Burgdorf (Standard German pronunciation: ['bʊʁk.dɔʁf], Low German: Bortörp) is a town in the Hanover Region, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 22 km northeast of Hanover. Until 1974, Burgdorf was the capital of the Burgdorf district. The town and its surrounding areas are known for the tradition of growing white Asparagus and for breeding Hanoverian horses. Burgdorf hosts a monthly horse market from April to September every year. Geography Burgdorf lies between the city of Hanover and the towns Celle and Peine. It shares borders with Uetze, Lehrte, Isernhagen, Burgwedel and the Celle district. The river Aue flows through the town. The landscape is shaped by the Burgdorf-Peine Geest, a mostly flat landscape with low hills and sandy soil. Forests consist mostly of Scots pines, birch trees and English oaks. The municipal area is surrounded by the Altwarmbüchener and Oldhorster Moor in the west, and the Burgdorfer Holz forest in the east. Burgdorf comprises the town proper and the villages Beinhorn, Dachtmissen, Heeßel, Hülptingsen, Otze, Ramlingen-Ehlershausen, Schillerslage, Sorgensen and Weferlingsen. Ramlingen-Ehlershausen consists of the villages Ramlingen and Ehlershausen. Heeßel also includes the hamlet Ahrbeck southwest of the town proper. There is an informal division of the town into Weststadt (west of the railroad), Nordstadt (east of the railroad and north of Gartenstraße street) and Südstadt (west of the railroad and south of the river Aue; also including the formerly abandoned village of Eseringen). The remainder is referred to as Innenstadt (town center) or Altstadt (old town). Weststadt is referred to as "Burgdorf/Weststadt" on town signs, whereas the north, south and central portions are simply called "Burgdorf". History Burgdorf was first mentioned in 1279. It was part of the Diocese of Hildesheim. The town was surrounded by a number of settlements that were lost during the middle ages. The names of the settlements were Eseringen (now part of Südstadt), Garvesse (between Burgdorf, Steinwedel and Immensen), Hetelingen (now in the woods of Burgdorfer Holz), Rälingsen (south of Hängisen) and Oensingen. After the Lesser Hildesheim Diocesan Feud (1420 to 1422), the place was given to the Dukes of Celle. Their territories later became part of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg and then the administrative region of Lüneburg. In 1433, the mansion of Burgdorf was rebuilt and fortified with a wall, three gates and two moats. Burgdorf was merely a village back then. From the sixteenth century on, Burgdorf held the town seal