Vechta

Vechta
Coat of arms of Vechta
Location of Vechta within Vechta district
North Rhine-WestphaliaCloppenburg (district)Diepholz (district)Oldenburg (district)Osnabrück (district)BakumDamme (Dümmer)DinklageGoldenstedtHoldorfLohneNeuenkirchen-VördenSteinfeldVechtaVisbek
Vechta is located in Germany
Vechta
Vechta
Vechta is located in Lower Saxony
Vechta
Vechta
Coordinates: 52°43′50″N 08°17′19″E / 52.73056°N 8.28861°E / 52.73056; 8.28861
CountryGermany
StateLower Saxony
DistrictVechta
Subdivisions15
Government
 • Mayor (2019–24) Kristian Kater[1] (SPD)
Area
 • Total87.8 km2 (33.9 sq mi)
Elevation
37 m (121 ft)
Population
 (2022-12-31)[2]
 • Total33,769
 • Density380/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
49377
Dialling codes04441
Vehicle registrationVEC
Websitewww.vechta.de

Vechta (German pronunciation: [ˈfɛçta]; Northern Low Saxon: Vechte) is the capital and largest city of the Vechta district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is home to the University of Vechta.

It is known for the 'Stoppelmarkt' fair, which takes place every summer and has a history dating back to 1298. With an attendance of 800,000 visitors it is one of the biggest annual fairs in north-western Germany.[3]

In the recent past, the town was known as a centre of far-northern German Catholicism.

Vechta water mill
  1. ^ "Verzeichnis der direkt gewählten Bürgermeister/-innen und Landräte/Landrätinnen". Landesamt für Statistik Niedersachsen. April 2021.
  2. ^ "LSN-Online Regionaldatenbank, Tabelle A100001G: Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes, Stand 31. Dezember 2022" (in German). Landesamt für Statistik Niedersachsen.
  3. ^ "Stoppelmarkt - das Fest der Feste - der Stoppelmarkt". Archived from the original on 2015-05-02. Retrieved 2015-04-21.