View source for Emsland

{{Short description|District in Lower Saxony, Germany}}
{{About|the German Landkreis|the Emsland valley region|Emsland (region)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}}
{{Infobox German district
| name = Emsland
| state = Lower Saxony
| capital = [[Meppen (Germany)|Meppen]]
| area = 2,881
| Kreisschlüssel    = 03454
| district_admin    = Marc-André Burgdorf
| admin_party       = CDU
| carsign = EL
| map = {{Germany district OSM map |parent_subdivision = Q1197}}
| image_coa = DEU Landkreis Emsland COA.svg
| image_flag = Flagge Landkreis Emsland.svg
| coordinates = {{coord|52.67|7.25|type:adm2nd_region:DE-NI|format=dms|display=title}}
| url=[http://www.emsland.de www.emsland.de]
}}

Landkreis '''Emsland''' ({{IPA|de|ˈɛmsˌlant|lang|De-Emsland.ogg}}) is a [[districts of Germany|district]] in [[Lower Saxony, Germany]] named after the river [[Ems (river)|Ems]]. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of [[Leer (district)|Leer]], [[Cloppenburg (district)|Cloppenburg]] and [[Osnabrück (district)|Osnabrück]], the state of [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] (district of [[Steinfurt (district)|Steinfurt]]), the district of [[County of Bentheim (district)|Bentheim]] in Lower Saxony, and the [[Netherlands]] (provinces of [[Drenthe]] and [[Groningen (province)|Groningen]]).

== History ==
[[File:Boergermoor KZ-Gedenkstein 01.jpg|thumb|left|Memorial at the site of the entrance to the former Börgermoor concentration camp]]
[[File:Tr noerdliche kurve02.jpg|thumb|left|Transrapid test track]]

For a long time the region of the Emsland was extremely sparsely populated, due to the [[fen]]s on both sides of the river. Small villages were established in medieval times along the river and on the [[Hümmling]]. In the 13th century the bishops of [[Prince-Bishopric of Münster|Münster]] gained control over the region; the Emsland remained property of the bishop [[Reichsdeputationshauptschluss|until 1803]], when the clerical states [[German mediatisation|were dissolved]]. It came under the rule of [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]] and [[Arenberg]], but after the [[Napoleonic Wars]] the [[Congress of Vienna]] decided to hand the territory over to the [[Kingdom of Hanover]]. The Duchy of Arenberg continued to exist as a fief of the Hanoverian kings. When Hanover was annexed by Prussia (1866), the dukes were deposed soon after (1875).

The now Prussian Province of Hanover was subdivided into districts in 1885; four districts were established on the territory of what is now the Landkreis Emsland. The districts were merged in 1977 to form the present district.

Under [[Nazi Germany|Nazi rule]], [[Nazi concentration camps|labour camps]] known as the ''Emslandlager''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/Esterwegen.html |title=Esterwegen Labor Camp |website=Jewishvirtuallibrary.org |access-date=17 October 2016}}</ref> ("Emsland camps") held thousands of political opponents of the [[Nazi Party]], located outside [[Börgermoor]], now part of the commune [[Surwold]], not far from [[Papenburg]]. A memorial of these camps, the Dokumentations- und Informationszentrum (DIZ) Emslandlager, is located at Papenburg. The well known resistance song "[[Peat Bog Soldiers]]" was composed by political prisoners at one of these camps.

In 1950 a governmental plan for the development of Emsland was adopted. Its aim was to turn the region into an industrial location. This was accomplished by draining the fens and establishing projects like the test track of the [[Maglev (transport)|maglev]] "[[Transrapid]]" and several large [[shipyard]]s such as the [[Meyer-Werft]] in [[Papenburg]]. Although the Landkreis Emsland lost much of its original character, some areas retain their natural character, for example the Hümmling.

The 1977 district reforms in Lower Saxony united the former districts of [[Lingen (district)|Lingen]], [[Meppen (district)|Meppen]] and [[Aschendorf-Hümmling (district)|Aschendorf-Hümmling]] in the district of Emsland, with Meppen as administrative seat. The Emsland remains a very [[Roman Catholic]] region compared to other parts of Lower Saxony.

== Geography ==
The district is located on the [[Germany–Netherlands border|Dutch border]]. It is named after the [[Ems (river)|Ems river]], which crosses the region from south to north. It is an absolutely plain countryside, which was once full of fens. The only elevations are in the '''Hümmling''', which is a hilly forest area east of the Ems.

Although the Emsland region is nowadays primarily a county among many others in Lower Saxony, its locals have what could be called a distinct sense of regional pride which will unlikely be found elsewhere in this state.

== Coat of arms ==
The coat of arms displays:

* a megalithic grave, typical for the Hümmling area
* the roses from the arms of the Duchy of [[Arenberg]]
* the anchor from the arms of the [[County of Lingen]]
The wavy line symbolises the river Ems.

== Cities and municipalities ==
{{Imagemap Germany district EL|Municipalities in EL.svg|300px{{!}}thumb{{!}}Clickable map of towns and municipalities in the district}}
(Population 2005)

'''[[Municipality|Free municipalities and towns]]'''

# '''[[Emsbüren]]''' (9,749)
# '''[[Geeste, Emsland|Geeste]]''' (11,279)
# '''[[Haren, Germany|Haren]]''', town (22,754)
# '''[[Haselünne]]''', town (12,549)
# '''[[Lingen]]''', town (51,318)
# '''[[Meppen, Germany|Meppen]]''', town (34,196)
# '''[[Papenburg]]''', town (34,519)
# '''[[Rhede, Lower Saxony|Rhede]]''' (4,228)
# '''[[Salzbergen]]''' (7,436)
# '''[[Twist, Germany|Twist]]''' (9,640)

'''[[Amt (political division)|Samtgemeinden]]''' 
<ol start=11>
<li value=11>'''[[Dörpen (Samtgemeinde)|Dörpen]]''' (15,446)</li>
<li>'''[[Freren (Samtgemeinde)|Freren]]''' (10,834)</li>
<li>'''[[Herzlake (Samtgemeinde)|Herzlake]]''' (9,821)</li>
<li>'''[[Lathen (Samtgemeinde)|Lathen]]''' (10,815)</li>
<li>'''[[Lengerich (Samtgemeinde)|Lengerich]]''' (9,083)</li>
<li>'''[[Nordhümmling]]''' (12,149)</li>
<li>'''[[Sögel (Samtgemeinde)|Sögel]]''' (15,484)</li>
<li>'''[[Spelle (Samtgemeinde)|Spelle]]''' (12,653)</li>
<li>'''[[Werlte (Samtgemeinde)|Werlte]]''' (15,660)</li>
</ol>
{{clear}}
{|
|valign=top|
'''[[Dörpen (Samtgemeinde)|Dörpen]]''' 
# [[Dersum]]
# [[Dörpen]]<sup>1</sup>
# [[Heede, Lower Saxony|Heede]]
# [[Kluse]]
# [[Lehe, Lower Saxony|Lehe]]
# [[Neubörger]]
# [[Neulehe]]
# [[Walchum]]
# [[Wippingen]]
'''[[Freren (Samtgemeinde)|Freren]]''' 
# [[Andervenne]]
# [[Beesten]]
# [[Freren]]<sup>1, 2</sup>
# [[Messingen]]
# [[Thuine]]
'''[[Herzlake (Samtgemeinde)|Herzlake]]''' 
# [[Dohren, Emsland|Dohren]]
# [[Herzlake]]<sup>1</sup>
# [[Lähden]]
|valign=top|
'''[[Lathen (Samtgemeinde)|Lathen]]''' 
# [[Fresenburg]]
# [[Lathen]]<sup>1</sup>
# [[Niederlangen]]
# [[Oberlangen]]
# [[Renkenberge]]
# [[Sustrum]]
'''[[Lengerich (Samtgemeinde)|Lengerich]]''' 
# [[Bawinkel]]
# [[Gersten]]
# [[Handrup]]
# [[Langen, Emsland|Langen]]
# [[Lengerich, Lower Saxony|Lengerich]]<sup>1</sup>
# [[Wettrup]]
'''[[Nordhümmling]]''' 
# [[Bockhorst]]
# [[Breddenberg]]
# [[Esterwegen]]<sup>1</sup>
# [[Hilkenbrook]]
# [[Surwold]]
|valign=top|
'''[[Sögel (Samtgemeinde)|Sögel]]'''
# [[Börger]]
# [[Groß Berßen]]
# [[Hüven]]
# [[Klein Berßen]]
# [[Sögel]]<sup>1</sup>
# [[Spahnharrenstätte]]
# [[Stavern, Germany|Stavern]]
# [[Werpeloh]]
'''[[Spelle (Samtgemeinde)|Spelle]]''' 
# [[Lünne]]
# [[Schapen]]
# [[Spelle]]<sup>1</sup>
'''[[Werlte (Samtgemeinde)|Werlte]]''' 
# [[Lahn, Lower Saxony|Lahn]]
# [[Lorup]]
# [[Rastdorf]]
# [[Vrees]]
# [[Werlte]]<sup>1, 2</sup>
|-
|colspan=3 align=center|<sup>1</sup>seat of the Samtgemeinde; <sup>2</sup>town
|}

== See also ==
* [[Exhibition Centre for the Archaeology of the Emsland]], Meppen

==References==
<references/>

== External links ==
{{commons category|Landkreis Emsland}}
* [http://www.emsland.de Official website] (German)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170426023013/http://emslandmarkt.de/ Emslandmarkt Businessguide] (German)
* [https://emsland.com Tourism website] (German)

{{Germany districts lower saxony}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Emsland| ]]
[[Category:Emsland (region)| ]]
[[Category:Districts of Lower Saxony]]