"Neustadt" Neustadt by Gerrem

Neustadt is in the north of Hannover and near the Steinhuder Sea. It's alovely little town:

The city of Neustadt am Rübenberge with its 44,000 inhabitants is actually a normal country town, but because of its extensive land area, it is remarkable. After the community reform of 1972 thirty-three independent communities were added to the city of Neustadt. Covering 357 square kilometres, the city suddenly became the fourth largest in Germany, but its rustic character has been preserved until today.

The countryside of Neustadt with its old villages blends seamlessly with the rest of lower Saxony to form a unique landscape of forest and swamp, heath and marsh, hills, and a lake. For instance, the Wacholderpark in Helstorf with its red beeches, oaks and Hülsenwäldchen, the wildlife reserve Blankes Flat in Vesbeck with its various flora and small marsh, and the Grinderwald in Eilvese with its wide ranging hills and hiking paths make up the most remarkable nature attractions in Neustadt’s countryside. Another highlight is the farmyard in Evensen with its beech-lined walking path reminiscent of the Großer Garten in Hanover Herrenhausen.

While in Neustadt, tourists can also visit important historical sites, for example, the Zisterzienserkloster (a monastery) in Mariensee, which was founded around 1200, or the St.-Osdag-Kirche (St. Osdag church) in Mandelsloh, the main parts of which were built around 1180. This church is the southernmost flat-ceilinged Roman basilica and the only historical monument of this architecture to also have an ornamental ceiling. Around 1757 the Earl Wilhelm from Schaumburg-Lippe built the Wilhelmstein fortress as a military academy directly on Steinhuder Lake. Today this institution is a weapons museum.
As you explore Neustadt, you can also see the castle Landestrost, which was built on a little hill overlooking the Leine River and offers a broad view of the surroundings. The lookout was once vital for the protection of the Leine River.

The landscape in which Neustadt am Rübenberge is located was already settled during the Stone Age about 30,000 years ago. The city of Neustadt was first mentioned in an official document written around 1200 years ago, in which it was called ‘nova civitas’ which translates into ‘neue Stadt’ (new city). During this time the land belonged to the county Wölpe, which, at the time, was the only German county to allow the production of silver coins. In 1302 the county was sold to Duke Otto von Braunschweig. In 1493, the duke’s fortress was known as Castrum Rouenberg, but through the years the name evolved into ‘Rübenberg’. This was a result of the continually changing language that existed in Neustadt. Even today, nobody can agree on the meaning of the original name for Rübenberg; some believe that a Rouenberg was a land elevation.
In 1505, the thirty-five year-old Duke Erich I von Calenberg chose Neustadt as his second governmental seat. Parts of the Rouenburg were destroyed as a result of a citywide fire that occurred in 1563, but Duke Erich II began to rebuild the Rouenburg just ten years after the tragedy. He named the castle (which was then supposedly the strongest fortress in north-western Germany) and the city ‘Landestrost’. Shortly following the death of Duke Erich II, the city regained its original name. After the city of Neustadt was declared to be Protestant-Lutheran, it was attacked and forced to surrender to the Catholic General Tilly after only a fifteen-day siege.
A thirty-year long war caused Neustadt to be besieged for three months in 1635. This drove off the Catholic imperial occupation troops. 1727 marked the third and most tragic city fire, in which one hundred of the one hundred and eight houses located in the city were destroyed. During the next two years the city was completely rebuilt according to the current ground plans. On the December twelfth of 1847 Neustadt's railroad station got its first visit from a train travelling to Hanover from Bremen. In 1855 the citizens of Neustadt were represented by their own district court for the first time.
By 1873, the industrial revolution had reached Neustadt. During this time industries tried to use peat, which was excavated from the swamps, instead of coal in the production of steel. Unfortunately, the peat company went broke because of miscalculations. In 1885, the area surrounding Neustadt, including the entire county of Wölpe, officially became the rural district of Neustadt am Rübenberge. Within the next thirty years, the first schools and the first closed settlement originated. During that time the 250-meter tall radio tower was inaugurated. As a result, Emperor Wilhelm I visited Neustadt.
Following World War II Neustadt’s population rose significantly since Neustadt was one of the few cities that was spared from enemy attack during the war. Since the city was not a target for the Allies, it was a perfect getaway for Germans trying to flee the war. Only one structure in the city was destroyed. When German troops were retreating from enemy lines in 1945 they demolished a bridge that spanned across the Leine River. It was replaced in 1981 by a modern concrete bridge. During the 60’s, sports centres such as Tennis and Soccer clubs and the indoor swimming pool were built beside the newer schools, providing kids with free time activities. Even a new hospital was added.