Oldenburg is a German city located in the state of Lower Saxony. Less then an hours drive from Bremen, Oldenburg is about half way between Bremen and the Dutch border. Oldenburg has a rich history, with evidence of activity in the area from the 8th century. Oldenburg at one point was a Duchy, Grand Duchy, and Free State. Today, visitors can walk the historical old town center, view the church, stroll through the castle gardens, visit museums, and eat traditional German cuisine. We spent a day in Oldenburg and want to share our Oldenburg itinerary.
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Oldenburg is located in the German state of Lower Saxony. The city is located near the Hunte River which branches off the Weser River. When it comes to populations, Oldenburg ranks as the third largest city in Lower Saxony, just behind the cities of Braunschweig and Hanover. Unfortunately, Oldenburg is often overlooked as most visitors tend to visit the beautiful city of Bremen.
Oldenburg has a large Train Station that is walkable from downtown. If traveling to Oldenburg by car, there are tons of parking options near the train station.
How We Spent a Day in Oldenburg
After spending a day in Oldenburg, I think a day gives you plenty of time to visit the main attractions and sites within the city limits. Once downtown in the altstadt, everything with the exception of a few museums is within walking distance. After an entire day of exploring Oldenburg, we found that we saw everything we wanted to see. Below are some of the highlights of Oldenburg that we did and recommend.
Admired the outside of St. Lamberti Church
St. Lamberti or St. Lambert’s Church in Oldenburg is the cities most notable building and dominates the skyline. St. Lambert’s Church is Oldenburg’s tallest building, the center tower has a height of 86 meters.
Visitors can get incredible views of the church from the Sclossgarten by the Schlossteich. I found the exterior of the church to be absolutely beautiful but the interior was very underwhelming as it was very bland.
Enjoyed the Peacefulness and Beauty of Schlossgarten Oldenburg
The Schlossgarten or Castle Park was a highlight for us. The park is within walking distance from St. Lambert’s Church and the Schloss (castle).
We visited Oldenburg toward the end of October of 2022 and the leaves were changing adding to the beauty of the park. Schlossgarten was huge, there were a variety of smaller gardens within the park, a lake, plenty of places to sit and relax, and several kilometers worth of trails.
Sampled Food at the Rathausmarkt
Situated between St. Lambert’s Church and the Rathaus (town hall) is an open space known as the Rathausmarkt. This open space is where weekend and holiday markets occur as well as events. Jill and I visited on a Saturday and there was a local market taking place. There were a few rows of local vendors selling everything from meats and cheeses to flowers and woodcraft.
We sampled a few treats around the market. That day, I was in the mood for a warm leberkäse sandwich. Leberkäse is basically a loaf of meat consisting of corned beef and pork. It’s usually baked and gets a nice crust on the edges. I am sure it doesn’t sound that amazing, but trust me, it is!
Spaghetti Ice Cream at Gelateria Centrale San Marco
Germany has some of the best ice cream parlors on the planet. Almost every town and certainly every city has an ice cream parlor or café that serves fancy ice cream dishes. One of my favorite ice cream dishes in Germany is Spaghettieis (Ice Cream).
Spaghettieis is an ice cream dish famous around Germany. The dish consists of ice cream made to resemble a plate of spaghetti. It’s typically vanilla ice cream with whipped cream, strawberry glaze, and coconut or white chocolate shavings which are meant to look like grated parmesan cheese.
On the edge of the Rathausmarkt next to St. Lamberti Church is a café called Gelateria Centrale San Marco that served up a variety of ice cream dishes. Of course, I had their Spaghettieis and it was fabulous, even though the weather was cold and damp.
Strolled Through the Altstadt and saw Lappan
Oldenburg has a nice and manageable altstadt or old town. It’s very walkable and easy to navigate. The old streets are lined with various shops and restaurants. Many of the buildings in Oldenburg’s altstadt are historical and worth seeing, so don’t forget to pay attention to the beautiful architecture of some of the buildings.
One building in Oldenburg that really stands out is Lappan. Lappan is an old bell tower and oldest building in the city. Unfortunately, when we visited Oldenburg, Lappan was being renovated and I couldn’t get any decent photos.
Schloss Oldenburg
In German, Schloss means palace. Schloss Oldenburg is a beautiful palace located in the downtown area. It has a history dating back to the mid 1600’s when it was the residence for the counts of Oldenburg. In the late 1700’s until the early 1900’s, Schloss Oldenburg was the main residence for the dukes and grand dukes.
Today, one of the most striking features of this palace is the beautiful yellow exterior. There is also a State Museum within the palace. I’d recommend checking the Museum Website for an updated outline of the exhibits as well as viewing the entrance times and fees.
Visited the Landesmuseum Nature and Humankind in Oldenburg and saw the Husbäke Man
The primary reason we visited Oldenburg was to visit the Landesmuseum Nature and Humankind. I absolutely love science and history museums and found this one to be particularly interesting. The day we went, they had a special exhibit on mummies. They had several real mummies on display from animals like cats and hyenas to actual human mummies from Ancient Egypt and Peru.
The museum had several floors and was home to many taxidermy animals found around the world and had a lot of interesting artifacts not only from Germany and their history but ancient artifacts from various cultures throughout history.
One of the most fascinating permanent exhibits at the Landesmuseum Nature and Humankind was their exhibit called Moor. Much of Northern Germany’s habitat consists of moor and people have used this land for thousands of years. The exhibit had a lot of information on the moor region of Northern Germany, but they also had a few bog bodies on display. Like our trip to the Drents Museum in Assen, seeing the bog bodies was my primary obsession for visiting the museum. There was a cool display showing the layers of the bog. There was one particular bog body that caught my interest at the museum and that was the Husbäke Man or Husbäke II.
The Husbäke Man is a bog body that was found in 1936 near the German town of Edewecht, not far from Oldenburg. According to the museum, the body of the Husbäke Man was found by a peat worker. Like many of the bog bodies discovered, he was very well preserved due to the lack of oxygen in the many layers of dead moss in the moor region.
The Husbäke Man was found lying face down in the ground. Because he was so well preserved it is believed that he was quickly covered by the elements and only his feet dissolved. Unlike the Yde Girl, the Husbäke Man showed no signs of injuries, so he potentially died of an accident or natural causes. The Husbäke Man had a beard which identified him as male, he was around the age of 20 when he died and was 1.75 meters tall. His death is estimated to be around 765-520 BC. His hair looks to be red but it was most likely blonde or brown at the time of death. The red hair is caused by chemicals found in the moor.
Other bog bodies on display at the Nature and Humankind Museum include the Dead Man from Jührdener-feld and the Dead Body from the Lengener Moor (Tarbarg New England).
So, is Oldenburg Worth Visiting?
So, is Oldenburg worth visiting? Honestly speaking, I do think Oldenburg is worth a visit. I think there is just enough here to do and see for a nice half day to day trip. Although, I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to visit Oldenburg unless there is something specific you are interested in like the Husbäke Man at the Landesmuseum. Sure, the exterior of the church is beautiful the altstadt has some interesting buildings, but there is nothing that stands out that separates Oldenburg from other great cities around Germany.
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