| Oldenburg | |
|
Oldenburg
|
|
| Coordinates | |
| Administration | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Lower Saxony |
| District | Urban district |
| City subdivisions | 33 boroughs, separated into nine census tracts |
| Lord Mayor | Gerd Schwandner (since 2006) (Ind.) |
| Basic statistics | |
| Area | 102.96 km2 (39.75 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 4 m (13 ft) |
| Population | 162,173 (31 December 2010)[1] |
| - Density | 1,575 /km2 (4,080 /sq mi) |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Licence plate | OL |
| Postal codes | 26001–26135 |
| Area code | 0441 |
| Website | www.oldenburg.de |
Oldenburg (Low German: Ollnborg) is an independent city in the state of Lower Saxony, Germany. During the French occupation (1810–1814) of the former Duchy of Oldenburg, it was also known as Le Vieux-Bourg in French. The city is situated at the Rivers Hunte and Haaren, in the northwestern region between the cities of Bremen in the east and Groningen (Netherlands) in the west. It has a population of 162,173 (as of 2010), which makes it the fourth biggest city in Lower Saxony after Hanover, Braunschweig and Osnabrück. In German, the formal name is Oldenburg (Oldenburg) or Oldenburg (Oldb) (spoken: Oldenburg in Oldenburg) to distinguish it from Oldenburg in Holstein.
Contents |
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 Free State), a small state in the shadow of the much more powerful Hanseatic city of Bremen.[2]
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.[2]
In 1945 after World War II, 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 II.[3] In 1946, Oldenburg became part of the new German Land of Lower Saxony.
| Year | 1667 | 1702 | 1769 | 1816 | 1828 | 1837 | 1855 | 1871 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | ~ 4,300 | ~ 5,000 | 6,959 | 6,278 | 6,800 | 9,280 | 11,370 | 13,928 |
The city is surrounded by large agricultural areas. There are farms near and even within city limits. Common agricultural activities are the cultivation of livestock (especially dairy cows and other grazing animals and chicken) and crops such as asparagus, corn, and kale.
There are two public universities in Oldenburg:
The Private Fachhochschule für Wirtschaft und Technik, a regional private university of cooperative education, maintains a branch in Oldenburg offering degree programmes with integrated vocational training in electrical engineering and mechatronics.
The Lower Saxony police academy (Polizeiakademie Niedersachsen) maintains a department in Oldenburg where candidates for higher-middle-level and higher-level police service study in a Bachelor’s degree programme.
Oldenburg is twin towns with following cities and districts[6] :
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||