The former independent municipality of Sprötze in the north German state of

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 ...

was merged in 1972 with another five villages into the town of

Buchholz in der Nordheide Buchholz in der Nordheide (Northern Low Saxon: ''Bookholt'') is the largest town in the district of Harburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 25 km southwest of Hamburg. Geography Buchholz is home to the Brunsberg, at ...

Transportation

The village of Sprötze lies on the B 3 federal road between Trelde and Welle. Sprötze has a station on the main line from Bremen to Hamburg, and is part of the Hamburg Transport Network.

History

Sprötze was first mentioned in 1105 as ''Sproccinla''. At that time the inhabitants had just celebrated the 900th anniversary of their village. Its name changed over the course of time through Spretzenlo, Sprotzelo, Sprotzel and Sprötzel to the present-day name of Sprötze. Sprötze has a fine brick church from the last century.

Features

One of the highest elevations in north Germany is located near Sprötze: the Brunsberg south of the village is above sea level. From here the '' Nordheide'' ("North Heath") can be viewed. The Sprötze shooting festival takes place on the second weekend of August, finishing with a big firework display. In 1992 in Sprötze the ''VooV Experience'' was first held. Since 2001, however, it has moved to

Putlitz Putlitz () is a town in the district of Prignitz, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 15 km northwest of Pritzwalk, and 35 km northeast of Wittenberge. Demography Gallery File:Putlitz_Burghofer_Herrenhaus.jpg, Burghof manor ...

. In his book ''Der tiefere Sinn des Labenz'', Sven Böttcher describes Sprötze as a "mixture of toothpaste and spit in a basin".

Sport

Sprötze shares a football club, ''Sg Estetal'' ("Este Valley Sports Club"), with the village of Trelde. Another club, ''TSV-Sprötze'' has a range of sporting activities and even dancing classes. Sprötze and the neighbouring village of Kakenstorf have a shooting club offering archery, clay pigeon shooting, small arms and air gun shooting.

References

External links

www.sproetze.dewww.buchholz.de
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sprotze Villages in Lower Saxony