Achim (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Achem''), commonly Achim bei Bremen, is a municipality and the largest town (population 30,059 in December 2006) in the district of Verden, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Weser, approx. 17 km northwest of

Verden Verden can refer to: * Verden an der Aller, a town in Lower Saxony, Germany * Verden, Oklahoma, a small town in the USA * Verden (district), a district in Lower Saxony, Germany * Diocese of Verden (768–1648), a former diocese of the Catholic Chur ...

, and 16 km southeast of

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...

Geography

Achim lies in the

Weser Depression The Weser Depression (german: Weserniederung) or Weser Lowlands is the region north of Porta Westfalica in Germany, where the River Weser no longer flows through a valley, but a broad plain consisting of meadows and river terraces. The flat ...

, an Urstromtal. The area surrounding Achim is primarily moorland in its natural state. It has an elevation between 12 and 40 metres above sea level, and an area of 65.1 km². For the Badener mountains and Oil Camp, see

Baden, Lower Saxony Baden is a town near Bremen, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is known to Africanists and Phoneticians as the place where Diedrich Hermann Westermann was born and died. It is a borough of the town of Achim. Baden is on the train line from Hanover ...

History

The first recorded mention of Achim came in 1091 as Arahem. The controlling heights of the Linden Mountains, south of Bremen, on which the old Arahem leaned, was a cult- and court-location. Achim was a meeting place of old Saxon courts. The court met three times annually. The Christian missionaries erected a baptismal church in Achim in the 12th century; it was the predecessor of St. Laurentius Church in Achim, built in 1257. Then it belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen. In the course of the War on Lunenburgian Succession (1370–1388) Achim was set on fire in 1381 because of the fights between Duke Albrecht of Saxe-Wittenberg, Duke-designate of Brunswick and Lunenburg, and the Prince-Archbishop of

, Albert II, titular Duke of Brunswick and Lunenburg. From 1626 Achim was controlled alternately by Danes and Swedes. In 1648 the Prince-Archbishopric was transformed into the Duchy of Bremen, which was first ruled in personal union by the Swedish Crown and — interrupted by a Danish occupation (1712–1715) — from 1715 on by the House of Hanover. During the Third Silesian or Seven Years' War (precipitated by the Anglo- French and Indian War) it was controlled by France. In 1807 the ephemeric Kingdom of Westphalia annexed the Duchy of Bremen, including Achim, before France annexed it in 1810. Achim became the capital of a homonymous canton within the Département des Bouches-du-Weser. In 1813 the Duchy was restored to the

Electorate of Hanover The Electorate of Hanover (german: Kurfürstentum Hannover or simply ''Kurhannover'') was an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire, located in northwestern Germany and taking its name from the capital city of Hanover. It was formally known as ...

. In 1814 the Electorate was upgraded to the Kingdom of Hanover at the Congress of Vienna. In 1823 Hanover incorporated the Duchy in a real union and the ducal territory, including Achim, became part of the Stade Region, established in 1823. A train station has existed in Achim since 1847. Achim lies along the track between

and Hannover. Rathaus Stadt Achim

Industry

Achim is home to several international companies including Vitakraft and Desma shoe machines. Mercedes-Benz, Coca-Cola and Amazon.com, Inc. also have branch offices in the city.

Twin towns – sister cities

Achim is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: * Cēsis, Latvia * Nowa Sól, Poland

Notable people

Notable people that were born or lived in Achim include: *

Friedrich Wilhelm Kleukens Friedrich may refer to: Names *Friedrich (surname), people with the surname ''Friedrich'' *Friedrich (given name), people with the given name ''Friedrich'' Other *Friedrich (board game), a board game about Frederick the Great and the Seven Years' ...

(1878–1956), German graphic designer and typographer * Christian Heinrich Kleukens (1880–1954), calligrapher and poet *

Carl Huneke Carl Huneke (19 June 1898 – 18 June 1972) was a German-American stained glass artist and master craftsman. Proprietor of the Century Stained Glass Studio in San Francisco, California, Carl designed and created more than 1,000 stained glas ...

(1898–1972), German-American master stained glass artist and craftsman *

Karl Ravens Karl Ravens (29 June 1927 – 8 September 2017) was a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). He served as the Federal Minister of Regional Planning, Construction and Urban Development for West Germany W ...

(1927–2017), German politician ( SPD), former federal minister Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F055059-0025, Köln, SPD-Parteitag, Ravens

* Fritz-Heiner Hepke (born 1947), politician (SPD), 1998-2003 deputy in the state parliament of Lower Saxony * Martin Schmidt (born 1969), handball player * Matthias Weidenhöfer (born 1985), German actor *

Felix Wiedwald Felix Wiedwald (; born 15 March 1990) is a German former professional association football, footballer who played as a goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. A SV Werder Bremen, Werder Bremen youth product, he played for SV Werder Bremen ...

(born 1990), football player * Deniz Undav (born 1996), football player

References

External links

Official site
{{Authority control Verden (district)