Vechta () is a
district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...
(''Landkreis'') 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 bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of
Oldenburg,
Diepholz
Diepholz (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Deefholt'') is a town and capital of the district of Diepholz in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the rivers Hunte and Lohne, approximately 45 km northeast of Osnabrück, and 60 km southwest 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
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 ...
.
History
In the 13th century the region was acquired by the
bishop of Münster and became a part of his clerical state. When the clerical states of Germany were dissolved in 1803, Vechta was given to
Oldenburg, while clerically still belonging to Münster, hence the name
Oldenburger Münsterland is also used for the region (together with Cloppenburg district). The present district was established in 1945 and became a part of the newly founded state of Lower Saxony.
In terms of political history, both Vechta and neighbouring Cloppenburg are, as one of the few historically catholic districts in an otherwise majority-protestant state, some of the most conservative areas in Germany. The federal constituency
Cloppenburg – Vechta is frequently the Christian Democratic Union's safest constituency, winning a majority in all but two elections since WWII.
Geography
The countryside is generally flat. Only in the very south there is a hill chain close to the town of
Damme, called the
Damme Hills
The Damme Hills are a high, wooded ridge, up to , in the Oldenburg Münsterland in the southern part of the district of Landkreis Vechta, Vechta, in western Lower Saxony, Germany.
Geography
Location
The ridge of the Damme Hills, which is a ...
(''Dammer Berge''). The western shore of Lake
Dümmer with its adjoining fens is also part of the district.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms displays:
* the arms of
Oldenburg
* the arms of the County of Calvelage-
Ravensberg (which ruled over the region before the 13th century)
* the arms of the counts of
Galen
Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus ( el, Κλαύδιος Γαληνός; September 129 – c. AD 216), often Anglicized as Galen () or Galen of Pergamon, was a Greek physician, surgeon and philosopher in the Roman Empire. Considered to be one ...
(who were vassals of the bishops of Münster)
Cities and municipalities
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vechta (District)
Districts of Lower Saxony