Bergen (; Eastphalian: ''Bargen'') is a town in the north of

Celle Celle () is a town and capital of the district of Celle (district), Celle in Lower Saxony, in north-central Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the river Aller (Germany), Aller, a tributary of the Weser, and has a population of about ...

district on the

Lüneburg Heath Lüneburg Heath (, ) is a large area of heath (habitat), heath, geest, and woodland in the northeastern part of the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. It forms part of the hinterland for the cities of Hamburg, Hanover and Bremen and is ...

, in

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Administratively it acts as a municipal borough divided into 12 subordinate parishes based on the town and its surrounding villages: Becklingen, Belsen, Bergen, Bleckmar, Diesten, Dohnsen, Eversen, Hagen, Hassel, Offen, Sülze and Wardböhmen.

Bergen-Belsen concentration camp Bergen-Belsen (), or Belsen, was a Nazi concentration camp in what is today Lower Saxony in Northern Germany, northern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen, Lower Saxony, Bergen near Celle. Originally established as a prisoner of war camp, ...

was located in the area of Belsen. The town had 13,099 inhabitants according to the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

conducted in December 2008. Members of the

British military The British Armed Forces are the unified military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, support international peacekeeping e ...

and their families, who were not included in the census, brought the actual population to about 17,000. These

soldiers A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word ...

occupied a

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

base and exercise on the

Bergen-Hohne Training Area The Bergen-Hohne Training Area (German: ''NATO-Truppenübungsplatz Bergen'' or ''Schießplatz Bergen-Hohne'') is a NATO military training area in the southern part of the Lüneburg Heath, in the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. It c ...

just outside the town, but the base closed in summer 2015 as part of the British Army's withdrawal from Germany. The ''

Sieben Steinhäuser The Sieben Steinhäuser also Siebensteinhäuser is a group of five dolmens on the Lüneburg Heath in the NATO training area of Bergen-Hohne, in the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. The stones are considered to be part of the funnelbeak ...

'', a cluster of

dolmens A dolmen, () or portal tomb, is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the Late Neolithic period (40003000 BCE) and w ...

dating from the

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...

, are located within the training area.

Geography

Bergen is located in the north of

district on the

, in

. The

Bundesstraße 3 The Bundesstraße 3 (abbr. B3) is one of the longest federal highways in Germany. It begins in Buxtehude and continues through Bergen, Celle, Hanover, Alfeld, Einbeck, Göttingen, Kassel, Marburg, Frankfurt, Darmstadt, Heidelberg, Karlsruhe an ...

(B3) passed through the municipal territory from north to south.

Neighbouring communities

Bergen is bordered by (from the north, clockwise):

Wietzendorf Wietzendorf ( Eastphalian: ''Witzendörp'') is a municipality in the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, in northern Germany. It is situated approximately 14 km southeast of Soltau, and 50 km southwest of Lüneburg. The population as ...

(located in

Heidekreis Heidekreis ("Heath district") is a district (''Landkreis'') in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Harburg, Lüneburg, Uelzen, Celle, Hanover, Nienburg, Verden and Rotenburg. History Hist ...

district), Südheide,

Eschede Eschede () is a municipality in the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Situated approximately 15 km (10 miles) northeast of Celle, Eschede lies at the border of the Südheide Nature Park, a protected area of large forests and heat ...

Winsen an der Aller Winsen an der Aller () or Winsen (Aller) is a town in the district of Celle in the German state of Lower Saxony. Geography Winsen has around 12,900 inhabitants and lies on the southern perimeter of the Lüneburg Heath, on the banks of the Aller, ...

and the

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

Lohheide Lohheide () is an unincorporated area in the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It covers an area of and has 764 inhabitants (as at 31 December 2006). Together with administrative area of Osterheide it is part of the Bergen-Hohne Mil ...

(all in Celle district).

History

Bergen was first mentioned in the records in 1197 and was the centre of a legislative and administrative region, the seat of the district sheriff (''Amtsvogtei'') and, later, the Royal Hanoverian Office. After the

annexation Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held t ...

of the

Kingdom of Hanover The Kingdom of Hanover () was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Hanover, and j ...

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

in 1866 the ''

Amt Amt is a type of administrative division governing a group of municipalities, today only in Germany, but formerly also common in other countries of Northern Europe. Its size and functions differ by country and the term is roughly equivalent to ...

Bergen'', formed in 1852, was incorporated into Fallingbostel district, which had been created in 1867. In the district reorganisation of 1885, the ''Amt'' was transferred into the newly formed

Celle district Celle () is a districts of Germany, district (''Landkreis'') in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Uelzen (district), Uelzen, Gifhorn (district), Gifhorn, Hanover (district), Hanover and Heide ...

. If the development of Bergen was rather slow during the Middle Ages and the early part of the Modern Age, due mainly to fires in 1354, 1585 and 1796, the agricultural reform in the 19th century and the town's connection to the

Celle–Soltau railway The Celle–Soltau railway is a standard gauge railway in the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany that belongs to the East Hanoverian Railways (''Osthannoversche Eisenbahnen'' or ''OHE''). It is the OHE's busiest line. History The ini ...

led to far-reaching changes. In particular, the creation of the military training area that is today the

in 1935 encouraged the beginning of a period of urbanisation that has led to Bergen's transformation from an agriculturally based village into the small town it is today, characterised by trade and commerce with agriculture having largely lost its significance. The

is located near Bergen. Verbotsschild1836

Today the town of Bergen acts as a municipality in the northern part of Celle district and is, except for Celle, the only political entity in the district that has been granted the status of a town (in this case in 1957). In the ''Gebietsreform'' (municipal reorganization) of 1971, Bergen was given responsibility for the ''Stadtteile'' of Becklingen, Belsen, Bleckmar, Diesten, Dohnsen, Eversen, Hagen, Hassel, Nindorf, Offen, Sülze and Wardböhmen. That significantly increased the size of its population and its area. The area of the original town of Bergen was ; after the administrative reform it grew to 163 km².

Demographics

Today around 14,000 people live in the town of Bergen. About 3,000 members of the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Forces and their families departed in summer 2015 when the British left

Bergen-Hohne Garrison Bergen-Hohne Garrison was a major British garrison in the post-Cold War period, with facilities located close to Bergen at ''Lager Hohne'', at ''Lager Oerbke'' near Fallingbostel and at Celle in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was home to 7th Armoured ...

Arts and culture

Due to the presence of foreign troops in the area, including

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

and

both military and their families have come to Bergen. This has influenced the cultural environment of the town strongly; for example a typical Dutch

carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

is held annually which is very uncharacteristic of this area. The Bergen-Hohne British base held a bonfire night on 5 November which was free to all local residents to attend forming strong ties with the community.

Attractions

''Römstedthaus'' local history museum

The ''Römstedthaus'' is a farmhouse museum dedicated to local and regional history. Its focus is the life and work of farmer up to the turn of the century in 1900. It is located in a former

smokehouse A smokehouse (North American) or smokery (British) is a building where meat or fish is curing (food preservation), cured with Smoking (cooking), smoke. The finished product might be stored in the building, sometimes for a year or more.preceptor A preceptor (from Latin, "''praecepto''") is a teacher responsible for upholding a ''precept'', meaning a certain law or tradition. Buddhist monastic orders Senior Buddhist monks can become the preceptors for newly ordained monks. In the Buddhi ...

, Friedrich Römstedt (1849–1930), furnished the house with a collection of prehistoric and local historic artefacts. In 1913 the museum was opened. In the middle of the military training area to the west of Bergen are the well known ''

'', a group of five megalithic graves from the late

Funnelbeaker culture The Funnel(-neck-)beaker culture, in short TRB or TBK (, ; ; ), was an archaeological culture in north-central Europe. It developed as a technological merger of local neolithic and mesolithic techno-complexes between the lower Elbe and middle V ...

(3500-2800 B.C.), which are today a

cultural monument A national heritage site is a heritage site having a value that has been registered by a governmental agency as being of national importance to the cultural heritage or history of that country. Usually such sites are listed in a heritage registe ...

Memorials

In the centre of town, on the ''Friedensplatz'' ("Peace Square") immediately next to St. Lambert's Church are three memorials: *A war memorial - to the fallen of the

First First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

(1914–1918) and

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

s (1939–1945). It was inaugurated on 30 April 1922. On the front is the inscription ''"Das Kirchspiel Bergen 1914–1918 seinen Helden"'' ("The parish of Bergen 1914–1918

n honour of N, or n, is the fourteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages, and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

its heroes") and on the rear: ''"Die Liebe höret nimmer auf"'' ("Love never ends"). *A sandstone monument - with a white marble plaque in memory of the fallen of the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

(1870–1871). Inaugurated on 22 June 1878. The marble tablet bears the inscription ''"In Erinnerung an die in den Jahren 1870 u. 71 gefallenen Krieger aus dem Kirchspiel Bergen"'' ("In memory of those warriors from the parish of Bergen who fell in the years 1870 and 1871"). *A peace monument - that has a lively history. It was originally erected for the peace celebrations on the occasion of the ending of French rule. In the

Battle of Leipzig The Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of the Nations, was fought from 16 to 19 October 1813 at Leipzig, Saxony. The Coalition armies of Austria, Prussia, Sweden, and Russia, led by Tsar Alexander I, Karl von Schwarzenberg, and G ...

(October 1813) the troops of the Emperor

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

were defeated and the First Treaty of Paris was signed (30 May 1814). By order of the prince-regent (Britain's

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...

) all the churches of the land celebrated a peace festival on 24 July 1814. The square, hitherto, called ''Buernbrink'' and used for annual fairs, was given the name of ''Friedensplatz'' ("Peace Square"). A wooden post was erected which bore the inscription ''"Zur Friedensfeier! Bergen, den 24. Juli 1814" – "Dem Vaterlande Heil" – "Friede dem Jahrhunderte" ("The Peace Festival! Bergen, 24 July 1814" - "Salvation to the Fatherland" - "Peace to the centuries")''. In the mid-19th century the post, which had meanwhile become rotten, fell over and was replaced in 1865 by another wooden monument for the 50th anniversary of the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...

. That monument also deteriorated and was replaced by the present sandstone one. This has the following inscription: ''Zur Friedensfeier – Bergen, den 24. Juli – 1814. Erneuert zur – 50 jährigen Jubelfeier – der Schlacht bei – Waterloo – am 18. Juni 1865 – und errichtet in Stein – 1898'' (''"To the peace celebrations in Bergen on 24 July 1814. Restored for the 50th anniversary celebration of the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1865 and erected in stone in 1898"'') On the back of the monument is the crowned cursive monogram "GR" (Georgius Rex) of

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

King of Hanover. On the sides are the words: ''Dem Vaterlande Heil'' ("Salvation to the Fatherland") and ''Friede dem Jahrhunderte'' ("Peace to the centuries"). File:Bergen Kriegerdenkmal.JPG, 1914-18 war memorials File:Bergen Gedenkstein 1870 71.JPG, Monument to the fallen of 1870-71 File:Bergen Denkmal Friedensfeier (1).JPG, Monument marking the end of French rule and 50th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo

Government

Since the

''Gebietsreform'' (administrative reforms) of 1973 the municipality of Bergen has comprised

Becklingen Becklingen is a German village in the Lower Saxon borough of Bergen in the northern part of Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath. Formerly an independent municipality, it is part of the town Bergen since 1971. Geography Becklingen lies about ...

Belsen Bergen-Belsen (), or Belsen, was a Nazi concentration camp in what is today Lower Saxony in northern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle. Originally established as a prisoner of war camp, in 1943, parts of it became a concentr ...

, Bergen,

Bleckmar Bleckmar is a village administered by the Lower Saxon town of Bergen in the northern part of Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath in North Germany. It lies about north of Bergen on the B 3 federal road and has 464 inhabitants (2019). It is adm ...

Diesten Diesten is a village subordinated to the Lower Saxon town of Bergen in the northern part of Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath in northern Germany. It lies 20 km north of Celle on ''Kreisstraße'' K 240 and has 264 inhabitants. History ...

, Dohnsen, Eversen,

Hagen Hagen () is a city in the States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany, on the southeastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne and Volme meet the Ruhr (river), Ruhr. In 2023, the ...

, Hassel,

Nindorf Nindorf is a municipality in the district of Dithmarschen, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north a ...

, Offen, Sülze and

Wardböhmen Wardböhmen is a village administered by the Lower Saxon town of Bergen in the northern part of Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath in North Germany. It lies about north of Bergen on the B 3 federal road. History Wardböhmen was first ment ...

Council

The town council (''Stadtrat'') has 30 elected members, as well as its directly elected

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

(''hauptamtlicher Bürgermeister''). Since the local elections of 10 September 2006 the following parties and voter groups have belonged to the council: * Christian Democrats (CDU): 17 seats * Social Democrats (SPD): 7 seats * Bergen Voters Party (''Wählergemeinschaft Bergen''): 3 seats * Free Democrats (FDP): 2 seats * Greens: 1 seat.

Mayors

Bergen has had the following mayors (''Bürgermeister'') since 1945: *9 May 1945 – 1 November 1945 Albert Repke (CDU) (acting mayor) *4 December 1945 – 23 September 1946 Hermann Hornbostel (CDU) (acting mayor) *1 November 1946 – 1948 Friedrich Kruse sen. ( Lower Saxon State Party)(NLP) (first freely elected mayor after 1945) *14 December 1948 – 1952 Walter Müller ( German Party)(DP) *1952–1956 Wilhelm Brockmann (Independent Voter Party)(UW) *1956–1960 Wilhelm Brockmann (DP) *1960–1973 Wilhelm Brockmann (CDU) (The election of October 1960 was delayed to March 1961 due to a constitutional complaint) *1973–1976 Heinrich Schneider (CDU) *1976–1981 Dr. Walther Kothe (CDU) *1981–1983 Franz Christian von Harling (CDU) *1983 – 31 December 1997 Dr. Helmut Wegner (CDU) *1 January 1997 – 26 April 1998 Adolf Krause (CDU) *27 April 1998 - 31 October 2019 Rainer Prokop (CDU)(born 27 December 1950)(first full-time mayor) *1 November 2019 - Present Claudia Dettmar-Müller (independent) - (first female mayor) In addition to the town council the individual villages each have a local council (''Ortsrat'') and a local chairman (''Ortsbürgermeister'').

Town twinning

Bergen maintains partnerships with the towns of: Pembroke &

Pembroke Dock Pembroke Dock () is a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, northwest of Pembroke on the banks of the River Cleddau. Originally Paterchurch, a small fishing village, Pembroke Dock town expanded rapidly following the constr ...

in Wales

Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht () is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands. It is located on the island of IJsselmonde, and borders with Zwijndrecht, Ridderkerk, and the Noord River (with Alblasserdam and Papendrecht on the other side). T ...

in the Netherlands

Śrem Śrem () is a town on the Warta river in central Poland. It is the seat of Śrem County in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. As of 1995, the population of Śrem was 29,800. Śrem is to the south of Poznań, a local road junction on the road from ...

in Poland It also partners with the home county (''Heimatkreis'') of: POL Szubin COA

Szubin Szubin () is a town in Nakło County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland, located southwest of Bydgoszcz. It has a population of around 9,333 (as of 2010). It is located on the Gąsawka River in the ethnocultural region of Pałuki. A small ...

(1941–1945 Altburgund) in Poland adopted the town of Bergen in 1956. There often used to be more than 1,000 participants at the annual meeting of the former home county of Altburgund-Schubin. In addition the town of Bergen has friendly relations with the following:

Rožnov pod Radhoštěm Rožnov pod Radhoštěm (; ) is a town in Vsetín District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. Geography Rožnov pod Radhoštěm is located about northeast of Vsetín and south of Ostrava. It lies in the ...

in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

Ottendorf-Okrilla Ottendorf-Okrilla is a municipality in the Bautzen district, Saxony, Germany. It is located 20 km northeast of Dresden. Geography The area of the municipality is 25.88 km², of which 1.58 km² are commercially used. The length from ...

in the county of

Bautzen Bautzen () or Budyšin (), until 1868 ''Budissin'' in German, is a town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and the administrative centre of the Bautzen (district), district of Bautzen. It is located on the Spree (river), Spree river, is the eighth most ...

in Saxony

Pembroke (Malta) in Malta

Infrastructure

District court

From the 15th century the parishes of Bergen and

were part of a united juridical district or ''

Gogericht The ''Landgericht'' (, plural: ''Landgerichte,'' ), also called the ''Landtag'' in Switzerland, was a regional magistracy or court in the Holy Roman Empire that was responsible for high justice within a territory, such as a county (''Grafschaft''), ...

''. From 1437 to 1852, the courts were presided over by judges known as '' Gografen''. They were subordinated to the advocacy or ''

Vogt An , sometimes simply advocate, (German, ), or (French, ), was a type of medieval office holder, particularly important in the Holy Roman Empire, who was delegated some of the powers and functions of a major feudal lord, or for an institutio ...

ei'' of Celle, which later became a Great Advocacy (''Großvogtei''). The first ''Gograf'' was Ludermann Tunderen (1437–1445). From 1674 the new Lüneburg district constitution set out the range of responsibilities of the district advocacies (''Amtsvogteien''). Until the end of the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

the private residence of the district advocates (''Amtsvögte'') also served as their seat (''Amtssitz''). In 1651 the old house of ''Kocksche Kote'', Bergen No. 5, which paid dues to the Abbey of St. Michael's in Lüneburg, became the official seat of the district judge. In 1653 the government bought the farmstead from the heirs of the district judge, Cord Brase, and upgraded it into a district advocacy building (''Amtsvogteigebäude''). In 1709 the building, was completely rebuilt under district advocate, Jost Hinrich Wolff (Bergen's primary school is named after him). In 1852 there was a separation of the judiciary from the administration within the

. From then on, Prussian law applied and there was both a district office (''Amt Bergen'') and a district court (''Amtsgericht Bergen''). In the wake of these reforms, the Vogtei of Wietzendorf was split away from Bergen. The first district judge (''Amtsrichter'') was Ernst August Eggert von Estorff. On the land of the district court, which amounts to 6,480 m², there is an office building, a residential building, a district prison and several outbuildings. In 1945 there was a reform of the German courts. The district court in Bergen became a branch of the district court of Celle. On 1 July 1973 the Bergen District Court was closed.

Municipal hall (''Stadthaus'')

In 1975 the town of Bergen sold the land of the old district court. Initially it was used as a youth centre, but there were plans for a leisure centre or town library. Even a police school was considered. In 1979 it was decided to sell the old town hall and move the council offices here. Because the negotiations over the sale dragged on and a large number of the townsfolk were against the proposal, it was eventually dropped. On 20 October 1981 it was decided to build a new municipal building with a banquet hall. The old district office of 1653/1709 and the district prison from 1853 were to be largely preserved as

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

s and integrated. In an architectural competition, Hans-Joachim Ehrich from Brunswick won first prize for his design. In 1984 the rebuilding work began. On 6 December 1985 the new municipal hall or ''Stadthaus'' was inaugurated. It had cost over seven million DM. It has a banqueting hall for up to 530 people with a stage and side rooms, event rooms, a council chamber with a gallery, and various conference rooms. In the council chamber of the ''Stadthaus'' hangs the painting ''Gogericht'' by Bergen artist, Ferdinand Brütt (1849−1936). It was a precursor to a painting in the Lüneburg State Court (''Landgericht Lüneburg'')].

Military training area

Between Bergen,

Meißendorf Meißendorf is a village and ''Ortschaft'' (municipal division) of the municipality of Winsen an der Aller in the Lower Saxon district of Celle in northern Germany.Fallingbostel Bad Fallingbostel (Northern Low Saxon: ''Bad Fambossel'') is the district town (''Kreisstadt'') of the Heidekreis, Heidekreis district in the Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Since 1976 the town has had a state-recognised Kneipp spa and ha ...

, roughly in the area between the A 7 and the B 3, is the military training area of Bergen-Hohne. To create this training area, several villages, including Hartem, were evacuated in 1938 by the German

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

, along with individual homesteads. Some of their ruins can still be seen. Within a few years about 3,650 inhabitants from 25 parishes had to leave their homes. On the eastern perimeter of the terrain, near the village of Belsen, at that time called ''Ostlager'', around 100 barrack blocks, 50 horse stables and 40 large vehicle garages were built, along with a medical centre, depots and a target factory. The largest village in this area was and is Ostenholz, which was not cleared and is like an island of habitation within the training area. Today, the area is used by the

Bundeswehr The (, ''Federal Defence'') are the armed forces of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. The is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part consists of the four armed forces: Germ ...

and other

forces. The civil administration of the training area is carried out by the two unincorporated areas of

''Gemeindefreier Bezirk Lohheide''
/ref> in the east and

Osterheide Osterheide () is an unincorporated area in the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The area has 2,463 inhabitants (as at 31 December 2020). Its administrative seat is the village of Oerbke; other villages are Ostenholz and Wense. T ...

in the west.

Churches and religious organisations

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

parish of St. Lambert's * Gemeinde Gottes Bergen *

Roman-Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

parish of ''Zum kostbaren Blute'' * Independent Lutheran parish of St. John in Bergen-Bleckmar * Missionary work: Bleckmar branch of the Lutheran Church Mission (''Lutherische Kirchenmission − Bleckmarer Mission e. V.'') since 1892.

Transport

Bergen lies on the B 3 federal highway from Celle via Soltau to

Ovelgönne Ovelgönne () is a municipality in the district of Wesermarsch, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 27 km northeast of Oldenburg, and 40 km northwest of Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), offic ...

near

Buxtehude Buxtehude (; , ), officially the Hanseatic City of Buxtehude (), is a town on the Este River in Northern Germany, belonging to the district of Stade in Lower Saxony. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region and attached to the city's S-Ba ...

. Several state roads ('' Landesstraßen'') serve the surrounding area which is mainly agricultural and lead, ''inter alia'', to

Hermannsburg Hermannsburg is a village and a former municipality in the Celle (district), Celle district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Since 1 January 2015 it is part of the municipality Südheide (municipality), Südheide. It has been a state-recognised resort t ...

and Winsen (Aller). The nearest motorway junction is Soltau-Süd on the A7 ''autobahn'' from

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

. In addition, the

runs through the town. This no longer provides a passenger service, but is very important for the transportation of goods.

Notable people

* Ferdinand Brütt (b 13 July 1849 in

; d 6 November 1936 in Bergen) was a German painter. Brütt was a distant cousin of the sculptor,

Adolf Brütt Adolf Brütt (10 May 1855 in Husum – 6 November 1939 in Bad Berka)Husum Tourismus: ...

. * (born 1957), since 2007

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...

of the

East Friesland East Frisia () or East Friesland (; ; ; ) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia and to the west of Landkreis Fries ...

diocese of the

Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Hanover The Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Hanover () is a Lutheran church body ''(Landeskirche)'' in the northern German state of Lower Saxony and the city of Bremerhaven covering the territory of the former Kingdom of Hanover. The seat of the Landesbi ...

. *

Hermann Ehlers Hermann Ehlers (1 October 1904 – 29 October 1954) was a German politician. He was the second president of the Bundestag from 19 October 1950 to 29 October 1954. He was a member of the Christian Democratic Union. Early life Ehlers was born ...

(1904-1954) German politician (CDU), until his death

President of the Bundestag The president of the Bundestag ( or ; Grammatical gender in German#Professions, when the office is held by a man) presides over the sessions of the Bundestag, the federal parliament of Germany, with functions similar to that of a speaker (poli ...

References

External links

The official website for Bergen
{{Authority control Celle (district)