The town is in the central part of the Emsland, at the mouth of the Hase River where it meets the Ems, between the cities ofLingen andPapenburg. About 20 kilometres (12 mi) from theDutch border, Meppen has an area of 188.45 square kilometres (72.76 sq mi) and is 15 metres (49 ft)above sea level. The population was 34,196 as of 30 June 2005[update].
Meppen, formerly a fortified town, boasts 12 centuries of history. The first documented mention of Meppen dates from 834, in a deed of donation byFrankishemperorLouis the Pious, transferring a missionary establishment of that name to the abbey ofCorvey.
1360 — Meppen is granted the right to build cityfortifications 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 theSeven Years' War, the fortifications are demolished. Some walls remain standing today, however.
1803 — Resolutions of theReichsdeputationshauptschluss assign Meppen toLouis Engelbert, 6th Duke of Arenberg, to compensate for the loss of his possessions on the west bank of theRhine. Meppen becomes thecapital of the dukedom ofArenberg.
Monument to local Jewish victims of theKristallnacht
1938 —Kristallnacht: the German police andSA broke down intoJewish houses and carried out mass arrests, beatings and tortures of Jews. Germans burned down the synagogue and destroyed Jewish homes and enterprises. Some Jews were deported to theOranienburg concentration camp.[3]
1945 — Prisoners of the subcamp were evacuated by the Germans toBremen, most in adeath march, in which at least 50 prisoners died, sick ones by train, and then they were mostly transported to the Neuengamme concentration camp.[5][6]
1946 — The state of Prussia is abolished after theWorld War II. Meppen becomes part of the newly createdLand ofLower Saxony.
1977 — District reforms in Lower Saxony unite the former districts ofLingen [de],Meppen [de] andAschendorf-Hümmling [de] in the district of Emsland, with Meppen as administrative seat.
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 byEberhard 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 afamily 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.
Around 1461–62 the Priory Church of St. Vitus was built as a three-aisledlate Gothichall church. Whilst there were only wooden churches in the surrounding area, at this sport there was already a simple stone building as early as the 9th century. This was expanded in the 11th century; the heart of the present tower being one of the additions. Further expansion in the 13th century resulting in the Bridle and North Portals being built.
TheResidenz, which today houses the council and the headmaster's office of the Windthorst Gymnasium, was built between 1726 and 1729. Later, in 1743–46, the Gymnasium Church was built onto the Residenz under the Pater Superior,Karl Immendorf.
Thetown hall (Rathaus), today the symbol of the town, was constructed in 1408 fromglacial erratics. From 1601 to 1605 it was considerably expanded and an additional brick storey added. In order to increase the floor area for the upper storey, an open arched hall was erected in front of the building. Thestepped gable with its semi-circular elements was heavily based on Münster prototypes at (Rothenburg 44, built 1583, and theKrameramtshaus of 1589). At the start of the 19th century the building appears to have fallen considerably into disrepair, because the Arenberg architect,Josef Niehaus, was invited by the town submit an assessment for its renovation. He recommended that the ruined tower was demolished and the ornamentation of the gable removed, but initially that came to nought. In 1885 the ornamentation was finally removed and the gable end furnished with a plain triangular gable. In addition the turret of the staircase tower at the side, added in 1611 was demolished due to its poor condition. In 1909 it was decided to rebuild the tower and gable in their present form. Inside the building is a 1605 sandstone fireplace.
The armoury (Zeughaus) was built in 1752 on the site of the former castle, thePaulsburg (residence of theseneschal orDrost, built in 1374) by order ofPrince-Elector Clemens August. It was to act as a store room for weapons, munitions, uniforms and battle equipment for soldiers studying at Meppen Fortress. In the 19th century the building was used for commercial purposes and survives today as a private residence, albeit with a number of structural alterations.
The history of theHerrenmühle, awater mill on theNordradde stream, goes back to the 16th century. It is used today for cultural events.
Residential houses By contrast withLingen, just a few kilometres away, the centre of Meppen has hardly any historic buildings. The town houses mainly consist of new buildings with a few 19th century brick houses. Of national significance is the Arenberg Rentei (Arenbergische Rentei) at No. 7,Obergerichtsstraße. The two-storeyclassical building withpilasters and amansard roof was built as a residence in 1805 byAugust Reinking for the merchant, Ferdindand Frye, and his wife, Josefine Mulert. From 1835, it was used as a finance office (Rentei), it now serves as a town museum. Four years later, based on plans by the same architect, the so-calledHeyl'sche Haus was built at No. 3,Emsstraße. The owner was the Duchy ofArenberg's privy councillor (Kammerrat), Anton Heyl. While the house itself was demolished in 1977 in favour of a bank, the adjoining hall, with its remarkable ornamentation, was kept and restored. Next to the huge bank, it looks rather lost. The town community centre, built in 1816 by physician, Nicholas Vagedes, not far from the town hall, has housed the town council since 1936. Amongst the few remaining timber-framed buildings are the single-storey houses No. 24,Kuhstraße and No. 12,Im Sack. The former dates essentially to the 16th century and is one of the oldest buildings in the town. It has been expanded and extended several times. No. 12Im Sack, by contrast, was built in 1797 and still has a gateway to the hall or threshing floor (Dielentor). Today, it houses the offices of the newspaper and the senior citizens' volunteer agency.
TheKoppelschleuse locks, built between 1826 and 1830, have survived in its original state as part of the old Ems–Hase Canal.
TheHölting Mill (Höltingmühle), asmock mill, was probably built in 1639 nearBockhorn in the county ofFriesland. The mill was bought by the Hölting Citizens Preservation Society and re-erected during the town's 600th anniversary celebrations in 1959–60 on the tongue of land between theDortmund–Ems Canal and theRiver Hase. Inside the mill today is a café, which is open during summer weekends. Civil ceremonies also take place in the mill.
TheMeppener Högerhaus, a former administrative building for the county ofMeppen, (built 1936–1937) was designed by architect,Fritz Höger. Today a police station is housed in the double-winged, brick building onBahnhofstraße, with itshipped roof. The entrance staircase on the southwest side is dominated by anarchway.
