Twistringen was first mentioned in a document in 1250 as "Thuisteringe". In this writing, all towns had to pay early contributions for the maintenance of the bridge over the
Weser in
Bremen. There was a
parish in the city since approximately 825. After the
Reformation in 1525, the parish Twistring was
re-Catholicized in 1618. Located in a predominantly
Protestant area, Twistringen was a Catholic enclave of the
Prince-Bishopric of Münster. It has been a part of the
Diocese Osnabrück since 1824. Today, Twistringen is still mainly Catholic. Under
French rule from 1811 to 1813, a modern road connection, the Napoleon Road (now called
B 51) was built in Twistringen. In 1817, it became part of the
Kingdom of Hanover. Only after the construction of the rail connection between Bremen and Osnabrück in 1873, did Lutherans settle in the town again. These founded a Protestant-Lutheran congregation in 1891 and inaugurated their own church in 1894. There was also a small
Jewish community in Twistringen. Until 1938, there was a
synagogue, which is still commemorated by a plaque. Somewhat outside of the center of Twistringen, there is still a Jewish cemetery. In 1964, Twistringen gained
town privileges. In 1974, the Municipality Twistringen was created with the incorporation of the localities of Abbenhausen, Altenmarhorst, Heiligenloh, Mörsen, Natenstedt, Rüssen, Scharrendorf, Stelle and Twistringen.
Importance of straw processing Hay processing has played an important role in Twistringen for centuries. At times, one third of all inhabitants were somehow employed in this industry. Straw hats, drinking straws, etc. were produced in Twistringen and exported into many countries. The museum of straw processing documents the history and development of this industry from its beginning to the present.
Largest straw hat in the world To celebrate the 750th anniversary of the town in 2000, a giant straw hat, which made it into the
Guinness Book of World Records was constructed in front of the town hall. It had a diameter of 5.50 meters. The celebration was also visited by
Reinhold Beckmann, a well-known television host, who hails from Twistringen. Now the hat can be found in the museum.
Early medieval ring wall A castle called Hünenburg is situated in the borough Stöttinghausen. Only a
ring wall with a diameter of 80 meters is still visible. It is the remains of a fortress, from the 5th to 9th century. An examination of the interior of the wall in 1932 turned out that several buildings had once existed here. In 2005, the wooden entrance gate was reconstructed to give the structure a look, reminding visitors of a castle.
Geological finds As far as geology, Twistringen has gained supra-regional relevance. Until the 1990s,
mudstone was exhausted in the mine of the brickyard in the outskirts of town. These are
sediments of the
North Sea, which were deposed in the region during the
Miocene period. In the mudstones a
fauna very rich in both species and organisms was found. They contained a lot of
snails,
clams,
scaphopods, and
corals, but also more rarely
sea urchins,
vertebrate skeletons and
teeth, and rests of
cephalopods. The fauna was generally small and unspectacular. However, because of the diversity of species - at least 250 species of snails from the strata of Twistringen are known and described -, thus a picture of the animal world of this time period so exact is gained, that Twistringen has become one of the "classical place of discovery of
paleontology". Finds from Twistringen are in numerous museums and private collections.
Airplane disaster of 1973 On November 13, 1973, a
Belgian F-104 Starfighter crashed into a home in the borough of Mörsen. The pilot, a fireman, the father, the mother, and two girls died. A young boy was able to escape out of a hatch before the fire spread to the home. The disaster left three young orphans.
International relations Since 1977, Twistringen has been partnered with the
French municipality Bonnétable, which is situated in the
department of
Sarthe. In Bonnétable, there is a street called "Rue de Twistringen". Since 2011 there is also a partnership with the Lithuanian city
Kaišiadorys which has 10.000 inhabitants and is part of the Kaunas area. ==Politics==