Walsrode

Walsrode (German pronunciation: [valsˈʁoːdə]) is a town in the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany.

History

Middle Ages

986 Foundation of Walsrode Abbey by Count Walo. The first recorded mention of the town is dated May 7, 986.

1383 The dukes of Brunswick and Lüneburg grant Walsrode a town charter.

1479 First recorded instance of Walsrode's coat of arms. At the end of the 15th century the sculptor Hans Brüggemann, creator of the renowned Bordesholm Altar of Schleswig Cathedral, is born in the town.

Early modern times

Life-sized statue of Herman Löns in Walsrode

1626 Extensive destruction in the town by the troops of Count Tilly during the Thirty Years' War.

1757 The town is totally destroyed by a catastrophic fire.

1811 During the Napoleonic era, Walsrode becomes a border town between France and the Kingdom of Westphalia.

1814 Walsrode is incorporated in the Kingdom of Hanover.

1866 Annexation of Walsrode by Prussia.

1890 Railroad first extends to Walsrode.

1897 The poet Hermann Löns first visits the town.

20th century

1935 Löns, who died in 1914, is reburied in Walsrode.

1957 The German border patrol agency (Bundesgrenzschutz) establishes a training school in the town.

1984 The state legislature of Lower Saxony allows the town to incorporate as in "independent community".

Places of interest

• Rischmannshof Heath Museum
• Weltvogelpark Walsrode

Government

Town twinning

Walsrode is twinned with:

• Gernrode, Germany
• Hibbing, Minnesota, United States
• Kovel, Ukraine
• Zaltbommel, Netherlands

See also

• Metropolitan region Hannover-Braunschweig-Göttingen-Wolfsburg