Westerberg is a district of

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; ; archaic English: ''Osnaburg'') is a city in Lower Saxony in western Germany. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population of 168 ...

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 ...

, with roughly 8,700 residents. It is situated in the west of the city between Lotter Straße and Pagenstecherstraße. The districts bordering it are Eversburg, Hafen, Sonnenhügel, Innenstadt, Weststadt, Hellern and Atter. The border with Atter passes through the Rubbenbruchsee, part of a large local recreation area. As well as parts of the

University of Osnabrück A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

and the

Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences (German: Hochschule Osnabrück, formerly ''Fachhochschule Osnabrück'') is a university of applied science in Lower Saxony, whose administrative centre is in Osnabrück. It has existed in its current form ...

, the Klinikum Osnabrück (Osnabrück Clinical Centre) and the Paracelsus clinic are also located in Westerberg. There were also a number of British bases situated here, giving the district a considerable proportion of British families – these bases were closed in 2010 and today remain ready for conversion. The Osnabrücker Aktien Brauerei (with a workforce of around 220) used to brew its nationally acclaimed beer in Westerberg. One of the main places of interest here is the university's botanical garden, formerly a quarry. The

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

-style Protestant Bergkirche is located in this district, along with the Markuskirche (also Protestant), the Catholic St. Barbara Kirche and an independent Protestant church. Merely a few minutes’ walk from the rest of the city – which effectively surrounds it – the Westerberg acts as a local recreation area for the populace. Unusually for a large town, a farm – the Gut Musenburg – remains active right in the middle of the city. The barracks, which date back to the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

and which are today used by the University of Applied Sciences, continued to be used by a

Scottish regiment Scottish regiments are Military organization#Commands, formations, and units, military units which at some point during their existence have had a form of connection with Scotland. Though the military history of Scotland dates back to the era o ...

of the

British Army of the Rhine British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) was the name given to British Army occupation forces in the Rhineland, West Germany, after the First and Second World Wars, and during the Cold War, becoming part of NATO's Northern Army Group (NORTHAG) tasked ...

until a few years ago. Large parts of this district are amongst Osnabrück's most desired residential areas with the highest property prices. There is a colloquial expression - “die Leute von Westerberg” (people from Westerberg) – which is taken a synonym for the “particularly influential members of the social elite”. Local politics frequently see accusations of preferential treatment for Westerberg being made. Westerberg residents respond by asserting that the city administration – according to statistics – invests much more money in the other districts. The monument at Straßburger Platz honours the soldiers from Osnabrück who fell during the Franco-German War of 1870–71. It was first erected in Neumarkt in 1880; in 1928 it was relocated to Westerberg. Pupils from the Osnabrücker Ratsgymnasium designed a sculpture – “Die schützende Torsion” (The Protective Torsion) – symbolising Franco-German friendship.

Transportation

There used to be a connection to tram line 1, which went from Heger Friedhof through Lotter Straße, Heger Tor, Rißmüllerplatz, Rathaus, Nikolaiort and Hauptpost to the Hauptbahnhof. Today the district is regularly served by city buses; lines 21, 22, 31, R31, 32 and 33 travel to Westerberg.

Security

The city centre location of the volunteer fire department in Osnabrück provides, in particular, protective fire security, along with general support in Westerberg and additional services.

Links

City of Osnabrück, Referat für Stadtentwicklung und Bürgerbeteiligung – statistics -, 11/2009
(PDF file, 35.40 KB, in German) {{DEFAULTSORT:Westerberg (Osnabruck district) Geography of Osnabrück