Bergen, Lower Saxony
Encyclopedia
Bergen is a town in the north of Celle
district on the Lüneburg Heath
, in Lower Saxony
, Germany
. Administratively it acts as a municipal borough divided into 12 subordinate parishes based on the town and its surrounding villages: Becklingen, Belsen, Bergen, Bleckmar, Diesten, Dohnsen, Eversen, Hagen, Hassel, Offen, Sülze and Wardböhmen. Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
was located in the area of Belsen.
The town had 13,099 inhabitants according to the census
conducted in December 2008. Members of the British military and their families, who were not included in the census, bring the actual population to about 17,000. These soldiers occupy a NATO base and exercise on the Bergen-Hohne Training Area
just outside the town. The Sieben Steinhäuser
, a cluster of dolmens dating from the Stone Age
, are located within the training area.
of the Kingdom of Hanover
by Prussia
in 1866 the Bergen Office, formed in 1852, was incorporated into Fallingbostel district
, which had been created in 1867. In the district reorganisation of 1885, the Bergen Administrative Office (Amt) transferred into the newly formed Celle district.
If the development of Bergen was rather slow during the Middle Ages and the early part of the Modern Age, due mainly to fires in 1354, 1585 and 1796, the agricultural reform in the 19th century and the town's connexion to the Celle–Soltau railway
led to far-reaching changes. In particular, the creation of Bergen-Hohne Training Area
in 1935 encouraged the beginning of a period of urbanisation that has led to Bergen's transformation from an agriculturally-based village into the small town it is today, characterised by trade and commerce with agriculture having largely lost its significance.
Today the town of Bergen acts as a local borough in the northern part of Celle district and is, after Celle, the only political entity in the district, having been granted the status of a town since 1957. In the community reorganisation of 1971, Bergen was given responsibility for the parishes of Becklingen, Belsen, Bleckmar, Diesten, Dohnsen, Eversen, Hagen, Hassel, Nindorf, Offen, Sülze and Wardböhmen. That significantly increased the size of its population and its area. The area of the original town of Bergen was 11 square kilometres (4.2 sq mi); after the district reform it grew to 163 km². Today around 17,000 people live in the town of Bergen. This number includes about 3,000 members of the British
Forces and their families, who are not registered with the local authorities.
district and administrative reforms of 1973 the borough of Bergen has comprised the municipalities of Becklingen
, Belsen
, Bergen, Bleckmar
, Diesten
, Dohnsen
, Eversen
, Hagen
, Hassel
, Nindorf
, Offen
, Sülze
and Wardböhmen
.
(hauptämtliche Bürgermeister). Since the local elections of 10 September 2006 the following parties and voter groups have belonged to the council:
In addition to the town council the individual villages each have a parish council (Ortsrat) and a parish chairman (Ortsbürgermeister).
Pembroke in Wales
Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht
in the Netherlands
Śrem
in Poland
It also partners with the home county (Heimatkreis) of:
Szubin
(1941–1945 Altburgund) in Poland adopted the town of Bergen in 1956. There often used to be more than 1,000 participants at the annual meeting of the former home county of Altburgund-Schubin.
In addition the town of Bergen has friendly relations with the following:
Rožnov pod Radhoštěm
in Czechia
Ottendorf-Okrilla
in the county of Bautzen
in Saxony.
Pembroke (Malta)
were part of a united juridical district or Gogericht. From 1437 to 1852, the courts were presided over by judges known as Gografen. They were subordinated to the advocacy or Vogtei
of Celle, which later became a Great Advocacy (Großvogtei). The first Gograf was Ludermann Tunderen (1437–1445). From 1674 the new Lüneburg district constitution set out the range of responsibilities of the district advocacies (Amtsvogteien). Until the end of the Thirty Years' War
the private residence of the district advocates (Amtsvögte) also served as their seat (Amtssitz).
In 1651 the old house of Kocksche Kote, Bergen No. 5, which paid dues to the Abbey of St. Michael's in Lüneburg, became the official seat of the district judge. In 1653 the government bought the farmstead from the heirs of the district judge, Cord Brase, and upgraded it into a district advocacy building (Amtsvogteigebäude). In 1709 the building, was completely rebuilt under district advocate, Jost Hinrich Wolff (Bergen's primary school is named after him). In 1852 there was a separation of the judiciary from the administration within the Kingdom of Hanover
. From then on, Prussian law applied and there was both a district office (Amt Bergen) and a district court (Amtsgericht Bergen). In the wake of these reforms, the Vogtei of Wietzendorf was split away from Bergen. The first district judge (Amtsrichter) was Ernst August Eggert von Estorff. On the land of the district court, which amounts to 6,480 m², there is an office building, a residential building, a district prison and several outbuildings. In 1945 there was a reform of the German courts. The district court in Bergen became a branch of the district court of Celle. On 1 July 1973 the Bergen District Court was closed.
(Rauchhaus) that is still on the spot it was built. The old farmstead and church cottage (Pfarrkote) was first mentioned in 1438. "Wobbeke Scroders" was the farmer at that time. In 1831 the cottage and the land were rented, and the house continued to be used until 1912 as a smokehouse. The Bergen Local History Society bought the house in 1912. The preceptor
, Friedrich Römstedt (1849 – 1930), furnished the house with a collection of prehistoric and local historic artefacts. In 1913 the museum was opened.
On the back of the monument is the crowned cursive monogramme "GR" (Georgius Rex) of George V
King of Hanover. On the sides are the words: Dem Vaterlande Heil ("Salvation to the Fatherland") and Friede dem Jahrhunderte ("Peace to the centuries").
Due to the presence of foreign troops in the area, a lot of Dutch
, as well as British
folk come to Bergen. This influences the cultural environment of the town strongly; for example a typical Dutch carnival
is held annually which is very uncharacteristic of this area.
was located in the area of Belsen.
near Buxtehude
. Several state roads (Landesstraßen) serve the surrounding area which is mainly agricultural and lead, inter alia, to Hermannsburg
and Winsen (Aller)
. The nearest motorway junction is Soltau Süd on the A7 autobahn from Hamburg
to Hanover
. In addition the Celle–Soltau railway
runs through the town. This no longer provides a public transport service, but is very important for the transportation of goods.
and Fallingbostel, roughly in the area between the A 7 and the B 3, is the military training area of Bergen-Hohne
, which is used by NATO nowadays. To create this training area, several villages, including Hartem
, were evacuated in 1938, along with induvidual homesteads. Some of their ruins can still be seen. The largest village in this area was and is Ostenholz, which was not cleared and is like an island of habitation within the training area. On the training area terrain are the famous sieben Steinhäuser
dolmens, which can be visited from Ostenholz.
The Römstedthaus is a local and regional history museum. In this old 1660 barn, which was converted in 1913 by Friedrich Römstedt into a museum, there are various exhibitions on local history themes. For example, everyday life on the farm in bygone centuries is portrayed by a series of rooms laid out in historical fashion and various old-time farming methods are demonstrated. In the permanent exhibition there is information about prehistoric and early historic discoveries in the local area.
Several decades ago, Bergen had a county court (Amtsgericht) before its jurisdiction was transferred to Celle.
Celle (district)
Celle is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Uelzen, Gifhorn, Hanover and Heidekreis.- Geography :...
district on the Lüneburg Heath
Lüneburg Heath
The Lüneburg Heath is a large area of heath, geest and woodland in northeastern part of the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. It forms part of the hinterland for the cities of Hamburg, Hanover, and Bremen and is named after the town of Lüneburg. Most of the area is a nature reserve...
, 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...
. Administratively it acts as a municipal borough divided into 12 subordinate parishes based on the town and its surrounding villages: Becklingen, Belsen, Bergen, Bleckmar, Diesten, Dohnsen, Eversen, Hagen, Hassel, Offen, Sülze and Wardböhmen. Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
Bergen-Belsen was a Nazi concentration camp in Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle...
was located in the area of Belsen.
The town had 13,099 inhabitants according to the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
conducted in December 2008. Members of the British military and their families, who were not included in the census, bring the actual population to about 17,000. These soldiers occupy a NATO base and exercise on the Bergen-Hohne Training Area
Bergen-Hohne Training Area
Bergen-Hohne Training Area is a NATO military training area in the southern part of the Lüneburg Heath, in the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. It covers an area of , which makes it the largest military training area in Germany.It was established by the German armed forces, the...
just outside the town. The Sieben Steinhäuser
Sieben Steinhäuser
The Sieben Steinhäuser is a group of five dolmens on the Lüneburg Heath in the NATO training area of Bergen-Hohne, in the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. The stones are considered to be part of the funnelbeaker culture...
, a cluster of dolmens dating from the Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
, are located within the training area.
History
Bergen was first mentioned in the records in 1197 and was the centre of a legislative and administrative region, the seat of the district sheriff (Amtsvogtei) and, later, the Royal Hanoverian Office. After the annexationAnnexation
Annexation is the de jure incorporation of some territory into another geo-political entity . Usually, it is implied that the territory and population being annexed is the smaller, more peripheral, and weaker of the two merging entities, barring physical size...
of 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...
by Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
in 1866 the Bergen Office, formed in 1852, was incorporated into Fallingbostel district
Soltau-Fallingbostel
Heidekreis is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Harburg, Lüneburg, Uelzen, Celle, Hanover, Nienburg, Verden and Rotenburg.-History:...
, which had been created in 1867. In the district reorganisation of 1885, the Bergen Administrative Office (Amt) transferred into the newly formed Celle district.
If the development of Bergen was rather slow during the Middle Ages and the early part of the Modern Age, due mainly to fires in 1354, 1585 and 1796, the agricultural reform in the 19th century and the town's connexion to the Celle–Soltau railway
Celle–Soltau railway
The Celle–Soltau railway is a standard gauge railway in the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany that belongs to the East Hanoverian Railways . It is the OHE's busiest line.- History :...
led to far-reaching changes. In particular, the creation of Bergen-Hohne Training Area
Bergen-Hohne Training Area
Bergen-Hohne Training Area is a NATO military training area in the southern part of the Lüneburg Heath, in the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. It covers an area of , which makes it the largest military training area in Germany.It was established by the German armed forces, the...
in 1935 encouraged the beginning of a period of urbanisation that has led to Bergen's transformation from an agriculturally-based village into the small town it is today, characterised by trade and commerce with agriculture having largely lost its significance.
Today the town of Bergen acts as a local borough in the northern part of Celle district and is, after Celle, the only political entity in the district, having been granted the status of a town since 1957. In the community reorganisation of 1971, Bergen was given responsibility for the parishes of Becklingen, Belsen, Bleckmar, Diesten, Dohnsen, Eversen, Hagen, Hassel, Nindorf, Offen, Sülze and Wardböhmen. That significantly increased the size of its population and its area. The area of the original town of Bergen was 11 square kilometres (4.2 sq mi); after the district reform it grew to 163 km². Today around 17,000 people live in the town of Bergen. This number includes about 3,000 members of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Forces and their families, who are not registered with the local authorities.
Politics and administration
Since the Lower SaxonyLower 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...
district and administrative reforms of 1973 the borough of Bergen has comprised the municipalities of Becklingen
Becklingen
Becklingen is a German village in the Lower Saxon borough of Bergen in the northern part of Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath.- Geography :...
, Belsen
Belsen (Bergen)
Belsen is a village within the German borough of Bergen in the northern part of Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath in Lower Saxony. It lies about southwest of Bergen and has 331 inhabitants . The Belsen concentration camp was named after it...
, Bergen, Bleckmar
Bleckmar
Bleckmar is a village administered by the Lower Saxon town of Bergen in the northern part of Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath in North Germany. It lies about north of Bergen on the B 3 federal road and currently has 579 inhabitants...
, Diesten
Diesten
Diesten is a village subordinated to the Lower Saxon town of Bergen in the northern part of Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath in northern Germany. It lies 20 km north of Celle on state road K 240 and currently has 357 inhabitants....
, Dohnsen
Dohnsen
Dohnsen is a village administered by the Lower Saxon town of Bergen in northern Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath in North Germany. It lies east of Bergen and has 857 inhabitants .- History :...
, Eversen
Eversen (Bergen)
Eversen is a village in the town of Bergen in the northern part of Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath in the north German state of Lower Saxony....
, Hagen
Hagen (Bergen)
Hagen is a village administered by the Lower Saxon town of Bergen in the northern part of Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath in North Germany. It has 146 inhabitants.- History :Hagen was first mentioned in the records in 1371 under the name of Hagene...
, Hassel
Hassel (Bergen)
Hassel is a village administered by the Lower Saxon town of Bergen in the northern part of Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath in North Germany.- Geography :...
, Nindorf
Nindorf (Bergen)
Nindorf is a village administered by the Lower Saxon town of Bergen in the northern part of Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath in North Germany. It lies about northwest of Bergen on the B 3 federal road and currently has 225 inhabitants.- History :...
, Offen
Offen (Bergen)
Offen is a village administered by the Lower Saxon town of Bergen in the northern part of Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath in North Germany.- Geography :...
, Sülze
Sülze (Bergen)
Sülze is a village administered by the Lower Saxon town of Bergen in the northern part of Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath in North Germany.- Geography :...
and Wardböhmen
Wardböhmen
Wardböhmen is a village administered by the Lower Saxon town of Bergen in the northern part of Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath in North Germany. It lies about north of Bergen on the B 3 federal road.- History :...
.
Council
The town council (Stadtrat) has 30 elected members, as well as its directly elected mayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
(hauptämtliche Bürgermeister). Since the local elections of 10 September 2006 the following parties and voter groups have belonged to the council:
- Christian Democrats (CDU)Christian Democratic Union (Germany)The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
: 17 seats - Social Democrats (SPD): 7 seats
- Bergen Voters Party (Wählergemeinschaft Bergen): 3 seats
- Free Democrats (FDP)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...
: 2 seats - GreensAlliance '90/The GreensAlliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir...
: 1 seat.
Mayors
Bergen has had the following mayors (Bürgermeister) since 1945:- 9 May 1945 – 1 November 1945 Albert Repke (CDU) (acting mayor)
- 4 December 1945 – 23 September 1946 Hermann Hornbostel (CDU) (acting mayor)
- 1 November 1946 – 1948 Friedrich Kruse sen. (Lower Saxon State Party)(NLP) (first freely elected mayor after 1945)
- 14 December 1948 – 1952 Walter Müller Deutsche Partei(DP)
- 1952–1956 Wilhelm Brockmann (Independent Voter Party)(UW)
- 1956–1960 Wilhelm Brockmann (DP)
- 1960–1973 Wilhelm Brockmann (CDU) (The election of October 1960 was delayed to March 1961 due to a constitutional complaint)
- 1973–1976 Heinrich Schneider (CDU)
- 1976–1981 Dr. Walther Kothe (CDU)
- 1981–1983 Franz Christian von Harling (CDU)
- 1983 – 31 December 1997 Dr. Helmut Wegner (CDU)
- 1 January 1997 – 26 April 1998 Adolf Krause (CDU)
- since 27 April 1998 Rainer Prokop (CDU)(born 27 December 1950)(first full-time mayor)
In addition to the town council the individual villages each have a parish council (Ortsrat) and a parish chairman (Ortsbürgermeister).
Partnerships
Bergen maintains partnerships with the towns of:Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht
Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht
Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands. It is located in the Dutch province of South Holland, on the island of IJsselmonde, and borders with Zwijndrecht, Ridderkerk, and the Noord River. The jurisdiction of the municipality covers an area of 11.99 km² of...
in the Netherlands
Śrem
Srem
Śrem is a town on the Warta river in central Poland. It has been situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship since 1999; from 1975 to 1998 it was part of the Poznań Voivodeship...
in Poland
It also partners with the home county (Heimatkreis) of:
Szubin
Szubin
Szubin is a town in Nakło County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland, located southwest of Bydgoszcz. As of 12 December 2004 it had a population of 9354.-History:...
(1941–1945 Altburgund) in Poland adopted the town of Bergen in 1956. There often used to be more than 1,000 participants at the annual meeting of the former home county of Altburgund-Schubin.
In addition the town of Bergen has friendly relations with the following:
Rožnov pod Radhoštěm
Rožnov pod Radhoštem
Rožnov pod Radhoštěm is a town in Zlín Region, Czech Republic.-People:* Gustav Brom, lived here* Martina Hingis, lived here as a child* Naphtali Keller, lived and died here* Emil Zátopek, buried here-See also:* Romanian diaspora, Romanian exonyms...
in Czechia
Ottendorf-Okrilla
Ottendorf-Okrilla
Ottendorf-Okrilla is a municipality in the Bautzen district, Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is located 20 km northeast of Dresden.-Coat of arms:...
in the county of Bautzen
Bautzen
Bautzen is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and administrative centre of the eponymous district. It is located on the Spree River. As of 2008, its population is 41,161...
in Saxony.
Pembroke (Malta)
District court
From the 15th century the parishes of Bergen and WietzendorfWietzendorf
Wietzendorf is a municipality in the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 11 km southeast of Soltau, and 50 km southwest of Lüneburg....
were part of a united juridical district or Gogericht. From 1437 to 1852, the courts were presided over by judges known as Gografen. They were subordinated to the advocacy or Vogtei
Vogtei
Vogtei could be:* The residenz or domain of a Vogt* Vogtei , a municipal association in the Unstrut-Hainich district of Thuringia, Germany....
of Celle, which later became a Great Advocacy (Großvogtei). The first Gograf was Ludermann Tunderen (1437–1445). From 1674 the new Lüneburg district constitution set out the range of responsibilities of the district advocacies (Amtsvogteien). Until the end of the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
the private residence of the district advocates (Amtsvögte) also served as their seat (Amtssitz).
In 1651 the old house of Kocksche Kote, Bergen No. 5, which paid dues to the Abbey of St. Michael's in Lüneburg, became the official seat of the district judge. In 1653 the government bought the farmstead from the heirs of the district judge, Cord Brase, and upgraded it into a district advocacy building (Amtsvogteigebäude). In 1709 the building, was completely rebuilt under district advocate, Jost Hinrich Wolff (Bergen's primary school is named after him). In 1852 there was a separation of the judiciary from the administration within 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...
. From then on, Prussian law applied and there was both a district office (Amt Bergen) and a district court (Amtsgericht Bergen). In the wake of these reforms, the Vogtei of Wietzendorf was split away from Bergen. The first district judge (Amtsrichter) was Ernst August Eggert von Estorff. On the land of the district court, which amounts to 6,480 m², there is an office building, a residential building, a district prison and several outbuildings. In 1945 there was a reform of the German courts. The district court in Bergen became a branch of the district court of Celle. On 1 July 1973 the Bergen District Court was closed.
Municipal hall (Stadthaus)
In 1975 the town of Bergen sold the land of the old district court. Initially it was used as a youth centre, but there were plans for a leisure centre or town library. Even a police school was considered. In 1979 it was decided to sell the old town hall and move the council offices here. Because the negotiations over the sale dragged on and a large number of the townsfolk were against the proposal, it was eventually dropped. On 20 October 1981 it was decided to build a new municipal building with a banquet hall. The old district office of 1653/1709 and the district prison from 1853 were to be largely preserved as listed buildings and integrated. In an architectural competition, Hans-Joachim Ehrich from Brunswick won first prize for his design. In 1984 the rebuilding work began. On 6 December 1985 the new municipal hall or Stadthaus was inaugurated. It had cost over seven million DM. It has a banqueting hall for up to 530 people with a stage and side rooms, event rooms, a council chamber with a gallery, and various conference rooms. In the council chamber of the Stadthaus hangs the painting Gogericht by Bergen artist, Ferdinand Brütt (1849−1936). It was a precursor to a painting in the Lüneburg State Court (Landgericht Lüneburg)].Römstedthaus Local History Museum
The Römstedthaus is a farmhouse museum dedicated to local and regional history. Its focus is the life and work of farmer up to the turn of the century in 1900. It is located in a former, about 350 year old, smokehouseSmokehouse
A smokehouse is a building where meat or fish is cured with smoke. The finished product might be stored in the building, sometimes for a year or more.-History:...
(Rauchhaus) that is still on the spot it was built. The old farmstead and church cottage (Pfarrkote) was first mentioned in 1438. "Wobbeke Scroders" was the farmer at that time. In 1831 the cottage and the land were rented, and the house continued to be used until 1912 as a smokehouse. The Bergen Local History Society bought the house in 1912. The preceptor
Preceptor
A preceptor is a teacher responsible to uphold a certain law or tradition, a precept.-Christian military orders:A preceptor was historically in charge of a preceptory, the headquarters of certain orders of monastic Knights, such as the Knights Hospitaller and Knights Templar, within a given...
, Friedrich Römstedt (1849 – 1930), furnished the house with a collection of prehistoric and local historic artefacts. In 1913 the museum was opened.
Culture and places of interest
In the centre of town, on the Friedensplatz ("Peace Square") immediately next to St. Lambertus Church are three memorials:- A war memorial - to the fallen of the First (1914–1918) and Second World Wars (1939–1945). It was inaugurated on 30 April 1922. On the front is the inscription "Das Kirchspiel Bergen 1914–1918 seinen Helden" ("The parish of Bergen 1914–1918 [in honour of] its heroes") and on the rear: "Die Liebe höret nimmer auf" ("Love never ends").
- A sandstone monument - with a white marble plaque in memory of the fallen of the Franco-Prussian WarFranco-Prussian WarThe Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
(1870–1871). Inaugurated on 22 June 1878. The marble tablet bears the inscription "In Erinnerung an die in den Jahren 1870 u. 71 gefallenen Krieger aus dem Kirchspiel Bergen" ("In memory of those warriors from the parish of Bergen who fell in the years 1870 and 1871"). - A peace monument - that has a lively history. It was originally erected for the peace celebrations on the occasion of the ending of French rule. In the Battle of LeipzigBattle of LeipzigThe Battle of Leipzig or Battle of the Nations, on 16–19 October 1813, was fought by the coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden against the French army of Napoleon. Napoleon's army also contained Polish and Italian troops as well as Germans from the Confederation of the Rhine...
(October 1813) the troops of the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte were defeated and the First Treaty of ParisTreaty of Paris (1814)The Treaty of Paris, signed on 30 May 1814, ended the war between France and the Sixth Coalition, part of the Napoleonic Wars, following an armistice signed on 23 May between Charles, Count of Artois, and the allies...
was signed (30 May 1814). By order of the prince-regent (Britain's George IVGeorge IV of the United KingdomGeorge IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
) all the churches of the land celebrated a peace festival on 24 July 1814. The square, hitherto, called Buernbrink and used for annual fairs, was given the name of Friedensplatz ("Peace Square"). A wooden post was erected which bore the inscription "Zur Friedensfeier! Bergen, den 24. Juli 1814" – "Dem Vaterlande Heil" – "Friede dem Jahrhunderte" ("The Peace Festival! Bergen, 24 July 1814" - "Salvation to the Fatherland" - "Peace to the centuries"). In the mid-19th century the post, which had meanwhile become rotten, fell over and was relaced in 1865 by another wooden monument for the 50th anniversary of the Battle of WaterlooBattle of WaterlooThe Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
. That monument also deteriorated and was replaced by the present sandstone one. This has the following inscription: Zur Friedensfeier – Bergen, den 24. Juli – 1814. Erneuert zur – 50 jährigen Jubelfeier – der Schlacht bei – Waterloo – am 18. Juni 1865 – und errichtet in Stein – 1898 ("To the peace celebrations in Bergen on 24 July 1814. Restored for the 50th anniversary celebration of the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1865 and erected in stone in 1898")
On the back of the monument is the crowned cursive monogramme "GR" (Georgius Rex) of George V
George V of Hanover
George V was King of Hanover, the only child of Ernest Augustus I, and a grandchild of King George III of the United Kingdom. In the peerage of Great Britain, he was 2nd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, 2nd Earl of Armagh...
King of Hanover. On the sides are the words: Dem Vaterlande Heil ("Salvation to the Fatherland") and Friede dem Jahrhunderte ("Peace to the centuries").
Due to the presence of foreign troops in the area, a lot of Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, as well as British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
folk come to Bergen. This influences the cultural environment of the town strongly; for example a typical Dutch carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
is held annually which is very uncharacteristic of this area.
Churches and religious organisations
- Lutheran parish of St. LambertusChurch of St. Lambertus, BergenThe Church of St. Lambertus is the Lutheran town church in the town of Bergen in Celle district in Germany.This Classicist aisleless church was built in 1826. It is a three-naved building with low ceilings over the galleries and was extended eastwards in 1900...
- Gemeinde Gottes Bergen
- Roman-Catholic parish of Zum kostbaren Blute
- Independent Lutheran parish of St. John in Bergen-Bleckmar
- Missionary work: Bleckmar branch of the Lutheran Church Mission (Lutherische Kirchenmission − Bleckmarer Mission e. V.) since 1892.
Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
The Bergen-Belsen concentration campBergen-Belsen concentration camp
Bergen-Belsen was a Nazi concentration camp in Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle...
was located in the area of Belsen.
Transport
Bergen lies on the B 3 federal highway from Celle via Soltau to OvelgönneOvelgönne
Ovelgönne is a municipality in the district of Wesermarsch, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 27 km northeast of Oldenburg, and 40 km northwest of Bremen....
near Buxtehude
Buxtehude
Buxtehude is a town on the Este River in Northern Germany in the district of Stade and part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region . Buxtehude is a steadily growing medium-sized town and the second largest in the district of Stade. It lies on the southern borders of the Altes Land within easy reach of...
. Several state roads (Landesstraßen) serve the surrounding area which is mainly agricultural and lead, inter alia, to Hermannsburg
Hermannsburg
Hermannsburg is a municipality in the Celle district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated at the River Örtze, approx. 15 kilometers east of Bergen and 30 kilometers north of Celle.-Division of the municipality:...
and Winsen (Aller)
Winsen (Aller)
Winsen an der Aller or Winsen is a town in the district of Celle in the German state of Lower Saxony.-Geography:Winsen has around 12,900 inhabitants and lies on the southern perimeter of the Lüneburg Heath, on the banks of the Aller, somewhat to the west of its tributary, the Örtze and about...
. The nearest motorway junction is Soltau Süd on the A7 autobahn from 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...
to 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...
. In addition the Celle–Soltau railway
Celle–Soltau railway
The Celle–Soltau railway is a standard gauge railway in the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany that belongs to the East Hanoverian Railways . It is the OHE's busiest line.- History :...
runs through the town. This no longer provides a public transport service, but is very important for the transportation of goods.
Public services
Between Bergen, MeißendorfMeißendorf
Meißendorf is a village in the borough of Winsen an der Aller in the Lower Saxon district of Celle in northern Germany.It lies northwest of Winsen an der Aller. It derives its name from the River Meiße which flows through the village. 1,666 people have their main residence in Meißendorf and...
and Fallingbostel, roughly in the area between the A 7 and the B 3, is the military training area of Bergen-Hohne
Bergen-Hohne Training Area
Bergen-Hohne Training Area is a NATO military training area in the southern part of the Lüneburg Heath, in the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. It covers an area of , which makes it the largest military training area in Germany.It was established by the German armed forces, the...
, which is used by NATO nowadays. To create this training area, several villages, including Hartem
Hartem
Hartem was a village in the Heidmark, an area within the Lüneburg Heath in Lower Saxony, Germany. In 1935/1936 Hartem disappeared from the map. The German armed forces, the Wehrmacht established a military training area . Its inhabitants were resettled.- History :The name Hartem is derived from...
, were evacuated in 1938, along with induvidual homesteads. Some of their ruins can still be seen. The largest village in this area was and is Ostenholz, which was not cleared and is like an island of habitation within the training area. On the training area terrain are the famous sieben Steinhäuser
Sieben Steinhäuser
The Sieben Steinhäuser is a group of five dolmens on the Lüneburg Heath in the NATO training area of Bergen-Hohne, in the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. The stones are considered to be part of the funnelbeaker culture...
dolmens, which can be visited from Ostenholz.
The Römstedthaus is a local and regional history museum. In this old 1660 barn, which was converted in 1913 by Friedrich Römstedt into a museum, there are various exhibitions on local history themes. For example, everyday life on the farm in bygone centuries is portrayed by a series of rooms laid out in historical fashion and various old-time farming methods are demonstrated. In the permanent exhibition there is information about prehistoric and early historic discoveries in the local area.
Several decades ago, Bergen had a county court (Amtsgericht) before its jurisdiction was transferred to Celle.
Sons and daughters of the town
- Ludwig Otto Adelbert Spitta (b 27 Nov 1845 in Wechold; d 27 May 1901 in HamelinHamelinHamelin is a town on the river Weser in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Hamelin-Pyrmont and has a population of 58,696 ....
), a son of the German theologian and poet Carl Johann Philipp SpittaPhilipp SpittaJulius August Philipp Spitta was a German music historian and musicologist best known for his 1873 biography of Johann Sebastian Bach.-Biography:...
. From 1872 to 1881 he acted as as a pastor sec in Bergen. He was known for his sermons with historic, local and regional historical themes that also appeared as a book with 1875 sermons and talks. - Prof. Ferdinand Brütt (b 13 July 1849 in HamburgHamburg-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...
; d 6 November 1936 in Bergen) was a German painter. Brütt was a distant cousin of the sculptor, Adolf Brütt. - Dr. Detlef Klahr (born 1957), since 2007 deanDean (religion)A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
of the East Friesland diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Hanover.