Oldenburg

The city of Oldenburg is located at the junction of the Hunte River and the Küstenkanal in the Weser-Ems district of the northwestern German state of Lower Saxony. First mentioned in 1108, it was chartered in 1345, it was an important medieval center, the seat of the powerful counts and dukes of Oldenburg. Destroyed by fire in 1615, it was neutral in the Thirty Years' War. In the first half of the 20th century it was the capitol of the now-defunct state of Oldenburg. Surviving historic architecture includes the Lambert Church, built in 1270 and rebuilt in 1794, and the ducal palace, built 1607-15. The city has a university, a state theater, and many art galleries. The major economic activities include textile manufacturing, shipbuilding and shipping, agricultural marketing, meat processing, and glassmaking. The 2004 estimated population was 158,600.