# Osterholz

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{{short description|District in Lower Saxony, Germany}}
{{Infobox District DE
| name=Osterholz
| state=Lower Saxony
| capital=[Osterholz-Scharmbeck](/source/Osterholz-Scharmbeck)
| area=650.73
| Kreisschlüssel    = 03356
| district_admin    = Bernd Lütjen
| admin_party       = SPD
| carsign=OHZ
| url=[http://www.landkreis-osterholz.de landkreis-osterholz.de]
| map={{Germany district OSM map |parent_subdivision = Q1197}}
| image_coa=DEU Landkreis Osterholz COA.svg
| image_flag=Flagg Landkreis Oosterholt.svg
}}
'''Osterholz''' is a [district](/source/districts_of_Germany) (''Landkreis'') in [Lower Saxony](/source/Lower_Saxony), [Germany](/source/Germany). It is bounded by (from the west and clockwise) the districts of [Wesermarsch](/source/Wesermarsch), [Cuxhaven](/source/Cuxhaven_(district)), [Rotenburg](/source/Rotenburg_(district)) and [Verden](/source/Verden_(district)), and by the city of [Bremen](/source/Bremen_(city)).

==History==
Originally the [prince-archbishops of Bremen](/source/Archbishopric_of_Bremen) ruled the area comprising today's district. In 1648 the Prince-Archbishopric was transformed into the [Duchy of Bremen](/source/Duchy_of_Bremen), which was first ruled in personal union by the Swedish and from 1715 on by the Hanoverian Crown. In 1807 the ephemeral [Kingdom of Westphalia](/source/Kingdom_of_Westphalia) annexed the Duchy, before [France](/source/First_French_Empire) annexed it in 1810, there comprising a part of the département [Bouches-du-Weser](/source/Bouches-du-Weser). In 1813 the Duchy was restored to the [Electorate of Hanover](/source/Electorate_of_Hanover), which - after its upgrade to the [Kingdom of Hanover](/source/Kingdom_of_Hanover) in 1814 - incorporated the Duchy in a real union and the Ducal territory became part of the [Stade Region](/source/Stade_(region)), established in 1823. In 1866 the Kingdom of Hanover fell to [Prussia](/source/Prussia), forming the [Province of Hanover](/source/Province_of_Hanover). The Prussian administration established districts in 1885, among them the district of Osterholz.

==Geography==
The southern part of the district is part of the Bremen metropolitan area. In the north there is the ''[Teufelsmoor](/source/Teufelsmoor)'' ("dead moor" (lit. "devil's moor")<!-- Although Teufel means devil, this is not the origin of the name -->), one of the largest existing [fen](/source/fen)s in Germany. Large marshes extend on both sides of the River [Hamme](/source/Hamme_River), which runs through the district from north to south to join the River [Wümme](/source/W%C3%BCmme). The Wümme forms the southern border and is a tributary of the [Weser](/source/Weser); the Weser forms the western border of Osterholz.

==Coat of arms==
{|
|- valign=top
||<!-- Coat of arms
|| -->
The coat of arms displays:
* the heraldic key from the arms of Bremen
* a ship on the water, symbolising the peat ships of the 19th century
|}

==Towns and municipalities==
{{Imagemap Germany district OHZ|Municipalities in OHZ.svg|300px{{!}}thumb{{!}}Clickable map of towns and municipalities in the district}}

{|
! align=left width=50%|Towns
! align=left width=50%|[Samtgemeinden](/source/Amt_(political_division))
|- valign=top
||
# [Osterholz-Scharmbeck](/source/Osterholz-Scharmbeck)
<br>
'''Free municipalities'''
# [Grasberg](/source/Grasberg)
# [Lilienthal](/source/Lilienthal%2C_Lower_Saxony)
# [Ritterhude](/source/Ritterhude)
# [Schwanewede](/source/Schwanewede)
# [Worpswede](/source/Worpswede)
||
'''1. [Hambergen](/source/Hambergen_(Samtgemeinde))'''
# [Axstedt](/source/Axstedt)
# [Hambergen](/source/Hambergen)<sup>1</sup>
# [Holste](/source/Holste)
# [Lübberstedt](/source/L%C3%BCbberstedt)
# [Vollersode](/source/Vollersode)

<sup>1</sup>seat of the Samtgemeinde
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category-inline|Landkreis Osterholz }}
* [http://www.landkreis-osterholz.de/ Official website] {{in lang|de}}

{{Germany districts lower saxony}}

{{Coord|53.25|8.83|display=title|format=dms}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Osterholz
Category:Districts of Lower Saxony

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Osterholz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osterholz) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osterholz?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.