Balge is a municipality in the district of Nienburg, in

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, located on the

Weser river The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports of Bre ...

. The community belongs to the ''

Samtgemeinde A ''Samtgemeinde'' (; plural: ''Samtgemeinden'') is a type of administrative division in Lower Saxony, Germany. ''Samtgemeinden'' are local government associations of municipality, municipalities, equivalent to the ''Amt (administrative division ...

Weser-Aue Weser-Aue is a ''Samtgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") in the district of Nienburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Its seat is in the village Marklohe. It was established on 1 November 2021 by the merger of the former ''Samtgemeinden'' Marklohe and ...

which consists of six municipalities including Balge.

History

On March 1, 1974 the community of Balge, Blenhorst, Bötenberg, Buchhorst, Holzbalge, Mehlbergen and Sebbenhausen were merged to form a new municipality called Blenhorst. The name was officially changed to Balge on January 23, 1976.

Politics

The local council of governance consists of eleven women counsellors. Including: * 6

SPD The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the ...

seats * 5 seats for members at large from the Balge voting community (as of the election of September 11, 2011). Barbara King-Meyer (

) is honorary mayor from the community of Balge

Culture and Sites of Interest

Sites

* In Blenhorst there is a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

and

flour mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separat ...

that has been in operation since 1769. * In Bötenberg there is a

watermill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production of ...

, the Benther Mill, that was first registered as a

grain mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separated ...

in 1553. It is no longer in operation, but was a

and

. * The village church in Balge with its striking tower was built circa 1300 in Romanesque style. Blenhorst Wassermühle.JPG, Watermill in Blenhorst Mill from 1853.jpg, Benther mill / Bötenberg Ortsblick in Balge IMG 0012.jpg, Balge view St.-Bartholomäus-Kirche in Balge IMG 0011.jpg, St. Bartholomäus church

Sports

The sports club in Balge (SV Sebbenhausen / Balge), sponsors several gun clubs, and two marching bands from individual districts.

Economy and Infrastructure

Education

* Kindergarten in BalgeWebsite of Kindergartens in Balge
/ref> * Because of strong evidence of projected decrease in school population, (sometimes only five students per year) the closure of the primary school site in Balge was decided in early 2008.

Noteworthy Person

Heinrich Löhmann - (1933 Siebbenhausen). Farmer and author of "Kindheit Auf dem Dorf, Jungend in wechselvoller Zeit"

References

{{Authority control Nienburg (district)