Wietze

Welcome to Wietze!

Wietze is situated in the south of Lueneburg Heath and has a lot more to offer than you would think at first glance.

Pure nature and unique sites 

Situated in the Southern Heath, in the middle of the Valley of Aller and Leine and not far from the ducal residence town of Celle,  Wietze offers many choices for recreation and excursions in spite of its modest size. Nature lovers for example can find lush greenery along the Aller cycle path, sportier types can explore the Aller on a canoe trip and the adventurous ones can enjoy the only gold washing camp in Lower Saxony. 

What's the origin of the name Wietze?
This little town got its name from the small river “Wietze (Aller)” that springs near Hanover and flows into the Aller north of the village. Marked by both rivers, a magnificent natural landscape with a wide variety of flora and fauna awaits the visitor.

Unique nature reserve in Wietze

This becomes clear on the Aller bicycle path where one of its most beautiful sections leads through sweeping green river plains and past the

Hutweide Hornbostel.

This unique nature reserve allows for a richness of species with plants and animals from different ecological systems on an area of 65 hectares. The Heck cattle and the wild horses that are at home here are certainly real eye-catchers.

The history of the black gold

The history of the town is also very exciting, especially Wietze is the cradle and origin of oil production in Germany.  The search for the “black gold” goes back over more than 350 years and begins 1652 with the excavation of sand containing oil from so-called “Theerkuhlen” (“tar hollows”). About 200 years later, Wietze makes history with the so-called Hunaeus bore. 

The accidental location of underground oil by Georg Konrad is now considered one of the first successful oil bores worldwide and the drilling site can still be viewed in the industrial park of Wietze.