Balge

This article is about the municipality in Nienburg, Germany. For German river, see Balge (river). For the town in Borno State, Nigeria, see Kala/Balge.

Balge
Municipality
Church in Balge
Coat of arms
Location of Balge within Nienburg/Weser district
Balge Show map of Germany Balge Show map of Lower Saxony
Coordinates: 52°43′10″N 09°11′11″E
Country	Germany
State	Lower Saxony
District	Nienburg/Weser
Municipal assoc.	Weser-Aue
Subdivisions	10
Government
• Mayor	Barbara König-Meyer (SPD)
Area
• Total	33.07 km^2 (12.77 sq mi)
Elevation	23 m (75 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31)[1]
• Total	1,716
• Density	52/km^2 (130/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	31609
Dialling codes	04257, 05021 oder 05022
Vehicle registration	NI

Balge is a municipality in the district of Nienburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany, located on the Weser river. The community belongs to the Samtgemeinde Weser-Aue which consists of six municipalities including Balge.

History

On March 1, 1974 the community of Balge, Blenhorst, Bötenberg, Buchhorst, Holzbalge, Mehlbergen and Sebbenhausen were merged to form a new municipality called Blenhorst. The name was officially changed to Balge on January 23, 1976.[2]

Politics

The local council of governance consists of eleven women counsellors. Including:

• 6 SPD seats
• 5 seats for members at large from the Balge voting community (as of the election of September 11, 2011).

Barbara King-Meyer (SPD) is honorary mayor from the community of Balge[3]

Culture and Sites of Interest

Sites

• In Blenhorst there is a sawmill and flour mill that has been in operation since 1769.
• In Bötenberg there is a watermill, the Benther Mill, that was first registered as a grain mill in 1553. It is no longer in operation, but was a grain mill and sawmill.[4][5]
• The village church in Balge with its striking tower was built circa 1300 in Romanesque style.

• 
  Watermill in Blenhorst
• 
  Benther mill / Bötenberg
• 
  Balge view
• 
  St. Bartholomäus church

Sports

The sports club in Balge (SV Sebbenhausen / Balge),[6] sponsors several gun clubs, and two marching bands from individual districts.

Economy and Infrastructure

Education

• Kindergarten in Balge[7]
• Because of strong evidence of projected decrease in school population, (sometimes only five students per year) the closure of the primary school site in Balge was decided in early 2008.

Noteworthy Person

Heinrich Löhmann - (1933 Siebbenhausen). Farmer and author of "Kindheit Auf dem Dorf, Jungend in wechselvoller Zeit"[8]

References

1. "LSN-Online Regionaldatenbank, Tabelle A100001G: Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes, Stand 31. Dezember 2022" (in German). Landesamt für Statistik Niedersachsen.
2. Statistisches Bundesamt, ed. (1983), Historisches Gemeindeverzeichnis für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Namens-, Grenz- und Schlüsselnummernänderungen bei Gemeinden, Kreisen und Regierungsbezirken vom 27. 5. 1970 bis 31. 12. 1982 (in German), Stuttgart und Mainz: W. Kohlhammer, pp. 199 und 200, ISBN 3-17-003263-1
3. Konstituierende Sitzung des Rates der Gemeinde Balge
4. Wormuth, Ruediger (2013). Muehlen in Niedersachsen und Bremen, Die Mittelweserregion, Landkreise Diepholz und Nienburg/Weser. Petersberg: Pappband. pp. 167, 168. ISBN 978-3-86568-885-9.
5. "Mühle - Hof Benther Mühle". Archived from the original on 2016-07-13. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
6. Website of the SV Sebbenhausen/Balge e.V. 1972
7. Website of Kindergartens in Balge
8. "Kindheit auf dem Dorf. Großdruck: Jugend in wechselvoller Zeit 1933-1950". Kindheit auf dem Dorf. Großdruck: Jugend in wechsel voller Zeit 1933-1950.