Twistringen | |
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 Coat of arms | |
Location of Twistringen within Diepholz district  | |
  Twistringen  Twistringen | |
| Coordinates:52°48′N08°39′E / 52.800°N 8.650°E /52.800; 8.650 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Lower Saxony |
| District | Diepholz |
| Subdivisions | 9 districts |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2019–24) | Jens Bley[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 114.22 km2 (44.10 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 49 m (161 ft) |
| Population (2022-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 12,779 |
| • Density | 110/km2 (290/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 27239 |
| Dialling codes | 04243 |
| Vehicle registration | DH |
| Website | www.twistringen.de |
Twistringen is a town in thedistrict of Diepholz,Lower Saxony,Germany. It is located approximately 30 km northeast ofDiepholz, and 30 km southwest ofBremen. The source of theDelme river is located in the city. The most important attraction in Twistringen is the museum ofstraw processing.
Twistringen was first mentioned in a document in 1250 as "Thuisteringe". In this writing, all towns had to pay early contributions for the maintenance of the bridge over theWeser inBremen. There was aparish in the city since approximately 825. After theReformation in 1525, the parish Twistring wasre-Catholicized in 1618. Located in a predominantlyProtestant area, Twistringen was a Catholic enclave of thePrince-Bishopric of Münster. It has been a part of theDiocese Osnabrück since 1824. Today, Twistringen is still mainly Catholic.
UnderFrench rule from 1811 to 1813, a modern road connection, the Napoleon Road (now calledB 51) was built in Twistringen. In 1817, it became part of theKingdom of Hanover.
Only after the construction of the rail connection between Bremen and Osnabrück in 1873, did Lutherans settle in the town again. These founded a Protestant-Lutheran congregation in 1891 and inaugurated their own church in 1894.
There was also a smallJewish community in Twistringen. Until 1938, there was asynagogue, which is still commemorated by a plaque. Somewhat outside of the center of Twistringen, there is still a Jewish cemetery.
In 1964, Twistringen gainedtown privileges. In 1974, the Municipality Twistringen was created with the incorporation of the localities of Abbenhausen, Altenmarhorst, Heiligenloh, Mörsen, Natenstedt, Rüssen, Scharrendorf, Stelle and Twistringen.
Hay processing has played an important role in Twistringen for centuries. At times, one third of all inhabitants were somehow employed in this industry. Straw hats, drinking straws, etc. were produced in Twistringen and exported into many countries. The museum of straw processing documents the history and development of this industry from its beginning to the present.
To celebrate the 750th anniversary of the town in 2000, a giant straw hat, which made it into theGuinness Book of World Records was constructed in front of the town hall. It had a diameter of 5.50 meters. The celebration was also visited byReinhold Beckmann, a well-known television host, who hails from Twistringen. Now the hat can be found in the museum.
A castle called Hünenburg is situated in the borough Stöttinghausen. Only aring wall with a diameter of 80 meters is still visible. It is the remains of a fortress, from the 5th to 9th century. An examination of the interior of the wall in 1932 turned out that several buildings had once existed here. In 2005, the wooden entrance gate was reconstructed to give the structure a look, reminding visitors of a castle.
As far as geology, Twistringen has gained supra-regional relevance. Until the 1990s,mudstone was exhausted in the mine of the brickyard in the outskirts of town. These aresediments of theNorth Sea, which were deposed in the region during theMiocene period.
In the mudstones afauna very rich in both species and organisms was found. They contained a lot ofsnails,clams,scaphopods, andcorals, but also more rarelysea urchins,vertebrateskeletons andteeth, and rests ofcephalopods. The fauna was generally small and unspectacular. However, because of the diversity of species - at least 250 species of snails from the strata of Twistringen are known and described -, thus a picture of the animal world of this time period so exact is gained, that Twistringen has become one of the "classical place of discovery ofpaleontology". Finds from Twistringen are in numerous museums and private collections.
On November 13, 1973, aBelgianF-104 Starfighter crashed into a home in the borough of Mörsen. The pilot, a fireman, the father, the mother, and two girls died. A young boy was able to escape out of a hatch before the fire spread to the home. The disaster left three young orphans.
Since 1977, Twistringen has been partnered with theFrenchmunicipalityBonnétable, which is situated in thedepartment ofSarthe. In Bonnétable, there is a street called "Rue de Twistringen".
Since 2011 there is also a partnership with the Lithuanian cityKaišiadorys which has 10.000 inhabitants and is part of the Kaunas area.
Thecity council has 26 seats plus that of themayor. Since the communal elections of September 11, 2011, the seat distribution is as follows:
Twistringen is on the railway line Bremen-Osnabrück. There is a train to Bremen every half-hour and to Osnabrück every hour. The B51, a federal road which runs from Bremen to Osnabrück, runs through the center of Twistringen. Driving to Bremen takes about 45 minutes, to Osnabrück 70 minutes.
Twistringen is 36 km away fromBremen Airport.
In Twistringen, there are 2 elementary schools and a school center, where aHauptschule, aRealschule, aGymnasium, the Hildegard-von-Bingen-Gymnasium Twistringen, and a municipal library are located. There are also several kindergartens.
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