Nordenham
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Nordenham | |
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Image:Bremerhaven-Position.png |
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| Country | Germany |
| State | Lower Saxony |
| District | Wesermarsch |
| Population | 27660 (30 October 2005) |
| Area | 87.2 km² |
| Population density | 319 /km² |
| Elevation | 0 m |
| Coordinates | 53°30′ N 8°28′ E |
| Postal code | 26954 |
| Area code | 04731 |
| Licence plate code | BRA |
| Mayor | Dr. Georg Raffetseder (CDU) |
| Website | nordenham.de |
Nordenham is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany with a population of roughly 28,000. It is located at the mouth (on the west bank) of the Weser river on the Butjadingen peninsula on the coast of the North Sea. The seaport city of Bremerhaven is located on the other side (east bank) of the river, and has a shipping canal that connects to the Elbe river. The seaport is administered from City of Bremen another 50 [km] upriver, which has its own seaport facility dating back to the Hanseatic League, and which administers the one opposite in Bremenhaven as well.
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[edit] History
Nordenham developed after the efforts by a merchant called Wilhelm Müller who traded cattle and sheep to England in the late 19th century. Some of the oldest parts of the modern town area are the old villages or Wurtendörfer (roughly translated as 'hill villages') Blexen, Einswarden and Atens. Bishop Willehad died in Blexen in the year 789, which is also commonly accepted to be the villages year of foundation. In 1407, the Vredeborch or Friedeburg was erected by the Hanseatic city of Bremen, a castle (although it was probably more a kind of large fortified house) to protect interests against the rebellious inhabitants, the Frisians. The stronghold was destroyed in 1425 and it is possible that the site was later used by a monastery. Nordenham's town founder Wilhelm Müller later built his farm house and a restaurant on the same site. In 1959 those were demolished and the current city hall was built there.
Between 1499-1514 the area was conquered by the Grand-Dutchy of Oldenburg and in 1813 by the French emperor Napoleon, whose army shot ten local inhabitants at the church in Blexen.
On May 1st, 1908 Nordenham was granted 2nd class town rights and since 1955 Nordenham is an independent town in the Wesermarsch district.
Due to government industrialisation programs in the 1960s and 1970s, various industries opened plants in Nordenham. Among others, the main industries are a nuclear power plant, airplane construction (Airbus) and chemical industry. On the Butjadingen peninsula outside Nordenham people do dairy farming or work in the tourism industry.
[edit] Town twinning
Nordenham's twin cities include:
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[edit] Transportation
Due to the town's location, transportation connections are below par. There is a ferry to Bremerhaven at Blexen, though it has suffered from steady declines in passenger numbers ever since the Weser tunnel some 10 km south of Nordenham opened. The town is connected to the regional road network by Bundesstraße 212 which intersects with Bundesstraße 437 near the Weser tunnel, offering connections to the A 27 and A 28 motorways.
Nordenham can be reached by RegionalExpress trains; Nordenham railway station sees hourly trains to Bremen. It is expected that Nordenham will be integrated into the Bremen S-Bahn network, which is currently believed to go operational by 2010.
[edit] Sons of the city
The city's most famous son is Roy Horn of "Siegfried & Roy", who grew up in Blexen but soon left town after school and supposedly never returned for a visit after his remarkable breakthrough as a magician. In the IMAX movie "Siegfried & Roy: The Magic Box" (1999) his youth in Blexen was shortly mentioned, but the shown landscape there does not bear any resemblance to the real landscape.
[edit] External links
- Official Website of the town (German)
- Tourist-Website of the town (German, with English translation of menues)
