Emlichheim

Infobox Ort in Deutschland
Wappen = Emlichheim.gif
Wappengröße = 75
lat_deg = 52 |lat_min = 37
lon_deg = 6 |lon_min = 50
Lageplan =
Bundesland = Niedersachsen
Landkreis = Grafschaft Bentheim
Samtgemeinde = Emlichheim
Höhe = 14
Fläche = 48.52
Einwohner = 6830
Stand = 2006-12-31
PLZ = 49824
PLZ-alt = 4459
Vorwahl = 0 59 43
Kfz = NOH
Gemeindeschlüssel = 03 4 56 002
Website = [http://www.emlichheim.de www.emlichheim.de]
Bürgermeister = Heinrich Strenge (SPD)

Emlichheim is a community in the district of Grafschaft Bentheim in Lower Saxony, Germany, roughly 20 km south of Emmen, and 25 km northwest of Nordhorn.

Geography

Emlichheim lies right on the German-Dutch border. The community is bordered on the south by the river Vechte and on the north by the Coevorden-Picardy Canal. It is also the administrative seat of the "Samtgemeinde Emlichheim", whose members also include Hoogstede, Laar and Ringe. Over the last few years the village has experienced massive growth due to the inflow of Dutch nationals.

History

Emlichheim has existed at least since Charlemagne’s time. In a document from 1312, the community crops up under the name "Emminchem".

In old Dutch documents (16th to 19th century), and even today in the Twents dialect of Dutch, Emlichheim is called "Emmelkamp". [ [http://www.uelsen-und-umgebung.de/historisch/visch/visch-20-29.pdf Copy of an old Dutch book about the history of the County of Bentheim] ]

Politics

Municipal council

Council’s current composition:
*CDU - 7 seats
*Grafschafter Bürger Forum (gbf) - 7 seats
*SPD - 3 seats
*FDP - 2 seats

Partner communities

* Genemuiden, Netherlands since about 1975
* Grabów nad Prosną, Poland since 2006

Economy

The firm Emsland-Stärke, with its location in Emlichheim, is Europe’s biggest starch producer. Over a million metric tons of potatoes delivered from within a region with a radius of some 150 km are processed here every year, thereby making Emsland-Stärke not only the community’s biggest employer but also an important source of livelihood for the whole region.

Some 8 km west of Emlichheim lies the border-straddling industrial park within the communities of Laar in Germany and Coevorden in the Netherlands called EUROPARK. Here, a hotly disputed rubbish burning site, the "Müllverbrennungsanlage Emlichheim", is supposed to be built by a private Dutch investor.

Another economic factor of the Emlichheim "Samtgemeinde" is the plastics processing industry. Among these businesses are Synco and BekuPlast in Ringe and Ringoplast in Ringe-Neugnadenfeld.

Education

Emlichheim has a primary school, a Hauptschule-Realschule, a Gymnasium for secondary level 1 and a special school. These schools supply basic educational needs, but further needs must be sought either in Neuenhaus (Lise-Meitner-Gymnasium) or in the district seat of Nordhorn. In Nordhorn learners have almost every possibility at their disposal (general-education Gymnasien, specialized Gymnasien, vocational training schools, and so on). In Emlichheim is also to be found an educational establishment rich in tradition.

Famous people

Sons and daughters of the community

* Dr. Frank Schindelhauer, medical corps brigadier

Further reading

*Herbert Wagner: Die Gestapo war nicht allein... Politische Sozialkontrolle und Staatsterror im deutsch - niederländischen Grenzgebiet 1929 - 1945. LIT Verlag. Münster 2004 (contains, among other things, illegal border crossings, struggle between church and state)

References