Osnabrück

Osnabrück (German pronunciation: [ɔsnaˈbʁʏk]; Westphalian: Ossenbrügge; archaic English: Osnaburg) is a city in the federal state of Lower-Saxony in north-west Germany. It is situated in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population of around 160,000, Osnabrück is the fourth-largest city in Lower Saxony. The city is the centrepoint of the Osnabrück Land region as well as the District of Osnabrück.

The founding of Osnabrück was linked to its positioning on important European trading routes. Charles the Great founded the Diocese of Osnabrück in 780. The city was also a member of the Hanseatic League. Later Osnabrück became well known for its role in the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 which brought the Thirty Years’ War to an end; the treaty was signed both there and in nearby Münster. The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest took place in the surrounding region of Osnabrück. The city is also known as the birthplace of novelist Erich-Maria Remarque (“All Quiet on the Western Front”) and painter Felix Nussbaum.

Osnabrück (district)

Osnabrück (German pronunciation: [ɔsnaˈbʁʏk]) is a district (Landkreis) in the southwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. With 2,121 km² it is the second largest district of Lower Saxony.

History

The district in its present form was established on July 1, 1972 by merging the former districts of Melle, Bersenbrück and Wittlage, and most of the old district of Osnabrück. Eight municipalities (Atter, Pye, Hellern, Nahne, Voxtrup, Darum, Gretesch and Lüstringen) were merged with the city of Osnabrück in the same year. The former district of Osnabrück had already been enlarged with the district of Iburg in 1932. The 1972 local government reform also led to a considerable decrease of the number of municipalities.

The present combined territory of the district and the city of Osnabrück is almost identical to the Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück which existed until 1802, when it was mediatised and assigned to the Electorate of Hanover. It was occupied by France between 1807 and 1813, after which it was returned to the Kingdom of Hanover. After the 1866 Austro-Prussian War, the Kingdom of Hanover (including the former bishopric of Osnabrück) was annexed by Prussia. Since 1 November 1946, the area is part of Lower Saxony.