A book of complaints from the Lichtenberg district preserved in the Lower Saxony State Archives in Wolfenbüttel offers a deep insight into the living conditions of the inhabitants of Reppner during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). It describes in vivid detail the recurring destruction and plundering that drove the majority of the inhabitants to flee. Some found refuge in distant villages, others tried to survive in the wilderness. After the end of the Thirty Years' War, almost 40 percent of the farmsteads in Reppner were uninhabited.
While the number of inhabitants in Reppner had remained almost stable over several centuries, it changed noticeably several times in the 20th and 21st centuries. The increase from 315 in 1939 to 711 in 1950 is due to the fact that the residents of the camp complex located south of Reppner were counted as residents of the district just under two kilometers away.
Soviet prisoners of war were initially housed in the barracks, which were built in 1939. From 1942, the barracks were used as a collection camp for the sick. Almost 500 people, more than half of whom were under the age of 21, died between July 1942 and April 1945. After the end of the war, the barracks were initially used to house displaced persons waiting to return to their home countries, before being used to house refugees and displaced persons.
From 1955 onwards, the remaining accommodation in Kiehwinkel was used as a shelter for the homeless before it was burnt down in November 1976 during a fire drill.
The most recent increase in Reppner's population is due to the development of the "Welfengrund" building area. Around 60 houses were built in two construction phases on the southern outskirts of Reppner. Its location in the countryside as well as its proximity to Salzgittersee and the largest district of Lebenstedt with its well-developed infrastructure have accelerated the transformation from a former farming village to a residential area.
The former school building, which now houses the village community hall and the training room for the volunteer fire department, is the center of social life for the approximately 600 inhabitants of Reppner.
