Meppen (;

Northern Low Saxon Northern Low Saxon (in Standard German, Standard High German: ', also ', lit. ''North(ern) Low Saxon/German''; in Dutch language, Standard Dutch: ') is a subgroup of Low Saxon dialects of Low German. As such, it covers a great part of the West ...

: ''Möppen'') is a town in and the seat of the

Emsland Landkreis Emsland () is a districts of Germany, district in Lower Saxony, Germany named after the river Ems (river), Ems. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Leer (district), Leer, Cloppenburg (district), Cloppenbur ...

district of

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 ...

, at the confluence of the

Ems Ems or EMS may refer to: Places and rivers * Domat/Ems, a Swiss municipality in the canton of Grisons * Ems (river) (Eems), a river in northwestern Germany and northeastern Netherlands that discharges in the Dollart Bay * Ems (Eder), a river o ...

Hase The Hase () is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Ems, but part of its flow goes to the Else, that is part of the Weser basin. Its source is in the Teutoburg Forest, south-east of Osnabrück, on the north slope ...

, and Nordradde rivers and the

Dortmund–Ems Canal The Dortmund–Ems Canal is a long canal in Germany between the inland port of the city of Dortmund () and the seaport of Emden. The artificial southern part of the canal ends after at Herbrum lock near Meppen. The route then takes the r ...

(DEK). The name stems from the word ''Mappe'', meaning "

delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...

Geography

The town is in the central part of the Emsland, at the mouth of the Hase River where it meets the Ems, between the cities of

Lingen Lingen (), officially Lingen (Ems), is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. In 2024, its population was 59,896 with 2,262 people who had registered the city as their secondary residence. Lingen, specifically "Lingen (Ems)" is located on the river Ems ...

and

Papenburg Papenburg (; East Frisian Low Saxon: ''Papenbörg'') is a city in the district of Emsland, Lower Saxony, Germany, situated at the river Ems. It is known for its large shipyard, the Meyer-Werft, which specializes in building cruise liners. Ge ...

. About from the

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 ...

border, Meppen has an area of and is

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

. The population was 34,196 .

Districts of Meppen

Villages in Meppen

In 1974, 13 independent, surrounding municipalities were integrated into Meppen.

History

Meppen, formerly a fortified town, boasts 12 centuries of history. The first documented mention of Meppen dates from 834, in a deed of donation by

Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages, a group of Low Germanic languages also commonly referred to as "Frankish" varieties * Francia, a post-Roman ...

emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (; ; ; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor, co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aquitaine from 781. As the only ...

, transferring a missionary establishment of that name to the abbey of

Corvey The Princely Abbey of Corvey ( or ) is a former Benedictine abbey and ecclesiastical principality now in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was one of the half-dozen self-ruling '' princely abbeys'' of the Holy Roman Empire from the Late Middl ...

Culture and sights

Theatre

Between September and April the Meppen Theatre Group (''Theatergemeinde Meppen'') offers a comprehensive programme. Productions take place in the Meppen Theatre and Concert Hall, which was designed by Eberhard Kulenkampff and completed in 1959. It also acts as a school hall for the Windthorst Gymnasium. The programme includes both touring theatre productions as well as musical events of various genres. From May to September, the Emsland Open Air Stage at Meppen (''Emsländische Freilichtbühne Meppen'') offers visitors a family musical and an evening event, mostly based on musical productions. More than 30,000 visitors come each year to the open air theatre in Esterfeld Forest to see large musical performances involving casts of up to 100.

Museums

* Town Museum in the Arenberg Rentei in ''Obergerichtsstraße'', built by August Reinking * Exhibition Centre for the Archaeology of the

on ''Koppelschleuse'' street * Art exhibitions in the arts centre on ''Koppelschleuse'' street

Buildings

* Around 1461–62 the Priory Church of St. Vitus was built as a three-aisled late Gothic

hall church A hall church is a Church (building), church with a nave and aisles of approximately equal height. In England, Flanders and the Netherlands, it is covered by parallel roofs, typically, one for each vessel, whereas in Germany there is often one s ...

. Whilst there were only wooden churches in the surrounding area, at this sport there was already a simple stone building as early as the 9th century. This was expanded in the 11th century; the heart of the present tower being one of the additions. Further expansion in the 13th century resulting in the Bridle and North Portals being built. * The ''

Residenz ''Residenz'' () is a German word for "domicile", now obsolete except in the formal sense of an official residence. A related term, ''Residenzstadt'', denotes a city where a sovereign ruler resided, and thus carries a similar meaning to the contemp ...

'', which today houses the council and the headmaster's office of the Windthorst Gymnasium, was built between 1726 and 1729. Later, in 1743–46, the Gymnasium Church was built onto the Residenz under the Pater Superior, Karl Immendorf. * The

town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

(''Rathaus''), today the symbol of the town, was constructed in 1408 from

glacial erratic A glacial erratic is a glacially deposited rock (geology), rock differing from the type of country rock (geology), rock native to the area in which it rests. Erratics, which take their name from the Latin word ' ("to wander"), are carried by gla ...

s. From 1601 to 1605 it was considerably expanded and an additional brick storey added. In order to increase the floor area for the upper storey, an open arched hall was erected in front of the building. The

stepped gable A stepped gable, crow-stepped gable, or corbie step is a stairstep type of design at the top of the triangular gable-end of a building. The top of the parapet wall projects above the roofline and the top of the brick or stone wall is stacked in ...

with its semi-circular elements was heavily based on Münster prototypes at (''Rothenburg 44'', built 1583, and the '' Krameramtshaus'' of 1589). At the start of the 19th century the building appears to have fallen considerably into disrepair, because the Arenberg architect, Josef Niehaus, was invited by the town submit an assessment for its renovation. He recommended that the ruined tower was demolished and the ornamentation of the gable removed, but initially that came to nought. In 1885 the ornamentation was finally removed and the gable end furnished with a plain triangular gable. In addition the turret of the staircase tower at the side, added in 1611 was demolished due to its poor condition. In 1909 it was decided to rebuild the tower and gable in their present form. Inside the building is a 1605 sandstone fireplace. * The armoury (''Zeughaus'') was built in 1752 on the site of the former castle, the ''Paulsburg'' (residence of the

seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

or '' Drost'', built in 1374) by order of Prince-Elector Clemens August. It was to act as a store room for weapons, munitions, uniforms and battle equipment for soldiers studying at Meppen Fortress. In the 19th century the building was used for commercial purposes and survives today as a private residence, albeit with a number of structural alterations. * The history of the ''Herrenmühle'', a

water mill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production ...

on the Nordradde stream, goes back to the 16th century. It is used today for cultural events. * ''Residential houses'' By contrast with

, just a few kilometres away, the centre of Meppen has hardly any historic buildings. The town houses mainly consist of new buildings with a few 19th century brick houses. Of national significance is the Arenberg Rentei (''Arenbergische Rentei'') at No. 7, ''Obergerichtsstraße''. The two-storey classical building with

pilaster In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

s and a

mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called French roof or curb roof) is a multi-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper, and often punctured by dormer wi ...

was built as a residence in 1805 by August Reinking for the merchant, Ferdindand Frye, and his wife, Josefine Mulert. From 1835, it was used as a finance office (''Rentei''), it now serves as a town museum. Four years later, based on plans by the same architect, the so-called ''Heyl'sche Haus'' was built at No. 3, ''Emsstraße''. The owner was the Duchy of

Arenberg Arenberg, also spelled as Aremberg or Ahremberg, is a former county, principality and finally duchy that was located in what is now Germany. The Dukes of Arenberg remain a prominent Belgian noble family. History First mentioned in the 12th c ...

's privy councillor (''Kammerrat''), Anton Heyl. While the house itself was demolished in 1977 in favour of a bank, the adjoining hall, with its remarkable ornamentation, was kept and restored. Next to the huge bank, it looks rather lost. The town community centre, built in 1816 by physician, Nicholas Vagedes, not far from the town hall, has housed the town council since 1936. Amongst the few remaining timber-framed buildings are the single-storey houses No. 24, ''Kuhstraße'' and No. 12, ''Im Sack''. The former dates essentially to the 16th century and is one of the oldest buildings in the town. It has been expanded and extended several times. No. 12 ''Im Sack'', by contrast, was built in 1797 and still has a gateway to the hall or threshing floor (''Dielentor''). Today, it houses the offices of the newspaper and the senior citizens' volunteer agency. * The '' Koppelschleuse'' locks, built between 1826 and 1830, have survived in its original state as part of the old Ems–Hase Canal. * The ''Hölting Mill'' (''Höltingmühle''), a

smock mill The smock mill is a type of windmill that consists of a sloping, horizontally weatherboarded, thatched, or shingled tower, usually with six or eight sides. It is topped with a roof or cap that rotates to bring the sails into the wind. This t ...

, was probably built in 1639 near Bockhorn in the county of

Friesland Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...

. The mill was bought by the Hölting Citizens Preservation Society and re-erected during the town's 600th anniversary celebrations in 1959–60 on the tongue of land between the

and the River Hase. Inside the mill today is a café, which is open during summer weekends. Civil ceremonies also take place in the mill. * On the 131-metre-high

cooling tower A cooling tower is a device that rejects waste heat to the atmosphere through the cooling of a coolant stream, usually a water stream, to a lower temperature. Cooling towers may either use the evaporation of water to remove heat and cool the ...

of the now closed Meppen-Hüntel Peak Load Gasworks is, according to the

Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

, is the largest map of the world in the world. It was painted by the Swiss artist, Christoph Rihs. * The ''Meppener Högerhaus'', a former administrative building for the county of

Meppen Meppen (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Möppen'') is a town in and the seat of the Emsland district of Lower Saxony, Germany, at the confluence of the Ems (river), Ems, Hase, and Nordradde rivers and the Dortmund–Ems Canal (DEK). The name stems from t ...

, (built 1936–1937) was designed by architect,

Fritz Höger Fritz is a common German male name. The name originated as a German diminutive of Friedrich or Frederick (''Der Alte Fritz'', and ''Stary Fryc'' were common nicknames for King Frederick II of Prussia and Frederick III, German Emperor), as well ...

. Today a police station is housed in the double-winged, brick building on ''Bahnhofstraße'', with its

hipped roof A hip roof, hip-roof or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downward to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope, with variants including tented roofs and others. Thus, a hipped roof has no gables or other vertical sides ...

. The entrance staircase on the southwest side is dominated by an

arch An arch is a curved vertical structure spanning an open space underneath it. Arches may support the load above them, or they may perform a purely decorative role. As a decorative element, the arch dates back to the 4th millennium BC, but stru ...

way.

Parks

* The former counterscarp of Meppen

Fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...

has survived and forms part of a park area with trees.

Natural monuments

* In the parish of Borken is the Borkener Paradies Nature Reserve, a historic

wood pasture Silvopasture (''silva'' is forest in Latin) is the practice of integrating trees, forage, and the grazing of domesticated animals in a mutually beneficial way. It utilizes the principles of managed grazing, and it is one of several distinct form ...

Population statistics

(*including the villages belonging to the town of Meppen)

Notable people

Levin Schücking Levin Schücking (full name: ''Christoph Bernhard Levin Matthias Schücking''; September 6, 1814 – August 31, 1883) was a German novelist. He was born near Meppen, Kingdom of Prussia, and died in Bad Pyrmont, German Empire. He was the uncle of ...

(1814-1883), a German novelist. * Karl Brandi (1868–1946), a German historian. * Gerd Zacher (1929–2014), composer, organist and writer on music. * Hermann Lause (1939-2005), film actor; appeared in more than seventy films * Hermann Korte (1949-2020), academic specialising in German literature, language and linguistics. * Richard Wiese (born 1953), German linguist who studies the

phonology Phonology (formerly also phonemics or phonematics: "phonemics ''n.'' 'obsolescent''1. Any procedure for identifying the phonemes of a language from a corpus of data. 2. (formerly also phonematics) A former synonym for phonology, often pre ...

and

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines *Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts *Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...

of German

Sport

* Maurits van Löben Sels (1876–1944), a Dutch épée, foil and sabre fencer; team bronze medallist at the

1906 Intercalated Games The 1906 Intercalated Games or 1906 Olympic Games (), held from 22 April 1906 to 2 May 1906, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated in Athens, Kingdom of Greece. They were at the time considered to be Olympic Games and were re ...

Alwin Schockemöhle Alwin Schockemöhle (born 29 May 1937) is a former German show-jumper. He was a successful international show jumping equestrian in the 1960s and 1970s at individual and team events in Olympic Games and European Championships. He was one of fo ...

(born 1937), former show-jumper, gold medallist at the

1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal ...

and team medallist at several other Olympics *

Thomas Bröker Thomas Bröker (born 22 January 1985) is a retired German Association football, footballer who played as a Midfielder#Winger, winger. Career Bröker started his career at 1. FC Köln. During the 2004–05 1. FC Köln season, 2004–05 season, Br ...

(born 1985), a retired footballer who played 349 games *

Jana Franziska Poll Jana Franziska Poll (born 7 May 1988 in Meppen, West Germany) is a German volleyball player, member of the Germany women's national volleyball team. At club level, she plays for German SCU Emlichheim. National team career Poll made her first ...

(born 1988), volleyball player, 87 caps with the

Germany women's national volleyball team The Germany women's national volleyball team is the national volleyball team of Germany. It is governed by the '' Deutscher Volleyball-Verband'' (DVV). Team record Olympic Games results Champions Runners-up Third place ...

* Nils Zumbeel (born 1990), footballer who played over 275 games

Sport clubs

SV Meppen SV Meppen is a German association football club playing in Meppen, Lower Saxony. The club was founded on 29 November 1912 as ''Amisia Meppen'' and joined ''Männer-Turnverein Meppen'' on 8 February 1920 to form ''TuS Meppen 1912''. The football ...

(football) *SV Union Meppen (football, tennis, gymnastics, volleyball, table tennis, athletics)

Twin towns – sister cities

Meppen is twinned with: *

Ostrołęka Ostrołęka (; ) is a small city in northeastern Poland on the Narew river, about northeast of Warsaw, with a population of 51,012 (2021) and an area of . It is the capital of both Ostrołęka County and Ostrołęka City County in the Masovian V ...

, Poland

Gallery

Meppen, stadhuis positie3 foto10 2011-05-08 17.56.JPG, Town hall Meppen, gymnasium positie2 foto3 2011-05-08 12.08.JPG, Gymnasium Meppen, straatzicht2 foto2 2011-05-08 17.51.JPG, A street in the town centre Meppen, straatzicht1 foto1 2011-05-08 12.24.JPG, Buildings in the town centre Urba muzeo Meppen 3.jpg, Museum Meppen Fussgaengerzone Bhfstr.jpg, Pedestrian zone on ''Bahnhofstraße'' Meppen alter Hafen.jpg, Meppen's old harbour Vormeppen.jpg, Vormeppen railway station Meppen hubbruecke.jpg, Ems River in Meppen Meppen Hubbruecke 2007 1.JPG, Installing the new lifting bridge in 2007

References

External links

*
Webcam
(German) {{Authority control Neuengamme concentration camp Emsland