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Home | German Location | Oldenburg in Holstein
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Oldenburg was the chief town of the Wagrians, one of the Slavic peoples that migrated as far west as the river Elbe in or after the 6th century (see Völkerwanderung), also known as Wends and Obotrites. The Slavonic name was Starigard or Stargard, meaning "Old Settlement" or "Old Castle", and the German name Oldenburg is a (Low Saxon) translation of this. To the Vikings, the city was known as Brandehuse, i.e. "the burned houses", indicating the bellicose times. For centuries, Starigard/Oldenburg remained the Slavic competitor of Hedeby on the Baltic trade, until the counts Adolph I and Adolph II of Schauenburg and Holstein, supported by Henry the Lion, finally defeated the Wends during the first half of the 12th century. The modern town has a partnership with Bergen auf Rügen in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. |
