Melle, Historical Hanseatic city in Osnabrück district, Germany.
Melle sits in Osnabrück district and spreads between the Wiehen Hills to the north and the Teutoburg Forest to the south. The town consists of eight separate settlements that together form its complete inhabited area.
Bishop Heinrich von Moers granted Melle the Wigbold right in 1443, an early form of municipal self-governance for trading settlements. This recognition encouraged its growth as a market town along the Hellweg, an old long-distance road between the Rhine and Weser rivers.
The city maintains strong religious diversity with Lutheran and Catholic churches serving the community of 47,387 residents.
The eight settlements lie scattered between wooded hills and are best reached by car or bicycle. For hikers several routes cross the hilly landscape, which are especially pleasant during spring and autumn.
Two observatories operate in town, one of them housing the largest Newtonian telescope in Germany used for public sky observation. The instrument draws amateur astronomers from across the region and is regularly used for evening viewing sessions.
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