Visbek

Visbek

Coat of arms
Visbek

Coordinates: 52°50′11.74″N 08°18′35.12″E / 52.8365944°N 8.3097556°E / 52.8365944; 8.3097556Coordinates: 52°50′11.74″N 08°18′35.12″E / 52.8365944°N 8.3097556°E / 52.8365944; 8.3097556
Country Germany
State Lower Saxony
District Vechta
Government
 • Mayor Gerd Meyer (CDU)
Area
 • Total 84.08 km2 (32.46 sq mi)
Population (2015-12-31)[1]
 • Total 9,656
 • Density 110/km2 (300/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 49429
Dialling codes 04445, 04447 (Hagstedt)
Vehicle registration VEC
Website www.visbek.de

Visbek (Old Saxon Fiscbechi or Fiskbeki) is a municipality in the district of Vechta, in the Oldenburg Münsterland region of the state of Lower Saxony, Germany.

Location and municipal subdivisions

Visbek lies on the North German Plain, approximately 12 km to the north of Vechta. The municipality consists of the village of Visbek itself, together with 13 surrounding hamlets (German: Bauerschaften), viz. Astrup, Bonrechtern, Endel, Erlte, Hagstedt, Halter/ Meyerhöfen, Hogenbögen, Norddöllen, Rechterfeld, Varnhorn/ Siedenbögen and Wöstendöllen.

Neighbouring municipalities

Neighbouring communities are (counting clockwise from north): the municipality of Großenkneten, including Ahlhorn, the town of Wildeshausen, the municipality of Goldenstedt, the town of Vechta and the municipality of Emstek.

Landscape

Visbek is the northernmost municipality in Vechta district, bordering the rural districts of Cloppenburg and Oldenburg. To the west, north and east of the village of Visbek, lies the long, narrow strip of the nature reserve of Streams of the Endel and Holzhausen Heath, with the geest brooks and wet lowlands of the Aue, Twillbäke and Visbeker Bruchbach streams with their associated watermills.[2][3]

Middle Ages

Historical tradition dates back as far as to the late 8th century, when upon order of the Frankish king Charlemagne (later Emperor Charles the Great), the abbey of Visbek - then called "cellula fiscbechi", under Abbot Gerbert Castus - played a major role in the Christianization of the newly conquered surrounding Saxon territories of Lerigau, Hasegau and Venkigau.

In 855 AD, King Louis the German allocated the Benedictine Abbey of Visbek in the shire of Lerigau, with its territories and possessions, to the Imperial Abbey of Corvey.[4]

Megalithic tombs

The Visbek region, however, had been populated even before the Middle Ages, in fact as far back as the Neolithic Period, as evinced by numerous megalithic tombs of the Funnelbeaker culture (3,500 - 2,800 BC) that may still be seen today. Examples - aside from the Heidenopfertisch illustrated below - include the large stone graves of Mühlensteine, Schmeersteine, Visbeker Braut and Visbeker Bräutigam.[5][6][7][8]

Media

The following regional newspapers are delivered in Visbek:

Regular festivities

Partner municipality

 France A partnership with Pontvallain in the Sarthe Departement has been maintained since 1988.

References

  1. ↑ Landesbetrieb für Statistik und Kommunikationstechnologie Niedersachsen, 102 Bevölkerung - Basis Zensus 2011, Stand 31. Dezember 2015 (Tabelle K1020014)
  2. ↑ Arbeitsgruppe Mühlenstraße in der Mühlenvereinigung Niedersachsen-Bremen e.V.: Kokenmühle Visbek
  3. ↑ Arbeitsgruppe Mühlenstraße in der Mühlenvereinigung Niedersachsen-Bremen e.V.: Neumühle Visbek
  4. ↑ Universität Marburg: Regestendatenbank. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  5. ↑ Stonepages: Mühlensteine. Grave 976
  6. ↑ Stonepages: Schmeersteine. Grave 977
  7. ↑ Stonepages: Visbeker Braut. Grave 952
  8. ↑ Stonepages: Visbeker Bräutigam. Grave 936
  9. ↑ Stonepages: Heidenopfertisch. Grave 974
  10. ↑ Steinzeitreise: Heidenopfertisch. Grave 974
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