Vechta, Lower Saxony, Germany

🇩🇪 Vechta is the capital and largest city of the Vechta district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is home to the University of Vechta.

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.

In the recent past, the town was known as a centre of far-northern German Catholicism.

Town subdivisions Vechta consists of the following 15 boroughs. • Vechta Stadt • Bergstrup • Calveslage • Deindrup • Hagen I • Hagen II • Holtrup • Holzhausen • Langförden • Oythe • Spreda • Stoppelmarkt • Stukenborg • Telbrake • Vardel.

Transport: Road 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.

Transport: Rail Vechta lies on the Delmenhorst-Hesepe railway and offers connections to Osnabrück and Bremen.

Theatre Vechta is a fixed venue for the Landesbühne Niedersachsen Nord, founded in 1952. The headquarter is located in Wilhelmshaven, which stages annually up to ten performances at the Metropoltheater. The theatre offers 272 seats.

Stoppelmarkt Stoppelmarkt was first mentioned as a market in 1298. In earlier times, it was held in the streets of the city within the fortress walls. Even then, merchants from many European countries came to Vechta. In 1577 the city of Vechta was hit by the plague. Therefore, the market had to be moved to an open field outside the city walls. Since the stubble remains of the last harvest were still standing on the field, the market was henceforth called Stoppelmarkt. In 2020 and 2021 the market was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sport Vechta is the home of the Rasta Vechta basketball club, which plays in the German Basketball Bundesliga.

Cities and municipalities of the District Cities 1 Damme; 2 Dinklage; 3 Lohne; 4 Vechta.

Free municipalities 1 Bakum; 2 Goldenstedt; 3 Holdorf; 4 Neuenkirchen-Vörden; 5 Steinfeld; 6 Visbek.