Nienburg/Weser, Germany

As with Lerdo, education brought Nienburg and Las Cruces together. For several years before the formal Sister Cities affiliation, students from Las Cruces’ Mayfield High School and Nienburg’s Albert-Schweitzer-Schule, participated in student exchanges. Las Cruces and Nienburg officially became Sister Cities on July 3, 1993.

Nienburg/Wesser is situated on the banks of the Weser River in northwestern Germany in the state of Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), a short distance from Hannover. It is a county seat and cultural center with a population of about 33,000. Nienburg is home to about 30 schools including a technical college several manufacturing plants, including a glass recycling plant, which serves northern Germany.

History

The earliest official mention of Nienburg/Weser dates from the year 1025, when Milo, the Canon of Minden, apparently made a gift of his property in Nienburg to the Minden church. Since this early mention spoke of Nienburg (= new castle), some kind sort of fortress must already have existed there for some time, perhaps in order to protect the crossing of the Weser. Under the protection of this fortress the initially insecure settlement became permanent, and was first officially referred to a "civitas" (a town) in 1215.

Festivals

Spargelfest - Asparagus Festival

Early in May, the annual Asparagus Festival in Nienburg, everything revolves around this delightful vegetable. Delicious asparagus dishes freestyle Nienburger asparagus queen, guided tours of the Asparagus Museum and of course, lots of music.

Scheibenschiessen (Shooting) Festival

Each June, Nienburgers celebrate the Scheibenschiessen Festival, which includes marksmanship contests, a parade, many happy events, and ends with a city-wide feast of boiled potatoes and pickled herring. The spirit of the occasion is similar to the Las Cruces Whole Enchilada Festival.

Altstadtfest-The Old Town Festival is a tradition - and very much alive

The undisputed highlight of the series of events hosted by the city Nienburg is the Old Town Festival. Tens of thousands - Nienburgerinnen and Nienburger, Former, Old Town Festival fans from all over Germany and even from abroad - gather for four days in late September to celebrate together. This mega-street party with international participation has long been legendary: 80,000 people from 50 nations have the Weser city upside down.

With history dating back to 1025

Nienburg today is a blend of ancient architecture, charming traditions and the contemporary, creating a wonderful mixture of old and new.

Address: Post Office Box 2066, Las Cruces, NM 88004-2066

Phone: +1 (575) 644-0177

Email: board@lascrucessistercities.org