Westerstede : Mayor, Notable people Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Westerstede

Town in Lower Saxony, Germany

Flag

Coat of arms

Location of Westerstede within Ammerland district

(2019–24) Michael Rösner^[1]Area

• Total179 km² (69 sq mi)Elevation

6 m (20 ft)Population

(2022-12-31)^[2]

• Total23,854 • Density130/km² (350/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)Postal codes

26655

Dialling codes04488, 04409Vehicle registrationWSTWebsitewww.westerstede.de

Westerstede (German pronunciation: [vɛstɐˈʃteːdə] ^ⓘ; Low German: Westerstäe) is the capital of the Ammerland district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 25 km northwest of Oldenburg.

It is known for hosting the Rhodo Festival, the biggest exhibition of rhododendrons in Europe. The festival is hosted every four years (next time in 2023).

The villages of Burgforde, Eggeloge, Felde, Fikensolt, Garnholt, Gießelhorst, Halsbek, Halstrup, Hollriede, Hollwege, Hollwegerfeld, Hüllstede, Ihausen, Ihorst, Karlshof, Linswege, Linswegerfeld, Mansie, Lindern, Moorburg, Neuengland, Ocholt, Ocholterfeld, Ollenharde, Petersfeld, Tarbarg, Torsholt, Westerloy, Westerloyerfeld and Westerstederfeld are part of Westerstede.

alt The belltower for Westerstede's St. Peters Church is housed in its own building next to the church. — Belltower for St Peters Church - The belltower for Westerstede's St. Peters Church is housed in its own building next to the church.

The railway station of Westerstede is located in the village of Ocholt, 6 km south of the town. Trains from and to Leer and Oldenburg halt there every hour.

The community (and the whole Ammerland region) is famous for its tree nurseries. They grow rhododendrons that are sold outside Germany as well. The slightly acid peat soil is very suitable for this type of horticulture.

Near Linswege village, 7 km north-east of Westerstede, a Rhododendron Park has been established next to a beautiful wooded area. The park is open to visitors in May and June every year.

Mayor

The current mayor of Westerstede is Michael Rösner (UWG), who has been in office since 2019.^[1]

Notable people

Wolfgang Hackbusch (born 1948), mathematician
Eilhardus Lubinus (1565–1621), professor of poetics, theology, mathematics, geography, and Rector of the University of Rostock
Bruno Steinhoff (born 1937), billionaire businessman, founder of Steinhoff International
Friedrich Tietjen (1834–1895), astronomer

External links

Pictures from spring festival in Westerstede
Rhodo Festival

References

^ ^a ^b "Verzeichnis der direkt gewählten Bürgermeister/-innen und Landräte/Landrätinnen". Landesamt für Statistik Niedersachsen. April 2021.
^ "LSN-Online Regionaldatenbank, Tabelle A100001G: Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes, Stand 31. Dezember 2022" (in German). Landesamt für Statistik Niedersachsen.