Westermarsch I was an independent municipality 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 ...

until the municipal reform of 1972 and, as such, a member of the collective municipality (''Samtgemeinde'') of

Leybucht The Leybucht is the second largest bay in East Frisia in northwest Germany after the Dollart. The Jade Bight is larger than both, but belongs historically to Oldenburg. Location The Leybucht lies in western East Frisia between the port of Greet ...

. Today Westermarsch I is a part of the East Frisian borough of

Norden Norden is a Scandinavian and German word, directly translated as "the North". It may refer to: Places England * Norden, Basingstoke, a ward of Basingstoke and Deane * Norden, Dorset, a hamlet near Corfe Castle * Norden, Greater Manchester, a vil ...

with about 450 inhabitants (as at 12/2016), spread over an area of 19.42 km².

Name

The name ''Westermarsch I'' denotes the place as being in the west of the

marshland A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

s in the historical region of

Norderland The Norderland was a historic territory, set on the northwestern edge of East Frisia immediately next to the Wadden Sea off North Germany, which embraced a wide area around the town of Norden. The Norderland was bordered in the east by the Harling ...

(see Ostermarsch). The Roman numeral in the name of the village distinguishes the former communal municipality (''Kommunalgemeinde'') from the neighbouring village of

Westermarsch II Westermarsch II was an independent municipality until the 1972 territorial reform in Lower Saxony and, as such, a member of the collective municipality (''Samtgemeinde'') of Leybucht in Lower Saxony. Today Westermarsch II is a village in the East ...

Structure, location and communication

As a marsh village, Westermarsch I is characterized by large-scale farming. Within the municipality there are not only isolated Gulf farmhouses, but there are several larger settlements. These include Mittelmarsch, Altendeich and Westermarscherloog. Westermarsch I is bordered to the east by the town of Norden and to the north by Westermarsch II. The

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

coast forms its natural boundary in the west and the watercourse of the Norder Tief as well as the Norden subdivision of Neuwesteel to the south. The ''

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 ...

'' 27 connects Westermarsch I with the town of Norden and sea port of

Greetsiel Greetsiel is a small port on the bight of Leybucht in western East Frisia, Germany that was first documented in letters from the year 1388. Since 1972, Greetsiel has been part of the municipality of Krummhörn, which has its administrative seat in ...

. ''Kreisstraße'' 214 runs from Westermarsch I to Norddeich.

History

The construction of the '' Fokko Ukena Dyke'' began in 1425 as part of the dyking of the so-called Westermarsch ''Neulande'' ("new lands"). Until then, as everywhere else in the

s, people had built ''

warft A ''terp'', also known as a ''wierde, woerd, warf, warft, werf, werve, wurt'' or ''værft'', is an artificial dwelling mound found on the North European Plain that has been created to provide safe ground during storm surges, high tides and ...

s'' to protect the inhabitants of the ''Neulande'' from the sea. The most significant source about the history of the village is the Altendeich School Chronicle (''Altendeicher Schulchronik''), whose oldest sections date back to 1622 and which, in addition to the development of the school, also describe the history of the place. According to this source, a teacher was already being employed in 1622 to teach the children of farmers and householders. Further data and facts, which are listed in the chronicle, include: * c. 1771, a large cattle epidemic raged in Westermarsch, which led to great economic hardship for the village's population of about 600 * A

brickyard A brickyard or brickfield is a place or yard where bricks are made, fired, and stored, or sometimes sold or otherwise distributed from. Brick makers work in a brick yard. A brick yard may be constructed near natural sources of clay or on o ...

with a furnace capacity of some 20,000 bricks was erected on today's ''Kreisstraße'' 214 in 1774. It lasted until the 1970s. Three years later a sugar feeder was built. * After a dyke burst in 1825, large parts of the village were devastated. * The first regular transport link from Westermarsch to the town of Norden was built between 1873 and 1875. Before this link was built, both large and small various water courses were used as transport routes between the two towns due poor and unreliable road conditions. On 1 July 1972 the municipality of Westermarsch I was incorporated into the borough of Norden.

Religion and social

Well over 90% of the Westermarsch population belong to the Evangelical-Lutheran Church, St. Andrew's Church in ''Gottfried-Keller-Straße''. About 3% are members of the Evangelical

free church A free church is a Christian denomination that is intrinsically separate from government (as opposed to a state church). A free church does not define government policy, and a free church does not accept church theology or policy definitions from ...

es. Around 1% are

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

. There are no church buildings in Westermarsch I. The various church members have always been looked after by Norden. For several years church services were held in the village halls. A ladies group meets there regularly. The AWO playschool meets next to the village hall in an old school. An even older school, which became a nationally known bar after its closure, is today a victim of dilapidation.''750 Jahre Norden 1255–2005: Geschichte Nordener Schulen''
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Name

Structure, location and communication

History

Religion and social

Literature and sources

References

External links