Vegesack is located in the Western lappet of the city of Bremen at the confluence of the rivers Weser and Lesum on the right bank of the Weser River. To the Vegesack District belong the boroughs of Grohn, Schönebeck, Aumund-Hammersbeck and Fähr-Lobbendorf. Vegesack is seat of a district (Ortsamt) and has currently (2020) nearly 35,000 inhabitants.
In the 14th century Fähr was mentioned, running a ferry across the Weser River. Vegesack itself was first mentioned in 1453, based on the waterside inn "Thom Fegesacke", which means something like "make the pockets (of the sailors) empty". A little pub developed at the end of the 16th century at the mouth of the Aue River in Aumund. Between 1618 and 1623 the first artificial river port of Germany was built by merchants of Bremen and a society called "Haus Seefahrt" in Vegesack, based on a decision of the Senate of Bremen. The reason had been that the Weser had been silted up and major ships were unable to reach Bremen. Between 1645 and 1648 the office of the harbour master was built together with another pub. The village then had just 40 flats. In 1671 the basin was acquired by the city of Bremen.
Vegesack was temporarily occupied by Swedish troops during the 1st Bremen-Sweden War (1654). They had however to withdraw. Sweden made a 2nd attempt in 1666 but failed in the end. The struggles were ended in 1741 by the 2nd compromise of Stade. The status of Bremen remained de iure unclear, but de facto the city kept its independence from Sweden. In order to acknowledge its direct imperial rule, Bremen had to cede parts of Vegesack to Hannover. Only basin and harbour office remained under control of Bremen. Due to worse silt-ups most vessels could no longer reach Vegesack and the harbour declined to a mere dockyard and hibernating of ships.
In 1803 Bremen regained Vegesack completely by the Imperial Recess of 1803 (Reichsdeputationshauptschluss). Between 1811 and 1814 Vegesack was seat of the French department of Bouches du Weser (mouth of Weser). Vegesack gained the rank of a market town (Flecken) in 1794 and the status of a city in 1851. In 1875 it became a part of the German Customs Union. On 1 November 1939 the municipalities of Grohn, Schönebeck, Aumund, Hammersbeck, Fähr and Lobbendorf were incorporated into Bremen and became parts of the Vegesack District in 1946.
Vegesack was well known for shipping, ship building, fishery and whaling for nearly 400 years.
When Bremerhaven was established between 1827 and 1830, Vegesack's business lines were concentrated to whaling, fishing and ship building. Between 1830 and 1869 two navigation schools were established. Adolf Bermpohl established the "Bremischer Verein zur Rettung Schiffbrüchiger" in 1863, the predecessor of Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Rettung Schiffbrüchiger (DGzRS), a maritime rescue service.
In 1895 the Bremen-Vegesacker Fischerei-Gesellschaft was established. At the beginning of the 20th century Vegesack had been one of the biggest ports of registry for herring cutters. Finally between 1893 and 1997 it was the seat of Bremer Vulkan, a dockyard.
Source: German WIKIPEDIA and Stadler 1966, p.84
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 28 Oct 2020
Vegesack Flag
It is an 8-stripes flag with alternating red and white horizontal stripes, at the hoist is a pale chequered of red and white, in centre is the coat of arms fimbriated yellow in a white rectangle with red bordure.
Source: here Klaus-Michael Schneider, 28 Oct 2020
Vegesack Coat of Arms
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider and Ivan Sache, 28 Oct 2020
Shield parted per bend, above left Argent a cross patty Gules, beneath right Gules a key Argent in bend.
Meaning:
Until 1850 the Vegesack District (Amt) used the key of Bremen alone in its seals. Vegesack gained city rights in 1851 and a municipal constitution in 1879, and adopted proper arms in 1880. The red cross patty is a so called Hanseatic cross, which was endowed in order to honour the Hanseatic participants of the Wars of Liberation against the French occupants in 1813. It was awarded in Bremen til WW1. The lower half displays the arms of Bremen. The key is an attribute of St. Peter, patron saint of city and bishopric of Bremen.
Source: German WIKIPEDIA Klaus-Michael Schneider, 27 Oct 2020
The arms were approved in 1882 by the Senate of Bremen and abolished on 1 November 1939, when Vegesack was incorporated into Bremen. A local flag of Vegesack was never approved officially.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 27 Oct 2020
klaus-michael schneider
![[Bremen-Vegesack flag]](../images/d/de-hb-vs.gif)
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image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 28 Oct 2020
![[Bremen-Vegesack CoA]](../images/d/de-hb-vs).gif)
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider and Ivan Sache, 28 Oct 2020
