Oldenburg
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Oldenburg (Low German: Ollnborg) is an Independent City in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the western part of the state between the cities of Bremen and Groningen, Netherlands, at the Hunte river. It has a population of 158,341 (as of 2005) which makes it the fourth biggest in Lower Saxony after Hanover, Braunschweig and Osnabrück. In German, the city is known officially as Oldenburg (Oldenburg) or Oldenburg (Oldb) to distinguish it from Oldenburg in Holstein.
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[edit] 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 Oldenburg (later a Duchy, Grand Duchy and Republic), 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 turmoil and its population and power grew considerably. In 1667 the town was struck by a disastrous plague 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 Classicist style.
In 1893 a canal connecting the Hunte and the Ems rivers was finished connecting the port of Oldenburg with the North Sea which greatly increased the city's economic importance.
In 1945 after World War II, Oldenburg grew to more than 100,000 inhabitants when refugees migrated into the city that was only sparingly bombed during World War II. In 1946, Oldenburg became part of the new German Land of Lower Saxony.
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
[edit] Demography
| 1502 | 1667 | 1702 | 1769 | 1816 | 1828 | 1837 | 1855 | 1871 | 1880 | 1890 | 1900 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ~ 2,300 | ~ 4,300 | ~ 5,000 | 6,959 | 6,278 | 6,800 | 9,280 | 11,370 | 13,928 | 20,575 | 23,118 | 26,635 |
Up to 1870, it's only estimated data.
| 1910 | 1919 | 1930 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1989 | 1995 | 2000 | 2004 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 30,242 | 32,540 | 55,485 | 80,605 | 122,809 | 122,337 | 131,545 | 136,764 | 140,785 | 151,382 | 154,832 |
[edit] Economy and Infrastructure
[edit] Traffic
The city centre of Oldenburg is surrounded by a ring of highways (Autobahnen) consisting of A28, A29 and A293. Oldenburg is part of the railway connections between Norddeich-Leer-Oldenburg-Bremen and Wilhelmshaven-Oldenburg-Osnabrück. InterCity railway connections to Berlin, Leipzig and Dresden and an InterCityExpress connection to Frankfurt and Munich Central Station exist.
Oldenburg is connected to shipping through the Küstenkanal, a ship canal connecting the rivers Ems and Weser. With 1.6 Million tons of goods annually it is the most important non-coastal harbour in Lower Saxony.
Bicycles 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 Airport.
[edit] Media
- Nordwest-Zeitung, daily newspaper for the region
- Oldenburger Sonntagszeitung, Sunday newspaper
- Huntereport, came out on Wednesday and Sunday
- Mox, fortnightly information magazine
- Oldenburger Stachel, alternative monthly newspaper
- sisol, school information
- Oldenburg Eins, local semi-open TV and Radio station
[edit] Education
- Carl von Ossietzky University, founded 1973 and named after Carl von Ossietzky
- Fachhochschule (University of Applied Sciences) Oldenburg, founded 1971
- RAB-Bildungszentrum für moderne Medien (University of modern Media)
[edit] 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.
[edit] Personalities
[edit] Honorary Citizens
- 1917: Paul von Hindenburg, General and later President of Germany during the Weimar Republic
- 1928: Dr. h.c. Helene Lange, Politician (DDP) and women's rights activist
- 1944: August Hinrichs, Artist
- 1961: Prof. Bernhard Winter, Painter
- 1963: Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Karl Jaspers, Philosopher, Psychiatrist and political author
- 1992: Horst Janssen, Artist
In 1937 Adolf Hitler and Carl Röver were made honorary citizens, but this was reverted in 1948
[edit] Famous People from Oldenburg
- 1426, Christian of Oldenburg, † 1481, king of the Kalmar Union.
- 1683, Burkhard Christoph von Munnich, † 1767, military commander, political figure
- 1776, May 4: Johann Friedrich Herbart, † August 14 1841 Göttingen, Philosopher, Psychologist and Teacher
- 1803: Markus Nathan Adler, † 1890, Rabbi
- 1818, December 21: Marie Frederike Amelie, Princess of Oldenburg and Queen of Greece 1836-1862 † Bamberg May 20 1875
- 1842, February 5: Karl Graf von Wedel, † December 30 1919 Stockholm, Governor of Alsace-Lorraine (Elsaß-Lothringen) between 1907-14
- 1848, April 9: Helene Lange, † May 13 1930 Berlin, Politician, Teacher and women's rights activist
- 1852, November 16: Friedrich August, Duke of Oldenburg 1900-1918
- 1865, July 22: Dr. Karl Rudolf Heinze, † May 28 1928 Dresden, prime minister of Saxony October 26 to November 13 1918 and Governor of Saxony 1923
- 1873, February 26: Johann Schütte, Airship constructor
- 1875, April 2: Theodor Diedrich Wilhelm Francksen, † June 14 1914, Art collector
- 1879, April 18: August Hinrichs, † June 20 1956 Huntlosen, Author
- 1883, February 23: Karl Jaspers, † February 26 1969 Basel, Philosopher and Author
- 1888: Theodor Pekol, † 1958, Bus constructor and operator
- 1894, August 17: Otto Suhr, † August 30 1957 Berlin, Politician SPD and Lord Mayor of Berlin
- 1934, October 7: Ulrike Meinhof, † May 9 1976 Stuttgart (suicide), journalist and Militant (Red Army Faction)
- 1946, March 24: Su Kramer alias Gudrun Kramer, Singer
- 1952, July 17: Judith Jupe, Singer
- 1959, January 17: Andrea Clausen, actress at Burgtheater in Vienna
- 1974, May 28: Hans-Jörg Butt, Soccer player
[edit] Famous People who worked in Oldenburg
- Hermann Ludwig Ehlers, * 1904 Schöneberg near Berlin, † 1954, Politician (CDU), President of the Bundestag, worked in the city council of Oldenburg at the beginning of his career
- Horst Janssen, * November 14 1929 Oldenburg, † August 31 1995 Hamburg, Artist, lived in Oldenburg
- Johann Heinrich Suhrkamp, * March 23 1891 near Oldenburg, March 31 1959 Frankfurt, founder of the Suhrkamp Publishing House
- Cäcilie von Oldenburg, died there in 1844
[edit] External links
- Official City Website
- Tourist Information
- History of Oldenburg (German)
- Oldenburg travel guide from Wikitravel
 Urban and rural districts in the state of Lower Saxony in Germany  |
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|---|---|
| Region | Hanover |
| Urban districts | Braunschweig · Delmenhorst · Emden · Oldenburg · Osnabrück · Salzgitter · Wilhelmshaven · Wolfsburg |
| Rural districts | Ammerland · Aurich · Bentheim · Celle · Cloppenburg · Cuxhaven · Diepholz · Emsland · Friesland · Gifhorn · Goslar · Göttingen · Hamelin-Pyrmont · Harburg · Helmstedt · Hildesheim · Holzminden · Leer · Lüchow-Dannenberg · Lüneburg · Nienburg · Northeim · Oldenburg · Osnabrück · Osterholz · Osterode · Peine · Rotenburg · Schaumburg · Soltau-Fallingbostel · Stade · Uelzen · Vechta · Verden · Wesermarsch · Wittmund · Wolfenbüttel |
