The Oldenburg Münsterland, otherwise called Oldenburger Münsterland or Oldenburgisches Münsterland, is a region 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 ...

and the administrative area that comprises the federal districts of

Cloppenburg Cloppenburg (; nds, Cloppenborg; stq, Kloppenbuurich) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, capital of Cloppenburg District and part of Oldenburg Münsterland. It lies 38 km south-south-west of Oldenburg in the Weser-Ems region between Brem ...

and

Vechta Vechta (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Vechte'') is the capital and largest city of the Vechta district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is home to the University of Vechta. It is known for the 'Stoppelmarkt' fair, which takes place every summer and has a h ...

. Unofficially, it is also called ''Südoldenburg''; its inhabitants call themselves ''Südoldenburger'' accordingly. The denominative ''Oldenburger Münsterländer'' is rather uncommon.

History

In 1252, the

Prince-Bishopric of Münster The Prince-Bishopric of Münster (german: Fürstbistum Münster; Bistum Münster, Hochstift Münster) was a large ecclesiastical principality in the Holy Roman Empire, located in the northern part of today's North Rhine-Westphalia and western Lo ...

acquired the former County of Ravensberg-Vechta. With the conquest of the former Tecklenburg office of Cloppenburg in 1400, the common history of today's Oldenburg Münsterland in the Lower Chapter of Münster began. In 1668, the Bishop of Münster also gained ecclesiastical sovereignty over

. As a result of the '' Reichsdeputationshauptschluss'' of 25 February 1803, the

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

Duke of Oldenburg Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...

gained state power over the offices of Cloppenburg and Vechta, whose population has remained predominantly Roman Catholic to this day. During the so-called

French period In Northern European historiography, the term French period (french: Période française, german: Franzosenzeit, nl, Franse tijd) refers to the period between 1794 and 1815 during which most of Northern Europe was controlled by Republican or Napo ...

(1811–1813), the Oldenburg Münsterland was administrated by the French-Hanseatic Département de l'Ems-Supérieur (Department of the Upper Ems). Until 1946, the Oldenburg Münsterland remained part of the

Grand Duchy of Oldenburg The Grand Duchy of Oldenburg (, also known as Holstein-Oldenburg) was a grand duchy within the German Confederation, North German Confederation and German Empire that consisted of three widely separated territories: Oldenburg, Eutin and Bi ...

or the

Free State of Oldenburg The Free State of Oldenburg (german: Freistaat Oldenburg) was a federated state of the Weimar Republic. It was established in 1918 following the abdication of the Grand Duke Frederick Augustus II following the German Revolution. In 1937, it lo ...

(since 1919). Since 1946, the Oldenburg Münsterland has belonged to the German state of Lower Saxony and includes the area of the federal districts of

and

. Geography of Lower Saxony Regions of Lower Saxony {{LowerSaxony-geo-stub