- Oldenburg Land
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Grand Duchy of Oldenburg Coat-of-arms Flag 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
- 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
Regions and landscapes of Lower Saxony Altes Land | Ammerland | Brunswick Land | Calenberg Land | Eichsfeld | Elbe-Weser | Emsland | County of Bentheim | Land Hadeln | Land Wursten | Harz | Hildesheim Börde | Hümmling | Kehdingen | Leine Uplands | Lüneburg Heath | Middle Weser | Oldenburg Land | Oldenburg Münsterland | Osnabrück Land | Eastphalia | East Frisia | Schaumburg Land | Solling | South Lower Saxony | Wendland | Weser Uplands | Wümme Depression
Categories:- Geography of Oldenburg
- Regions of Lower Saxony
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