{"history":[],"article":{"id":"a271dff2-bd92-4082-a08d-479b774433d3","title":"Emsland","slug":"emsland","content":":::summary\n**Name:** Emsland \n**State:** Lower Saxony \n**Capital:** [Meppen](https://bliptext.com/articles/meppen-germany) \n**Area:** 2,881 \n**Kreisschlüssel:** 03454 \n**District Admin:** Marc-André Burgdorf \n**Admin Party:** CDU \n**Carsign:** EL \n**Image Coa:** DEU Landkreis Emsland COA.svg \n**Image Flag:** Flagge Landkreis Emsland.svg \n**URL:** [www.emsland.de](https://bliptext.com/articles/undefined) \n:::\n\n# \nLandkreis **[Ems](https://bliptext.com/articles/ems-river)land** is a [district](https://bliptext.com/articles/districts-of-germany) in [Lower Saxony, Germany](https://bliptext.com/articles/lower-saxony-germany) named after the river [Ems](https://bliptext.com/articles/ems-river).\nIt is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of [Leer](https://bliptext.com/articles/leer-district), [Cloppenburg](https://bliptext.com/articles/cloppenburg-district) and [Osnabrück](https://bliptext.com/articles/osnabr-ck-district), the state of [North Rhine-Westphalia](https://bliptext.com/articles/north-rhine-westphalia) (district of [Steinfurt](https://bliptext.com/articles/steinfurt-district)), the district of [Bentheim](https://bliptext.com/articles/county-of-bentheim-district) in Lower Saxony, and the [Netherlands](https://bliptext.com/articles/netherlands) (provinces of [Drenthe](https://bliptext.com/articles/drenthe) and [Groningen](https://bliptext.com/articles/groningen-province)).\n\n# History\nFor a long time the region of the Emsland was extremely sparsely populated, due to the [fens](https://bliptext.com/articles/fen) on both sides of the river.\nSmall villages were established in medieval times along the river and on the [Hümmling](https://bliptext.com/articles/h-mmling).\nIn the 13th century the bishops of [Münster](https://bliptext.com/articles/bishopric-of-m-nster) gained control over the region; the Emsland remained property of the bishop until 1803, when the clerical states were dissolved.\nIt came under rule of [Prussia](https://bliptext.com/articles/prussia) and [Arenberg](https://bliptext.com/articles/arenberg), but after the [Napoleonic Wars](https://bliptext.com/articles/napoleonic-wars) the [Congress of Vienna](https://bliptext.com/articles/congress-of-vienna) decided to hand the territory over to the [Kingdom of Hanover](https://bliptext.com/articles/kingdom-of-hanover).\nThe Duchy of Arenberg continued to exist as a fief of the Hanoverian kings.\nWhen Hanover was annexed by Prussia (1866), the dukes were deposed soon after (1875).\nThe now Prussian Province of Hanover was subdivided into districts in 1885; four districts were established on the territory of what is now the Landkreis Emsland.\nThe districts were merged in 1977 to form the present district.\nUnder [Nazi rule](https://bliptext.com/articles/nazi-germany), [labour camps](https://bliptext.com/articles/nazi-concentration-camps) known as the Emslandlager (\"Emsland camps\") held thousands of political opponents of the [Nazi Party](https://bliptext.com/articles/nazi-party), located outside [Börgermoor](https://bliptext.com/articles/b-rgermoor), now part of the commune [Surwold](https://bliptext.com/articles/surwold), not far from [Papenburg](https://bliptext.com/articles/papenburg).\nA memorial of these camps, the Dokumentations- und Informationszentrum (DIZ) Emslandlager, is located at Papenburg.\nThe well known resistance song \"[Peat Bog Soldiers](https://bliptext.com/articles/peat-bog-soldiers)\" was composed by political prisoners at one of these camps.\nIn 1950 a governmental plan for the development of Emsland was adopted.\nIts aim was to turn the region into an industrial location.\nThis was accomplished by draining the fens and establishing projects like the test track of the [maglev](https://bliptext.com/articles/maglev-transport) \"[Transrapid](https://bliptext.com/articles/transrapid)\" and several large [shipyards](https://bliptext.com/articles/shipyard) such as the [Meyer-Werft](https://bliptext.com/articles/meyer-werft) in [Papenburg](https://bliptext.com/articles/papenburg).\nAlthough the Landkreis Emsland lost much of its original character, some areas retain their natural character, for example the Hümmling.\nThe 1977 district reforms in Lower Saxony united the former districts of [Lingen](https://bliptext.com/articles/lingen-district), [Meppen](https://bliptext.com/articles/meppen-district) and [Aschendorf-Hümmling](https://bliptext.com/articles/aschendorf-h-mmling-district) in the district of Emsland, with [Meppen](https://bliptext.com/articles/meppen-district) as administrative seat.\nThe Emsland remains a very [Roman Catholic](https://bliptext.com/articles/roman-catholic) region compared to other parts of Lower Saxony.\n# [Memorial at the site of the entrance to the former Börgermoor concentration camp | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Boergermoor///KZ-Gedenkstein///01.jpg]\n# [Transrapid test track | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Tr///noerdliche///kurve02.jpg]\n\n# Geography\nThe district is located on the [Dutch border](https://bliptext.com/articles/germany-netherlands-border).\nIt is named after the [Ems river](https://bliptext.com/articles/ems-river), which crosses the region from south to north.\nIt is an absolutely plain countryside, which was once full of fens.\nThe only elevations are in the **Hümmling**, which is a hilly forest area east of the Ems.\nAlthough the Emsland region is nowadays primarily a county among many others in Lower Saxony, its locals have what could be called a distinct sense of regional pride which will unlikely be found elsewhere in this state.\n\n# Coat of arms\nThe coat of arms displays:\nThe wavy line symbolises the river Ems.\n\n# Cities and municipalities\n(Population 2005)\n**[Free municipalities and towns](https://bliptext.com/articles/municipality)**\n**[Samtgemeinden](https://bliptext.com/articles/amt-political-division)**\n**[Dörpen](https://bliptext.com/articles/d-rpen-samtgemeinde)** (15,446)\n

**[Freren](https://bliptext.com/articles/freren-samtgemeinde)** (10,834)

**[Herzlake](https://bliptext.com/articles/herzlake-samtgemeinde)** (9,821)

**[Lathen](https://bliptext.com/articles/lathen-samtgemeinde)** (10,815)

**[Lengerich](https://bliptext.com/articles/lengerich-samtgemeinde)** (9,083)

**[Nordhümmling](https://bliptext.com/articles/nordh-mmling)** (12,149)

**[Sögel](https://bliptext.com/articles/s-gel-samtgemeinde)** (15,484)

**[Spelle](https://bliptext.com/articles/spelle-samtgemeinde)** (12,653)

**[Werlte](https://bliptext.com/articles/werlte-samtgemeinde)** (15,660)

\n","current_revision":null,"created_by":"kACnuQmH5k9Nr5VNVEpVeg7XpvUmMctD","created_at":"2025-01-25T18:21:48.708Z","updated_at":"2025-01-25T18:21:48.708Z","search_vector":"'emsland':1","search_content":" \n**Name:** Emsland \n**State:** Lower Saxony \n**Capital:** [Meppen](https://bliptext.com/articles/meppen-germany) \n**Area:** 2,881 \n**Kreisschlüssel:** 03454 \n**District Admin:** Marc-André Burgdorf \n**Admin Party:** CDU \n**Carsign:** EL \n**Image Coa:** DEU Landkreis Emsland COA.svg \n**Image Flag:** Flagge Landkreis Emsland.svg \n**URL:** [www.emsland.de](https://bliptext.com/articles/undefined) \n \n\n# \nLandkreis **[Ems](https://bliptext.com/articles/ems-river)land** is a [district](https://bliptext.com/articles/districts-of-germany) in [Lower Saxony, Germany](https://bliptext.com/articles/lower-saxony-germany) named after the river [Ems](https://bliptext.com/articles/ems-river).\nIt is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of [Leer](https://bliptext.com/articles/leer-district), [Cloppenburg](https://bliptext.com/articles/cloppenburg-district) and [Osnabrück](https://bliptext.com/articles/osnabr-ck-district), the state of [North Rhine-Westphalia](https://bliptext.com/articles/north-rhine-westphalia) (district of [Steinfurt](https://bliptext.com/articles/steinfurt-district)), the district of [Bentheim](https://bliptext.com/articles/county-of-bentheim-district) in Lower Saxony, and the [Netherlands](https://bliptext.com/articles/netherlands) (provinces of [Drenthe](https://bliptext.com/articles/drenthe) and [Groningen](https://bliptext.com/articles/groningen-province)).\n\n# History\nFor a long time the region of the Emsland was extremely sparsely populated, due to the [fens](https://bliptext.com/articles/fen) on both sides of the river.\nSmall villages were established in medieval times along the river and on the [Hümmling](https://bliptext.com/articles/h-mmling).\nIn the 13th century the bishops of [Münster](https://bliptext.com/articles/bishopric-of-m-nster) gained control over the region; the Emsland remained property of the bishop until 1803, when the clerical states were dissolved.\nIt came under rule of [Prussia](https://bliptext.com/articles/prussia) and [Arenberg](https://bliptext.com/articles/arenberg), but after the [Napoleonic Wars](https://bliptext.com/articles/napoleonic-wars) the [Congress of Vienna](https://bliptext.com/articles/congress-of-vienna) decided to hand the territory over to the [Kingdom of Hanover](https://bliptext.com/articles/kingdom-of-hanover).\nThe Duchy of Arenberg continued to exist as a fief of the Hanoverian kings.\nWhen Hanover was annexed by Prussia (1866), the dukes were deposed soon after (1875).\nThe now Prussian Province of Hanover was subdivided into districts in 1885; four districts were established on the territory of what is now the Landkreis Emsland.\nThe districts were merged in 1977 to form the present district.\nUnder [Nazi rule](https://bliptext.com/articles/nazi-germany), [labour camps](https://bliptext.com/articles/nazi-concentration-camps) known as the Emslandlager (\"Emsland camps\") held thousands of political opponents of the [Nazi Party](https://bliptext.com/articles/nazi-party), located outside [Börgermoor](https://bliptext.com/articles/b-rgermoor), now part of the commune [Surwold](https://bliptext.com/articles/surwold), not far from [Papenburg](https://bliptext.com/articles/papenburg).\nA memorial of these camps, the Dokumentations- und Informationszentrum (DIZ) Emslandlager, is located at Papenburg.\nThe well known resistance song \"[Peat Bog Soldiers](https://bliptext.com/articles/peat-bog-soldiers)\" was composed by political prisoners at one of these camps.\nIn 1950 a governmental plan for the development of Emsland was adopted.\nIts aim was to turn the region into an industrial location.\nThis was accomplished by draining the fens and establishing projects like the test track of the [maglev](https://bliptext.com/articles/maglev-transport) \"[Transrapid](https://bliptext.com/articles/transrapid)\" and several large [shipyards](https://bliptext.com/articles/shipyard) such as the [Meyer-Werft](https://bliptext.com/articles/meyer-werft) in [Papenburg](https://bliptext.com/articles/papenburg).\nAlthough the Landkreis Emsland lost much of its original character, some areas retain their natural character, for example the Hümmling.\nThe 1977 district reforms in Lower Saxony united the former districts of [Lingen](https://bliptext.com/articles/lingen-district), [Meppen](https://bliptext.com/articles/meppen-district) and [Aschendorf-Hümmling](https://bliptext.com/articles/aschendorf-h-mmling-district) in the district of Emsland, with [Meppen](https://bliptext.com/articles/meppen-district) as administrative seat.\nThe Emsland remains a very [Roman Catholic](https://bliptext.com/articles/roman-catholic) region compared to other parts of Lower Saxony.\n# [Memorial at the site of the entrance to the former Börgermoor concentration camp | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Boergermoor///KZ-Gedenkstein///01.jpg]\n# [Transrapid test track | upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Tr///noerdliche///kurve02.jpg]\n\n# Geography\nThe district is located on the [Dutch border](https://bliptext.com/articles/germany-netherlands-border).\nIt is named after the [Ems river](https://bliptext.com/articles/ems-river), which crosses the region from south to north.\nIt is an absolutely plain countryside, which was once full of fens.\nThe only elevations are in the **Hümmling**, which is a hilly forest area east of the Ems.\nAlthough the Emsland region is nowadays primarily a county among many others in Lower Saxony, its locals have what could be called a distinct sense of regional pride which will unlikely be found elsewhere in this state.\n\n# Coat of arms\nThe coat of arms displays:\nThe wavy line symbolises the river Ems.\n\n# Cities and municipalities\n(Population 2005)\n**[Free municipalities and towns](https://bliptext.com/articles/municipality)**\n**[Samtgemeinden](https://bliptext.com/articles/amt-political-division)**\n**[Dörpen](https://bliptext.com/articles/d-rpen-samtgemeinde)** (15,446) \n **[Freren](https://bliptext.com/articles/freren-samtgemeinde)** (10,834) \n **[Herzlake](https://bliptext.com/articles/herzlake-samtgemeinde)** (9,821) \n **[Lathen](https://bliptext.com/articles/lathen-samtgemeinde)** (10,815) \n **[Lengerich](https://bliptext.com/articles/lengerich-samtgemeinde)** (9,083) \n **[Nordhümmling](https://bliptext.com/articles/nordh-mmling)** (12,149) \n **[Sögel](https://bliptext.com/articles/s-gel-samtgemeinde)** (15,484) \n **[Spelle](https://bliptext.com/articles/spelle-samtgemeinde)** (12,653) \n **[Werlte](https://bliptext.com/articles/werlte-samtgemeinde)** (15,660) \n ","revisionCount":0},"hasMore":false,"nextCursor":null}