Cloppenburg (district)
Encyclopedia
Cloppenburg is a district in Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...

, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Ammerland
Ammerland
Ammerland is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the city of Oldenburg and the districts of Oldenburg, Cloppenburg, Leer, Friesland and Wesermarsch.- History :...

, Oldenburg
Oldenburg (district)
Oldenburg is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Diepholz, Vechta, Cloppenburg and Ammerland, the city of Oldenburg, the district of Wesermarsch and the city of Delmenhorst.-History:...

, Vechta
Vechta (district)
Vechta is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Oldenburg, Diepholz, Osnabrück and Cloppenburg.-History:...

, Osnabrück
Osnabrück (district)
Osnabrück is a district in the southwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. With 2,121 km² it is the second largest district of Lower Saxony.- History :...

, Emsland
Emsland
Landkreis Emsland is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany named after the river Ems. It is bounded by the districts of Leer, Cloppenburg and Osnabrück, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia , the district of Bentheim and the Netherlands .- History :For a long time the region of the Emsland was...

 and Leer
Leer (district)
Leer is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the city of Emden, the districts of Aurich, Wittmund, Friesland, Ammerland, Cloppenburg and Emsland, and by the Netherlands ....

.
Like the neighbouring Vechta
Vechta (district)
Vechta is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Oldenburg, Diepholz, Osnabrück and Cloppenburg.-History:...

 district, it is well known for factory farming
Factory farming
Factory farming is a term referring to the process of raising livestock in confinement at high stocking density, where a farm operates as a factory — a practice typical in industrial farming by agribusinesses. The main products of this industry are meat, milk and eggs for human consumption...

, especially of turkeys and pigs. These two districts are also known as the "schweinegürtel" (pig belt). The ground is mostly of poor quality. The mass import of animal food made factory farming possible. With the help of liquid manure corn is grown, which is also used for a growing production of biogas
Biogas
Biogas typically refers to a gas produced by the biological breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen. Organic waste such as dead plant and animal material, animal dung, and kitchen waste can be converted into a gaseous fuel called biogas...

.

History

The region was part of the county of Tecklenburg
Tecklenburg
Tecklenburg is a town in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:It is located at the foothills of the Teutoburg Forest, southwest of Osnabrück.-Division of the town:...

 in medieval times. It was then for a long time (1400-1803) property of the bishop of Münster. In 1803 it was annexed by Oldenburg
Oldenburg (state)
Oldenburg — named after its capital, the town of Oldenburg — was a state in the north of present-day Germany. Oldenburg survived from 1180 until 1918 as a county, duchy and grand duchy, and from 1918 until 1946 as a free state. It was located near the mouth of the River Weser...

 and remained a part of Oldenburg until 1945. The district was established in 1933.

Geography

The district comprises the western portion of a historical region called Oldenburgisches Münsterland
Oldenburger Münsterland
The Oldenburg Münsterland is the southern, predominantly Catholic portion of the former Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, now a part of Lower Saxony in Germany. Before 1803, it was part of the Prince-Bishopric of Münster . It comprises the modern day counties of Cloppenburg and Vechta, an area with over...

, which means "lands of Oldenburg formerly held by Münster". It is a plain countryside, which was originally swampy and full of tiny rivers and brooks.

The Thülsfelde Reservoir is an artificial lake that was built between 1924 and 1927 in order to prevent floodings in the area. Today it is a major tourist attraction with several camping sites and a youth hostel.

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms displays:
  • top left and top right: the cross as well as the red stripes are part of the arms of Oldenburg
  • bottom left: three water lilly leaves made up the arms of Tecklenburg
  • bottom right: red and yellow are the colours of Münster


Its blazon
Blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...

 is: "Quarterly; I: Or, two bars Gules; II: Azure, a cross
Cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run obliquely, the design is technically termed a saltire, although the arms of a saltire need not meet...

 Or; III: Argent, three water lily
Nymphaeaceae
Nymphaeaceae is a family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called water lilies and live in freshwater areas in temperate and tropical climates around the world. The family contains eight genera. There are about 70 species of water lilies around the world. The genus...

 leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....

 Gules; IV: Or, a fess
Fess
In heraldry, a fess or fesse is a charge on a coat of arms that takes the form of a band running horizontally across the centre of the shield. Writers disagree in how much of the shield's surface is to be covered by a fess or other ordinary, ranging from one-fifth to one-third...

 Gules".

Towns and municipalities

Towns Municipalities
  1. Cloppenburg
    Cloppenburg
    Cloppenburg is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, capital of Cloppenburg District. It lies 38 km south-south-west of Oldenburg in the Weser-Ems region between Bremen and the Dutch border. Cloppenburg is not far from the A1, the major motorway connecting the Ruhr area to Bremen and Hamburg...

  2. Friesoythe
    Friesoythe
    Friesoythe, in Saterland Frisian language Ait or Äit, is a town in the district of Cloppenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Soeste, approximately 25 km northwest of Cloppenburg, and 30 km southwest of Oldenburg....

  3. Löningen
    Löningen
    Löningen is a town in the district of Cloppenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Hase, approx. 25 km southwest of Cloppenburg.-History:Löningen originally appeared in 822 as Loingo...

  • Barßel
    Barßel
    Barßel is a municipality in the district of Cloppenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany.-Division of the municipality:Barßel consists of 13 districts:* Barßel* Barßelermoor* Carolinenhof* Elisabethfehn* Harkebrügge* Lohe* Loher-Ostmark* Loher-Westmark...

  • Bösel
    Bösel
    Bösel is a municipality in the district of Cloppenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany.-History:Bösel was first mentioned in 1080 under the name Borsla in a testimonial of the bishop of Osnabrück....

  • Cappeln
    Cappeln
    Cappeln is a municipality in the district of Cloppenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 7 km southeast of Cloppenburg.Cappeln consists of the following rural communities:* Cappeln including Dingel...

  • Emstek
    Emstek
    Emstek is a municipality in the district of Cloppenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 8 km east of Cloppenburg....

  • Essen
    Essen, Lower Saxony
    Essen is a municipality in the district of Cloppenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is on the river Hase, about 5 km north of Quakenbrück and 15 km southwest of Cloppenburg....



    1. Garrel
      Garrel
      Garrel is a municipality in the district of Cloppenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 15 km north of Cloppenburg, and 25 km southwest of Oldenburg....


    2. Lastrup
      Lastrup
      Lastrup is a municipality in the district of Cloppenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 15 km southwest of Cloppenburg....


    3. Lindern
      Lindern
      Lindern is a municipality in the district of Cloppenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 20 km west of Cloppenburg....


    4. Molbergen
      Molbergen
      Molbergen is a municipality in the district of Cloppenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. west of Cloppenburg....


    5. Saterland
      Saterland
      Saterland is a municipality in the district of Cloppenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated between the cities of Leer, Cloppenburg, and Oldenburg...



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