DEUTSCHLAND	GERMANY
Bundesland: Niedersachsen	Lower Saxony
Landkreis: Aurich

map →

Norden is situated at an elevation of 7 m in the East Frisia region in the northwest of Germany's state of Lower Saxony, about 24 km northeast of the district town Aurich, about 122 km northeast of Bremen, and about 219 km northeast of Lower Saxony's capital, Hannover. The municipality has a population of about 25,200 (2023).

The exact origin of the city of Norden is largely unknown. There is little evidence from the city's early days but it is likely that it developed as a common centre for the surrounding farming communities of Ekel, Lintel and Westgaste. The oldest written mention of Nordedi dates from AD 787, a document of 860 mentions the area as Nordwidu. The first reliable mention of Norden can be found in a document of 1255. During the time of the East Frisian chiefs from 1350 to 1464, Norden and its surrounding area belonged to the dominion of various chieftain families. In 1464 it came as the county of “Norden, Emden and Emsgonien” to the counts and later princes of East Frisia from the House of Cirksena. However, the actual centers of power in East Frisia were in Aurich and Emden, so that Norden gained only little importance. Norden subsequently mainly was a trading town, which was facilitated by the expansion of the Leybucht after storm floods in the 14th century. The town then had direct access to the sea. It is not exactly certain when Norden obtained the status of a town. It was named as such in documents of 1491 and 1498, but definitely obtained such privileges in 1535. In 1744, East Frisia, and thus also Norden, fell to the Kingdom of Prussia. After the Napoleonic occupation from 1806 to 1813, when Norden first belonged to the Kingdom of Holland (until 1810) and finally to France as part of the département Ems-Oriental, the city fell to the Kingdom of Hannover after the Congress of Vienna in 1815. After the annexation in 1866 of Hannover by Prussia, East Frisia returned to Prussia.

The top left picture on glass no. 4671 shows a view of the harbour of Norden, which goes back to the the first harbour pier in Norddeich, established in 1889.

The Ludgeri church was built in several phases from the 13th century to the middle of the 15th century. At around 80 metres long, the church is the largest preserved medieval religious building in East Frisia.

The old town hall in its core goes back to a Gothic building of the 13th or 14th century. After the partial destruction of that building in 1539 it was rebuilt in the 16th century in Renaissance style.

The top right picture on glass no. 4671 shows a view of Lütetsburg, the neighbouring municipality just east of Norden.

[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norden_(Ostfriesland); https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludgeri-Kirche_(Norden); https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altes_Rathaus_(Norden)]