Oldenbourg (city)

See also: Claes Oldenburg

Oldenbourg (in German Oldenburg (Oldb) marked '' Ollnborg '') is a German city-district , located in the Land of Lower Saxony, between the towns of Bremen ( Bremen ) of this same Land and Groningen with the Netherlands.

University town and old residence of the Grand Duchy of Oldenbourg (from where the additive (Oldb) in German is literally " Oldenbourg in Oldenbourg"), it is the fourth city in importance of Länder of Lower Saxony after Hanover, Brunswick and Osnabrück.

In December 2004, it counted 158.394 inhabitants (more details in the heading demography).

Geographical location

The city is located in Lower Saxony (which is frontier with the Netherlands), in the North-West of the Germany:

  • approximately 40 km in the west of Bremen,
  • approximately 100 km in the north of Osnabrück
  • approximately 165 km in the west of Hamburg.

Administrative organization

Oldenbourg is a kreisfreie Stadt City-district, German territorial collectivity specific to the big cities. That means, that it depends directly on sound district ( Regierungsbezirk ) inside the Land. It is thus on the same administrative level as the circle (Kreis).

Oldenbourg was until December 31st, 2004 the seat of the district of Weser-Ems which was dissolves then like all the other districts of Lower Saxony. Since, it refers directly to Länder.

Oldenbourg forms part, since April 2005, of the Région European Metropolis of Bremen/Oldenbourg , among the 11 Areas European Metropolises of Germany (defined by the European Union).

That makes it possible to put joint means, to set up a virtual administration via Internet at one-stop shopping (one can settle all the administrative questions independently of the administration concerned), etc

This new entity seeks to take advantage of its rights to the level Länder, Fédéral and European to negotiate possible regional aids.

Demography

Jusqu'à 1870, it generally acts of estimates, then, of censuses or estimates of institutes statistiques.

Oldenbourg crossed, in 1945, the bar of the 100.000 inhabitants. Oldenbourg is one of the rare cities of more than 100.000 inhabitants whose population increases, still currently, continuously to approach the 160.000 inhabitants today.

Part of this population growth undoubtedly comes from Länder of old East Germany.

History

Mentioned for the first time in a document of 1108 under the name “of Aldenburg”, the city owes its importance with its site close to a Gué of the navigable river Hunte and with trade route between Bremen and Jever.

Oldenbourg thrived in the shade of the city Hanséatique, much more powerful, of Bremen.

The first traces of inhabitants detected at this place come from Teutons and Chauques which amalgamated thereafter to become the Frisons.

One can recall the family tree of the Counts d' Oldenbourg to the hero Saxon Widukind, the enemy of Charlemagne. But, their first historical representative is Elimar d' Oldenbourg (D. 1108).

The descendants of Elimar seem vassal , although sometimes rebels with the dukes of Saxony. However, they reached the dignity of princes of empire when the emperor Frederic I dismembered the duchy of Saxony in 1189.

At this time there, the Comté Delmenhorst belonged to the fields of the Counts d' Oldenbourg, and was separate on several occasions with the liking of the divisions towards the youngest branches of the family. It was the case between 1262 and 1447, between 1463 and 1547, and between 1577 and 1617.

The parts Scandinavian and Western of what would become the Grand-Duchy of Oldenbourg were with the hands of independent, or semi-indépendants. Princes Frisons, who were usually pagan , and at the beginning of the 13th century, the Counts, carried out a series of wars with these small potentates which had like consequence a progressive expansion of their territory. The free city of Bremen and the bishop of Münster were also frequently in war against the Counts d' Oldenbourg.

In 1345, the Count Konrad Ier d' Oldenbourg leans with the communal right of Bremen the agglomeration of Oldenbourg born in the protection of the castle.

In 1448, the successor of the Count Dietrich (D. 1440), called `' Fortunatus'', the Count Christian d' Oldenbourg, becomes King of the Denmark under the name of Christian of Denmark. Although far from the Danish borders, Oldenbourg became a Danish enclave. The control of the city was left to the brothers of the king who established a short reign of tyranny there.

In 1450, Christian became King de Norvège and, in 1457, King de Suède. In 1460, it inherits the Duchy of Schleswig and the County of Holstein, an event of great importance for the future history of Oldenbourg.

In 1454, it entrusted Oldenbourg to his/her brother Gerhard (approx. 1430 - 1499), a wild prince who was constantly in war with the bishop of Bremen and his other neighbors. In 1483, Gerhard was obliged to abdicate in favor of its sons, and he died during a pilgrimage in Spain.

At the beginning of the 16th century, Oldenbourg increases again with depend on the Clippings. The Protestantisme was introduced into the county by the Count Anton I (1505 - 1573), which also removed the monasteries. However, there remained honest with Charles V during the war of the league of Schmalkalden, and could, thus, increase its territories by obtaining Delmenhorst in 1547. One of his/her brothers, the Count Christophe d' Oldenbourg (approx. 1506 - 1560), gained a certain reputation as a soldier. The grandson of Anton, Anton Günther (1583 - 1667), which took the succession in 1603, regarded itself as the wisest prince having controlled Oldenbourg. Jever had been acquired before it realized there. In 1624, it conquered Knyphausen and Varel to which it could finally link Delmenhorst in 1647. Thanks to its neutrality during the War Thirty Year old and its gift of horses of value to the war leader Count de Tilly, Anton Günther made it possible its fields to avoid terrible devastations to which almost all the other States of Germany were exposed. It also obtained from the emperor the right to take a Péage on the vessels passing along the Weser. A lucrative concession which soon formed a substantial share of its resources. In 1607, it set up a castle Renaissance.

Oldenburg was a prosperous city in this time of war and of disorders. Its population and its capacity grew considerably. After the death of Anton Günther, Oldenbourg fell down under Danish authority. In 1667, it was struck by an appalling epidemic and, a little later by a fire which destroyed the city. The Danish kings are not very interested in the fate of the city and it lost the majority of its old importance.

In 1773, the Danish law ended and, in 1777, the area of Oldenbourg became a Duché. It is only whereas the destroyed buildings were rebuilt in a neo-classic style . Of 1810 with 1814, the area of Oldenbourg was occupied by Napoleonean France. In 1829, it became Grand-Duché until in 1918. In 1893, a channel connecting the rivers Hunte and Ems was completed what made it possible to connect the port of Oldenbourg to the the North Sea and thus to reinforce the economic importance of the city.

In 1945, after the Second world war, Oldenbourg crosses the course of the 100.000 inhabitants when the taken refuge flowed, because the city had been bombarded rather little during the war.

Economy

Very great shopping mall, it attracts on 20 ha of pedestrian precinct of many visitors coming in particular from Hamburg or the Netherlands.

First river port of Lower Saxony, it counts various activities of river transport.

Arts center, economic and administrative of the area, many banks and insurance companies have their seat with Oldenbourg.

The principal companies concern the processing industry (meat, milk), the electronic sector (engines of low power), car (manufacture of accessories) or of printing works.

University town, Oldenbourg counts many cultural infrastructures (theater, museums, library, artothèque, academy.).

Twinnings

Famous characters

In Oldenbourg were born:

External bonds

  • Towns of Germany
  • Site of the city
  • Niedersachsen.de basic Land Saxony
  • Reiseland-Niedersachsen.de Tourism in Lower Saxony
  • Site of the Area European Metropolis of Bremen/Oldenbourg
  • Site of the network of the Areas European Metropolises

Simple: Oldenburg

Random links:Curculio | Championships of Europe of athletics 1974 | Alpine stage | The Community of communes of the Door of the High-Vosges | Cochlodina laminata | Réseau_Nord