Bad Zwischenahn

Bad Zwischenahn
Bad Zwischenahn
Location of Bad Zwischenahn within Ammerland district
Coordinates	53°11′1″N 8°00′35″E
Administration
Country	Germany
State	Lower Saxony
District	Ammerland
Municipal subdivisions	19 districts
Mayor	Dr. Arno Schilling (SPD)
Basic statistics
Area	130 km2 (50 sq mi)
Elevation	7 m  (23 ft)
Population	27,537 (31 December 2010)
- Density	212 /km2 (549 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	WST
Postal code	26160
Area code	04403
Website	www.bad-zwischenahn.de

Bad Zwischenahn is a village 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.

History

During World War II it was the home base of the largest Luftwaffe airbase in northern Germany, with Jagdgeschwader 400 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.

Economy

The main economic activities of Bad Zwischenahn were and are based on tree nurseries, the food industry (sausage and ham production), 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.

Local traditions

Local smoked eels are a delicacy, particularly when served with a locally produced schnapps called Ammerländer Löffeltrunk. There is a specific local tradition (also called Ammerländer Löffeltrunk) to drink it from a tin spoon along with a special drinking cheer, each line alternatly spoken by the host and the guests:

Original (Low German)	German translation	English translation
Ik seh Di!	Ich sehe Dich!	I see you!
Dat freit mi!	Das freut mich!	That makes me glad!
Ik sup Di to!	Ich trinke Dir zu!	I drink to you!
Dat do!	Tu das!	Do that!
Prost!	Prost!	Cheers!
Ik heb Di tosopen!	Ich habe Dir zugetrunken!	I've drunk to you!
Hest den Rechten dropen!	Du hast den Richtigen getroffen!	You met the right one!
So hebt wi dat immer doh'n!	So haben wir das immer getan!	That's how we always did!
So schall dat ok wieter goh'n!	So soll das auch weiter gehen!	That's how it shall go on!

Beside drinking, the Ammerländer Löffeltrunk is also used to clean one's hands after eating the smoked eel.

As in the rest of Ammerland, local parks witness the tradition of placing into water-filled ditches of logs cut on the birth of a baby daughter. The logs are allowed to cure under water, and are then hauled out and used to make the furniture for the young woman when she marries.