Schaumburg
is a district (Landkreis) of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is
bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of
Nienburg, Hanover and Hamelin-Pyrmont, and the state of North
Rhine-Westphalia (districts of Lippe and Minden-Lübbecke).
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) 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 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 today's
district.
Coat of arms
Coat of armsThe 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.
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