Twist, Germany
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| Twist | |
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  Twist, Germany
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| Administration | |
| Country | Germany |
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| State | Lower Saxony |
| District | Emsland |
| Mayor | Ernst Schmitz (CDU) |
| Basic statistics | |
| Area | 105.61 km2 (40.78 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 16 m (52 ft) |
| Population | 9,614 (31 December 2007) |
| - Density | 91 /km2 (236 /sq mi) |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Licence plate | EL |
| Postal code | 49767 |
| Area codes | 0 59 36 |
| Website | www.twist-emsland.de |
Twist is a municipality in the Emsland district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated directly at the Dutch border.
Situation of the local parts in the municipality of Twist:
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Contents |
[edit] History
The settlement in the area of the nowadays municipality Twist began quit late around the year 1784. The prince-bishop of Münster Max Franz satisfied the wishes of some "Heuerleute" , a kind of farmers, from the close by village Hesepe to settle down in the bog "Twist". This was the starting point of the settlement in Twist, to be more precise it starts at the street of houses what is called "Alt-Hesepertwist" nowadays. The ground was at that time because of its composition of the substances quite infertile and did just allow a meager livelihood and the people did not live in comfort. The construction of the canal "Nord-Süd-Kanal" around 100 years later brought significant improvements in the quality of life of the people, because the canal did allow a systematic drainage and removement of the peat.
In the 1950s finally came the economically revival on the one hand by finding bigger oil reservoirs and on the other hand by commissioning of the production site of the Dutch plastics company Wavin. These two factors were over some decades the driving forces for the economical rise of Twist. In the 1990s these two columns of the Twist economy came more and more into difficulties and many people lost their jobs. With finishing the autobahn 31 at the end of the 1990s this negativ development could be stopped by settlling down new companies especially in the industrial area close to the autobahn.
[edit] Origin of the name
The origin of the name of the municipality Twist has nothing to do with the dance style of the same title. Due to a long disagreement with the Dutch Kingdom about the way the border between both countries should take it was commom language use to speak about "Twistrich" or "Twist Gebiet" (Twist area). In Low German "Twistrich" or "Twist Gebiet" has a meaning similar to "disputed border". This language was the official language at that time and is still partly in usage.
[edit] Landmarks
The parish church in the district Heblermeer housed two rococo busts of Ignatius of Loyola and Francisco de Xavier created by the sculptor Johann Heinrich König (1705-1784).
An exceptionally feature is the Protestant church in the district Neuringe, because this church has one of the oldest and most valuable organ (constructed in 1719) of the Protestant national church.
In the center of the municipality Twist are numerously retailers located such as grocery stores, travel agency, a bank and so on. Also the city hall and the police station is situated in the center of Twist. A special attraction of the center is the museum for crude oil and natural gas and also the "Heimathaus Twist".
In 2006 the German counties Emsland and Grafschaft Bentheim founded together with the Dutch county Drenthe the "Internationaler Naturpark Moor" (International Nature Park Bog). This park stretches across big parts of the municipality Twist. The park has a unique biota and is every year the wintering grounds of numerous migratory birds.
[edit] Recreational activity & culture
[edit] Culture
The "Heimathaus Twist" is a reconstructed old farmer house located in the center of Twist. It's known for blues- and folk concerts which are taking place many times a year. However, also several events especially for children are organized by the team of the "Heimathaus Twist". Directly beside the "Heimathaus Twist" is the museum for crude oil and natural gas located. It shows several exhibits to this issue and the historical development of the extraction of crude oil and natural gas. The crude oil and natural gas industry has a long history in the area of Twist wherefore it was sometimes also called the German Texas.
[edit] Recreational activity
In every district of Twist are several sport clubs where soccer is the dominant sport, but basketball, ping-pong, competitive dance, horseback riding, swimming, tennis, handball and gymnastics are also offered.
 Schule am See (Junior High School) |
 Catholic church St. Georg (District Twist-Bült) |
 Commercial building in the Center of Twist (District Twist-Mitte) |
 Typical view: Oil pump |
 Catholic church St. Ansgar (District Twist-Siedlung) |
 City hall Twist (District Twist-Mitte) |
 Heimathaus Twist (District Twist-Mitte) known for legendary Blues and Jazz nights |
 Grotto in the district Twist-Bült |
[edit] Family policy
In May 2007 the town council decided measures to support families with children. Hence families with two or three children get a special concession on a building ground for a one-family house. Families with four children get a building ground for free. For this limited in time rule (till 12/31/2009) counts children which are while the acquisition younger than 15 years and also children which are born 10 years after the acquisition.
[edit] Economy and Infrastructure
[edit] Traffic
Twist has a direct connection to the autobahn 31 which acts as north-south route between the North Sea and the Ruhr. Twist is also connected to europastraße 233 which is constructed on German site like an autobahn till the connection point with autobahn 31 and on Dutch side it already has the status as autobahn A 37. This europastraße (E 233) connects the metropolis Rotterdam, Amsterdam with Hamburg and finally Scandinavia. On German side it´s intended for the next years to follow the Dutch side and to enlarge the road over the whole distance to an autobahn.
[edit] Economy
Till the middle of the nineteen-nineties the crude oil-, natural gas- and peat industry dominated the economy in Twist. Especially in these industries many employees lost their job the last years. Since then many small and medium size business companies settle down in the area of Twist especially in the industrial park at the autobahn. The biggest employer in Twist is the Dutch company Wavin. This company is European market leader for plastic pipe systems.
[edit] Tourism
The last years the tourism also becomes an important factor, whereas the focus of the tourism is in the district Neuringe. In addition of several holiday flats there is also a campground with a public lake for bathing and a farm for horseback riding. Especially this farm enjoys great popularity at the young guests. Furthermore on the area of this farm is an indoor children's playground which is especially children-tailored for children up to an age of 12 years.
[edit] Education
In Twist are 5 grade schools and one junior high. After a bigger replacement and a new constrated building in 2007, this junior high acts as full-time school nowadays. In 2009 also the grade schools were transformed into full-time schools. By doing bigger restoration works at the schools it´s nowadays guaranteed that the students get a warm meal and be supervised over the day.
[edit] External links
- Official website (German)
- Website of the Heimathaus Twist a cultural institution known for Blues concerts (German)
- Website of the museum for crude oil and natural gas (German)
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