The

Regierungsbezirk A ' () means "governmental district" and is a type of administrative division in Germany. Four of sixteen ' ( states of Germany) are split into '. Beneath these are rural and urban districts. Saxony has ' (directorate districts) with more res ...

Weser-Ems was the most westerly of the four administrative regions 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 betwee ...

, bordering on 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 ...

provinces of

Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of t ...

Drenthe Drenthe () is a province of the Netherlands located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. As of Nove ...

and

Overijssel Overijssel (, ; nds, Oaveriessel ; german: Oberyssel) is a province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name translates to "across the IJssel", from the perspective of the Episcopal principality of U ...

. It was established in 1978 by merging the former regions Osnabrück, Aurich, and Oldenburg. It was formally dissolved by the end of 2004 along with the other ''Regierungsbezirke'' of Lower Saxony as part of an effort to optimize the administrative system of the state.“Verwaltungsmodernisierung in Niedersachsen”. Outline of structural reforms, published on the Lower Saxony state website (in German), retrieved in January 2012
/ref> The administrative centre of the ''Regierungsbezirk Weser-Ems'' was located in the ''Staatsministerium'' building in Oldenburg, a representative governmental complex from the period of the Grand Duchy and later Free State of Oldenburg. The department of educational affairs was based in

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 ...

, the department for financial affairs (''Regierungskasse'' treasurer's office) in

Aurich Aurich (; East Frisian Low Saxon: ''Auerk'', West Frisian: ''Auwerk'', stq, Aurk) is a town in the East Frisian region of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Aurich and is the second largest City in East Frisia, both i ...

. ''Kreise''
(districts) # Ammerland district # District of Aurich # Bentheim # District of Cloppenburg # Emsland district # District of Friesland # District of Leer # District of Oldenburg # District of Osnabrück # District of Vechta # District of Wesermarsch # District of Wittmund ''Kreisfreie Städte''
(district-free towns) #

Delmenhorst Delmenhorst (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Demost'') is an urban district ('' Kreisfreie Stadt'') in Lower Saxony, Germany. It has a population of 74,500 and is located west of downtown Bremen with which it forms a contiguous urban area, whereas the ...

Emden Emden () is an independent city and seaport in Lower Saxony in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia and, in 2011, had a total population of 51,528. History The exact founding date of ...

Oldenburg (city) Oldenburg () is an independent city in the state of Lower Saxony, Germany. The city is officially named Oldenburg (Oldb) (''Oldenburg in Oldenburg'') to distinguish from Oldenburg in Holstein. During the French annexation (1811–1813) in t ...

# Osnabrück (city) #

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 ...

References

Geography of Lower Saxony Former states and territories of Lower Saxony States and territories established in 1978 States and territories disestablished in 2004 1978 establishments in Germany 2004 disestablishments in Germany Former government regions of Germany {{LowerSaxony-geo-stub