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Oldenburg

Former German state, since 1946 part of Lower Saxony, Germany. It was held by the counts of Oldenburg from c. 1100 until 1667, when it passed to Denmark. In the late 18th century it was ruled by the bishop of Lübeck, who was made duke of Oldenburg by Joseph II, the Holy Roman emperor. It became a grand duchy in the early 19th century and took Prussia's side in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. It joined the German Empire in 1871. Its last grand duke abdicated in 1918. The 17th-century grand-ducal palace in the city of Oldenburg (pop., 2002 est.: 155,908) is now a state museum of art and culture.

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