brger

Emsland is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Leer, Cloppenburg and Osnabrck, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (district of Steinfurt), the district of Bentheim and the Netherlands.

History

Early History

An exact age of the village cannot be given. Northern European Germanic tribes may have settled in the area of the Northern Hmmling (Northern Emsland) at around 0BD and it is commonly believed that the first documented mentioning of Brger was around the year 854 AC. Therefore the village celebrated its 1150 years of existence in 2004. Nevertheless it is known that people must have lived in the region of the Nordhmmling for about 2000 years because of archaeological discoveries dating to this time period. For instance, "Grosteingrber" and "Hgelgrabfelder" (Stone Tombs) can still be found in the area. At 0BD so called "Amsivarier" (people of the region of the Ems called by the Romans) lived in the Emsland and on the Hmmling. The Romans, acting out of revenge after losing the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, enslaved this small tribe. Shortly afterwards, at around 50AD the Germanic tribe of the Chauken (or Chatten) took over the region. At around 400AD the Saxons started to push into the region from the east, while the Frisians moved in from the north. Both tribes disputed the region through the Middle Ages, though the Saxons are believed to have had the control. Nevertheless, it is reasonable to say that all four tribes (Saxons, Frisians, Amsivians and Chauken) are ancestors of modern-day residents of Brger.

Foundation of the Village

Brger is believed to have originated with Kaiser Karl the Great. In 854AD is was potentiall mentioned for the first time; at that time it was referred to as "Burgiri" and several decades later in 879 being renamed Burgium. In the year 1160 another document called the village Brgeren. Linguists translate "Burgiri" with "high birch". There were originally 18 farms in Brger, from which the village developed. The first settlement in Brger was probably a group of farms in the middle of the village (Dorfbusk). Later a nucleated village, Haufendorf, developed. According to rumor, two neighbourhoods developed and persist to this day.

Farmers of the Hmmling

Contrary to other riverside areas of the middle ages, the Hmmling was very scarcely populated and forested. Most of the population held cattle and farmed the fields. The people of the region never truly accepted the authority of the nobility, because settlements were difficult to travel between and often subject to pillages. Several revolts erupted due to the protest of imposed taxes and the lack of protection against pillaging neighbouring regions of the Dutch, Frisians and Stedinger. In 1266 the people of the Hmmling tried to achieve protection by subordinating themselves to the Frisians. This resulted in failure; revolts occurred in 1340 and 1449. In 1394, the region was subjected to another law. In this document the farmers of the North Hmmling subordinated themselves to the bishop of Mnster when he gained power over Cloppenburg. According to the law, the bishop must provide protection from the pillaging of the settlements by other kings as well as roving gangs.

Wars and the Plague

During the Thirty Years War, in 1647 Wahn, Lorup and six other villages at the Ems were burned down by pillaging soldiers. The population of Brger went into hiding in the swamps. It is being handed down that a habitant of Brger (Albert Dillen) was abducted and released after promising not to pillage the village by paying a ransom. After the war, the Plague struck several times and especially in 1666. The population of Hmmling was devestated. The plague occurred in intervals since the 14th century and also hit Brger.

The Church of Brger

The church tower in Brger was first mentioned in 1523, when the chapel was renovated. Therefore it may be concluded that a church tower or chapel existed since before the year 1500: Bernhard Holtmann mentions the year 1490. The church was dedicated to the holy Joist (Jodokus). Its own religious district was granted in 1573; previously, it was a member of the district of Sgel. In 1543 the Reformation arrived at the Hmmling. After a while the people of the Hmmling followed this movement and at this time Brger had a Protestant preacher, a former farmer and soldier. At around 1600 the entire Hmmling was protestant. In 1614 several farmers returned to the Catholic Church. In 1633 the Swedish entered the area and began persecuting the Catholic population. In 1659 it was declared that Brger would become Catholic again. Brger could not sustain its own priest until 1652 because there was little or no surplus of food. The first priest was Matthus Bdeker, who preached from 1652 to about 1658. The old church (Eschkirche) and the cemetery in Brger were expanded several times. In 1804, a major increase was necessary due to an increase of the population of the village. In 1890 the church was torn down because the new major St. Jodokus church was inaugurated in the centre of the village.

Life of the General Population

The region of Brger used to be 13,000 hectare in size before the daughter communities of Neubrger and Breddenberg formed. (The biggest community in the Kingdom of Hanover) Most of the region is sand and swamp, which is unusable for farming without fertilizer. The population of the region barely survived on crops grown in suitable regions, as well as cattle. Many citizens became beekeepers as well. Still, the population was poor: There were many years of starvation, especially between 1840 and 1880. The poorest farmers, as well as hired help, were hit the hardest. Because of this, many residents moved to the Netherlands during the spring as peat diggers and mowers, until the crops were ready at home. The situation was still dire, and many decided to move across the Atlantic to the United States for a better life.

Towns in the Brger Region

In the year 1788 two more villages were founded about 6km northeast and northwest of the village. New farmers (Neubauern) and small farmers from Brger settled there. Out of these settlements the villages "Neubrger" and "Breddenberg" developed. After ten years of free use the settlers had to pay high tributes to the nobility, the duchy of Arenberg, but also to the municipal of Brger. In the following years many settlers of the new villages had to sell their plots. Although new villages were formed in the region in 1830, it still lost population because America seemed to be a more appealing place to live. With end of the feudal system in 1887 and the distribution of ownership of land to the small farmers, the economy began to improve. Following the example of the Netherlands, the northern part of Brger the cutting of peat became an integral part of the economy. In 1879, farmers settled in the forest, establishing the village of "Brgerwald". In this year the population of Brger increased; this was the blooming time of artisanship. From 1930 to 1940 new settlements were established in Brgermoor. Brgerwald and Brgermoor are currently joined to form Surwold, with a population of approximately 5000 inhabitants. In 2004, Brger had about 3000 inhabitants, Neubrger about 1600 and Breddenberg nearly 1000.

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