Ottersberg
Encyclopedia
Ottersberg is a municipality in the district of Verden
, in Lower Saxony
, Germany
. It is situated approx. 20 km north of Verden
, and 28 km east of Bremen
.
by the Swedish Crown - interrupted by a Danish occupation (1712–1715) - and from 1715 on by the Hanoverian
Crown. The Kingdom of Hanover
incorporated the Duchy in a real union
and the Ducal territory became part of the new Stade Region
, established in 1823.
in the valley of the Wümme. In winter the lowland areas are often under water for weeks at a time and form a valuable bird sanctury of international importance.
It lies on the A 1 road between Bremen
and Hamburg
. The Bremen - Hamburg railway line originally passed south the village. After the second world war the district around the station developed to the south of the railway line. The station is called Ottersberg (Hanover), because it lies in the historical country of Hanover.
, Posthausen, Eckstever and Narthauen.
After the September 2006 municipal elections the council consisted of the 6 Group -- Social Democratic Party of Germany
8 members Christian Democratic Union of Germany 11 members. , Alliance 90
/The Greens
3 members, Green List Ottersberg 2 members, Free Democratic Party
1 member, Free citizens Otterberg 3 members. The full-time mayor is directly elected.
Since 1946 the Free Rudolf Steiner
school of Ottersberg has occupied the site of the former castle. The embankments and ditch of the castle remain in evidence.
A Jewish Cemetery lies on the road between Otterstedt and Ottersberg, which has 27 Tombstones of Jews from the Ottersberg region who died between the years 1835 and 1920. The cemetery is a protected Cultural relic.
Verden (district)
Verden is a Kreis in the centre of Lower Saxony, Germany. Adjoining it are the districts of Osterholz, Rotenburg, Heidekreis, Nienburg and Diepholz, as well as the city of Bremen.-Geography:...
, in 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...
. It is situated approx. 20 km north of Verden
Verden, Germany
Verden an der Aller, also called Verden or simply Verden , is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, on the river Aller. It is the administrative centre of the district of Verden...
, and 28 km east of Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
.
History
Ottersberg belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen, established in 1180. In 1648 the Prince-Archbishopric was transformed into the Duchy of Bremen, which was first ruled in personal unionPersonal union
A personal union is the combination by which two or more different states have the same monarch while their boundaries, their laws and their interests remain distinct. It should not be confused with a federation which is internationally considered a single state...
by the Swedish Crown - interrupted by a Danish occupation (1712–1715) - and from 1715 on by the Hanoverian
House of Hanover
The House of Hanover is a deposed German royal dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , the Kingdom of Hanover, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
Crown. The Kingdom of Hanover
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg , and joined with 38 other sovereign states in the German...
incorporated the Duchy in a real union
Real union
Real union is a union of two or more states, which share some state institutions as in contrast to personal unions; however they are not as unified as states in a political union...
and the Ducal territory became part of the new Stade Region
Stade (region)
The Stade Region emerged in 1823 by an administrative reorganisation of the dominions of the Kingdom of Hanover, a sovereign state, whose then territory is almost completely part of today's German federal state of Lower Saxony...
, established in 1823.
Geography
Ottersberg lies on a sandy ridge, part of a glacial morraineMoraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
in the valley of the Wümme. In winter the lowland areas are often under water for weeks at a time and form a valuable bird sanctury of international importance.
It lies on the A 1 road between Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
and Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. The Bremen - Hamburg railway line originally passed south the village. After the second world war the district around the station developed to the south of the railway line. The station is called Ottersberg (Hanover), because it lies in the historical country of Hanover.
Local government
Since the local administrative and territorial reforms of 1972, there is a unified community called Flecken Ottersberg consisting of the hamlets of Ottersberg itself plus Fischerhude, Quelkhorn, OtterstedtOtterstedt
Otterstedt is a village in the district of Verden, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is part of the municipality Ottersberg.It is notable for the nearby lake Otterstedter See, which is a local resort. It was formed around 12000 years ago at the retreat of the glacial ice . It has an area of 4.5 ha,...
, Posthausen, Eckstever and Narthauen.
After the September 2006 municipal elections the council consisted of the 6 Group -- Social Democratic Party of Germany
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
8 members Christian Democratic Union of Germany 11 members. , Alliance 90
Alliance 90
Alliance 90 was an alliance of three non-Communist political groups in East Germany. It merged with the German Green Party in 1993 to form Alliance '90/The Greens....
/The Greens
The Greens
The Greens is the name of several different green parties:* Australian Greens, also known as The Greens* The Greens – The Green Alternative, Austria* The Greens * The Greens * The Greens * The Greens...
3 members, Green List Ottersberg 2 members, Free Democratic Party
Free Democratic Party (Germany)
The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government...
1 member, Free citizens Otterberg 3 members. The full-time mayor is directly elected.
Town crest
The crest is a rising up from the water of an otter with fish in its mouth) on a blue background. The otter is not presented naturalistically, but as a modified otter with a heraldic lion's head and claws.Education
Ottersberg is the seat of Ottersberg College which offers bachelor's degrees in social art, Art Therapy, theater , social studies and Fine Art.Since 1946 the Free Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner was an Austrian philosopher, social reformer, architect, and esotericist. He gained initial recognition as a literary critic and cultural philosopher...
school of Ottersberg has occupied the site of the former castle. The embankments and ditch of the castle remain in evidence.
Culture
The artist Otto Modersohn (1865–1943) lived in Ottersberg and is buried in the churchyard at Quelkhorn.A Jewish Cemetery lies on the road between Otterstedt and Ottersberg, which has 27 Tombstones of Jews from the Ottersberg region who died between the years 1835 and 1920. The cemetery is a protected Cultural relic.
External links
- municipal website accessed February 2010
- Freie-Rudolf-Steiner-Schule accessed February 2010