Ladbergen is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in the
district of Steinfurt, in
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...
, Germany. It is situated near the
Dortmund-Ems Canal, approximately 25 km south-west of
Osnabrück
Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population ...
and 20 km north-east of
Münster
Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state distr ...
.
Geography
![Ladbergen, Dortmund-Ems-Kanal -- 2014 -- 9826](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Ladbergen%2C_Dortmund-Ems-Kanal_--_2014_--_9826.jpg)
The municipality is situated in the Tecklenburg country in the middle between the cities
Münster
Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state distr ...
and
Osnabrück
Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population ...
. Because of its central location between these two cities Ladbergen is well accessible by the ''
Autobahn
The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. ...
'' (motorway/freeway) A 1 (Ladbergen junction) and the ''
Bundesstraße
''Bundesstraße'' (German for "federal highway"), abbreviated ''B'', is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.
Germany
Germany's ''Bundesstraßen'' network has a total length of about 40,000 km.
German ''Bundesstraßen'' ...
'' (federal highway) B 475. The
Dortmund-Ems Canal (canal port Ladbergen) situated on the western municipal border and
Münster Osnabrück International Airport
Münster Osnabrück International Airport , ''Flughafen Münster/Osnabrück'' in German, is a minor international airport in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located near Greven, north of Münster and south of Osnabrück. The ...
(FMO) are located a few kilometers from the centre of Ladbergen.
Unlike the name part of "bergen" suggests, Ladbergen offers no mountainous or hilly landscape, but is situated at a relatively uniform level between and with a mean elevation of above sea level.
Two streams flow through Ladbergen, the
Ladbergen Aa
Ladbergen is a municipality in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated near the Dortmund-Ems Canal, approximately 25 km south-west of Osnabrück and 20 km north-east of Münster.
Geography
The ...
and the
Ladbergen Mühlenbach
Ladbergen is a municipality in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated near the Dortmund-Ems Canal, approximately 25 km south-west of Osnabrück and 20 km north-east of Münster.
Geography
The ...
that both flow eventually into the
Glane stream.
The municipality Ladbergen is subdivided in the village(centre) and the surrounding rural areas Hölter, Wester and Overbeck.
Neighboring municipalities and towns
Ladbergen borders on:
*
Tecklenburg
Tecklenburg () is a town in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Its name comes from the ruined castle around which it was built. The town is situated on the Hermannsweg hiking trail.
The coat of arms shows an anchor a ...
*
Lengerich
*
Lienen
Lienen is a municipality in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated approximately 15 km south-east of Osnabrück and 30 km north-east of Münster.
Lienen is a sister city with Saint Marys, Ohio in ...
*
Ostbevern
Ostbevern is a municipality in the district of Warendorf, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Geography
Ostbevern is situated on the river Bever, approx. 18 km north-east of Münster and 18 km north-west of Warendorf.
Neighbouring ...
*
Greven
Greven (; Westphalian: ''Graiwen'') is a medium-sized town in the district of Steinfurt, in Germany's most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia and close to the city of Münster.
Geography
Greven is situated on the river Ems, approx. 25&n ...
*
Saerbeck
Saerbeck is a municipality in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated approximately 30 km west of Osnabrück and 25 km north of Münster.
Twin city
* Rietavas, Lithuania
* Ferrières-en-Gâtinai ...
Population
With a population of 6,370 (census of 30 June 2011) Ladbergen is the second smallest independent municipality in the
district of Steinfurt (just before
Laer
Laer () is a municipality in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated approximately south of Steinfurt and north-west of Münster
Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Sta ...
with 6,298 inhabitants). 3,221 women and 3,149 men were living in the municipality.
The camping facilities offer about 700 more people a second home in Ladbergen.
Regarding religion the largest part of the population is Protestant (
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
), a smaller part is Roman Catholic.
History
![Ladbergen, Zentrum, Afrouper](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Ladbergen%2C_Zentrum%2C_Afrouper.jpg)
Because of graves found, it is assumed that the territory of the municipality Ladbergen was already populated in the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
. Ladbergen got mentioned first in 950 in a certificate of the Freckenhorst
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
.
In the year 1149, the municipality was assigned as an independent parish by the
Diocese of Münster
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
. In 1170 the parish was taken over by the
Diocese of Osnabrück
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...
.
In 1246 the ''Ladberger Marktbund'' (Ladbergen Marketfederation) was founded by representatives of the cities
Münster
Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state distr ...
,
Osnabrück
Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population ...
,
Minden
Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the greatest town between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district (''Kreis'') of Minden-Lübbecke, which is part of the region of Detm ...
and
Herford
Herford (; nds, Hiarwede) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the lowlands between the hill chains of the Wiehen Hills and the Teutoburg Forest. It is the capital of the district of Herford (district), Herford.
Geography
...
. This was a precursor of other forms of cooperation in Westphalia and the
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German to ...
.
Around 1400, the western parts of the community were lost to the Diocese of Münster.
As a result, the population of Ladbergen until after World War II remained religiously almost exclusively Protestant (Lutheranism).
In the year 1650 Ladbergen gained political autonomy for the first time. In 1707 Ladbergen with the entire Duchy of
Tecklenburg
Tecklenburg () is a town in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Its name comes from the ruined castle around which it was built. The town is situated on the Hermannsweg hiking trail.
The coat of arms shows an anchor a ...
got incorporated into the Kingdom of
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
. After 1816 Ladbergen belonged to the ''Landkreis Münster'' and was later assigned to the ''Landkreis Tecklenburg''.
In 1855 Ladbergen lost its political autonomy, and was administratively unified with the village
Brochterbeck. This situation remained unchanged up to 1907, when Ladbergen was assigned to Tecklenburg.
During World War II the vicinity of Ladbergen was heavily bombed. Allied bombers tried to destroy the Dortmund-Ems Canal
aqueducts near Ladbergen, where the canal passes over the Mühlenbach to render the canal useless for extended periods.
105 mm
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
Flak locations in Ladbergen, supported by smaller anti-aircraft guns. Batteries of 105 mm guns were usually left to defend major cities. This indicates the importance of the canal to the overall German war effort. Besides bombs and downed airplanes shrapnel fell onto Ladbergen during the air raids causing loses in property and lives. The air raids did not result in the destruction of the targeted aqueducts, but
Tallboy bomb
Tallboy or Bomb, Medium Capacity, 12,000 lb was an earthquake bomb developed by the British aeronautical engineer Barnes Wallis and used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War."Medium capacity" refers to the ratio of bomb ...
s dropped by
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirlin ...
bombers of
No. 617 Squadron RAF
Number 617 Squadron is a Royal Air Force aircraft squadron, originally based at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire and currently based at RAF Marham in Norfolk. It is commonly known as "''The Dambusters''", for its actions during Operation Chastise ag ...
did breach the canal banks on 23/24 September 1944.
[ 1944]
September
In September 1949 Ladbergen regained its political autonomy. In January 1975 Ladbergen was transferred from the then dissolved
district of Tecklenburg into the newly founded
district of Steinfurt.
Noticeable facts
![Ladberger Mühle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Ladberger_M%C3%BChle.jpg)
* About 37% of the population of the village emigrated during the 19th century. This was the highest emigration rate in Germany during that era.
* Peasants from Ladbergen often gained extra income by working in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
for extended periods.
* Many families from Ladbergen have family names, which in the recent past only existed in Ladbergen – such as Gehde, Rahmeier, Schoppenhorst, Wibbeler, Wiethaupt and Wiethölter.
* The predominant spoken language in Ladbergen was up to the 1930s almost exclusively ''Ladbergen Platt'', a variant of the established
Low German
:
:
:
:
:
(70,000)
(30,000)
(8,000)
, familycolor = Indo-European
, fam2 = Germanic
, fam3 = West Germanic
, fam4 = North Sea Germanic
, ancestor = Old Saxon
, ancestor2 = Middle L ...
dialects. A 2009 survey concluded that just over 700 of the original inhabitants (11% of the population) still can speak this local dialect, though actively speaking the dialect is mostly reserved to the over-70-year-olds.
* Since the founding of the
Federal Republic of 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 between ...
in the year 1949, Ladbergen is one of the "strongholds" of the
Free Democratic Party in the
Münsterland and throughout Germany.
Economy
![Ladbergen, Buddenkuhle -- 2014 -- 9822](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Ladbergen%2C_Buddenkuhle_--_2014_--_9822.jpg)
For centuries the economy of Ladbergen was based on agriculture. The introduction of
fertilizer
A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English; see spelling differences) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from ...
in the 20th century enabled the local
peasant
A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasants ...
s – who up to that moment had to deal with infertile sandy soil that yielded modest
harvest
Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...
s – to escape from poverty. The infrastructural improvements and urbanization of the village after World War II and the
West German ''Wirtschaftswunder'' created new jobs in trade, industry, transport, tourism and the
service sector
The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the second ...
and
commuters
Commuting is periodically recurring travel between one's place of residence and place of work or study, where the traveler, referred to as a commuter, leaves the boundary of their home community. By extension, it can sometimes be any regul ...
settled in Ladbergen. These developments diversified and boosted the economic development of Ladbergen. The last decades the municipality itself also profited from the establishment of new successful businesses and companies in Ladbergen and general prosperity amongst its citizens, by a steady increase in local taxes revenues. This enabled the municipality to invest in the local infrastructure, education and (social) services for its citizens.
Energy supply
In 2005 a wind farm consisting of three
REpower
Senvion S.A. (called REpower Systems SE until 2014) was a German wind turbine manufacturer founded in 2001 in Germany, majority owned by a private equity firm.
Senvion as REpower Systems, as it was initially called, was established in 2001 th ...
MM82
wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each year. ...
s was erected on the outskirts of Ladbergen. Each of these MM82 wind turbines has a hub height and rotor diameter giving a total sweep of and an average power capacity of 2.050
kW. The power output is controlled by varying the pitch of the rotor blades which can operate at 8.5–17.1 rpm rotor speed. Together with the two
anaerobic digestion plants that went into operation in 2006, the community - mathematically - can fulfill its energy needs. Another quite large power plant producing annually 50 million
kWh electricity and 60 million kWh/216 million
MJ of heat and process steam from renewable raw materials built by ME Münsterland Energy GmbH went into production in 2007. This wood pallets-fired
combined heat and power gasification plant and accompanying
district heating station at the Ladbergen canal harbor on the site of the old oil mill produces electric power for about 15,000 households, a multiple of the Ladbergen household's electric energy needs. The thermal power generated in the cogeneration process is used to supply industrial customers near the power plant location itself and also for residents in the nearby Airport Park of Münster-Osnabrück Airport.
Local government
Town council
The most recent ''Gemeinderat'' (
town council
A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities.
Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions.
Republic of Ireland
Town Councils in the Republic of Ireland were the second ti ...
) election of Ladbergen was conducted on 13 September 2020. The town council is elected directly by the
EU citizen
European Union citizenship is afforded to all citizens of member states of the European Union (EU). It was formally created with the adoption of the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, at the same time as the creation of the EU. EU citizenship is additio ...
s living in the municipality and currently consists of 22 seats divided between several political parties.
These political parties are also represented in the ''
Bundestag
The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet") is the German federal parliament. It is the only federal representative body that is directly elected by the German people. It is comparable to the United States House of Representatives or the House of Commons ...
'' (the German national parliament) in Berlin.
Election results
German town council members are elected for a 5-year term and regular elections are held every five years.
The next scheduled town council election is in 2025.
Mayor
The ''
Bürgermeister
Burgomaster (alternatively spelled burgermeister, literally "master of the town, master of the borough, master of the fortress, master of the citizens") is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief m ...
'' (mayor) of Ladbergen is since 1999 elected directly by the
EU citizen
European Union citizenship is afforded to all citizens of member states of the European Union (EU). It was formally created with the adoption of the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, at the same time as the creation of the EU. EU citizenship is additio ...
s living in the municipality. The mayor is elected for a 5-year term and regular elections are held every five years. The post may be said to be a professional one, the mayor being the head of the local government, and requiring, in order to be eligible, a training in administration.
The most recent election for mayor was conducted on 13 September 2020. Out of two candidates the independent candidate Torsten Buller was elected as mayor of Ladbergen.
[
]
Mayors of Ladbergen
* Wolfgang Menebröcker (independent) 1999–2009
* Udo Decker-König (independent) 2009–2020
* Torsten Buller (independent) 2020–incumbent
Coat of arms
Blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vis ...
: Under a red shield top with two golden bees, in silver field three (2 : 1) red nymphaea leaves.
The bees refer to beekeeping
Beekeeping (or apiculture) is the maintenance of bee colonies, commonly in man-made beehives. Honey bees in the genus '' Apis'' are the most-commonly-kept species but other honey-producing bees such as ''Melipona'' stingless bees are also kept. ...
. On the heath
A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler ...
and moorland
Moorland or moor is a type of habitat found in upland areas in temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands and montane grasslands and shrublands biomes, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils. Moorland, nowadays, generally ...
of Ladbergen beekeeping was widespread for centuries. According to a historic certificate honey farmers from Ladbergen had to pay taxes to the monastery Freckenhorst in the year 950.
The three Nymphaea
''Nymphaea'' () is a genus of hardy and tender aquatic plants in the family Nymphaeaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution. Many species are cultivated as ornamental plants, and many cultivars have been bred. Some taxa occur as introduc ...
or water lilies come from the seal of the Lord of Ladbergen from the year 1324. The water lilies symbol originates from the Duchy Lingen
Lingen (), officially Lingen (Ems), is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. In 2008, its population was 52,353, and in addition there were about 5,000 people who registered the city as their secondary residence. Lingen, specifically "Lingen (Ems)" is ...
, to which Ladbergen belonged during a medieval period. The leaf shape has its origin in the coat of arms of the Counts of Tecklenburg
Tecklenburg () is a town in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Its name comes from the ruined castle around which it was built. The town is situated on the Hermannsweg hiking trail.
The coat of arms shows an anchor a ...
.
Sister village
* New Knoxville, Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
, United States
A lot of emigrants
Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...
originating from Ladbergen settled down in the area around New Knoxville in the state of Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
in the United States with which Ladbergen established a town partnership. New Knoxville is partly composed of the descendants of the Ladbergen emigrants. The typical ''Ladbergen Platt'' dialect is still spoken by some of the older citizens whose ancestors originated from Ladbergen.[Official website of the municipality of Ladbergen – The history of Ladbergen](_blank)
/ref>
Due to the interest of American descendants of emigrants from Ladbergen in their family genealogy
Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kins ...
, more or less reliable private genealogical work was conducted after World War II. As Neil Armstrong
Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut and aeronautical engineer who became the first person to walk on the Moon in 1969. He was also a naval aviator, test pilot, and university professor.
...
, whose great-grandfather
Grandparents, individually known as grandmother and grandfather, are the parents of a person's father or mother – paternal or maternal. Every sexually-reproducing living organism who is not a genetic chimera has a maximum of four genetic gra ...
Friedrich Wilhelm Kötter emigrated from Ladbergen to the United States in 1864, was the first man to walk on the moon in 1969, many citizens of Ladbergen became interested in their American "relatives". This resulted in a very close connection between Ladbergen and New Knoxville, which is especially cultivated by reciprocal visits."Der schwere Anfang in Ohio" Westfälische Nachrichten 6 November 2009
/ref> For the New Knoxville sesquicentennial in 1986, approximately 100 Ladbergen residents traveled to New Knoxville to join in the celebration.
Ladbergen's neighboring municipalities, Lengerich and Lienen
Lienen is a municipality in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated approximately 15 km south-east of Osnabrück and 30 km north-east of Münster.
Lienen is a sister city with Saint Marys, Ohio in ...
, are sister cities with New Knoxville's neighbors Wapakoneta Wapakoneta may refer to:
;Places
*Wapakoneta, Ohio
*The Lima- Van Wert-Wapakoneta, Ohio Combined Statistical Area
;Ships
*, United States Navy ships
;Other
*The Treaty of Wapakoneta
*The Wapakoneta City School District
The Wapakoneta City Schoo ...
and Saint Marys, respectively.
References
External links
Official website of the municipality of Ladbergen
Official website of the municipality of Ladbergen – The history of Ladbergen
Kommunalprofil (community profile) Ladbergen Information und Technik Nordrhein-Westfalen (IT.NRW) Geschäftsbereich Statistik
{{Authority control
Steinfurt (district)