Jever

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The Friesische Brauhaus, where Jever beer is brewed

Jever (IPA: [ˈjeːfɐ], the pronunciation /ˈjeːvɐ/ is also often heard from non-locals) is the capital of the district of Friesland in Lower Saxony, Germany. The city has a population of 14,151 (as of October 2005). The name Jever is usually associated with a major brand of beer which is produced here.

[edit] History

Archeologic evidence suggests that Jever had been a settlement of the Chauci in Roman times. In the 9th century, Jever and he rest of Rüstringen county was given to the newly-christianised Danish Lord Hariold by Louis the Pious. In the Middle-Ages, Jever, which was then known as Geverae (meaning "grassland", or, in a different sense, "place of the Thing") was handed to the dukes of Saxony, then the Welfs and to Oldenburg. A text from the 13th century suggests that the region's people finally were allowed to elect their chieftains themselves. Jever was granted town privileges in the early 14th century.

Even though the seaport did not exist after the middle-ages, Jever remained a prospering, politically independent site of trade and commerce, attracting merchants and pirates alike, e. g. the Victual Brothers. Only after the death of the last chieftain of the Jever territory, Edo Wiemken the Younger, who died in 1511, Jever fell to Graf Edzard the Great of East Frisia for a short while before being released into independence again under the rule of Maria (Froiken Maria = Miss Maria), Edo's daughter.

She died in 1575 and her death was kept secret for fear of a return of the East Frisians. Instead, Jever became one of Oldenburg's territories by last will of Maria. It was later passed to the House of Anhalt-Zerbst. After prince Friedrich August, who had supported the English in the American Revolutionary War for financial reasons, died in 1793, Anhalt-Zerbst perished and its territories were split. Interestingly, Jever was given to Catherine II of Russia and remained Russian until Napoleon's armies occupied it in 1807. Between 1808 and 1810 it was of the Kingdom of Holland, a Napoleonic vassal state. When the French were forced to withdraw in 1813, Russia regained possession of Jever and returned it to the grand dukes of Oldenburg in 1818.

Because the Anhalt-Zerbst had guaranteed for their security and freedom of business, Jever became a center of Jewish life in Frisia, which reached its peak in the late 19th century, after which many youngsters left for the larger cities where they hoped to find better economic chances (and since the 1920s also in escape of growing anti-semitism). This caused the community to shrink to only half of its former size: In 1933, there were only 98 Jews left in Jever. The synagogue (inauguration 1802) was completely destroyed in the Night of Broken Glass, at least 63 Jever Jews were killed in the Shoah.

The Herrschaft Jever, ca. 1500

Jever, ca. 1930

A bottle of Jever beer

[edit] Points of interest

Jever castle: The first castle at Jever was built by Edo Wiemken the Older in 1416, which was destroyed by the East Frisians in 1420. Edo's successor Hayo Harldas rebuilt the castle in 1428, it was finally completed in 1505 by Edo the Younger. Inside the ceiling of the audience hall with 28 cassettes in carved oak in renaissance style (16th century). In 1736 the tower in baroque style was built. The result of multiple conversions was a small palace of the princes of Anhalt-Zerbst and Oldenburg.
historic guild hall, 1620.
There are five churches in Jever; the Protestant's church, in former times garrison church, was destroyed in a fire in 1959 and rebuilt in modern form in 1964. In an annex at the eastern side Edo Wiemken the Youngers tomb, a work of art in renaissance style, not destroyed by fire.
The Frisian Brewhouse: Established in 1848 as an insignificant small brewery, it rose to a well-known brand around 1900 and adopted its hometown's name in 1934. Today, the brewhouse is the largest building in Jever. The company produces mostly pilsener style beers.