Meppen

For other uses, see Meppen (disambiguation).
Meppen

Coat of arms
Meppen

Coordinates: 52°41′37″N 7°17′34″E / 52.69361°N 7.29278°E / 52.69361; 7.29278Coordinates: 52°41′37″N 7°17′34″E / 52.69361°N 7.29278°E / 52.69361; 7.29278
Country Germany
State Lower Saxony
District Emsland
Government
  Mayor Helmut Knurbein (Ind.)
Area
  Total 188.48 km2 (72.77 sq mi)
Population (2013-12-31)[1]
  Total 34,109
  Density 180/km2 (470/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 49716
Dialling codes 05931
Vehicle registration EL
Website www.meppen.de

Meppen is a town in and the seat of the Emsland district of Lower Saxony, Germany, at the confluence of the Ems, Hase, and Nordradde rivers and the Dortmund-Ems canal (DEK). The name stems from the word Mappe, meaning "delta".

Geography

The town lying on the mouth of the Hase into the Ems in the central part of the Emsland between the cities of Lingen and Papenburg.
Lying about 12 miles (20 km) from the Dutch border, the town has an area of 188.45 km² and is 15 m above sea level. The population was 34,196 as of 30 June 2005.

Quarters of Meppen:

1. Altstadt
Historical centre of Meppen with historical town hall.

2. Esterfeld

3. Feldkamp

4. Kuhweide

5. Neustadt

6. Nödike

7. Schleusengruppe

Following villages are situated in Meppen:
In 1974, 13 independent municipalities in the close vicinity of the town were integrated into Meppen.

  1. Apeldorn
  2. Bokeloh
  3. Borken
  4. Groß Fullen
  5. Klein Fullen
  6. Helte
  7. Hemsen
  8. Holthausen
  9. Hüntel
  10. Rühle
  11. Schwefingen
  12. Teglingen
  13. Versen

History

Town hall Meppen

Meppen, formerly a fortified town, boasts 12 centuries of history.

The first documented mention of Meppen is in 834, in a deed of donation by Frankish emperor Louis the Pious, transferring a missionary establishment of that name to the abbey of Corvey.

945 -- Emperor Otto the Great grants the town the rights to mint coins and collect tolls, followed in 946 by market rights.

1252—Countess Jutta von Vechta-Ravensberg sells her possessions to the Bishop of Münster. Meppen becomes part of the Niederstift Münster (i.e. Lower Prince-Bishopric of Münster).

1360—Meppen is granted the right to build city fortifications by Bishop Adolf of Münster, and thereby, town rights. Over the next three centuries until 1660, Meppen is built up as a fortified town.

1762—at the end of the Seven Years' War, the fortifications are demolished. Some walls remain standing today, however.

1803—Resolutions of the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss assign Meppen to Louis Engelbert, 6th Duke of Arenberg, to compensate for the loss of his possessions on the west bank of the Rhine. Meppen becomes the capital of the dukedom of Arenberg.

1811—Meppen is incorporated into the First French Empire as a cantonal seat.

1813–1814—Occupation by Prussia.

1814–1815—Resolutions of the Congress of Vienna assign Meppen and the Duchy of Arenburg to the Kingdom of Hanover.

1855—Meppen connected to the Hannoverschen Westbahn railway line upon its opening.

1866—Hanover becomes a province of Prussia.

1946—The state of Prussia is abolished after the Second World War. Meppen becomes part of the newly created Land of Lower Saxony.

1977—District reforms in Lower Saxony unite the former districts of Lingen, Meppen and Aschendorf-Hümmling in the district of Emsland, with Meppen as administrative seat.

Culture and sights

Meppen’s historic town hall
The Gymnasium church
Arenbergische Rentei
The Hölting Mill
The Herrenmühle
Meppen-Hüntel Power Station
Town wall
Borkener Paradies
Pedestrian zone on Bahnhofstraße
Meppen’s old harbour
Vormeppen railway station
The River Ems in Meppen
Installing the new lifting bridge in 2007

Theatre

Between September and April the Meppen Theatre Group (Theatergemeinde Meppen) offers a comprehensive programme. Productions take place in the Meppen Theatre and Concert Hall, which was designed by Eberhard Kulenkampff and completed in 1959. It also acts as a school hall for the Windthorst Gymnasium. The programme includes both touring theatre productions as well as musical events of various genres.

From May to September, the Emsland Open Air Stage at Meppen (Emsländische Freilichtbühne Meppen) offers visitors a family musical and an evening event, mostly based on musical productions. More than 30,000 visitors come each year to the open air theatre in Esterfeld Forest to see large musical performances involving casts of up to 100.

Museums

Buildings

Parks

Natural monuments

Gallery

Population statistics

(*including the villages belonging to the city of Meppen)

Year Inhabitants Year Inhabitants Year Inhabitants Year Inhabitants
1821* 4.815 1848* 5.130 1905* 7.687 1939* 15.045
1950* 19.141 1971* 27.3051990 30.508 2005 34.196

Sport clubs

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, March 17, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.