Oldenburg in Holstein

This article is about Oldenburg in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. For other uses see Oldenburg (disambiguation).

Oldenburg in Holstein
Town hall
Oldenburg in Holstein
Location of the town of Oldenburg in Holstein within Ostholstein district
Coordinates	54°18′0″N 10°53′0″E / 54.3°N 10.883333°E / 54.3; 10.883333Coordinates: 54°18′0″N 10°53′0″E / 54.3°N 10.883333°E / 54.3; 10.883333
Administration
Country	Germany
State	Schleswig-Holstein
District	Ostholstein
Mayor	Martin Voigt
Basic statistics
Area	39.67 km2 (15.32 sq mi)
Elevation	8 m  (26 ft)
Population	9,698 (31 December 2010)[1]
- Density	244 /km2 (633 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	OH
Postal code	23758
Area code	04361
Website	www.oldenburg-holstein.de

Oldenburg in Holstein is a town at the southwestern shore of the Baltic Sea. The nearest city is Lübeck. The town belongs to the (historical) region of Holstein, today in the state Schleswig-Holstein of Germany.

Oldenburg was the chief town of the Wagrians, one of the Slavic peoples that migrated as far west as the river Elbe in or after the 6th century (see Völkerwanderung), also known as Wends and Obotrites. They arrived about 700 AD and the Slavonic name was Starigard or Stargard, meaning "Old Settlement" or "Old Castle", the German name Oldenburg is (Low Saxon) with the same meaning. The Obotrites were allies of Charlemagne. Emperor Otto I established the bishopric of Oldenburg under Adaldag, archbishop of Hamburg.

To the Vikings, the city was known as Brandehuse, i.e. "the burned houses", indicating the bellicose times.

For centuries, Starigard/Oldenburg remained the Slavic competitor of Hedeby on the Baltic trade, until the counts Adolph I and Adolph II of Schauenburg and Holstein, supported by Henry the Lion, finally defeated the Wends during the first half of the 12th century.

The modern town has a partnership with Bergen auf Rügen in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

References

1. ^ "Statistikamt Nord: Bevölkerung in Schleswig-Holstein am 31. Dezember 2010 nach Kreisen, Ämtern, amtsfreien Gemeinden und Städten" (in German). Statistisches Amt für Hamburg und Schleswig-Holstein. 31 December 2010. http://www.statistik-nord.de/uploads/tx_standocuments/A_I_2_vj104_S.pdf.