Bad Zwischenahn

Geschichte

Bad Zwischenahn is a town and a municipality in the low-lying Ammerland district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the lake Zwischenahner Meer, approx. 15 km northwest of Oldenburg, and about 70 km south of the North Sea coast.HistoryDuring World War II it was the home base of the largest Luftwaffe airbase in northern Germany, with first the Erprobungskommando 16 service-test unit, then Jagdgeschwader 400 each in their turn operating the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet rocket fighter from the base, which was heavily bombed. Following the War, the airbase was converted to a golf course.EconomyThe main economic activities of Bad Zwischenahn were and are based on tree nurseries, the food industry, and resort community services for the well to do urban population of Oldenburg and Bremen. The lake is used for boating, bathing and recreation, with some eel fishing still undertaken.One of the premier sites for tourists is a windmill originally built in 1811 in Westerstede. It is part of a historical museum farm consisting of 14 houses and auxiliary buildings that were moved to their today's location from 1909 to 2004. One of the buildings is called the Spieker and shelters a restaurant of the same name, integrating into the centuries-old architecture.