Oldenburg Land () is a region and regional association in the German state of

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 ...

in the area of the former

Grand Duchy of Oldenburg The Grand Duchy of Oldenburg (, also known as Holstein-Oldenburg) was a grand duchy within the German Confederation, North German Confederation and German Empire, that consisted of three widely separated territories: Oldenburg, Eutin and Bir ...

(1815–1918), the later

Free State of Oldenburg The Free State of Oldenburg () was a federated state that existed during the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. It was established in 1918 following the abdication of the Grand Duke Frederick Augustus II of the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg after th ...

(1918–1946) and administrative district of Oldenburg (1946 to 1978), without its exclaves, along the rivers

Hunte Hunte () is a long river in north-western Germany (Lower Saxony), a left tributary of the Weser. The Hunte rises in the Wiehen Hills. In the North German Plain it flows through lake Dümmer. It flows generally northwards through the towns B ...

and Hase. In the region between coastline,

Dümmer The Dümmer () or officially Dümmer See is a large lake in southern Lower Saxony (Germany). It has a surface of 13.5 km2 and an average depth of one metre. Its elevation is 37 metres. Dümmer is a popular resort for water sports, but a ...

and Damme Hills some of the population still speak

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" ...

today and, in

Saterland Saterland (; Saterland Frisian: , ) is a municipality in the district of Cloppenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated between the cities of Leer, Cloppenburg, and Oldenburg. It is home to Saterland Frisians, who speak Frisian in addi ...

also Saterland Frisian. The region is rich in old Lower Saxon customs such as '' Schützenfests'' or '' Kohlfahrten''. Typical country sports include '' Klootschießen'' and '' Boßeln''. The mainly Catholic southern part of the Oldenburg Land is known as Oldenburg Münsterland, the mainly Lutheran northern part is known as Oldenburg Land (''Old Oldenburg'') in its narrower sense. In terms of Germany's modern administrative

districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

, Oldenburg Land roughly corresponds to

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 ...

Cloppenburg Cloppenburg (; ; ) is a town in Lower Saxony, in north-western Germany, capital of Cloppenburg District and part of Oldenburg Münsterland. It lies 38 km south-south-west of Oldenburg in the Weser-Ems region between Bremen and the Dutch ...

Delmenhorst Delmenhorst (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Demost'') is an urban district (''List of German urban districts, Kreisfreie Stadt'') in Lower Saxony, Germany. It has a population of 74,500 and is located west of downtown Bremen (city), Bremen with which ...

Friesland Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...

, Oldenburg (rural), Oldenburg (urban),

Vechta Vechta (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Vechte'') is the capital and largest city of the Vechta (district), Vechta district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is home to the University of Vechta. It is known for the 'Stoppelmarkt' fair, which takes place every ...

Wesermarsch Wesermarsch is a ''Districts of Germany, Kreis'' (district) in the northwestern part of Lower Saxony, Germany. Neighboring are (from the east clockwise) the districts of Cuxhaven (district), Cuxhaven and Osterholz, the city of Bremen in the state ...

, and

Wilhelmshaven Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsha ...

. These 9 districts have a combined population of about 1.1 million (per the end of 2016) and an area of about 5,700 km2 (2,200 mi2). The borders of the Oldenburg Land are still clear today from the boundaries of institutions such the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg, the ''Offizialatsbezirk Vechta'' of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Münster and the ''Landessparkasse zu Oldenburg''.

Towns and villages

The largest towns, apart from the former state and district capital of Oldenburg with about 160,000 inhabitants are

(~ 83,000) and

(~75,000). Other large towns include:

Sources

*Gerhard Wietek: ''Oldenburger Land'' (Deutsche Lande – Deutsche Kunst). 2. Auflage, München/Berlin 1974 {{coord missing, Lower Saxony Geography of Oldenburg Regions of Lower Saxony