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| Schaumburg | |
 Map of Lower Saxony highlighting the district of Schaumburg |
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| 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 |
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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).
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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 Hesse-Kassel or Hesse-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. The nettle leaf in the middle of the arms was the heraldic symbol of Holstein, symbolising the historical connection between Holstein and Schaumburg.
Towns and municipalities
Inhabitants as of December 31, 2005:
- Auetal [seat: Rehren], municipality (6,531)
- Bückeburg, town (20,922)
- Obernkirchen, town (9,884)
- Rinteln, town (28,907)
- Stadthagen, town (23,181)
Samtgemeinden (collective municipalities) with their member municipalities
* seat of the collective municipality
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External links
- Official website (German)
- Schaumburg-Lippe genealogy website (English)
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