Oldenburg is an
independent cityAn independent city is a city that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity. These type of cities should not be confused with city-states , which are fully sovereign cities that are not part of any other sovereign state.-Historical precursors:In the Holy Roman Empire,...
in
Lower SaxonyLower 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...
,
GermanyGermany , 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 situated in the western part of the state between the cities of Bremen and
Groningen, Netherlands, at the
HunteThe Hunte is a 189 km long river in north-western Germany , left tributary of the Weser. It rises in the Wiehengebirge hills. In the Northern German Plain it flows through lake Dümmer. It flows generally northwards through the towns Bad Essen, Diepholz, Wildeshausen and Oldenburg. It flows...
river. It has a population of 160,279 (as of 2008) which makes it the fourth biggest city in Lower Saxony after
HanoverHanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
,
BraunschweigBraunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
and
OsnabrückOsnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...
. In
GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, the city is known officially as
Oldenburg (OldenburgOldenburg — 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...
) or
Oldenburg (Oldb) to distinguish it from Oldenburg in Holstein.
History
The town was first mentioned in 1108, at that time known under the name of
Aldenburg. It became important due to its location at a ford of the navigable Hunte River. Oldenburg became the capital of the
County of OldenburgOldenburg — 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...
(later a Duchy, Grand Duchy and Free State), a small state in the shadow of the much more powerful Hanseatic city of Bremen.
In the 17th century, Oldenburg was a wealthy town in a time of
war and turmoilThe Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
and its population and power grew considerably. In 1667, the town was struck by a disastrous
plagueThe Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
epidemic and, shortly after, a fire destroyed Oldenburg. The Danish kings, who were also counts of Oldenburg at the time, were not much interested in the condition of the town and it lost most of its former importance. In 1773, Danish rule ended. It was only then that the destroyed buildings in the city were rebuilt in a
ClassicistNeoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
style.
In 1945 after
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Oldenburg grew to more than 100,000 inhabitants when refugees migrated into the city only 1.4% of which had been destroyed during
World War IIStrategic bombing during World War II is a term which refers to all aerial bombardment of a strategic nature between 1939 and 1945 involving any nations engaged in World War II...
. In 1946, Oldenburg became part of the new German
LandGermany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
of
Lower SaxonyLower 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...
.
Demography
Points of interest
- Botanischer Garten Oldenburg
The Botanischer Garten Oldenburg , more formally known as the Botanischer Garten der Carl von Ossietzky-Universität Oldenburg, is a botanical garden maintained by the University of Oldenburg...
, a botanical gardenA botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
- Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg
Traffic
The city centre of Oldenburg is surrounded by a ring of freeways (Autobahns) consisting of
A 28is an autobahn in northwestern Germany, connecting the cities of Leer and Oldenburg with via Bremen. Originally ending near the city of Delmenhorst, an extension connecting the A 28 to the A 1 has been finished in 2009.- Exit list :...
,
A 29is an autobahn in northwestern Germany. It connects the city of Wilhelmshaven to Oldenburg and the A 1, running very roughly from north to south....
and
A 293.
Oldenburg stationis the main passenger station in the city of Oldenburg in the German state of Lower Saxony. With gradual closure of other stations, including Ofenerdiek and Osternburg, it is currently the only passenger station in Oldenburg. It is a through station, with seven platform tracks...
is at the intersection of railway lines between Norddeich Mole-
LeerLeer is a town in the district of Leer, the northwestern part of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated at the river Ems, near the border with the Netherlands....
-Oldenburg-Bremen and
WilhelmshavenWilhelmshaven is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea.-History:...
-Oldenburg-Osnabrück with
IntercityIntercity is the second-highest train classification in Germany, after the ICE. Intercity services are loco-hauled express services, usually over long-distances. There are Intercity routes throughout Germany, and routes generally operate with a two-hour frequency, with multiple routes giving a more...
services to
BerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
,
LeipzigLeipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
and
DresdenDresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
and
InterCityExpressThe Intercity-Express or ICE is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany and neighbouring countries. It is the highest service category offered by DB Fernverkehr and is the flagship of Deutsche Bahn...
services to
FrankfurtFrankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
and
MunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
.
Oldenburg is connected to shipping through the Küstenkanal, a
ship canalA ship canal is a canal especially constructed to carry ocean-going ships, as opposed to barges. Ship canals can be enlarged barge canals, canalized or channelized rivers, or canals especially constructed from the start to accommodate ships....
connecting the rivers Ems and
WeserThe Weser is a river in north-western Germany. Formed at Hann. Münden by the Fulda and Werra, it flows through Lower Saxony, then reaching the historic port city of Bremen before emptying into the North Sea 50 km further north at Bremerhaven, which is also a seaport...
. With 1.6 million tons of goods annually, it is the most important non-coastal harbour in Lower Saxony.
BicycleA bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
s play a very important part in personal transport.
Because of its close proximity to the city of Bremen, the city is only about half an hour drive from the
Bremen AirportBremen Airport or Flughafen Bremen serves the German city of Bremen and is located south of the city. There were 2.4 million passengers in 2008.-History:The beginnings of the airport date back to the early 20th century...
.
Media
- Nordwest-Zeitung, daily newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
for the region
- Oldenburger Sonntagszeitung, Sunday newspaper
- Huntereport, published on Wednesdays and Sundays
- Mox, fortnightly information magazine
- Oldenburger Stachel, alternative monthly newspaper
- sisol, school information
- Oldenburg Eins, local semi-open TV
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and RadioRadio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
station
Education
- Carl von Ossietzky University
The Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg is a university in Oldenburg, Germany. It is one of the most important educational facilities in northwestern Germany and specialises in interdisciplinary studies.- History :...
, founded 1973 and named after Carl von OssietzkyCarl von Ossietzky was a German pacifist and the recipient of the 1935 Nobel Peace Prize. He was convicted of high treason and espionage in 1931 after publishing details of Germany's alleged violation of the Treaty of Versailles by rebuilding an air force, the predecessor of the Luftwaffe, and...
- Jade Fachhochschule (University of Applied Sciences), founded 1971 as Fachhochschule Oldenburg, 2000−2009: joined with several others Universites of Applied Sciences to the "Fachhochschule Oldenburg/Ostfriesland/Wilhelmshaven"
- RAB-Bildungszentrum für moderne Medien (University of modern Media)
- Gymnasium Graf-Anton-Guenther School
The Graf-Anton-Guenther School is a Gymnasium in Oldenburg, Lower-Saxony, established in 1920. Over 1600 students attend the school in the City of Oldenburg.-External links:*...
- Wirtschaftsgymnasium Oldenburg
- Liebfrauenschule Oldenburg
- Herbartgymnasium Oldenburg
- Altes Gymnasium Oldenburg
- Neues Gymnasium Oldenburg
- Gymnasium Eversten
- IGS Flötenteich
- Helene Lange Schule Oldenburg (IGS)
- Realschule Hochheider Weg
- Real - und Hauptschule Osternburg
- Realschule Ofenerdiek
Agriculture
The city is in a largely agricultural area. There are farms near and even in the city. Common agricultural activities are the cultivation of livestock (especially dairy cows and other grazing animals) and crops such as asparagus, corn, and kale.
External links