Steinkirchen (german: link=no, Steinkirchen im Alten Land, Low German: ''Steenkark'') is a municipality in the district of Stade,

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 ...

Geography

The municipality is located in the

Altes Land Altes Land () is an area of reclaimed marshland straddling parts of Lower Saxony and Hamburg. The region is situated downstream from Hamburg on the southwestern riverside of the Elbe around the towns of Stade, Buxtehude, Jork and the '' S ...

, the largest continuous

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of ...

and fruit harvesting region in Europe. It is situated by the

Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Re ...

and Lühe rivers and is bordered by the municipalities (in clockwise order) Grünendeich, Jork, Mittelnkirchen, Guderhandviertel, Agathenburg and

Hollern-Twielenfleth Hollern-Twielenfleth is a municipality in the district of Stade, Lower Saxony, Germany. History In the year 1059 the district Twielenfleth was founded. It then belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen. In 1648 the Prince-Archbishopric was t ...

. The southeasterly third of the Elbe island Lühesand forms part of the municipal area.

History

It belonged to the

Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen The Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen (german: Fürsterzbistum Bremen) — not to be confused with the modern Archdiocese of Hamburg, founded in 1994 — was an ecclesiastical principality (787–1566/1648) of the Holy Roman Empire and the Catholic ...

. In 1648 the Prince-Archbishopric was transformed into the

Duchy of Bremen ), which is a public-law corporation established in 1865 succeeding the estates of the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen (established in 1397), now providing the local fire insurance in the shown area and supporting with its surplusses cultural effor ...

, which was first ruled in

personal union A personal union is the combination of two or more states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, would involve the constituent states being to some extent interlink ...

by the Swedish and from 1715 on by the Hanoverian Crown. In 1823 the Duchy was abolished and its territory became part of the Stade Region.

Politics

Municipality council

As of February 2020, the council is composed of: * Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU): 5 seats * Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD): 4 seats * Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne): 1 seat * Independent: 1 seat

Mayor/Mayoress

The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

ess of Steinkirchen is Sonja Zinke (CDU, elected as Independent) since 2014. Deputy mayor is Jürgen Michaelis (SPD).

Notable buildings

* St. Martini et Nicolai church with the world famous organ of St. Martini et Nicolai e/small> * Hogendiekbrücke, a pedestrian

bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- o ...

over the Lühe river *

Transmission tower A transmission tower, also known as an electricity pylon or simply a pylon in British English and as a hydro tower in Canadian English, is a tall structure, usually a steel lattice tower, used to support an overhead power line. In electrical ...

of the Elbe Crossing 2, the tallest transmission towers in Europe

Economy and infrastructure

Transport

Three bus lines run by the KVG Stade stop in Steinkirchen. These are: * 2050 Stade - Hollern-Twielenfleth - Steinkirchen - Jork - Hamburg-Cranz * 2030 Buxtehude - Dammhausen - Jork - Borstel - Steinkirchen * 2053 Grünendeich - Steinkirchen - Horneburg These are part of the HVV and thus can be made use of with a regular ticket. Additionally, some school bus and company bus lines operate in Steinkirchen.

Education

Steinkirchen is home to the Schulzentrum Lühe, a school complex with an elementary school and an

Oberschule Education in Germany is primarily the responsibility of individual German states (), with the federal government playing a minor role. Optional Kindergarden (nursery school) education is provided for all children between one and six years o ...

Notable people

* Dörte Hansen, linguist and writer, lived there for over 10 years

References

Municipalities in Lower Saxony Stade (district) {{Stade-geo-stub