Lehre 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 Helmstedt, 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 ...

. The current population is 11,539 and is situated approximately southwest of

Wolfsburg Wolfsburg (; Eastphalian: ''Wulfsborg'') is the fifth largest city in the German state of Lower Saxony, located on the river Aller. It lies about east of Hanover and west of Berlin. Wolfsburg is famous as the location of Volkswagen AG's hea ...

, and

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the Nor ...

. The municipality received the name of Lehre on June 10, 888 and is made up of eight surrounding villages. They are Beienrode, Essehof, Essenrode, Flechtorf, Groß Brunsrode, Klein Brunsrode, Lehre, and Wendhausen with Lehre being the largest.

History

In 1934, construction began on the Army Ammunition Institute in the Kampstüh Forest east Lehre. More than 100 buildings on were constructed and was connected to the railway system. The Institute produced ammunition for infantry weapons,

anti-tank mines Anti-tank warfare originated from the need to develop technology and tactics to destroy tanks during World War I. Since the Triple Entente deployed the first tanks in 1916, the German Empire developed the first anti-tank weapons. The first devel ...

, tank shells,

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

guns and .38 cm. Up until February 1945, 6,000 tons of

chemical weapons A chemical weapon (CW) is a specialized Ammunition, munition that uses chemicals chemical engineering, formulated to inflict death or harm on humans. According to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), this can be an ...

were transported to the Institute. It was not bombed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and up until the end war, most of these weapons remained on site. In 1945, the location also housed

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

. On 11 April 1945, the area was liberated by the United States' 5th Armored Division and the Army Ammunition Institute was occupied without a fight. In mid 1945, the area was handed over to

British troops The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkhas ...

who had a local presence until 1951. Today, many original buildings still remain standing and some are still in use.

Transportation

Road

Lehre is located on State Road (

Landesstraße ''Landesstraßen'' (singular: ''Landesstraße'') are roads in Germany and Austria that are, as a rule, the responsibility of the respective German or Austrian federal state. The term may therefore be translated as "state road". They are roads t ...

) L295 which provides access to freeways A2 and A39.

Train

Lehre rail service began when the

Brunswick State Railway Company The Brunswick State Railway Company (''Braunschweigische Landes-Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft'') or BLE was a railway company in the Duchy of Brunswick, a former German state centred on the city of Brunswick (German: ''Braunschweig''). It was founded o ...

completed the Schunter Valley Railway in 1904, connecting Braunschweig with

Fallersleben Fallersleben is a part (''Ortsteil'') of the City of Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany, with a population of 11,269 (as of 2010). The village of Fallersleben was first mentioned in 942 under the name of ''Valareslebo''. Fallersleben became a city ...

. This line officially ceased operation in 1998 following the opening of the Weddel loop which connected Wolfsburg and Braunschweig, bypassing Lehre.

Nearby Attractions

Campen Castle Campen Castle (german: Burg Campen) is a partially standing lowland castle built in the late 13th century in Flechtorf, a town within the municipality of Lehre, Lower Saxony. Description The castle is located on an slightly elevated plateau ju ...

- A partially standing castle built in the late 13th century. *

Essehof Zoo Essehof Zoo (German: ''Tierpark Essehof'') is a privately owned and operated zoo located in Essehof, a town within the municipality of Lehre, Lower Saxony, Germany. It opened in 1968 and currently consists of . It is located about northeast ...

Essenrode Manor The Essenrode Manor in Essenrode, a town within the municipality of Lehre, Lower Saxony, was built by Gotthart Heinrich August von Bülow in 1738. Description The mansion is built in a late Baroque style surrounded by a small English-style park ...

- A late Baroque-style manor built in 1738 * Holy Cross Church - A historic 13th century church located in Lehre *

Wendhausen Castle The Wendhausen Castle is a 17th-century moated castle located in Wendhausen, a community within the municipality of Lehre, Lower Saxony. Description The castle is built in a Renaissance style surround by a large moat. The moat has an oblong s ...

- A moated 17th century residence. It has an inner courtyard and Baroque-style garden with ivy covering its walls. *

Wendhausen Windmill The Wendhausen Windmill (German: ''Windmühle Wendhausen'') is a tower mill located in Wendhausen, a town within the municipality of Lehre, Lower Saxony, Germany. Built in 1837, it is the only five-sailed windmill in Germany still in operation. ...

- A large five-sail Dutch-style windmill

Notable people

Karl August von Hardenberg Karl August Fürst von Hardenberg (31 May 1750, in Essenrode-Lehre – 26 November 1822, in Genoa) was a Prussian statesman and Prime Minister of Prussia. While during his late career he acquiesced to reactionary policies, earlier in his career ...

(1750–1822) - Former Prime Minister 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 ...

* Hans, Count von Bülow (1774-1825) - Former Prussian politician * Eberhard Haun (1949-1976) - Professional soccer player *

August Hermann Friedrich August Wilhelm Theodor Hermann (14 September 1835 – 20 February 1906) was a German physical education instructor. He, along with Konrad Koch, introduced the game of association football to Germany from England in 1874. He is known ...

(1835–1906) - Sports educator who helped create school sports in Germany

References

External links

Essehof Zoo
{{Authority control 888 establishments Helmstedt (district) 9th-century establishments in Germany