Großenkneten

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Großenkneten (Greater Kneten) is one of the largest municipalities in Germany, in terms of its area, and lies between the rivers Hunte and Lethe in the district Oldenburg. It is located in the landscape called Wildeshauser Geest. The place - consisting of the villages Huntlosen, Ahlhorn and Großenkneten - is still mostly agrarian, but is becoming more and more popular as a place of residence for commuters to Oldenburg.

  • 52° 57' n.L.
  • 8° 16' e.L..
  • 37 m above sea level
  • Area: 176,17 km²
  • Population: 13,643 (December 30 2003)
  • 77 inhabitants per km²

Special recreational locations include several prehistoric tombs and the fish lakes of Ahlhorn. Originally built in the 1880s as a fish farm using the waters of the river Lethe, they are a nature preserve since 1993. Of the 2 square kilometres of water around 1.2 square kilometres are still used for fish farming today.

In 1933 the municipality Huntlosen was incorporated into Großenkneten, giving it its current extent.

Between 1952 and 1957 Karl Poggensee and his association DAFRA (the precursor of the Hermann Oberth Society) operated a small launch site for experimental rockets close to the Hespenbusch farm. In 1957 the launch site was shifted to Cuxhaven as the site in Großenkneten had become too small.

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Coordinates: 52°57′N, 8°16′E

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