Rotenburg an der Wümme
| Rotenburg an der Wümme | ||
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Town hall
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 Rotenburg an der Wümme
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Location of Rotenburg an der Wümme within Rotenburg (Wümme) district
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| Coordinates: 53°06′25″N 09°23′49″E / 53.10694°N 9.39694°ECoordinates: 53°06′25″N 09°23′49″E / 53.10694°N 9.39694°E | ||
| Country | Germany | |
| State | Lower Saxony | |
| District | Rotenburg (Wümme) | |
| Founded | 1195 | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Andreas Weber (SPD) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 98.81 km2 (38.15 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 30 m (100 ft) | |
| Population (2015-12-31) | ||
| • Total | 21,392 | |
| • Density | 220/km2 (560/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) | |
| Postal codes | 27356 | |
| Dialling codes | 04261 | |
| Vehicle registration | ROW | |
| Website | www.rotenburg-wuemme.de | |
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Rotenburg an der Wümme (until May 1969: Rotenburg in Hannover) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Rotenburg.
Rotenburg is situated at the Wümme river, which in turn lies between the rivers Elbe and Weser at about the same latitude as Hamburg and Bremen, the latter lying 40 km to the west. It is often called "Rotenburg (Wümme)" in order to distinguish it from the town Rotenburg an der Fulda in Hesse and Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria.
The town was founded in 1195, when the Prince-Bishop Rudolf I of Verden built a castle at the place. Then the town belonged to the Prince-Bishopric of Verden, established in 1180. The castle took its name from the colour of the bricks (rot means "red", Burg "castle"). The adjoining settlement remained a tiny village until the 19th century.
In 1648 the Prince-Bishopric was transformed into the Principality of Verden, which was first ruled in personal union by the Swedish Crown - interrupted by a Danish occupation (1712–1715) - and from 1715 on by the Hanoverian Crown.
After the Thirty Years' War, the rule of the Bishops of Verden ended and Rotenburg went into the now secularized Duchy of Verden under Swedish rule. In this period its new rulers built the castle with the remnants of the schloss into a modern fortress as an outpost to protect the main fortress at Stade. This rebuilding work required the western part of the town to be demolished, making it necessary to move the main area of settlement to the east. Even the parish church had to be taken down and moved to the site of the present town church.
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Wikipedia