Ottersberg

Ottersberg
Ottersberg
Location of Ottersberg within Verden district
Coordinates	53°06′N 9°09′E / 53.1°N 9.15°E / 53.1; 9.15Coordinates: 53°06′N 9°09′E / 53.1°N 9.15°E / 53.1; 9.15
Administration
Country	Germany
State	Lower Saxony
District	Verden
Mayor	Horst Hofmann (CDU)
Basic statistics
Area	99.03 km2 (38.24 sq mi)
Elevation	14 m  (46 ft)
Population	12,055 (31 December 2010)[1]
- Density	122 /km2 (315 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	VER
Postal code	28870
Area code	04205
Website	www.flecken-ottersberg.de

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.

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 union 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.

Geography

Ottersberg lies on a sandy ridge, part of a glacial morraine 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.

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, Otterstedt, 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.

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 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.

References

1. ^ "Bevölkerungsfortschreibung" (in German). Landesbetrieb für Statistik und Kommunikationstechnologie Niedersachsen. 31 December 2009. http://www1.nls.niedersachsen.de/statistik/html/parametereingabe.asp?DT=K1000014&CM=Bev%F6lkerungsfortschreibung. 

External links

• municipal website accessed February 2010
• Freie-Rudolf-Steiner-Schule accessed February 2010