New Germany, a quaint village nestled in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, Canada, is a hidden gem waiting to be discovered. With a population of 447 as per the 2021 census, this village is a main service centre connecting Bridgewater and Middleton via highway Trunk 10. It is situated 25 kilometres north of Bridgewater and 64 kilometres south of Middleton Annapolis Valley.
The original inhabitants of the New Germany area were the Mi'kmaq people, including the Jeremy and Soulnow families, who lived in the area for generations before the arrival of European settlers. The first European settler, John Feindel, arrived around 1803, followed by the Varner, Penney, and Woodworth families, all descendants of the Foreign Protestants who arrived in Lunenburg in the 18th century.
The first settlement was along the New Germany Lake on the north side, and the first recorded church service was held in a barn owned by John Feindel in 1828. The early pioneers learned many skills from the Mi'kmaq inhabitants, such as hunting, fishing, and tea-making.
New Germany has been the site of varied economic activity throughout the years. The first major industrial project was in 1811 when area founder John Feindel built a small sawmill at Morgan's Falls. Near 1898, Edward Zwicker Senior built a new sawmill and fish box factory and later sold electric power to the community under the name Barss Corner Electric Light Company.
During World War Two, the village showed its hatred of the Nazi regime by burning an effigy of Hitler on Tower Hill. Many men of the area worked either directly or indirectly for the Bowater Sawmill outside Bridgewater or the larger Bowater Pulp and Paper Mill near Liverpool.
With the construction of the new Michelin Tire Factory in Bridgewater near 1971, New Germany continued to grow with many new families moving to the area. Until 1981, New Germany was also accessible by the Halifax and Southwestern Railway though the now-abandoned railroad tracks are popular with all-terrain vehicle enthusiasts.
Today, local employment in New Germany hinges on natural resources such as farming, blueberries, maple syrup, forestry, and Christmas trees which are shipped over North America. Many workers are employed in the nearby town of Bridgewater, with the Michelin tire plant in the industrial park employing numerous people from the area.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, sales of houses and land in New Germany rose with people looking for homes along lakes and rivers. The community holds a regular Farmers Market on Friday afternoon June to October and a Community Cafe on Thursday mornings to encourage fellowship. New Germany Lake is a registered landing strip for floatplanes.
New Germany is home to a community-built medical centre, liquor store, New Germany Elementary School, New Germany Rural High School, bank, convenience store, Post Office, several churches, Shoppers Drug Mart, Village Glassworks, Irving Oil gas station, New Germany Small Engine Repair, and restaurants such as Charlie's Pizza and Burger, and 2 Papa's Pizza & Donairs.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, New Germany had a population of 447 living in 213 of its 230 total private dwellings, a change of -2.4% from its 2016 population of 458. With a land area of 2.49 km2 (0.96 sq mi), it had a population density of 179.5/km2 (464.9/sq mi) in 2021.
