Bockenem (; Eastphalian: Bokeln) is a town in the district of Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, Germany that was founded in 1154. It is located on the German Timber-Frame Road.

Surrounding villages

thumb|Protestant Church in Nette

  • Jerze
  • Königsdahlum
  • Bornum
  • Mahlum
  • Schlewecke
  • Ortshausen
  • Volkersheim
  • Hary
  • Störy
  • Bönnien
  • Werder
  • Nette
  • Upstedt
  • Bültum
  • Groß Ilde
  • Klein Ilde
  • Wohlenhausen

Sights

  • The village of Störy was famous for having the largest museum of small cars in the world. The museum, however, was closed around 2005.
  • The nave of the Protestant Church in Bockenem was built in 1403, its baptismal font dates from 1703.
  • Another interesting church can be visited in the village of Nette. The romanesque tower has firing slits and may have been used as a fortification in times of war. The nave dates from 1731. Close to the church, several well-preserved half-timbered houses can be seen.
  • One of the oldest trees in Germany can be seen in the middle of Upstedt, a village which became a part of Bockenem im 1974. It is a lime tree which was planted around 1000. The memorial opposite the lime tree refers to the first mention of Upstedt in a document written in 850 AD. The Protestant Church of Upstedt is an aisleless church with a baroque altar dating from 1757. The church with its ridge turret and a gable roof was renovated and enlarged from 1701-1704.

Local council (Stadtrat)

{| class="wikitable"

! style="background:#CCCC99;" colspan="9"| Local council, elections September 2016

|- bgcolor="#eeeeee" align="center"

| width=60 align=left | Party/List

| width=100 | CDU

| width=100 | SPD

| width=100 | UWG

| width=100 | Alliance 90/The Greens

| width=100 | Independents

| width=100 | Total

|- align="center"

| align=left | Seats || 11 || 9 || 2 || 1 || 1 || 24

|- align="center"

| align=left | Vote share || 45.2% || 36.1% || 9.5% || 4.4% || 3.7% || 100%

|}

International relations

Bockenem is twinned with:

  • Güntersberge, Germany
  • Zawadzkie, Poland
  • Thornbury, United Kingdom.

Meteor Gummiwerke is also located in Bockenem. Meteor is an automotive sealing company that supplies seals worldwide. Meteor is the largest factory in Bockenem employing over 1500 people.

Personalities

  • Karl-Heinz Bädje, (1917–1998), honorary citizen of the city in 1991 and founder of the company Meteor.
  • Henriette Schrader-Breymann, (1827–1899), pioneer of the kindergarten system in Germany and early women's rights activist.
  • Friedrich Buchholz, Mayor of the town of Bockenem from 1827 to 1865, also worked there as a lawyer. (1802–1865) The centrally located Buchholzmarkt was named after him
  • Ernst Deger (1809–1885), significant church painter, especially in the Rhineland
  • Johann Schwartzkopff, (1596–1658), lawyer at the University of Helmstedt and from 1646 Chancellor in the Duchy of Braunschweig
  • Johann Friedrich Weule, (1811–1897), founder of the tower watch company J. F. Weule

References

  • Description of Bockenem by Thornbury Town Council
  • Official site (In German)

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