Cloppenburg (; nds, Cloppenborg; stq, Kloppenbuurich) is a town in

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, capital of Cloppenburg District and part of Oldenburg Münsterland. It lies 38 km south-south-west 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 *Olde ...

in the

Weser-Ems The Regierungsbezirk Weser-Ems was the most westerly of the four administrative regions of Lower Saxony, Germany, bordering on the Dutch provinces of Groningen, Drenthe and Overijssel. It was established in 1978 by merging the former regions Osnab ...

region between Bremen and the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

border. Cloppenburg is not far from the A1, the major motorway connecting the Ruhr area to Bremen and Hamburg. Another major road is the federal highway B213 being the shortest link from the Netherlands to the A1 and thus to Bremen and Hamburg. The town had strong cultural links with St Munchins Parish in Limerick, Ireland from the 1970s to the 1990s. During this period many groups of teens/young adults from both areas visited and were hosted by families from the other area.

Economy

The town is a centre for the largely agricultural region of southern

. It is the administrative centre of the district and there are many schools. However, there is also some industry in town: e.g. Lumberg, (connector systems) and Derby Cycle (bikes).

Tourism

One of Cloppenburg's main

tourist attractions A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural b ...

is the

Cloppenburg Museum Village The Cloppenburg Museum Village and Lower Saxon Open-Air Museum (german: link=no, Museumsdorf Cloppenburg – Niedersächsisches Freilichtmuseum) located in the Lower Saxon county town of Cloppenburg is the oldest museum village in Germany. The m ...

, a collection of old buildings from the region that were dismantled and reassembled in the museum.

Twin town

Cloppenburg is twinned with: * Bernay, France

Mayors

*Ignatz Feigel (1855–1922) *Bernhard Heukamp (1884–1946) *Georg Wessling (1889–1974) *Wolfgang Wiese (2014–2021) *Neidhard Varnhorn (2021–incumbent)

Notable people

* Fanny Moran-Olden (1855–1905), opera singer (soprano) *Georg Wessling (1889–1974), mayor of Cloppenburg and member of parliament *

Werner Baumbach Werner Baumbach (27 December 1916 – 20 October 1953) was a German bomber pilot during World War II. He commanded the secret bomber wing Kampfgeschwader 200 (KG 200) of the Luftwaffe, the air force of Nazi Germany. Baumbach received the Knight's ...

(1916–1953), bomber pilot in World War II *

Jupp Derwall Josef "Jupp" Derwall (10 March 1927 – 26 June 2007) was a German professional football manager and player. He was head coach of the West Germany national team between 1978 and 1984, winning the UEFA Euro 1980 and reaching the final of the 198 ...

(1927–2007), football player and coach *

Manfred Zapatka Manfred Zapatka (born 2 October 1942 in Bremen, Germany) is a German actor. Early life Zapatka completed his ''abitur'' at Clemens-August-Gymnasium in Cloppenburg in 1962. Selected filmography *1964: ' *1978: ''Germany in Autumn'' ''(Deutschlan ...

(born 1942), actor, graduating from the Clemens-August-Gymnasium Cloppenburg 1962 * Manfred Hellmann (born 1962), footballer *

Lena Gercke Lena Johanna Gercke (born 29 February 1988) is a German fashion model and television host. She won the first season of ''Germany's Next Topmodel'' and was the host of ''Austria's Next Topmodel'' (seasons 1–4). Early life Gercke was born in Ma ...

(born 1988), model * Bernd Gerdes (born 1989), footballer

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Towns in Lower Saxony Cloppenburg (district)