Oker (Goslar)

The coat-of-arms of Oker

Oker has been part of the borough of Goslar in central Germany since 1972. It lies on the edge of the Harz mountains and has a population of 7,282 (as at 2006). Previously Oker had been a parish within Wolfenbüttel district since 1952.

View of Oker from the Kästeklippen.

Geography

Location

The village lies at the exit of the Oker valley between the Hahnenberg and Adenberg hills in the south and Sudmerberg in the north. Oker is divided into two unofficial districts: Oberoker ("Upper Oker"), south (and nearer the Harz) of the railway line, and Unteroker ("Lower Oker"), north of it.

The river Oker gives its name to the village.

History

Founded in 1527 as a smelting site for the processing of ore from the Rammelsberg mines, Oker was a centre of Harz smelting technology . In 1819 a branch of the Brunswick Postal Service was opened. This was moved to the railway station on the opening of the railway between Goslar and Vienenburg (on 23 March 1866).^[1]

Economy

Today Oker is home to chemical-metallurgical, recycling and specialised industrial concerns, like Harz-Metall and Norzinco. The largest employer in Oker and the district of Goslar is a factory belonging to H.C. Starck-Gruppe.

Religion

The two Evangelical-Lutheran parishes of St. Paul (Unteroker) and Martin Luther (Oberoker) merged in October 2005 into the Oker parish; there is also the Roman-Catholic church of St. Konrad (part of the parish of St. Jacobus d.Ä. in Goslar) and a Turkish Muslim parish (Oberoker).

Culture and places of interest

Sport

The hiking trail network around Oker is well developed, with paths leading to popular destinations such as Romkerhall on the Oker river, and the tors of Treppenstein, Mausefall and Kästeklippen above the Oker valley. In the village itself there are 2 sports halls, sports pitches and tennis courts and an open-air swimming pool.

The largest sports club is VfL Oker, which is especially renowned for its pan-regional table tennis team. The 1st Men's team plays in the Oberliga West and the 1st Women's team in the Regionalliga Nord.

Economy and infrastructure

Transport

Oker station lies on the railway lines running from Hanover via Hildesheim to Bad Harzburg (Oker–Bad Harzburg railway, KBS 320) and from Brunswick via Goslar/Bad Harzburg to Kreiensen (Vienenburg–Goslar railway, KBS 353/354), with hourly and two-hourly services. Bus routes link Oker with Goslar and Bad Harzburg. The Bundesstraße 498 (Goslar–Osterode am Harz) runs through Oker and the Bundesstraße 6 (Cuxhaven–Görlitz) runs past Oker to the north.

For the development of postal services in Oker see: Wolfenbüttel-Harzburg post route.

Public institutions

There are 3 kindergartens, two primary schools, a secondary modern and a middle school in Oker.

External links

• Oker at Goslar.de (German)

References

1. ^ W. Steven: “Inhaltsübersicht der postalisch relevanten Braunschweigischen Ciculare, Gesetze und Verordnungen von 1807 bis 1867" Rundbrief Nr. 58, Arbeitsgemeinschaft Braunschweig und Hannover im Briefmarken-Club Hannover, April 2004

Coordinates: 51°54′11″N 10°29′17″E / 51.90306°N 10.48806°E / 51.90306; 10.48806