Vechta (;

Northern Low Saxon Northern Low Saxon (in High German: ', in Standard Dutch: ') is a subgroup of Low Saxon dialects of Low German. As such, it covers a great part of the West Low German-speaking areas of northern Germany, with the exception of the border region ...

: ''Vechte'') is the capital and largest city of the

Vechta district Vechta () is a district (''Landkreis'') in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Oldenburg, Diepholz, Osnabrück and Cloppenburg. History In the 13th century the region was acquired by the bishop ...

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 ...

. It is home to the

University of Vechta University of Vechta (Universität Vechta) is a small research university in northwestern Germany, in the town of Vechta in Lower Saxony. Its study programmes concentrate on teacher training, social sciences, social work, philosophy, and ger ...

. It is known for the 'Stoppelmarkt' fair, which takes place every summer and has a history dating back to 1298. With an attendance of 800,000 visitors it is one of the biggest annual fairs in north-western Germany. The town was in the recent past known as a centre of far northern German

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Town subdivisions

Vechta consists of the following 15 boroughs.

Transport and infrastructure

The A1, also known as the ''Hansalinie'', passes by Vechta. There are three interchanges: Vechta-West/Bakum, Vechta-Langförden/Emstek, Vechta-Nord/Ahlhorn . Also, the B69 runs through the city of Vechta.

Transport

Vechta lies on the Delmenhorst-Hesepe railway and offers connections to

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

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...

Population development

Vechta has become a very rich city with a high quality of living, so Vechta is one of the rare German towns that still has a growing population.

Theatre

Vechta is a fixed venue for the Landesbühne Niedersachsen Nord, founded in 1952. The headquarter is located in Wilhelmshaven, which stages annually up to ten performances at the Metropoltheater. The theatre offers 272 seats.

Stoppelmarkt

Stoppelmarkt was first mentioned as a market in 1298. In earlier times, it was held in the streets of the city within the fortress walls. Even then, merchants from many European countries came to Vechta. In 1577 the city of Vechta was hit by the plague. Therefore, the market had to be moved to an open field outside the city walls. Since the stubble remains of the last harvest were still standing on the field, the market was henceforth called Stoppelmarkt. In 2020 and 2021 the market is cancelled because of Corona.

Climate

The climate in Vechta is a moderate sea climate, influenced by wet northwest winds from the North Sea. The long term average air temperature reaches 8.5 to 9.0 °C and about 700 millimeters of rainfall per year. Between May and August, an average of 20–25 summer days (climatological term for days with the maximum temperature exceeds 25 °C) are calculated.

Twin towns – sister cities

Vechta is twinned with: *

Le Cellier Le Cellier (; br, Keller) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France. Population Sights The commune lies on the north bank of the river Loire; this spot offers magnificent views. The ''Château de Clermont'', built be ...

, France *

Jászberény Jászberény is a city and market centre in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county in Hungary. Location Jászberény is located in central Hungary, on the Zagyva River, a tributary of the Tisza River. It is about from Budapest. History The oldest a ...

, Hungary *

Saint-Pol-de-Léon Saint-Pol-de-Léon (; br, Kastell-Paol) is a commune in the Finistère department in Brittany in north-western France, located on the coast. It is noted for its 13th-century cathedral on the site of the original founded by Saint Paul Aurelian ...

, France

Sport

Vechta is home of the

Rasta Vechta Sports Club Rasta Vechta is a German basketball club based in Vechta, Lower Saxony. The club plays in the ProA, the second tier of professional Basketball in Germany. Founded in 1979, the club spent the majority of its history in the lower-tier ...

, basketball club which plays in German

Basketball Bundesliga The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) (English language: ''Federal Basketball League''), for sponsorship reasons named easyCredit BBL, is the highest level league of professional club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 18 teams. A BBL season ...

Notable people

Andreas Romberg Andreas Jakob Romberg (27 April 1767 – 10 November 1821) was a German violinist and composer. Romberg was born in Vechta, in the Duchy of Oldenburg. He learned the violin from his musician father Gerhard Heinrich Romberg and first performed ...

(1767–1821), composer and violin player *

Rolf Dieter Brinkmann Rolf Dieter Brinkmann (16 April 1940 – 23 April 1975) was a German writer of poems, short stories, a novel, essays, letters, and diaries. Life and work Rolf Dieter Brinkmann is considered an important forerunner of the German so-called ''Pop-Li ...

(1940–1975), lyrician *

Ansgar Brinkmann Ansgar Brinkmann (born 5 July 1969) is a German former professional footballer who played as a midfielder or forward. Playing career Brinkmann was born in Vechta. He played two seasons in the Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt and Arminia Bi ...

(born 1969), footballer *

Martin Welzel Martin Welzel (born November 11, 1972 in Vechta, West Germany) is a German organist, musicologist, and pedagogue. Biography Martin Welzel received his first musical training in Bremen, where Käte van Tricht (a former student of Karl Straube) wa ...

(born 1972), musician, associate organist at

Munich Cathedral , native_name = , native_name_lang = , image = Frauenkirche Munich - View from Peterskirche Tower2.jpg , pushpin map = , pushpin label position = , pushpin map alt = , pushpin mapsize ...

2021-2022 *

Katja Suding Katja Suding (born 30 December 1975, in Vechta) is a German politician of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) was a member of the German Bundestag from 2017 to 2021. She served as chairwoman of her party's parliamentary group in the Hamburgische B ...

(born 1975), politician *

Alparslan Erdem Alparslan Erdem (born 11 December 1988) is a Turkish professional footballer who plays as a left back. Career Erdem played previously for Galatasaray and Werder Bremen II. On 18 January 2010, Alparslan Erdem signed a two-and-a-half-year contra ...

(born 1988), footballer

References

External links

Official site
{{Authority control Vechta (district)