Vechta (district)

Vechta (German pronunciation: [ˈfɛçta]) is a district (Landkreis) in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Oldenburg, Diepholz, Osnabrück and Cloppenburg.

Vechta
District
Flag Coat of arms
Country	Germany
State	Lower Saxony
Capital	Vechta
Government
• District admin.	Tobias Gerdesmeyer (CDU)
Area
• Total	813 km2 (314 sq mi)
Population  (31 December 2022)
• Total	146,924
• Density	180/km2 (470/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Vehicle registration	VEC
Website	kreis-vechta.de

History

In the 13th century the region was acquired by the bishop of Münster and became a part of his clerical state. When the clerical states of Germany were dissolved in 1803, Vechta was given to Oldenburg, while clerically still belonging to Münster, hence the name Oldenburger Münsterland is also used for the region (together with Cloppenburg district). The present district was established in 1945 and became a part of the newly founded state of Lower Saxony.

In terms of political history, both Vechta and neighbouring Cloppenburg are, as one of the few historically Catholic districts in an otherwise majority-protestant state, some of the most conservative areas in Germany. The federal constituency Cloppenburg – Vechta is frequently the Christian Democratic Union's safest constituency, winning a majority in all but two elections since WWII.

Geography

The countryside is generally flat. Only in the very south there is a hill chain close to the town of Damme, called the Damme Hills (Dammer Berge). The western shore of Lake Dümmer with its adjoining fens is also part of the district.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms displays:

• the arms of Oldenburg
• the arms of the County of Calvelage-Ravensberg (which ruled over the region before the 13th century)
• the arms of the counts of Galen (who were vassals of the bishops of Münster)

Cities and municipalities

Clickable map of towns and municipalities in the district

Cities	Free municipalities
Damme Dinklage Lohne Vechta	Bakum Goldenstedt Holdorf Neuenkirchen-Vörden Steinfeld Visbek

External links

Media related to Landkreis Vechta at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website (in German)