthagen
Stadthagen is the capital of the district of Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 20 km east of Minden and 40 km west of Hanover. The city consists of the districts Brandenburg, Enzen-Hobbensen, Hörkamp-Langenbruch, Krebshagen, Obernwöhren, Probsthagen, Reinsen...
, and 25 km west of Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, at the southern edge of the North German Plain and the northern edge of the Deister
Deister
The Deister is a chain of hills in the German state of Lower Saxony, about 15 mi southwest of the city of Hanover. It runs in a north-westerly direction from Springe in the south to Rodenberg in the north. The next the chain of hills that attaches in the south is called Small Deister...
ridge. The area of the town includes the outlying villages of Riepen, Horsten and Waltringhausen.
History
The village, probably dating from the beginning of the 9th century, is first recorded as Nyanthorpe in the records of Corvey AbbeyCorvey Abbey
The Imperial Abbey of Corvey was a Benedictine monastery on the River Weser, 2 km northeast of Höxter, now in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
in 936.
The first church was erected in 1136. The village was the property of the Counts of Schaumburg from 1311. Following the establishment of another small settlement to the SW of the village, the distinction was drawn between Gross Nenndorf and Klein Nenndorf. A further settlement by the name of Densinghausen, in the area of the modern town, was destroyed in the Thirty Years War. After the division of the county of Schaumburg in 1647, Nenndorf belonged to Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel).
The healing power of the sulphur springs, situated between Gross Nenndorf and Klein Nenndorf, and first recorded in 1546, was first generally recognised in the mid 18th century. On the initiative of Landgrave Wilhelm IX of Hesse-Kassel, the 'estate district' of Nenndorf, with bathing installations and spa park, was initiated in 1787. The sulphur springs, which until then had been despised as devil's excrement on account of their pungent odour, were reckoned among the most powerful in Europe, and could now finally be applied with great success for rheumatism, arthritis and skin complaints. Soon Nenndorf was one of the leading German spas. In 1866 Bad Nenndorf became the Royal Prussian state spa, and financial support from Berlin enabled it to expand further.
The community (parish) of Bad Nenndorf was formed in 1929 by the amalgamation of Gross Nenndorf, Klein Nenndorf and the Estate District.
Towards the end of the Second World War, the town served as the headquarters of the U.S. 84th Infantry Division under Major-General Alexander R. Bolling
Alexander R. Bolling
Alexander Russell Bolling was a general in the United States Army during World War II and the Cold War..-Early career:He was a student at the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis from 1915 to 1916, but he left the USNA and enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was sent to France during WWI, where he earned a...
. It subsequently became part of the British Occupation Zone
Allied Occupation Zones in Germany
The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative purposes during 1945–49. In the closing weeks of fighting in Europe, US forces had pushed beyond the previously agreed boundaries for the...
and was the site of a British interrogation camp (1945 to 1947).
Bad Nenndorf is also the seat of the Samtgemeinde ("collective municipality") Nenndorf
Nenndorf (Samtgemeinde)
Nenndorf is a Samtgemeinde in the district of Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Its seat is in the town Bad Nenndorf.The Samtgemeinde Nenndorf consists of the following municipalities:# Bad Nenndorf# Haste# Hohnhorst...
and is twinned with Doudeville
Doudeville
Doudeville is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:Called the flax capital, the town is situated at the centre of the Pays de Caux, the chalk plateau in High Normandy and one widely known for its fields of blue-flowered flax.*...
, in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
.
Interrogation centre
Between June 1945 and July 1947, Bad Nenndorf was the site of a British Combined Services Detailed Interrogation CentreCombined Services Detailed Interrogation Centre
The term Combined Services Detailed Interrogation Centre was used for facilities in the UK, the continent between 1942 and 1947, the Middle East, and South Asia. They were run by the British War Office on a joint basis involving the British Army and various intelligence agencies, notably MI5 and...
(CSDIC) through which several hundred Nazi and suspected Communist prisoners passed. The camp became the focus of controversy after allegations of mistreatment of prisoners emerged. One British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer was convicted by a court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
in 1948 for his part in the affair. The controversy surfaced again in December 2005 with the publication of an article in British newspaper The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,1669544,00.html In 2006 http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2006/apr/03/uk.freedomofinformation under Freedom of Information the UK newspaper reported on starvation of prisoners. Photos were destroyed, but a few remained hidden.