Delmenhorst is situated in the District of Weser-Ems in Lower Saxony, 15 kilometres from Bremen, between the Weser and Ems rivers, amid forests, meadows and canals.
The history of the city started in 1247 when Count Otto of Oldenburg had a “castle on water” (de horst) built in the valley of the Delme river (from which the name Delmenhorst originated). It was granted a town’s charter in 1371. Over the 700 years of its existence it grew from a count’s residence into a modern industrial and trade centre. Delmenhorst’s intensive economic development began after 1870 when the city’s great factories were a jute-spinning factory, DLW carpet factory and wool-spinning factory. Their manufacturing activity contributed to a rapid growth of the town on the Delme in the first half of the 20th century when Delmenhorst became the largest industrial city in the Oldenburg region. Today it is home to numerous international companies, such as Atlas Weyhausen (diggers and bulldozers), Delmond International (clothing trade), Konecke Meistermarkenwerke (fats trade), DLW (the only German factory that produces carpets of polyvinyl chloride). One of the city’s most beautiful landmarks is the City Hall with a water tower and the gallery Haus Coburg. Nordwolle, a reconstructed 19th century spinning factory is now a museum. The city has historic Evangelical churches and a Catholic church. Twice a year Delmenhorst is a scene of the Kramermarkt fair which culminates in Kartoffelfest and Del-Show festivals. The city has also a park where the residents meet and go for walks.
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