Oldenburg Land

For the modern district or Amt, see Oldenburg-Land.

Grand Duchy of Oldenburg

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The Oldenburg Land (German: Oldenburger Land) is a region and regional association in the German state of Lower Saxony in the area of the former Grand Duchy of Oldenburg (to 1918), the later Free State of Oldenburg (to 1946) and administrative district of Oldenburg (to 1978) without its exclaves, along the rivers Hunte and Hase. In the region between Waterkant, Dümmer and Damme Hills some of the population still speak Low German today and, in Saterland also Saterland Frisian. The region is rich in old Lower Saxon customs such as Schützenfests or Kohlfahrten. Typical country sports include Klootschießen and Boßeln.

The mainly Catholic southern part of the Oldenburg Land is known as Oldenburg Münsterland, the mainly Protestant northern part is known as Oldenburg Land (Old Oldenburg) in its narrower sense.

Oldenburg Land roughly corresponds to the towns of Oldenburg, Wilhelmshaven and Delmenhorst as well as the districts of Friesland, Ammerland, Oldenburg, Cloppenburg, Wesermarsch and Vechta.

The borders of the Oldenburg Land are still clear today from the boundaries of institutions such the Landessparkasse zu Oldenburg or the Offizialatsbezirk Vechta of the Roman-Catholic church.

Towns and villages

The largest towns, apart from the former state and district capital of Oldenburg with about 160,000 inhabitants are Wilhelmshaven (~ 83,000) and Delmenhorst (~75,000). Others worth mentioning are:

Apen (Ammerland) Bad Zwischenahn (Ammerland) Bakum Barßel Bern (Wesermarsch) Bockhorn Bösel Brake (Wesermarsch) Butjadingen (Wesermarsch) Cappeln (Oldenburg) Cloppenburg

Damme Dinklage Dötlingen Edewecht (Ammerland) Emstek Elsfleth (Wesermarsch) Essen (Oldenburg) Friesoythe Ganderkesee Garrel Goldenstedt Großenkneten

Harpstedt Hatten Holdorf (Oldenburg) Hude (Oldenburg) Jade (Wesermarsch) Jever Lastrup Lemwerder (Wesermarsch) Lindern Lohne (Oldenburg) Löningen

Molbergen Neuenkirchen-Vörden Nordenham (Wesermarsch) Ovelgönne (Wesermarsch) Rastede (Ammerland) Sande Saterland Schortens Stadland (Wesermarsch) Steinfeld (Oldenburg) Varel

Vechta Visbek Wangerland Wangerooge Wardenburg Westerstede (Ammerland) Wiefelstede (Ammerland) Wildeshausen Zetel

Sources

• Gerhard Wietek: Oldenburger Land (Deutsche Lande - Deutsche Kunst). 2. Auflage, München/Berlin 1974