Verden

City in Lower Saxony, Germany, on the River Aller, 36 km/22 mi southeast of Bremen; population (1994 est) 126,500. Verden is an important agricultural centre. . Verden is associated with agricultural enterprises, in particular animal breeding. It is an important centre for cattle breeding and horses. Other industries include machine and electrical engineering, pet food, and biscuit manufacture

In 782 the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne defeated the Saxons at Verden. Initially a city-state of the Holy Roman Empire, Verden passed to Sweden in 1648, Denmark in 1712, and Hannover in 1715. The town was established at a point where merchants had crossed the River Aller. It was later split and the trader settlement of Norderstadt developed independently. However, after the Thirty Years' War in the 17th century, the Swedes united both parts of the town, against the wishes of its citizens. They put the town under the control of a general and it became an important administrative centre for the surrounding region.

Regular horse sales take place in Verden at the Niedersachsenhalle center. The city also hosts the Gala evening, a horse show programme that was invented in Verden. Germany's museum dedicated to horses is located in Verden. A Frankish bishopric since the 8th century, important religious buildings include the Dom, a gothic church built between 1290 and 1490, and St Andreaskirche, a Romanesque style church constructed in the 13th century. St Johanniskirche is the oldest brick church in northern Germany and was built in the 12th century, originally in Romanesque style and later converted to a three-nave church.