Oldendorf is a former municipality, now part of

Melle Melle may refer to: People * Basil Melle (1891–1966), South African cricketer * Gil Mellé (1931–2004), American artist, jazz musician and film composer * John van Melle (1887–1953), Dutch-born South African author * Melle Mel (born 19 ...

, in the district of Osnabrück, 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 ...

. It is on the southern slope of the Wiehengebirge, between the cities of

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population ...

and

Bielefeld Bielefeld () is a city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 341,755, it is also the most populous city in the administrative region (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Detmold and the ...

History

Findings at excavations have shown that Oldendorf belongs to the longest settled parts of

. There are indications that Oldendorf was inhabited from 10,000 BC on and evidence of structures of settlements may be dated back until around 4000 BC. The reason for the choice of this location was, inter alia, the rising of a rich aquiferous spring at the Westerhausen Hill (german: Westerhausener Berg). Early Germanic settlements took place in the upper farming community in Westerhausen at around 700 BC on the south-facing slope of the

Wiehen Hills The Wiehen Hills (german: Wiehengebirge, , also locally, just ''Wiehen'') are a hill range in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony in Germany. The hills run from west to east like a long finger away from the main upland area of the Lower Saxon ...

. Oldendorf was first mentioned in a document of

Corvey Abbey The Princely Abbey of Corvey (german: link=no, Fürststift Corvey or Fürstabtei Corvey) is a former Benedictine abbey and ecclesiastical principality now in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was one of the half-dozen self-ruling '' princely ...

in about 1000 AD. Since in

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippin ...

times the first Meierhöfe were established so did it happen in Westerhausen. Oberholsten, Niederholsten and Föckinghausen were only mentioned in 1240 AD.Chronik der Gemeinde Westerhausen zur 800 Jahr Feier 1962, pp. 11, 113 Due to the construction of a railroad track in 1855 and the installation of a stop in Westerhausen in 1879 the transformation from a farming community to an industrial location began. An economic upturn was induced to Westerhausen and Föckinghausen with completion of the just 3 km away A 30 motorway in 1976.

Description of Oldendorf

Oldendorf can be subdivided into the villages of Föckinghausen, Niederholsten, Oberholsten, Oldendorf and Westerhausen. 63% of the population of Oldendorf are

Evangelical Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

s, 19% are

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. The rest belongs to another or none religious community.

Economy

There are some larger industrial enterprises in Oldendorf such as the office furniture manufacturer ''Assmann'' and the rubber rollers producer ''Westland Gummiwerke''. A quite big distribution center of the textile industry logistic firm ''Deutsche Kleiderspedition'' and a big warehouse of ''Thomas Philipps'' are situated in Oldendorf, too. The largest German cattle semen collection center, the ''Osnabrücker Herdbuch'', is also there. Primarily, Oldendorf is characterized by medium-sized businesses, rural agriculture and all other provision facilities which are typical for such a district.

Education and Sport

There are two primary schools situated in Oldendorf and Westerhausen. Kindergartens as well as sport fields, football pitches, tennis courts and sport halls are existent in both villages, too.

Politics

Peter Bungard (

SPD The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the ...

) is mayor of Oldendorf. Distribution of seats in the council of Oldendorf: *

63.82% (10 seats) * CDU 24.75% (4 seats) *

The Greens The Greens or Greens may refer to: Current political parties * Australian Greens, also known as ''The Greens'' * Greens of Andorra * Greens of Bosnia and Herzegovina * Greens of Burkina * Greens (Greece) * Greens of Montenegro *Greens of Serbia *G ...

7.66% (1 seat) (As of:

Local elections In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct vary ...

on 10 September 2006)

References

{{reflist Melle, Germany Former municipalities in Lower Saxony