Oldenburg (German pronunciation: [ˈɔldn̩bʊʁk] ⓘ; Northern Low Saxon: Ollnborg) is an independent city in the state of Lower Saxony, Germany.

The first documentary evidence, in 1108, referenced Aldenburg in connection with Elimar I (also known as Egilmar I) who is now commonly seen as the first count of Oldenburg.

[5] In the 17th century Oldenburg was a wealthy town in a time of war and turmoil and its population and power grew considerably.

The Danish kings, who were also counts of Oldenburg at the time, had little interest in the condition of the town and it lost most of its former importance.

By that autumn, a campaign of Aryanization began, forcing the sale of formerly Jewish-owned properties at steep discounts.

[6] In 1945, after World War II, the State of Oldenburg became part of the British zone of occupation.

Several displaced-persons camps were set up in the city that had suffered only 1.4% destruction during the bombing campaigns of World War II.

The small Hatten Airfield, (Flugplatz Oldenburg-Hatten ICAO airport code: EDWH), is located about 17 km south-west of Oldenburg.

[12] Towards and during the 19th century, the Jews in Oldenburg were always around 1% of the total population, and by that time had acquired their own synagogue, cemetery and school.

On 1938 Kristallnacht, the town men were led to Sachsenhausen concentration camp, among them Leo Trepp, the community Rabbi who survived and later became an honorary citizen of Oldenburg and honored by a street named after him.

[14] Those who remained after 1938 emigrated to Canada, USA, United Kingdom, Holland or Mandatory Palestine.

After World War II, a group of survivors returned to the city and maintained a small community until it was dissolved during the 1970s.

Nevertheless, due to Jewish emigration from the former USSR to Germany in the 1990s, a community of about 340 people is now maintaining its own synagogue, cemetery and other facilities.