Esperke is a village in
Hanover Region,
Lower Saxony in Germany. It is part of the town
Neustadt am Rübenberge. In 2021 it had a population of 701.
Esperke and the neighbouring districts of Helstorf, Luttmersen, Vesbeck and Warmeloh are part of the ''Ortsrat'' Helstorf (Helstorf local council) area.
History
The first written mention of Esperke, at the time spelled ''Esperch'', was in the year 1268.
[Ehlich, Hans: ''Bauern Bürger brennende Dörfer'', Nr. 4 der Calenberger Blätter, Wunstorf: Oppermann Verlag, S. 131]
Esperke provided the core immigrants to the
Hanoverian
The adjective Hanoverian is used to describe:
* British monarchs or supporters of the House of Hanover, the dynasty which ruled the United Kingdom from 1714 to 1901
* things relating to;
** Electorate of Hanover
** Kingdom of Hanover
** Province o ...
settlement in
Freedom Township,
Lafayette County, Missouri, USA during the period 1837–1860.
Under a local government reform in 1974, the area became part the ''Stadt'' ("city") of
Neustadt am Rübenberge.
Politics
The ''Ortsbürgermeisterin'' (local mayor) is Ute Bertram Kuehn (
SPD). The other members of the ''Ortsrat'' are Peter Kruger, Jens Metterhausen (both CDU) and Hans-Heinrich Thies (SPD). The council's liaison officer for Esperke is Otto Brackhan.
Blazon
The coat of arms features a golden sailboat on a green background.
Culture and sights
* Esperke has a small Gothic chapel.
* The Blankes Flat nature reserve in Esperke-Warmeloh features a
bog
A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...
lake, along with rare plant and animal life.
People
Heinrich Feisthauer
Heinrich Feisthauer (14 September 1898 – 11 November 1964) was an opponent of the Nazi regime and survivor of Sachsenhausen concentration camp of Silesian origin.
Early life
Feisthauer's ancestors were Austrian Transylvanian Landler, Landler w ...
spent the last years of his life in Esperke.
References
Former municipalities in Lower Saxony
Neustadt am Rübenberge