Apen (
Low German
Low German is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language variety, language spoken mainly in Northern Germany and the northeastern Netherlands. The dialect of Plautdietsch is also spoken in the Russian Mennonite diaspora worldwide. "Low" ...
: ''Aap'') is a municipality in the district of
Ammerland
Ammerland is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by (from the east and clockwise) the city of Oldenburg and the districts of Oldenburg, Cloppenburg, Leer, Friesland and Wesermarsch.
History
The "Ammerland" was first mention ...
, in
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
.
History
The first historical mentions of Apen date to around 1230, when the Knights of Apen provided military service to the Count of
Oldenburg. At that time, it was an important border town on the water and land route to
East Frisia
East Frisia () or East Friesland (; ; ; ) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisia (peninsula), East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia and to the ...
. The St. Nikolai Church was built around this time. The first windmill in the Ammerland region was built in Apen in 1340. Apen was the most important fortress town in the Ammerland region against the East Frisian "foreigners" for centuries.
In 1457, Apen was destroyed in a feud between the East Frisians and Oldenburgers. In the following years, there were repeated fires in Apen, for example in 1465, 1468, and 1473. The fortress of Apen was captured by the
Prince Bishop of Münster in 1538. In 1582, Count Johann von Oldenburg established two markets in Apen. The traditional autumn market is still celebrated every year. The fortress of Apen, built around 1515, was expanded into a fort between 1710 and 1730, and was demolished between 1773 and 1780. Only the former moat of the fortress still exists today.
In 1850, the newly founded Augustfehn I-III peat colonies experienced significant industrial development and contributed significantly to the industrialization of the Oldenburg region in the 19th century. The Augustfehn ironworks played a particularly important role in this development.
Gallery
File:Rathausmarkt in Apen mit Rathaus, Kirche & Glockenturm.jpg, “Rathausmarkt“, town hall and St Nicolas‘ church with bell tower.
Image:Augustfehn, Katholische Kirche Johannes der Täufer foto2 2010-05-15 15.13.JPG, Augustfehn, Church of Saint John the Baptist
Image:Apen, kerk foto2 2010-05-15 15.53.JPG, Apen, church
References
Ammerland
{{Ammerland-geo-stub