Twist, Germany
Encyclopedia
Twist is a municipality in the Emsland
Emsland
Landkreis Emsland is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany named after the river Ems. It is bounded by the districts of Leer, Cloppenburg and Osnabrück, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia , the district of Bentheim and the Netherlands .- History :For a long time the region of the Emsland was...

 district, 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 directly at the Dutch border.

Situation of the local parts in the municipality of Twist:

  1. Adorf
  2. Hebelermeer
  3. Hesepertwist (Twist-Siedlung)
  4. Neuringe
  5. Rühlermoor/Rühlerfeld
  6. Rühlertwist (Twist-Bült)
  7. Schöninghsdorf

History

The settlement in the area of the nowadays municipality Twist began quit late around the year 1784. The prince-bishop of Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...

 Max Franz satisfied the wishes of some "Heuerleute" , a kind of farmers, from the close by village Hesepe to settle down in the bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....

 "Twist".
This was the starting point of the settlement in Twist, to be more precise it starts at the street of houses what is called "Alt-Hesepertwist" nowadays.
The ground was at that time because of its composition of the substances quite infertile and did just allow a meager livelihood and the people did not live in comfort.
The construction of the canal "Nord-Süd-Kanal" around 100 years later brought significant improvements in the quality of life of the people, because the canal did allow a systematic drainage and removement of the peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...

.

In the 1950s finally came the economically revival on the one hand by finding bigger oil reservoirs and on the other hand by commissioning of the production site of the Dutch plastics company Wavin
Wavin
Wavin N.V. is a Dutch manufacturer of pipes . Wavin is the leading supplier of plastic pipe systems and solutions in Europe. The company was officially founded on 5 August 1955, its name deriving from WAter and VINyl chloride...

. These two factors were over some decades the driving forces for the economical rise of Twist.
In the 1990s these two columns of the Twist economy came more and more into difficulties and many people lost their jobs. With finishing the autobahn 31
Bundesautobahn 31
is a German Autobahn that connects the coast of the North Sea near Emden to the Ruhr area. It is also known as Emsland-Autobahn or East Frisian Skewer....

 at the end of the 1990s this negativ development could be stopped by settlling down new companies especially in the industrial area close to the autobahn.

Origin of the name

The origin of the name of the municipality Twist has nothing to do with the dance style of the same title. Due to a long disagreement with the Dutch Kingdom about the way the border between both countries should take it was commom language use to speak about "Twistrich" or "Twist Gebiet" (Twist area). In Low German
Low German
Low German or Low Saxon is an Ingvaeonic West Germanic language spoken mainly in northern Germany and the eastern part of the Netherlands...

 "Twistrich" or "Twist Gebiet" has a meaning similar to "disputed border". This language was the official language at that time and is still partly in usage.

Church St. Vinzenz von Paul zu Hebelermeer

The parish church in the district Heblermeer housed two rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...

 busts of Ignatius of Loyola
Ignatius of Loyola
Ignatius of Loyola was a Spanish knight from a Basque noble family, hermit, priest since 1537, and theologian, who founded the Society of Jesus and was its first Superior General. Ignatius emerged as a religious leader during the Counter-Reformation...

 and Francisco de Xavier created by the sculptor Johann Heinrich König (1705–1784).

Protestant church in Neuringe

An exceptionally feature is the Protestant church in the district Neuringe, because this church has one of the oldest and most valuable organ (constructed in 1719) of the Protestant national church. The church itself was constructed in 1904. As in many villages at that time, there was no money for both construction of the church and buying the inventory. Therefore a used organ was bought. Sometimes, like in this case, the used ones have nowadays a higher value than organs that were built in the 1900s.

Center of Twist

In the center of the municipality Twist are numerously retailers located such as grocery stores, travel agency, a bank and so on. Also the city hall and the police station is situated in the center of Twist. A special attraction of the center is the museum for crude oil and natural gas (Erdöl-Erdgas-Museum Twist
Erdöl-Erdgas-Museum Twist
The Erdöl-Erdgas-Museum Twist in Twist, Germany is a museum for crude oil and natural gas and shows technical equipment for mineral exploration of these natural energy resources and gives information about their geological origin.- History :...

) and also the "Heimathaus Twist
Heimathaus Twist
The Heimathaus Twist is a well known cultural center over the borders of the municipality Twist, Germany.- Building :That what is known as Heimathaus Twist consist of three buildungs in traditional construction style of the Emsland county. For the Handwerker-Haus what is constructed in timber...

". The Heimathaus Twist is known for legendary blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...

, folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

, and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 concerts.

Landscape

In 2006 the German counties Emsland
Emsland
Landkreis Emsland is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany named after the river Ems. It is bounded by the districts of Leer, Cloppenburg and Osnabrück, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia , the district of Bentheim and the Netherlands .- History :For a long time the region of the Emsland was...

 and Grafschaft Bentheim founded together with the Dutch county Drenthe
Drenthe
Drenthe is a province of the Netherlands, located in the north-east of the country. The capital city is Assen. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and Germany to the east.-History:Drenthe, unlike many other parts of the Netherlands, has been a...

 the "Internationaler Naturpark Moor
Internationaler Naturpark Bourtanger Moor-Bargerveen
The Bourtanger Moor-Bargerveen International Nature Park is a nature reserve in the west of the German state Lower Saxony as well as in the North-East of the Netherlands...

" (International Nature Park Bog). This park stretches across big parts of the municipality Twist. The park has a unique biota and is every year the wintering grounds of numerous migratory birds.

Up to the colonization and cultivation in the 19th century, the area was one of the biggest peat moss areas in Europe with a size of more than 1,200 km². The last years several projects started to block ditches and get a water logging of the area for a renaturation.
A very successful example for the renaturation in the nature park is the Dutch part of the park, where already in the 1960s first projects started and did lead to a fully restored peat moss area where very rare plants and animals found a new home.

Culture

The "Heimathaus Twist
Heimathaus Twist
The Heimathaus Twist is a well known cultural center over the borders of the municipality Twist, Germany.- Building :That what is known as Heimathaus Twist consist of three buildungs in traditional construction style of the Emsland county. For the Handwerker-Haus what is constructed in timber...

" is a reconstructed old farmer house located in the center of Twist. It's known for blues- and folk concerts which are taking place many times a year. However, also several events especially for children are organized by the team of the "Heimathaus Twist".
Directly beside the "Heimathaus Twist
Heimathaus Twist
The Heimathaus Twist is a well known cultural center over the borders of the municipality Twist, Germany.- Building :That what is known as Heimathaus Twist consist of three buildungs in traditional construction style of the Emsland county. For the Handwerker-Haus what is constructed in timber...

" is the museum for crude oil and natural gas
Erdöl-Erdgas-Museum Twist
The Erdöl-Erdgas-Museum Twist in Twist, Germany is a museum for crude oil and natural gas and shows technical equipment for mineral exploration of these natural energy resources and gives information about their geological origin.- History :...

 located. It shows several exhibits to this issue and the historical development of the extraction of crude oil and natural gas. The crude oil and natural gas industry has a long history in the area of Twist wherefore it was sometimes also called the German Texas.

Recreational activity

In every district of Twist are several sport clubs where soccer is the dominant sport, but basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

, ping-pong, competitive dance, horseback riding, swimming, tennis, handball
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...

 and gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...

 are also offered.

Family policy

In May 2007 the town council decided measures to support families with children. Hence families with two or three children get a special concession on a building ground for a one-family house. Families with four children get a building ground for free. For this limited in time rule (till 31 December 2009) counts children which are while the acquisition younger than 15 years and also children which are born 10 years after the acquisition.

By car

Twist has a direct connection to the Autobahn 31
Bundesautobahn 31
is a German Autobahn that connects the coast of the North Sea near Emden to the Ruhr area. It is also known as Emsland-Autobahn or East Frisian Skewer....

 which acts as north-south route between the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...

 and the Ruhr
Ruhr
The Ruhr is a medium-size river in western Germany , a right tributary of the Rhine.-Description:The source of the Ruhr is near the town of Winterberg in the mountainous Sauerland region, at an elevation of approximately 2,200 feet...

. Twist is also connected to Europastraße 233
International E-road network
The international E-road network is a numbering system for roads in Europe developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe . The network is numbered from E 1 up and its roads cross national borders...

 which is constructed on German site like an Autobahn till the connection point with Autobahn 31 and on Dutch side it already has the status as Autobahn A 37
A37 motorway (Netherlands)
The A37 motorway is a motorway in the Netherlands. It is approximately 42 kilometers in length. The A37 is located entirely in the Dutch province Drenthe....

. This Europastraße (E 233) connects the metropolis Rotterdam, Amsterdam with Hamburg and finally Scandinavia. On German side it's intended for the next years to follow the Dutch side and to enlarge the road over the whole distance to an Autobahn.

Air traffic

The closest international airport is Münster Osnabrück International Airport
Münster Osnabrück International Airport
Münster Osnabrück International Airport or Flughafen Muenster/Osnabrueck , is the 4th largest international commercial airport in North Rhine-Westphalia...

 in the German city Greven. The airport is about 90 km away from Twist and easily to reach by using the Autobahn 31
Bundesautobahn 31
is a German Autobahn that connects the coast of the North Sea near Emden to the Ruhr area. It is also known as Emsland-Autobahn or East Frisian Skewer....

 and later changing to Autobahn 30
Bundesautobahn 30
is a highway in northwestern Germany. It runs from west to east, starting at the Dutch border. On the border it connects with the Dutch A1 motorway, hence, the A 30 is part of the important European connection Berlin - Amsterdam...

.

In Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...

 is the closest international hub for intercontinental
Intercontinental
Intercontinental may refer to:* anything spanning several continents* Intercontinental ballistic missile* the InterContinental hotel chain* InterContinental Hotels Group* Intercontinental Cup * Intercontinental Championship...

 flights. The distance to the airport is approximately 170 km (1,5 hours by car) and for the whole travel distance it's possible to use the Autobahn. The Düsseldorf International Airport
Düsseldorf International Airport
Düsseldorf International Airport is the largest airport in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and the third largest airport in Germany, handling 18.99 million passengers in 2010....

 is directly to reach by the Autobahn 31 and later, after changing to Autobahn 44
Bundesautobahn 44
is a German Autobahn. It consists of three main-parts and a few smaller parts. It begins in Aachen at the German-Belgian border and ends near Kassel. Before the German unification it was an unimportant provincial-motorway but after this event it became an integral part of the German highway-system...

, leaving at the exit airport (Ausfahrt Flughafen).

The Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is another airport close by. The airport is about 200 km away and fast to reach by the Dutch high-speed road network. The 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...

 "Autobahn" A 37
A37 motorway (Netherlands)
The A37 motorway is a motorway in the Netherlands. It is approximately 42 kilometers in length. The A37 is located entirely in the Dutch province Drenthe....

 starts in Twist and for the whole distance to the airport an Autobahn can be used.

Economy

Till the middle of the nineteen-nineties the crude oil-, natural gas- and peat industry dominated the economy in Twist. Especially in these industries many employees lost their job the last years. Since then many small and medium size business companies settle down in the area of Twist especially in the industrial park at the autobahn. The biggest employer in Twist is the Dutch company Wavin
Wavin
Wavin N.V. is a Dutch manufacturer of pipes . Wavin is the leading supplier of plastic pipe systems and solutions in Europe. The company was officially founded on 5 August 1955, its name deriving from WAter and VINyl chloride...

. This company is European market leader for plastic pipe systems.

Tourism

The last years the tourism also becomes an important factor, whereas the focus of the tourism is in the district Neuringe. In addition of several holiday flats there is also a campground with a public lake for bathing and a farm for horseback riding. Especially this farm enjoys great popularity at the young guests. Furthermore on the area of this farm is an indoor children's playground which is especially children-tailored for children up to an age of 12 years.

Education

In Twist are 5 grade schools and one junior high. After a bigger replacement and a new constructed building in 2007, this junior high acts as full-time school nowadays. In 2009 also the grade schools were transformed into full-time schools. By doing bigger restoration works at the schools it's nowadays guaranteed that the students get a warm meal and be supervised over the day.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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