The Osenberge is a dune region up to high in the district of

Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to: Places * Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica *Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany **Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony * Ol ...

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 ...

Geographical location

The rolling dunes of the Osenberge are located in the northwest of the

Wildeshausen Geest Nature Park The Wildeshausen Geest () is part of the northwest Germany's geest ridge, that begins near Meppen on the river Ems with the Hümmling, is broken by the Weser depression, continues with the Osterholz Geest and reaches the marshes of Kehdingen by t ...

, on average about (

as the crow flies The expression ''as the crow flies'' is an idiom for the most direct path between two points. Etymology The meaning of the expression is attested from the early 19th century, and appeared in the Charles Dickens novel ''Oliver Twist'' (1838): ...

) south of

, directly south of Sandkrug and immediately northwest of Sandhatten, both of which lie within the municipality of

Hatten Hatten is a municipality in Oldenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated southeast of Oldenburg, on the North-West edge of the Wildeshausen Geest Nature Park. Activities Tourism endeavours emphasise the recreational and sporting opportun ...

. To the west the Osenberge are passed by a section of the River

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 ...

in a south–north direction; to the northwest lies

Wardenburg Wardenburg is a municipality in the district of Oldenburg, in Lower Saxony, 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 ...

. The Osenberge are the highest elevations in the region, for example the town of Oldenburg is only about 5 to 7 m above sea level. Its two highest peaks, both high, are the Kistenberg south of Sandkrug and the Gierenberg northwest of Sandhatten. From the latter so-called hill there is a good view of the valley of the Hunte. Within the forested or wooded area of ''Barneführerholz'' the Osenberge are mainly covered by old

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

History

The

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...

-rich landscape of the Osenberge was formed by the glaciers of the last

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...

( Weichselian glaciation) through glacial bursts and outwash.

Legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...

has it that dwarves used to live in the Osenberge. In addition the legend of ''Oldenburger Wunderhorn'', a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

drinking horn from Oldenburg, now in Copenhagen, is set in the Osenberge.

Access

The Osenberge can be reached on town bus line no. 315 operated by the Oldenburg Transport and Water Company (''Oldenburger Verkehr und Wasser GmbH''); alight in Sandkrug at the Mühlenweg bus stop.

References

{{Coord, 53, 1, 34.3, N, 8, 17, 3.1, E, type:mountain_elevation:23_region:DE-NI_dim:4000, display=title Landforms of Lower Saxony Oldenburg (district) Dunes of Germany Geography of Oldenburg