Uelsen
Encyclopedia
Geography
The community of Uelsen lies in westernmost Lower Saxony, on the borderBorder
Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, sovereign states, federated states and other subnational entities. Some borders—such as a state's internal administrative borders, or inter-state borders within the Schengen Area—are open and...
with the Kingdom of the Netherlands
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...
, roughly 30 km north of Enschede
Enschede
Enschede , also known as Eanske in the local dialect of Twents, is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands in the province of Overijssel and in the Twente region...
and 15 km northwest of Nordhorn
Nordhorn
Nordhorn is the district seat of Grafschaft Bentheim in Lower Saxony's southwesternmost corner near the border with the Netherlands and the boundary with North Rhine-Westphalia.- Name's origin :...
..
History
About 690, the groundwork for the great parish of Uelsen was laid, probably by the missionary WillibrordWillibrord
__notoc__Willibrord was a Northumbrian missionary saint, known as the "Apostle to the Frisians" in the modern Netherlands...
.
In 1131, Uelsen was first mentioned in a document by the Bishop of Utrecht. At that time, Uelsen belonged to Twente
Twente
Twente is a non-administrative region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel...
(now in the Netherlands), which then belonged to the German Empire, as did Utrecht.
About 1300, the castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
of the Count ten Tooren or von Thurn stood in Uelsen, whose remains were used in the mid-19th century as a synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
.
In 1312, ownership of Uelsen passed to the Count of Bentheim.
From the introduction of the Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
creed in Uelsen in 1544, and until 1597, the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
was taking place.
In 1546, under Emperor Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
, border crossings were sealed and Uelsen was cut off from the Netherlands.
In 1580, there was heavy fighting in the Uelsen woods in the Dutch Revolt
Dutch Revolt
The Dutch Revolt or the Revolt of the Netherlands This article adopts 1568 as the starting date of the war, as this was the year of the first battles between armies. However, since there is a long period of Protestant vs...
between the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and the Dutch.
In 1588, the Reformed creed was introduced.
Between 1618 and 1648 came 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....
. Even Uelsen was not spared the war’s fury. The County of Bentheim (Grafschaft Bentheim) was supposedly neutral ground. Nevertheless, the people suffered great hardships. 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...
, Lüneburg
Lüneburg
Lüneburg is a town in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of fellow Hanseatic city Hamburg. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, and one of Hamburg's inner suburbs...
, Hessian
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
and Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
troops all moved into billets in the community and extorted board and the people’s last belongings.
In 1636, as a result of the war, and also the widespread hunger
Famine
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including crop failure, overpopulation, or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. Every continent in the world has...
, the plague broke out.
In 1650, the town hall was built.
In 1655, Bernhard von Galen, Bishop of Münster, waged war against Holland. Once more, the County had fighting troops marching through it. In 1666, Bernhard von Galen concluded the Peace of Nordhorn. In 1672, however, the Bishop of Münster once again attacked the Netherlands after only six years’ peace.
In 1688, Count Ernst Wilhelm converted to the Catholic
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
faith. The Reformed clergy he then also had replaced by Catholic clergy. The County pastors turned to the Netherlands, Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
became the church’s language, and until the late 19th century, it was also used in school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
s. Church hymns were still partly being sung in Dutch as late as 1933.
Between 1756 and 1763, the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
raged.
In the 19th century, the population figures fell from 1200 to 806 as working-class families moved to Nordhorn
Nordhorn
Nordhorn is the district seat of Grafschaft Bentheim in Lower Saxony's southwesternmost corner near the border with the Netherlands and the boundary with North Rhine-Westphalia.- Name's origin :...
or Schüttorf
Schüttorf
Schüttorf is a town in the district of Grafschaft Bentheim in southwesternmost Lower Saxony near the Dutch border and the boundary with Westphalia . The town of Schüttorf forms with the surrounding communities the Joint Community of Schüttorf. It is the district’s oldest town...
to find work in the textile industry. Some families also moved to the Netherlands or America.
In 1921, an electric company was founded. Between 1929 and 1931, a water supply system was built.
Between 1933 and 1945, Uelsen and its outlying centres were NSDAP strongholds.
In 1974, Uelsen became the seat of the Joint Community (Samtgemeinde) of Uelsen, to which also belong the communities of Getelo
Getelo
-Location:Getelo lies west of Nordhorn on the border with the Netherlands. It belongs to the Joint Community of Uelsen, whose administrative seat is in the like-named community.-Buildings:...
, Gölenkamp
Gölenkamp
-Location:Gölenkamp lies northwest of Nordhorn. It belongs to the Joint Community of Uelsen, whose administrative seat is in the like-named community.-Constituent communities:...
, Halle
Halle, Bentheim
Halle is a village in the Joint Community of Uelsen, in the district of Grafschaft Bentheim in Lower Saxony.The community, to which the centres of Hardingen and Hesingen also belong, has 654 inhabitants and spans 21.15 km².The community’s mayor is Geert Beckhuis.The Poascheberg in Hesingen...
, Itterbeck
Itterbeck
Itterbeck in the district of Grafschaft Bentheim in Lower Saxony is an old farming community that has developed into an independent community with almost 1,800 inhabitants...
, Wielen
Wielen
Wieleń is a town in Czarnków-Trzcianka County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland. It is situated on the river Noteć. Zbigniew Stochaj is the mayor of the city since 2001.- Historical monuments :...
and Wilsum
Wilsum
Wilsum is a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality of Kampen, about 4 km southeast of that city....
.
In 2006, Uelsen marked its 875 years of existence with a festival week.
Uelsen belonged until 31 December 2004 to the Regierungsbezirk
Regierungsbezirk
In Germany, a Government District, in German: Regierungsbezirk – is a subdivision of certain federal states .They are above the Kreise, Landkreise, and kreisfreie Städte...
of Weser-Ems, which was abolished with effect from this date after administrative reform.
The state-recognized health resort of Uelsen is the Joint Community’s middle point and at the same time its seat.
Events
- Saisonauftakt (seasonal prelude): Saturday before WhitsunWhitsunWhitsun is the name used in the UK for the Christian festival of Pentecost, the seventh Sunday after Easter, which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ's disciples...
- Volks- und Schützenfest (folk and shooting festival): 2nd weekend in July
- Herbstmarkt (Herbstkirmes; autumn market): 3rd weekend in October
- Weihnachtsmarkt (ChristmasChristmasChristmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
market): Saturday before 2nd day in Advent
Further reading
- Herbert Wagner: Die Gestapo war nicht allein... Politische Sozialkontrolle und Staatsterror im deutsch-niederländischen Grenzgebiet 1929 - 1945. LIT Verlag. Münster 2004 (contains among other things Uelsen in National Socialist times, persecution of the church, Oostergetelo).