Wietmarschen, Lower Saxony, Germany

🇩🇪 Wietmarschen is a unitary municipality (Einheitsgemeinde) in the district of Grafschaft Bentheim in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is split into the villages of Wietmarschen, Füchtenfeld, Schwartenpohl, Lohnerbruch, Nordlohne and Lohne with Lohne being the biggest and having the town hall while Wietmarschen, which is the second biggest, having the name.

Geography Wietmarschen lies roughly 8 km (5 mi) west of Lingen, and 13 km (8 mi) north-east of Nordhorn. The community's highest elevation is the Rupingberg in Lohne at 50 metres (160 ft) above sea level. There are plans to construct a viewing tower on it.

Constituent communities The municipality is divided into six Ortsteile named Wietmarschen, Füchtenfeld, Schwartenpohl, Lohnerbruch, Nordlohne and Lohne.

Religion The community of Wietmarschen diverges sharply from the rest of the district with regard to religion in that it has a largely Catholic character. In February 2006, the community's religious affiliations broke down thus: • 74.3% Roman Catholic • 12.6% Evangelical Lutheran • 3.9% Evangelical Reformed • 9.2% other faiths, or no faith.

Municipal council Wietmarschen's council is made up of 28 councillors. The town hall is in Lohne.

Culture: Museums • Heimathaus Lohne (local museum) • Heimathaus Wietmarschen, the so-called Packhaus (local museum) • Treckermuseum Wietmarschen (tractor museum).

Buildings • Stiftskirche Wietmarschen (nunnery church), restored historic nunnery area behind the church • Stiftsbusch (nunnery copse) with chapels • Sankt-Antonius-Kirche Lohne (church) • Mühlenturm Wietmarschen (mill tower) • Urbrecker (statue of a bog iron miner) • Glockenturm Südlohne (belltower) • Schafstall Moormann (sheep pen).

Sport • 5 gymnasia • 10 sport fields • 4 beach volleyball fields • 2 tennis courts • 1 big riding centre • 2 model aircraft fields • 1 miniature car track • 1 gliderport.

Events • marksmen's festival • Urbreckerfest • kermis • pilgrimage.

Transport: Public • Bus line 161: Lingen — Nordlohne — Lohne — Lohnerbruch — Wietmarschen — Füchtenfeld • Bus line 165: Lingen — Nordlohne — Lohne — Rükel — Südlohne — Klausheide — Nordhorn • Nearest railway stations: ◦ Lingen (Ems) for Meppen, Leer, Emden, Rheine, Münster; ◦ Intercity: Düsseldorf, Karlsruhe; ◦ Bad Bentheim for Rheine, Osnabrück, Bielefeld, Hengelo (Netherlands); ◦ Intercity: Hanover, Berlin, Amsterdam (Schiphol).

Established businesses • W.A.S, Ambulances and Security Vehicles • Ewabo, cleaning agent and disinfectant manufacturer • Wirtschaft Innovation Nordwest, business advisers and advertising agents • Bauunternehmen Overberg, construction.

Education Marien-Schule Wietmarschen (elementary school and Hauptschule); Grundschule Lohne (elementary school); Schulzentrum Lohne (Hauptschule and Realschule).