Schortens is a town in the district of

Friesland Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...

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 ...

Division of the town

The town currently consists of the following districts: Schortens, Heidmühle, Grafschaft, Accum, Sillenstede, Schoost, Roffhausen, Middelsfähr, Addernhausen, Oestringfelde, Ostiem and Upjever.

History

Graves discovered during excavations in the 1970s indicate the existence of an early human settlement in the area of Schortens already during the 5th century. In 1158 Schortens was first mentioned as "Scrotinh" in a document of Pope Adrian IV. Later the name changed to "Scrotinghe". In 1400 the place was called "Schortense". The St. Stephan Church in Schortens was built shortly after 1153 as a result of a victory of the Östringer against a superior army. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, the monastery of Oestringfelde, which was also used as an asylum, was well known for its horse breeding. During the second half of the 1900s, the naval base

Wilhelmshaven Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsh ...

contributed greatly to the development of the town. Many workers settled down in what would become central Schortens, a railway connection to

Jever Jever () is the capital of the district of Friesland in Lower Saxony, Germany. The name Jever is usually associated with a major brand of beer, Jever Pilsener, which is produced there. The city is also a popular holiday resort. Jever was granted c ...

, established in 1871 also contributed to the development of the town. After the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the production of warships ceased and unemployment escalated. From 1946, a steady stream of refugees have moved to Schortens, increasing the population greatly. The deployment of the

Olympia-Werke Olympia-Werke AG was an important German manufacturer of typewriters. Since the plant in near Wilhelmshaven was closed in 1991, only the brand name has survived. Beginnings (1903–1945) As typewriters became increasingly popular in Germany ...

typewriter factory in Roffhausen just after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

is also seen as an important stage in the development of the town. Around 1970, this factory had jobs for 12,000 people, thus preventing unemployment in the entire region. The Olympia works had to shut down in 1992. In 1933 Schortens united with the towns of Cleverns and Sande to form the ''Greater Oestringen'', this union was however dissolved during World War II. In 1936 an air force base in Upjever was opened, which is still in use today. Schortens received municipal rights on January 21, 2005. Since June 1, 2005, the city of Schortens is an independent municipality.

References

Bibliography

* Werner Brune (Hrsg.): ''Wilhelmshavener Heimatlexikon''. 3 Volumes. Brune Druck- und Verlagsgesellschaft, Wilhelmshaven 1986. * Karl-Ernst Behre: ''Die Geschichte der Landschaft um den Jadebusen''. Brune-Mettcker Druck- und Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Wilhelmshaven 2012. . Towns in Lower Saxony Friesland (district) {{FrieslandDE-geo-stub