The landscape in which Neustadt am Rübenberge
is located was already settled during the Stone Age about 30,000 years ago. The
city of Neustadt was first mentioned in an official document written around
1200 years ago, in which it was called ‘nova civitas’ which translates into
‘neue Stadt’ (new city). During this time the land belonged to the county
Wölpe, which, at the time, was the only German county to allow the production
of silver coins. In 1302 the county was sold to Duke Otto von Braunschweig. In
1493, the duke’s fortress was known as Castrum Rouenberg, but through the years
the name evolved into ‘Rübenberg’. This was a result of the continually
changing language that existed in Neustadt. Even today, nobody can agree on the
meaning of the original name for Rübenberg; some believe that a Rouenberg was a
land elevation.
In 1505, the thirty-five year-old Duke Erich I
von Calenberg chose Neustadt as his second governmental seat. Parts of the
Rouenburg were destroyed as a result of a citywide fire that occurred in 1563,
but Duke Erich II began to rebuild the Rouenburg just ten years after the
tragedy. He named the castle
(which was then supposedly the strongest fortress in north-western Germany) and
the city ‘Landestrost’. Shortly following the death of Duke Erich
II, the city regained its original name. After the city of Neustadt was
declared to be Protestant-Lutheran, it was attacked and forced to surrender to
the Catholic General Tilly after only a fifteen-day siege.
A thirty-year long war caused Neustadt to be
besieged for three months in 1635. This drove off the Catholic imperial
occupation troops. 1727 marked the third and most tragic city fire, in which
one hundred of the one hundred and eight houses located in the city were destroyed.
During the next two years the city was completely rebuilt according to the
current ground plans. On the December twelfth of 1847 Neustadt's railroad
station got its first visit from a train travelling to Hanover from Bremen. In
1855 the citizens of Neustadt were represented by their own district court for
the first time.
By 1873, the industrial revolution had reached
Neustadt. During this time industries tried to use peat, which was excavated
from the swamps, instead of coal in the production of steel. Unfortunately, the
peat company went broke because of miscalculations. In 1885, the area
surrounding Neustadt, including the entire county of Wölpe, officially became
the rural district of Neustadt am Rübenberge.
Within the next thirty years, the first schools and the first closed
settlement originated. During that time the 250-meter tall radio tower was
inaugurated. As a result, Emperor Wilhelm I visited Neustadt.
Following World War II Neustadt’s population
rose significantly since Neustadt was one of the few cities that was spared
from enemy attack during the war. Since the city was not a target for the
Allies, it was a perfect getaway for Germans trying to flee the war. Only one structure in the city was
destroyed. When German troops were retreating
from enemy lines in 1945 they demolished a bridge that spanned across the Leine
River. It was replaced in 1981 by a
modern concrete bridge. During the 60’s, sports centres such as Tennis and
Soccer clubs and the indoor swimming pool were built beside the newer schools,
providing kids with free time activities. Even a new hospital was added.