Schaumburg-Lippe

Schaumburg
Map of Lower Saxony highlighting the district of Schaumburg
State	Lower Saxony
District seat	Stadthagen
Area	676 km²
Population	166,300 (2003)
Pop. density	246 /km²
Licence plate code	SHG
Web page	landkreis-schaumburg.de

Grafschaft Schaumburg County of Schaumburg State of the Holy Roman Empire ← 1110–1640 →   → Coat of arms Capital Rinteln Government Principality Historical era Middle Ages  - Established 1110  - Partitioned to create     Schaumburg-Lippe,     remainder to Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel)     1640

Schaumburg is a district (Landkreis) of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by (clockwise from the north) the districts of Nienburg, Hanover and Hamelin-Pyrmont, and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (districts of Lippe and Minden-Lübbecke).

History

Schaumburg was a medieval county, which was founded at the beginning of the 12th century. Shortly after, the Holy Roman Emperor appointed the counts of Schaumburg to become counts of Holstein as well.

During the Thirty Years' War the House of Schaumburg had no male heir, and the county was divided into Schaumburg (which became part of Hessen-Kassel or Hessen-Cassel) and the County of Schaumburg-Lippe (1640). As a member of the Confederation of the Rhine, Schaumburg-Lippe raised itself to a principality. In 1815, Schaumburg-Lippe joined the German Confederation, and in 1871 the German Empire. In 1918, it became a republic. The tiny Free State of Schaumburg-Lippe existed until 1946, when it became an administrative area within Lower Saxony. Schaumburg-Lippe had an area of 340 km², and a population of 51,000 (as of 1934).

Hessian Schaumburg was annexed to Prussia along with the rest of Hesse-Kassel in 1866. After World War II, Schaumburg and Schaumburg-Lippe became districts within the state of Lower Saxony, until they were merged again in 1977.

Geography

The district is located in the northernmost part of the Weserbergland mountains. The Weser River runs through the southern part of the district.

Schaumburg is a very small district, but within its territory there are some towns of remarkable beauty: Bückeburg, the old capital of Schaumburg-Lippe; Rinteln, which was the capital of Schaumburg during the division; and Stadthagen, the capital of the district today.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms is almost identical to the old arms of Schaumburg, which had been used since the 12th century. Schaumburg castle, in mediaeval times the seat of the Counts of Schaumburg, is located on the Nesselberg ("nettle mountain") in Schaumburg, a locality in the town of Rinteln. The nettle leaf in the middle of the arms has become the heraldic symbol of Holstein, symbolising the historical connection between Holstein and Schaumburg.

Towns and municipalities

Inhabitants as of^[update] December 31, 2005:

Towns

1. Auetal [seat: Rehren], municipality (6,531)
2. Bückeburg, town (20,922)
3. Obernkirchen, town (9,884)
4. Rinteln, town (28,907)
5. Stadthagen, town (23,181)

Samtgemeinden (collective municipalities) with their member municipalities
* seat of the collective municipality

See also

• Metropolitan region Hannover-Braunschweig-Göttingen-Wolfsburg

External links

• Official website (German)
• Schaumburg-Lippe genealogy website (English)

v • d • e Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle (1500–1806) of the Holy Roman Empire Ecclesiastical Cambrai · Corvey1 · Liège · Minden2 · Münster · Stavelot–Malmedy1 · Osnabrück · Paderborn · Utrecht (until 1548) · Verden (until 1648) Prelates Corvey2 · Essen · Herford · Kornelimünster · Stavelot–Malmedy2 · Thorn · Werden Secular Cleves with Mark · East Frisia1 · Jülich–Berg · Guelders (until 1548) · Minden1 · Moers1 · Nassau-Dillenburg1 · Verden1 Counts and Lords from 1500 Bentheim · Bronkhorst (until 1719) · Diepholz · East Frisia (until 1667) · Horne3 (until 1614) · Hoya · Lingen3 · Lippe · Manderscheid (until 1546) · Moers (until 1541) · Nassau (Diez · Hadamar · Dillenburg (until 1664)) · Oldenburg (until 1777) · Pyrmont · Ravensberg3 · Reichenstein · Rietberg · Salm-Reifferscheid · Sayn · Schaumburg · Tecklenburg · Virneburg · Wied · Winneburg and Beilstein · Zimerauff from 1792 Anholt · Blankenheim and Gerolstein · Gemen · Gimborn · Gronsfeld · Hallermund · Holzapfel · Kerpen-Lommersum · Myllendonk · Reckheim · Schleiden · Wickrath · Wittem status uncertain Delmenhorst · Fagnolle · Schaumburg (Hesse · Lippe) · Spiegelberg · Steinfurt Cities Aachen · Cologne · Dortmund · Duisburg? · Herford? · Verden (from 1648) · Warburg? 1 from 1792.   2 until 1792.   3 without Reichstag seat.   ? status uncertain.

v • d • e    Urban and rural districts in the state of Lower Saxony in Germany    Region Hanover Urban districts Braunschweig · Delmenhorst · Emden · Oldenburg · Osnabrück · Salzgitter · Wilhelmshaven · Wolfsburg Rural districts Ammerland · Aurich · Bentheim · Celle · Cloppenburg · Cuxhaven · Diepholz · Emsland · Friesland · Gifhorn · Goslar · Göttingen · Hamelin-Pyrmont · Harburg · Helmstedt · Hildesheim · Holzminden · Leer · Lüchow-Dannenberg · Lüneburg · Nienburg · Northeim · Oldenburg · Osnabrück · Osterholz · Osterode · Peine · Rotenburg · Schaumburg · Soltau-Fallingbostel · Stade · Uelzen · Vechta · Verden · Wesermarsch · Wittmund · Wolfenbüttel