Springe

Springe
Coat of arms
Springe
Location of Springe within Hannover district
Coordinates: 52°13′N 9°33′E / 52.217°N 9.550°E / 52.217; 9.550Coordinates: 52°13′N 9°33′E / 52.217°N 9.550°E / 52.217; 9.550
Country	Germany
State	Lower Saxony
District	Hannover
Government
• Mayor	Jörg-Roger Hische (CDU)
Area
• Total	159.78 km2 (61.69 sq mi)
Elevation	107 m (351 ft)
Population (2015-12-31)
• Total	28,682
• Density	180/km2 (460/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	31832
Dialling codes	05041, 05044, 05045
Vehicle registration	H
Website	www.springe.de

Springe is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the Deister hills, 22 kilometres (14 mi) southwest of Hanover.

Current as of 1 March 2008^[update].

Springe was first mentioned in 1013 as Hallerspringe. In a description of the borders of the Diocese of Hildesheim from an undated transcription, but which can be proven to be from the tenth century by its form and content, Springe was mentioned as Helereisprig. The Counts of Hallermund erected a fortress-like building on the land which is now Springe after the loss of Burg Hallermund on the Kleiner Deister to the House of Welf in 1282. They ruled their county from this new seat of power, which presumably resulted in the settlement of Springe. The creation of the Count's seat and the solidification of the location lead in the thirteenth century to the need for city laws. During the Middle Ages, Springe was the long-time seat of the Graves of Hallermund and their successors, a side lineage of the Grave of Käfernburg. From their area of rule, the office of Springe resulted and after different renamings and expansions, the Kreis Springe was formed in 1884.

By the end of the tenth century the first mentions of the names of the towns that today belong to Springe appear, and by the year 1300 all of the existing villages have been named.

The founding and growth of the area is connected with its location at the Deister Gate, a border between prairie and mountains, which is convenient for transportation in the middle of the route between Hanover and Hamelin. Further development resulted from the building of the "causeway" of what is today the B217 Highway in the 18th century and with the completion of the railroad line between Hanover and Altenbeken in 1872.

There was steady development towards a mid-sized city after the end of the First World War and even more so after the end of the Second World War ensued (in 1933 the population was 3,912). Up until the geographical reforms of 1974, Springe was the seat of the county of Springe. After that, Springe belonged to the county of Hanover, which became today's Region of Hanover on 1 November 2001. Today 13,000 residents live the core city of Springe. Because of reforms in the 13th century Eldagsen lost its rights as a city and is now a part of the City of Springe. After the inhabitants of Eldagsen protested, the town got its title of "city" back, and now bears the official title "City of Eldagsen, Part of the City of Springe".