Walsrode

Walsrode
Town
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Walsrode within Heidekreis district
Location of Walsrode
Walsrode Location within Germany Walsrode Location within Lower Saxony
Coordinates: 52°52′N 9°35′E
Country	Germany
State	Lower Saxony
District	Heidekreis
Subdivisions	31 districts
Government
• Mayor (2020–25)	Helma Spöring (Ind.)
Area
• Total	336.46 km2 (129.91 sq mi)
Elevation	49 m (161 ft)
Population  (2024-12-31)
• Total	31,019
• Density	92.192/km2 (238.78/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	29664
Dialling codes	05161
Vehicle registration	HK
Website	www.walsrode.de

Walsrode (German pronunciation: [valsˈʁoːdə] ^ⓘ; Low German: Wasra) is a town in the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The former municipality Bomlitz was merged into Walsrode in January 2020.

History

Middle Ages

986 Foundation of Walsrode Abbey by Count Walo. The first recorded mention of the town is dated May 7, 986.

1383 The dukes of Brunswick and Lüneburg grant Walsrode a town charter.

1479 First recorded instance of Walsrode's coat of arms. At the end of the 15th century the sculptor Hans Brüggemann, creator of the renowned Bordesholm Altar of Schleswig Cathedral, is born in the town.

Early modern times

Life-sized statue of Herman Löns

1626 Extensive destruction in the town by the troops of Count Tilly during the Thirty Years' War.

1757 The town is totally destroyed by a catastrophic fire.

1811 During the Napoleonic era, Walsrode becomes a border town between France and the Kingdom of Westphalia.

1814 Walsrode is incorporated in the Kingdom of Hanover.

1866 Annexation of Walsrode by Prussia.

1890 Railroad first extends to Walsrode.

20th century

1957 The German border patrol agency (Bundesgrenzschutz) establishes a training school in the town.

1984 The state legislature of Lower Saxony allows the town to incorporate as an "independent community".

Places of interest

• Walsrode Abbey
• Rischmannshof Heath Museum
• Weltvogelpark Walsrode

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Walsrode is twinned with:

• Blainville-sur-Orne, France
• Gernrode (Quedlinburg), Germany
• Hibbing, United States
• Kępice, Poland
• Kovel, Ukraine
• Zaltbommel, Netherlands

Notable people

• Hans Brüggemann (c. 1480–1521), artist
• Louis Harms (1808–1865), Lutheran pastor
• Frank Hibbing, founder of Hibbing
• Hermine Overbeck-Rohte (1869–1938), landscape painter
• Maren Kroymann (born 1949), actress and singer
• Gaby Papenburg (born 1960), sports journalist
• Frank Glorius (born 1972), chemist
• Onur Ayık (born 1990), footballer

See also

• Metropolitan region Hannover-Braunschweig-Göttingen-Wolfsburg