Wenzendorf

Wenzendorf is a municipality in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is also the name of the chief village of the municipality.

Wenzendorf
Coat of arms
Location of Wenzendorf within Harburg district
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Wenzendorf
Wenzendorf
Coordinates: 53°21′N 09°46′E
CountryGermany
StateLower Saxony
DistrictHarburg
Municipal assoc.Hollenstedt
Subdivisions5
Government
 • MayorManfred Cohrs
Area
 • Total21.47 km2 (8.29 sq mi)
Elevation
64 m (210 ft)
Population
 (2018-12-31)[1]
 • Total1,440
 • Density67/km2 (170/sq mi)
Time zoneCET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes
21279
Dialling codes04165
Vehicle registrationWL
Website

The area is known mainly for the airfield near the village, where the Hamburger Flugzeugbau, the aircraft manufacturing arm of Blohm & Voss, built a factory during the Nazi era.

Municipality

Wenzendorf is a municipality in the Lower Saxony district of Harburg, Germany. Its five main villages are Wenzendorf, Wennerstorf, Klauenburg, Dierstorf and Dierstorf-Heide.

Wenzendorf is the largest Christmas tree growing area in northern Germany.[2]

Wenzendorf village

The village of Wenzendorf lies approximately 25 km southwest of Hamburg. It has a population of a little over 1,000.

Airfield

Wenzendorf airfield lies about 2 km to the southeast of the main village.

Aircraft factory

In 1934, Hamburger Flugzeugbau began construction of its first dedicated aircraft factory at Wenzendorf and laid out a large aerodrome for test flying. The factory began operation in 1935, license-building the Dornier Do 23, the first of which flew in December 1935.[3]

Not long afterwards the company adopted its parent company's name of Blohm and Voss, by which it is chiefly remembered.

A great many aircraft were assembled at Wenzendorf throughout the war period, mostly under sub-contract to other manufacturers. They included:

On 6 October 1944 the plant was severely damaged in a bombing raid by the US Air Force, and three months later was almost completely destroyed in a second attack.[4][5]

Modern use

Today, the airfield is much reduced in size. It has a single grass runway of 750m length and is home to the Airbus HFB gliding club.

Some of the old factory buildings have been converted to a retirement home.[6]

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References
  1. Landesamt für Statistik Niedersachsen, LSN-Online Regionaldatenbank, Tabelle 12411: Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes, Stand 31. Dezember 2018.
  2. Die Zeit: Der Baumbauer 19. Dezember 2007
  3. Hermann Pohlmann; Chronik Eines Flugzeugwerkes 1932-1945, Motorbuch, 2nd Impression, 1982. (In German).
  4. RonaldV; "Wenzendorf", Abandoned, Forgotten & Little-Known airfields in Europe. (Retrieved 25 June 2017)
  5. Flugzeugwerk und Flugplatz Wenzendorf (in German). (Retrieved 25 June 2017)
  6. Eighth Air Force Historical Society
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