Friesoythe
Friesoythe, in Saterland Frisian language Ait or Äit, is a town in the district of Cloppenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany, on the river Soeste, 25 kilometres (16 mi) northwest of Cloppenburg, and 30 kilometres (19 mi) southwest of Oldenburg.
Friesoythe | |
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 Flag  Coat of arms | |
Location of Friesoythe within Cloppenburg district <imagemap>File: Friesoythe in CLP.svg | 240x240px rect 1323 171 1436 297 Cloppenburg (district) rect 1215 40 1787 579 Lower Saxony poly 859 923 910 864 915 795 1224 626 1268 682 1254 735 1246 790 1262 925 1222 920 1210 1003 1114 1042 1111 943 1059 933 1049 1059 1020 1076 978 1063 970 1017 907 969 872 970 Garrel poly 915 792 779 686 913 386 933 384 928 419 991 420 1003 439 1037 432 1111 477 1122 494 1148 500 1167 564 1184 558 1226 626 Bösel poly 603 989 631 996 801 928 802 917 810 909 831 917 834 891 858 915 907 868 912 791 779 689 910 382 876 381 893 351 817 300 824 290 790 269 724 340 627 338 545 367 535 349 515 384 498 376 522 570 504 570 359 598 379 614 375 663 388 668 399 756 383 770 415 820 438 811 436 855 611 912 628 938 Friesoythe poly 300 117 291 65 525 87 558 67 694 114 694 138 675 141 673 155 681 171 665 190 758 305 724 345 630 338 549 367 534 352 518 381 497 376 496 353 504 344 361 137 299 116 Barßel poly 250 40 332 127 493 340 525 566 357 601 162 463 Saterland poly 188 1590 365 1461 299 1354 312 1325 346 1300 430 1307 471 1405 539 1365 595 1422 589 1451 630 1511 719 1486 741 1609 642 1619 624 1632 665 1649 539 1700 529 1732 309 1751 Löningen poly 808 1761 627 1626 739 1609 719 1487 984 1468 1120 1502 1094 1639 1145 1653 1145 1689 1043 1683 1024 1749 921 1702 861 1721 Essen poly 983 1467 998 1403 982 1382 1041 1282 1122 1268 1188 1285 1200 1258 1235 1303 1282 1293 1309 1324 1328 1356 1362 1335 1386 1393 1421 1406 1422 1484 1350 1465 1346 1452 1316 1468 1230 1448 1206 1517 Cappeln poly 539 1362 647 1269 685 1288 842 1230 867 1234 939 1306 935 1346 968 1355 1000 1394 983 1465 728 1484 630 1512 588 1448 595 1418 Lastrup poly 470 1402 579 1331 673 1243 646 1139 544 1084 502 1120 367 1171 317 1309 348 1299 423 1308 Lindern poly 916 1287 926 1143 971 1152 996 1071 1023 1079 1051 1047 1061 936 1107 941 1113 1045 1201 1014 1211 1038 1212 1065 1181 1170 1213 1202 1202 1260 1187 1281 1122 1269 1040 1284 984 1375 966 1353 935 1348 939 1302 916 1277 938 1227 926 1165 Cloppenburg poly 536 1079 609 993 629 996 810 929 810 912 838 892 869 947 858 957 884 974 917 964 987 1031 984 1062 997 1068 967 1153 944 1142 926 1155 933 1233 920 1235 921 1271 871 1232 834 1229 688 1288 649 1267 686 1238 650 1141 542 1078 607 987 Molbergen poly 1180 1169 1215 1052 1223 921 1263 924 1335 935 1337 1003 1495 1127 1520 1104 1560 1108 1541 1150 1549 1165 1495 1241 1525 1297 1515 1331 1508 1337 1507 1368 1475 1394 1439 1388 1426 1406 1374 1391 1361 1340 1331 1354 1294 1301 1233 1298 1199 1262 1212 1206 1181 1165 1215 1052 1197 1013 Emstek poly 349 1800 329 1751 457 1759 551 1688 671 1656 805 1764 930 1702 1027 1744 1024 1736 1068 1797 Osnabrück (district) poly 340 1798 329 1753 295 1751 189 1592 355 1458 293 1348 367 1170 528 1090 627 943 436 857 375 779 394 756 370 610 177 484 35 558 0 533 10 1792 Emsland poly 0 528 29 555 169 477 156 463 194 276 215 276 241 40 256 37 291 60 397 55 366 4 1 4 Leer (district) poly 409 63 373 1 1398 -1 1348 37 1215 42 1214 291 1134 350 1140 390 1084 445 1029 421 931 416 885 377 895 350 791 265 760 296 669 194 686 172 671 149 699 124 614 78 Ammerland poly 1077 1800 1056 1754 1026 1730 1038 1685 1151 1691 1149 1653 1091 1634 1128 1507 1217 1518 1232 1457 1421 1488 1438 1396 1480 1395 1512 1356 1528 1326 1519 1291 1511 1233 1559 1167 1558 1110 1541 1111 1570 1073 1632 1070 1740 1151 1800 1154 1799 1627 1697 1719 1646 1715 1627 1797 Oldenburg (district) poly 1535 1104 1564 1070 1686 1044 1743 1152 1802 1145 1801 580 1221 577 1214 296 1138 352 1145 391 1085 451 1175 553 1274 681 1266 918 1340 930 1336 1001 1500 1126 Vechta (district) desc bottom-right </imagemap> | |
  Friesoythe  Friesoythe | |
| Coordinates: 53°01′14″N 07°51′31″E / 53.02056°N 7.85861°E | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Lower Saxony |
| District | Cloppenburg |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2021–26) | Sven Stratmann[1] (SPD) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 247.14 km2 (95.42 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 6 m (20 ft) |
| Population (2022-12-31)[2] | |
| • Total | 22,945 |
| • Density | 93/km2 (240/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 26169 |
| Dialling codes | 0 44 91 |
| Vehicle registration | CLP |
| Website | www.friesoythe.de |
History
In 1227, Count Otto von Tecklenburg made Oite Castle in Friesoythe, which had just been built, his residence. Farmers, merchants and craftsmen quickly settled near the castle. As early as the first half of the 13th century, Friesoythe had extensive trade relations, as evidenced by the coin find from Friesoythe, whose more than 300 silver coins from Cologne, Münster, Osnabrück and other cities were only in circulation until 1235. Today's city center was soon surrounded by a massive city wall and was long considered impregnable. 1308 Friesoythe was first mentioned as a town. Friesoythe is occasionally referred to as a "Hanseatic town" and is said to have enjoyed Hanseatic privileges. It is unclear whether Friesoythe actually belonged to the Hanseatic League.
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Friesoythe shares a diverse culture in Lower Saxony history. Many cultural influences of German, Anglo-Saxon, Dutch, East Frisian, Danish and Swedish culture are noticeable in the town and citizens. The town has a large following of Roman Catholicism and small percentages of Calvinism and Lutheranism. It was part of the Duchy of Oldenburg and also under rule to the French Empire in the 18th century.
Second World War
In April 1945, the town of Friesoythe was evacuated and then occupied by the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division, under General Christopher Vokes. Most of the town's population of 4,000 had moved out to the surrounding countryside on about April 11–12, 1945.[3]
The town was defended by some 200 paratroopers of Battalion Raabe of the 7th German Parachute Division.[4] These paratroopers repelled the first attack by the Lake Superior Regiment (Motor) on April 13. The Lake Superior Regiment suffered two dead and nineteen wounded. German casualties are not known.
Vokes ordered the resumption of the attack the next day by The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's) commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Frederick E. Wigle. The attack went well, with the Argylls securing the town by 10:30 hours. However, at 08:30 a small number of German soldiers caught Wigle's tactical headquarters by surprise, killing Wigle and several other soldiers.[5] Lieutenant Alan Earp survived a bullet through the head.[6]
Vokes ordered an immediate reprisal. "A first-rate officer of mine, for whom I had a special regard and affection, and in whom I had a particular professional interest because of his talent for command, was killed. Not merely killed, it was reported to me, but sniped in the back".[7] According to Vokes, "I summoned my GSO1 . . 'Mac,' I roared at him, 'I'm going to raze that goddam town.'"[8]
Units and soldiers of the Argylls had spontaneously begun burning buildings in Friesoythe as revenge for the death of their colonel,[9] but Vokes later issued a direct order,[clarification needed] and the town was systematically set on fire with flamethrowers mounted on Wasp Carriers. The rubble was used to reinforce district roads for the division's tanks.[10] According to German estimates, 85% to 90% of the town was destroyed, making it one of the most devastated towns in Germany at the time.[11] Vokes commented that he had "No feeling of remorse over the elimination of Friesoythe."[10][self-published source?] The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and the Lake Superior Regiment (Motor) were awarded the battle honour "Friesoythe".
21st century
Friesoythe has grown from a village to a small city and shares traditional and modern style buildings of German architecture, Bauhaus, Victorian style, Renaissance and Baroque style. Large multinational companies are settled giving the city a modern appearance and lively feeling. Hospital, schooling, bus service, health service are all available in the city centre. The city has good communication and infrastructure and many American Germans, Poles and Russians integrated into its population.
Climate
| Climate data for Friesoythe-Altenoythe (1991–2020 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 4.8 (40.6) |
5.9 (42.6) |
9.3 (48.7) |
14.2 (57.6) |
18.2 (64.8) |
21.0 (69.8) |
23.4 (74.1) |
23.1 (73.6) |
19.4 (66.9) |
14.4 (57.9) |
8.8 (47.8) |
5.9 (42.6) |
14.0 (57.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 2.6 (36.7) |
3.0 (37.4) |
5.3 (41.5) |
9.2 (48.6) |
13.2 (55.8) |
16.2 (61.2) |
18.3 (64.9) |
17.8 (64.0) |
14.3 (57.7) |
10.4 (50.7) |
6.1 (43.0) |
3.7 (38.7) |
10.0 (50.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0.2 (32.4) |
0.4 (32.7) |
1.8 (35.2) |
4.4 (39.9) |
8.2 (46.8) |
11.3 (52.3) |
13.3 (55.9) |
12.9 (55.2) |
10.1 (50.2) |
7.0 (44.6) |
3.5 (38.3) |
1.5 (34.7) |
6.2 (43.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 64.6 (2.54) |
53.8 (2.12) |
53.3 (2.10) |
47.3 (1.86) |
56.6 (2.23) |
70.2 (2.76) |
77.3 (3.04) |
75.5 (2.97) |
71.0 (2.80) |
61.9 (2.44) |
61.9 (2.44) |
74.2 (2.92) |
767 (30.2) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 18.1 | 16.5 | 15.3 | 13.7 | 13.5 | 14.8 | 14.9 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 17.1 | 17.5 | 19.2 | 189.8 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 1.0 cm) | 4.3 | 3.5 | 1.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 2.9 | 13.1 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 89.4 | 85.7 | 81.5 | 76.7 | 74.7 | 75.5 | 77.6 | 79.8 | 85.3 | 87.0 | 90.4 | 90.5 | 82.8 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 64.7 | 85.2 | 134.7 | 171.0 | 191.2 | 211.9 | 224.2 | 216.2 | 163.1 | 112.5 | 69.0 | 54.5 | 1,698.2 |
| Source: World Meteorological Organization[12] | |||||||||||||
Mayors
- Gerhard Wreesmann: 7 April 1945 – 2 February 1946
- Heinrich Vogel: 1946–1948
- Heinz Stuke: 1948–1953
- Gerhard Block: 1953 – 28 July 1967
- Heinrich Olberding: 20 October 1967 – 1 October 1972
- Ferdinand Cloppenburg: 14 November 1972 – 2 March 1984
- Heinrich Niehaus: 11 April 1984 – 14 November 1996
- Johann Wimberg: 15 November 1996 – 31. October 2014
- Sven Stratmann: 1 November 2014
Notable people
- Wilhelm Abeln (1894–1969), farmer and politician, member of Oldenburg Landtag
- Monika Hilker (born 1959), biologist
- Franz-Josef Holzenkamp (born 1969), politician (CDU)
- Heinrich Totting von Oyta (c. 1330–1397), theologian and philosopher, co-founder of the Catholic Faculty of Theology of the University of Vienna
References
- ^ "Direktwahlen in Niedersachsen vom 12. September 2021" (PDF). Landesamt für Statistik Niedersachsen. 13 October 2021.
- ^ "LSN-Online Regionaldatenbank, Tabelle A100001G: Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes, Stand 31. Dezember 2022" (in German). Landesamt für Statistik Niedersachsen.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ The Friesoythe Amtsgericht, or District Court, was closed on April 11th. If the District Court ceased to function on April 11, 1945, the evacuation of the bulk of the civilian population probably took place between April 11th through April 12th 1945. It was clearly a German and not a Canadian initiative. Ferdinand Cloppenburg, Die Stadt Friesoythe im zwanzigsten Jahrhundert, 173.
- ^ War Diary, General Staff, 4th Canadian Armoured Division, 1 April 1945-30 April 1945. Appendix 38; dated April 14th, 1945. National Archives of Canada, Ottawa, ON, RG 24, vol. no. 13794. Intelligence report signed: E. Sirluck, Capt.
- ^ Mark Zuehlke, On To Victory: The Canadian Liberation Of The Netherlands, p. 308
- ^ War Diary, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, April 14, 1945, pp. 10-11. Ottawa, ON, Canada. National Archives of Canada, RG 24, v. 15,005. The same entry for April 14th, 1945, is also reprinted in Robert L. Fraser's Black Yesterdays; the Argylls’s War, p. 431. Interview with Alan Earp.
- ^ All the published accounts relate that Col. Wigle was shot in the back. However, Dr. Doug Bryce, the Medical Officer of the Argylls, said that he was shot in the head. Dr. Bryce thought very highly of Wigle ("the most wonderful man I have ever met"). Interview with Dr. Bryce, May 11, 1998.
- ^ Chris Vokes, Vokes: My Story, 194-195. A similar account of Vokes and his role in the destruction of Friesoythe is found in Tony Foster’s Meeting of Generals, 437.
- ^ Robert L. Fraser, Black Yesterdays; the Argylls' War. See the section entitled "The Burning of Friesoythe?" on pp. 435–437.
- ^ 10.0 10.1 Tony Foster, Meeting of Generals, iUniverse, 2000, ISBN 978-0595137503, p. 437.
- ^ Cloppenburg, Ferdinand (1996). "Die Stadt Friesoythe im zwanzigsten Jahrhundert". Brockhaus Enzyklopädie. Vol. 7 (20th ed.). Leipzig: Brockhaus. pp. 165, 189.
- ^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
Bibliography
- G. L. Cassidy, Warpath; the Story of the Algonquin Regiment, 1939–1945. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1948.
- Ferdinand Cloppenburg, Die Stadt Friesoythe im zwanzigsten Jahrhundert. Friesoythe: Cloppenburg, 2003. Limited to 1,000 copies.
- Tony Foster, Meeting of Generals. Toronto; New York: Methuen, c1986.
- Robert L. Fraser, ed. Black Yesterdays; the Argylls' War. Hamilton, ON: Argyll Regimental Foundation, 1996. A work of 608 pp., numerous photographs, many illustrations, (some col.) limited to 1,000 copies. A lavish, massive, even monumental history of the Canadian Argylls during World War II and a model of its kind.
- Friesoythe 25 Jahre danach: 1945-1970. Friesoythe: Stadt Friesoythe, 1970.
- Landkreis Emsland. Wege aus dem Chaos; Das Emsland und Niedersachsen 1945-1949. Begleitbuch zur Ausstellung. 2. Aufl. Hrsg. vom Landkreis Emsland. Meppen: 1988.
- C. P. Stacey, A Date with History; Memoirs of a Canadian Historian. Ottawa, ON: Deneau, c1983?
- C. P. Stacey, Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War. Vol. III. The Victory Campaign; the Operation in North-West Europe, 1944–1945. Ottawa: Queen's Printer, 1960.
- Chris Vokes, Vokes, My Story. By Major General Chris Vokes with John P. Maclean. Memorial Edition. Ottawa, ON: Gallery Books, 1985.
- War Diary, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, April 14, 1945, pp. 10–11. Ottawa, ON, Canada. National Archives of Canada, RG 24, v. 15,005
- War Diary, 1st Battalion, The Lake Superior Regiment (Motor), April 12, 1945, sheet 15. Ottawa, ON, Canada. National Archives of Canada, RG 24, Vol. 15,099.
- War Diary, General Staff, 4th Canadian Armoured Division, April 14, 1945, p. 15. Ottawa, ON, Canada. National Archives of Canada, RG 24, no. 13,794.
- August Wöhrmann, "Die Kämpfe 1945 in und um Friesoythe," IN Friesoythe 25 Jahre danach: 1945-1970 (Friesoythe: Stadt Friesoythe, 1970) 8-29. Wöhrmann was the first to make a serious examination of the issue, and this work is a ground-breaking study of great value which identifies many of the relevant sources. Unfortunately Wöhrmann, a former soldier himself, reports he was unable to make any contact with the German paratroopers who defended Friesoythe.
External links
- No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata. (in German)