Oldenburg in Holstein
Template:Distinguish Template:Expand German Template:Infobox German location
Oldenburg in Holstein (Template:IPA) is a German town at the southwestern shore of the Baltic Sea. The nearest city is Lübeck. The town belongs to the (historical) region of Holstein, today in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.
Oldenburg was the chief town of the Wagrians, one of the Slavic peoples that migrated as far west as the river Elbe in or after the 6th century (see Völkerwanderung), also known as Wends and Obotrites. They arrived about A.D. 700 and the Pomeranian/Kashubian (Slavic) name was Template:Lang or Template:Lang, meaning "Old Settlement", "Old Castle", "Old City/Town"; the German name Template:Lang is of Low German origin and carries the same meaning. The Obotrites were allies of Charlemagne. Emperor Otto I established the bishopric of Oldenburg under Adaldag, archbishop of Hamburg.
To the Northern Germanic Vikings, the city was known as Template:Lang, i.e. "the burned houses", indicating the bellicose times.
For centuries, Starigard/Oldenburg remained the Slavic competitor of Hedeby on the Baltic trade, until the counts Adolph I and Adolph II of Schauenburg and Holstein, supported by Henry the Lion, finally defeated the Wends during the first half of the 12th century.
The modern town has a partnership with Bergen auf Rügen in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Twin towns – sister cities
Template:See also Oldenburg in Holstein is twinned with:
- Template:Flagicon Bergen auf Rügen, Germany (1990)
- Template:Flagicon Palanga, Lithuania (2016)
- Template:Flagicon Blain, France (2017)
Notable natives of Oldenburg in Holstein
- Johann Liss (c.1590-c.1630) Baroque painter, active mainly in Venice
- Sebastian Schmidt (born 1993), German politician
Template:Cities and towns in Ostholstein (district)