Offen is a village administered by the Lower Saxon town of

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

in the northern part of

Celle district Celle () is a district (''Landkreis'') in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Uelzen, Gifhorn, Hanover and Heidekreis. Geography The district is located in the southernmost parts of the L ...

on the

Lüneburg Heath Lüneburg Heath (german: Lüneburger Heide) is a large area of heath, geest, and woodland in the northeastern part of the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. It forms part of the hinterland for the cities of Hamburg, Hanover and Bremen a ...

in North

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 ...

Geography

Offen lies about south of Bergen on the B 3 federal road and has 1,019 inhabitants (2019). Offen is also responsible for the neighbouring villages of Bollersen and Katensen.

History

Offen was first mentioned in 1336. Until the 19th century it only had 4 farmsteads. However, the agricultural reforms of the 1830s and 40s resulted in many new farm buildings. There was another significant increase in the population to 348 in 1948 after the

Second World War 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 ...

, mainly as a result of the influx of refugees. By 1967 it had risen further to 857. In the last decade the local British garrison had new housing estates built within the village for its families.

Politics and Administration

Since the merging of local councils as part of the Lower Saxon administrative reforms of 1971, Offen has been part of the town of

. Offen is represented by a parish council (''Ortsrat'') and a chair (''Ortsbürgermeister''). The council is empowered, ''inter alia'', to make decisions about public services in the village, is responsible for maintaining the appearance of the village and for overseeing its clubs and societies, and has to be consulted by the town of Bergen on all important matters affecting the village. It consists of five elected representatives who, together with the chair, sit on the Bergen town council. The parish council elects its own chair. The current incumbent is Cord Otte.Information about Offen
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Footnotes and references

Literature

*Anneliese Degener: ''Offen, mein Heimatdorf'', Skript 1951/52

External links

{{Authority control Villages in Lower Saxony Bergen, Lower Saxony Lüneburg Heath Celle (district)