Soltau-Fallingbostel
Encyclopedia
Heidekreis is a district
Districts of Germany
The districts of Germany are known as , except in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein where they are known simply as ....

 (Landkreis) 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 bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Harburg
Harburg
Harburg is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It takes its name from the town of Harburg upon Elbe, which used to be the capital of the district but is now part of Hamburg...

, Lüneburg
Lüneburg (district)
Lüneburg is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Lüchow-Dannenberg, Uelzen, Heidekreis and Harburg, and the states of Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania .-History:The Amt of Lüneburg appeared in 1862...

, Uelzen
Uelzen (district)
Uelzen is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Gifhorn, Celle, Heidekreis, Lüneburg and Lüchow-Dannenberg, and by the state of Saxony-Anhalt...

, Celle
Celle (district)
Celle is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Uelzen, Gifhorn, Hanover and Heidekreis.- Geography :...

, Hanover
Hanover (district)
Hanover Region is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Heidekreis, Celle, Gifhorn, Peine, Hildesheim, Hamelin-Pyrmont, Schaumburg and Nienburg....

, Nienburg
Nienburg (district)
Nienburg is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Diepholz, Verden, Heidekreis, Hanover and Schaumburg, and by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia ....

, Verden
Verden (district)
Verden is a Kreis in the centre of Lower Saxony, Germany. Adjoining it are the districts of Osterholz, Rotenburg, Heidekreis, Nienburg and Diepholz, as well as the city of Bremen.-Geography:...

 and Rotenburg
Rotenburg (district)
Rotenburg is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Stade, Harburg, Heidekreis, Verden, Osterholz and Cuxhaven.-History:...

.

History

Historically the region belonged to the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg and its successor states. The district was established in 1977 by merging the former districts of Soltau and Fallingbostel as Soltau-Fallingbostel (ˈzɔltaʊ falɪŋˈbɔstəl). On 1 August 2011 it was renamed to Heidekreis.

Geography

The district includes the western half of 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...

 (Lüneburger Heide). Since this landscape is so characteristic for the district, it calls itself "the Heath District". The capital is Bad Fallingbostel
Bad Fallingbostel
Bad Fallingbostel is the district town of the Heidekreis district in the German state of Lower Saxony. Since 1976 the town has had a state-recognised Kneipp spa and has held the title of Bad since 5 August 2002. It has close ties to Walsrode, a few miles to the west...

, although it has only 11,800 inhabitants and is only the fifth largest town in the district.

Coat of arms


The coat of arms displays:
  • in the upper half the heraldic
    Heraldry
    Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...

     lion of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg
  • in the lower half a megalith
    Megalith
    A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. Megalithic describes structures made of such large stones, utilizing an interlocking system without the use of mortar or cement.The word 'megalith' comes from the Ancient...

    ic grave

Towns and municipalities

Towns Samtgemeinden
  1. Bad Fallingbostel
    Bad Fallingbostel
    Bad Fallingbostel is the district town of the Heidekreis district in the German state of Lower Saxony. Since 1976 the town has had a state-recognised Kneipp spa and has held the title of Bad since 5 August 2002. It has close ties to Walsrode, a few miles to the west...

  2. Munster
    Munster, Lower Saxony
    Munster, also called Munster , is a small town in the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany almost equidistant from Hamburg and Hanover. The town is home to the German Army's largest garrison and is situated between the two training areas of Munster North and Munster South. It is also...

  3. Schneverdingen
    Schneverdingen
    Schneverdingen is a town in the northern part of the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 15 km north of Soltau, and 50 km south of Hamburg....

  4. Soltau
    Soltau
    - Middle Ages :The region of the Lüneburg Heath had already been settled by the start of the New Stone Age about 4,000 years ago. The Soltau area was initially occupied by a few individual farms. The parish of Soltau was probably founded around 830 and the first wooden church Sante Johannis...

  5. Walsrode
    Walsrode
    -Middle Ages:986 Foundation of Walsrode Abbey by Count Walo. The first recorded mentionof the town is dated May 7, 986.1383 The dukes of Brunswick and Lüneburg grant Walsrode a town charter.1479 First recorded instance of Walsrode's coat of arms...




Free municipalities
  1. Bispingen
    Bispingen
    Bispingen is a municipality in the Heidekreis district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the River Luhe and is approximately northeast of Soltau, or south of Hamburg.-Subdivisions:*Bispingen*Hützel*Steinbeck an der Luhe...

  2. Bomlitz
    Bomlitz
    Bomlitz is a municipality in the Heidekreis district, in Lower Saxony, Germany.- Location :Bomlitz lies on the Lüneburg Heath in a heavily wooded area...

  3. Neuenkirchen
  4. Wietzendorf
    Wietzendorf
    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....




Unincorporated area
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...


  1. Osterheide
    Osterheide
    Osterheide is an unincorporated area in the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany.The area has 815 inhabitants . Its administrative seat is the village of Oerbke; other villages are Ostenholz and Wense...

  • 1. Ahlden
    Ahlden (Samtgemeinde)
    Ahlden is a Samtgemeinde in the Heidekreis district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Its seat is in the village Hodenhagen.The Samtgemeinde Ahlden consists of the following municipalities:* Ahlden * Eickeloh* Grethem...

  • Ahlden
    Ahlden
    Ahlden is a municipality in the Heidekreis district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Aller, approx. 15 km southwest of Bad Fallingbostel, and 30 km southeast of Verden....

  • Eickeloh
    Eickeloh
    Eickeloh is a municipality in the Heidekreis district, in Lower Saxony, Germany....

  • Grethem
    Grethem
    Grethem is a municipality in the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany....

  • Hademstorf
    Hademstorf
    Hademstorf is a municipality in the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany....

  • Hodenhagen
    Hodenhagen
    Hodenhagen is a municipality in the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town was once the site of Hudemühlen Castle, which is now completely destroyed. The castle was famous as the home of the kobold Hinzelmann. The site of another medieval castle, Hodenhagen Castle on the River...

    1
    • 2. Rethem/Aller
      Rethem/Aller (Samtgemeinde)
      Rethem/Aller is a Samtgemeinde in the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Its seat is in the town Rethem.The Samtgemeinde Rethem/Aller consists of the following municipalities:# Böhme# Frankenfeld...

  • Böhme
    Böhme, Lower Saxony
    Böhme is a municipality in the Heidekreis district, in Lower Saxony, Germany.-Subdivisions:The four subdivisions in the municipality are:*Böhme*Bierde*Altenwahlingen*Kirchwahlingen...

  • Frankenfeld
    Frankenfeld
    Frankenfeld is a municipality in the Heidekreis district, in Lower Saxony, Germany....

  • Häuslingen
    Häuslingen
    Häuslingen is a municipality in the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany....

  • Rethem
    Rethem
    Rethem is a town in the Heidekreis in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Aller, approx. 25 km southwest of Bad Fallingbostel, and 18 km southeast of Verden...

    1, 2
    • 3. Schwarmstedt
      Schwarmstedt (Samtgemeinde)
      Schwarmstedt is a Samtgemeinde in the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Its seat is in the village Schwarmstedt.The Samtgemeinde Schwarmstedt consists of the following municipalities:# Buchholz# Essel...

  • Buchholz
    Buchholz, Soltau-Fallingbostel
    Buchholz is a municipality in the Heidekreis district, in Lower Saxony, Germany....

  • Essel
    Essel
    Essel is a municipality in the Heidekreis district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Most of the village is located on the southern bank of the river Aller. The A 7 motorway runs through the village.-Subdivisions:The municipality of Essel comprises 4 subdivisions:...

  • Gilten
    Gilten, Germany
    Gilten is a municipality in the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany....

  • Lindwedel
    Lindwedel
    Lindwedel is a municipality in the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany....

  • Schwarmstedt
    Schwarmstedt
    Schwarmstedt is a municipality in the Heidekreis in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the confluence of the rivers Aller and Leine, approx. 20 km south of Bad Fallingbostel, and 30 km east of Nienburg...

    1
  • |colspan=2 align=center|1seat of the Samtgemeinde; 2town

    Culture and places of interest

    Cultural matters are looked after by the those charged with communal cultural support within the towns and municipalities, the parishes, the banks, the Lüneburg Regional Association
    Lüneburg Regional Association
    The Lüneburg Regional Association is a registered association in the German state of Lower Saxony and is one of a number of regional associations in the state.- History :...

     and private cultural initiatives.

    Museums and collections

    • Dat ole Hus
      Dat ole Hus
      Dat ole Hus is a privately run local history museum in the village of Bünzen in the municipality of Aukrug in Schleswig-Holstein. Its interior rooms portray the living quarters of a farmer from this region from the 18th to the early 20th century.- History :The museum is house in a cottage first...

       (heath and open-air museum in Wilsede)
    • German Tank Museum in Munster
      Munster, Lower Saxony
      Munster, also called Munster , is a small town in the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany almost equidistant from Hamburg and Hanover. The town is home to the German Army's largest garrison and is situated between the two training areas of Munster North and Munster South. It is also...

       (German military history of the 20th century)
    • Düshorn Village Museum (life and work around 100 years ago)
    • Hof der Heidmark in Bad Fallingbostel
      Bad Fallingbostel
      Bad Fallingbostel is the district town of the Heidekreis district in the German state of Lower Saxony. Since 1976 the town has had a state-recognised Kneipp spa and has held the title of Bad since 5 August 2002. It has close ties to Walsrode, a few miles to the west...

       (memorial to the Heidmark)
    • Klingendes Museum (mechanical musical instruments) in Schwarmstedt
      Schwarmstedt
      Schwarmstedt is a municipality in the Heidekreis in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the confluence of the rivers Aller and Leine, approx. 20 km south of Bad Fallingbostel, and 30 km east of Nienburg...

    • Museum of the Archaeological Working Group in Bad Fallingbostel
    • Soltau Museum (local history and archaeological exhibition) in Soltau
      Soltau
      - Middle Ages :The region of the Lüneburg Heath had already been settled by the start of the New Stone Age about 4,000 years ago. The Soltau area was initially occupied by a few individual farms. The parish of Soltau was probably founded around 830 and the first wooden church Sante Johannis...

    • Soltau Toy Museum (toys from four centuries)
    • Peetshof (Zeugen Wietzendorfs um 1900) in Wietzendorf
      Wietzendorf
      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....

    • Prussian History (Pavillon im Landschaftspark Iserhatsche) in Bispingen
      Bispingen
      Bispingen is a municipality in the Heidekreis district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the River Luhe and is approximately northeast of Soltau, or south of Hamburg.-Subdivisions:*Bispingen*Hützel*Steinbeck an der Luhe...

    • Pult- und Federkielmuseum (Schulmuseum in Insel) in Schneverdingen
    • Rischmannshof Heath Museum
      Rischmannshof Heath Museum
      The Rischmannshof Heath Museum is an open-air museum in Walsrode, Germany.- History :Rischmannshof was opened in 1912 as one of the first open-air museums in Germany. The museum consists of a rural farmyard with outbuildings and other exhibits...

       (heath and open-air museum) in Walsrode
      Walsrode
      -Middle Ages:986 Foundation of Walsrode Abbey by Count Walo. The first recorded mentionof the town is dated May 7, 986.1383 The dukes of Brunswick and Lüneburg grant Walsrode a town charter.1479 First recorded instance of Walsrode's coat of arms...

    • Schäferhof Neuenkirchen (Moorland sheep rearing to preserve the heath and moorlands between Neuenkirchen and Soltau) in Neuenkirchen
    • Heimathaus auf dem Schroershof (historic farmstead with many buildings) in Neuenkirchen
    • Art Society and Springhornhof Foundation in Neuenkirchen
    • Bothmer School Museum (schools in the times of the Emperor) in Schwarmstedt
    • Ehrhorn Woodland Museum (woods – heathland – people) in Schneverdingen

    Lüneburg Regional Association

    The county is a member of the Lüneburg Regional Association
    Lüneburg Regional Association
    The Lüneburg Regional Association is a registered association in the German state of Lower Saxony and is one of a number of regional associations in the state.- History :...

     (Lüneburgischer Landschaftsverband), which looks after regional, cultural-political tasks.

    Nature reserves

    There are es 26 nature reserve
    Nature reserve
    A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...

    s in the county of Soltau-Fallingbostel. The largest one (Lüneburg Heath Nature Reserve
    Lüneburg Heath Nature Reserve
    The Lüneburg Heath Nature Reserve is one of the oldest and largest nature reserves in Germany, and the oldest and largest in Lower Saxony...

    ) has an area of 13,222 ha
    Hectare
    The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...

     in the territory of the county of Soltau-Fallingbostel, the smallest (Söhlbruch) has an area of 8 ha.

    Jewish cemeteries

    There are four Jewish cemeteries
    Jewish cemetery
    A Jewish cemetery is a cemetery where members of the Jewish faith are buried in keeping with Jewish tradition....

     in Soltau-Fallingbostel : in Ahlden, Rethem, Soltau und Walsrode. There are protected cultural monuments
    Cultural Heritage Management
    Cultural heritage management is the vocation and practice of managing cultural heritage. It is a branch of cultural resources management , although it also draws on the practices of conservation, restoration, museology, archaeology, history and architecture...

     – stone witnesses to former Jewish communities
    Judaism
    Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...

    and a thriving Jewish parish live into the 1930s. The cemeteries are mainly on the edge of parishes.

    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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