Curiosities from Ammerland

It is an almost infinitely long path (around 6,000 kilometres) from the approximately 1,000 metres deep spawning grounds in the Sargasso Sea off the Gulf of Mexico to the fish traps of the fishermen on the Zwischenahn Lake. Thanks to the Gulf Stream, the eels have been on the move for three years until they are finally caught and are processed in the smoking ovens into the delicacy that has delighted gourmets for generations. Those eels that are not caught make their way back to their place of birth at the end of their lives.

Use the formal term of address? Of course not! Anyone who uses the formal salutation on the market square in Westerstede is doing something wrong. In 2003, the area between the town hall and St. Petri Church, the 900 year old landmark, was officially converted into a Duz square. The idea, concocted by the tax officer Mischa Braun, met with enthusiasm among city leaders and the population and was immediately implemented.

They are the trademark of the German TV channel ZDF - the insatiable Anton, the hardworking Berti, the artistic Conni, the clever Det, the mischievous Edi and the sporty Fritzchen. The funny sextet is better known under the name Mainzelmännchen. They were devised in 1962 by Wolf Gerlach, a draftsman, set designer, hobbyist and artisan. The artist lived with his family for more than 20 years until his death in 2012 in Bad Zwischenahn.

Napoleon Bonaparte is responsible for one of the most famous culinary specialties of Ammerland. In 1810 the French extended the continental barrier against England to the German coast. Among other things, he prevented the export of the English “Turtle Soup” to Ammerland, which was popular with the princes at the time. But the Ammer cooks quickly found a replacement. Instead of turtles, tender veal was put in the cooking pot - and the “Mock-Turtle”, translated as “imitation turtle”, was born.

No, they weren't invented in Bavaria and not in Berlin, the little Döntjes about the East Frisians. Their innovator is considered to be Borwin Bandelow, who was a student in Westerstede (Ammerland) at the end of the sixties. He made fun of classmates from the neighbouring region in the school newspaper “Der Trompeter” and thus sparked what was probably Germany's biggest wave of jokes. Today Bandelow is a Professor of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University of Göttingen and an expert on anxiety disorders.

In May 2000, with a stake of just three marks, a 48-year-old gambler from the Aurich area secured the highest win in Europe on a machine in the Bad Zwischenahn casino: 4.58 million marks. All five reels had the jackpot symbol displayed at the same time.

A district without a city - Ammerland had this curiosity for many years: It was not until the end of May 1977 that Westerstede was granted city rights.

A sticker on the shelf behind the shop door advises „Soak the washing with Henko", there are old tea tins on a shelf, and neon signs above the counter advertise Vox and Klipp’s coffee - varieties that have long since ceased to exist. Time seems to have stood still in the “corner shop” in Neuenkruge. Ursula Ecker still weighs peas, pasta and beans loosely in paper bags. On request, she can serve a cup of coffee or tea in “Grandma's Stube” - an offer that excursionists and cyclists are happy to accept in summer.

Sogar Reporter der „New York Times” waren da, um den Wahrheitsgehalt zu überprüfen, als Ende der Siebziger Jahre die Geschichte vom mindestens 3,50 Meter langen Riesenwels aus dem Zwischenahner Meer um die Welt ging. Wirklich gesehen hat den Fisch allerdings nur der damalige Wasserschutzpolizist Peter Grünke. Trotzdem: Die Geschichte ist geblieben und auf dem Bad Zwischen­ahner Marktplatz erinnert eine Bronze­statue an die ammerländische Variante von „Nessy“.

The restaurateurs in Ammerland do not suffer from a lack of imagination. Always being discussed - that also applies here. A few years ago, for example, the crew from the “Seehotel Fährhaus” declared themselves to be islanders. Since then, a narrow moat has ensured that the four-star hotel is no longer located directly on, but in the Zwischenahn Lake - and can only be accessed via two bridges on the island of “Welsum”.