Vechta | ||
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Coordinates: 52°43′50″N 08°17′19″E / 52.73056°N 8.28861°ECoordinates: 52°43′50″N 08°17′19″E / 52.73056°N 8.28861°E | ||
Country | Germany | |
State | Lower Saxony | |
District | Vechta | |
Government | ||
• Mayor | Helmut Gels (CDU) | |
Area | ||
• Total | 87.8 km2 (33.9 sq mi) | |
Elevation | 37 m (121 ft) | |
Population (2015-12-31) | ||
• Total | 31,558 | |
• Density | 360/km2 (930/sq mi) | |
Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) | |
Postal codes | 49377 | |
Dialling codes | 04441 | |
Vehicle registration | VEC | |
Website | www.vechta.de |
Vechta (German pronunciation: [ˈfɛçta]) with a population of nearly 32,000 is the biggest city and also the capital of the Vechta district in Lower Saxony, Germany.
It is known for the 'Stoppelmarkt' fair, which takes place every summer and has a history dating back to 1298. With an attendance of 800,000 visitors it is one of the biggest annual fairs in north-western Germany.
The town was in the recent past known as a centre of far northern German Catholicism.
Vechta consists of 25 boroughs, but the city proper was made out of 16 boroughs, until in 1933 the three boroughs of the old "Community of Oythe" were added to the city. The six boroughs of the "Community of Langförden" were added to the city in 1974.
The A1, also known as the Hansalinie, passes by Vechta. There are three interchanges: Vechta-West/Bakum, Vechta-Langförden/Emstek, Vechta-Nord/Ahlhorn . Also, the B69 runs through the city of Vechta.
The City of Vechta has a very good public transport system. It is a citybus system of four lines which run every day until nighttime except on Sundays.
Vechta has become a very rich city with a high quality of living, so Vechta is one of the rare German towns that still has a growing population.