Saterland

Saterland (German pronunciation: [ˈzaːtɐˌlant]; Saterland Frisian: Seelterlound, pronounced [ˈseːltɐˌloːunt]) is a municipality in the district of Cloppenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated between the cities of Leer, Cloppenburg, and Oldenburg. It is home to Saterland Frisians, who speak Frisian in addition to German and Low German.

Saterland Seelterlound
Municipality
Church of Saints Peter and Paul
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Saterland within Cloppenburg district
Location of Saterland
Saterland Show map of Germany Saterland Show map of Lower Saxony
Coordinates: 53°2′N 7°43′E / 53.033°N 7.717°E / 53.033; 7.717
Country	Germany
State	Lower Saxony
District	Cloppenburg
Subdivisions	4 districts
Government
• Mayor (2018–23)	Thomas Otto (Greens)
Area
• Total	123.6 km^2 (47.7 sq mi)
Elevation	5 m (16 ft)
Population  (2023-12-31)
• Total	14,313
• Density	115.8/km^2 (299.9/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	26683
Dialling codes	0 44 92 (Scharrel, Sedelsberg) 0 44 98 (Ramsloh, Strücklingen)
Vehicle registration	CLP
Website	www.saterland.de

The municipality of Saterland was formed in 1974, when the smaller municipalities Strücklingen (Strukelje in Saterland Frisian), Ramsloh (Roomelse), Sedelsberg (Seeidelsbierich) and Scharrel (Schäddel) were merged.

A bilingual road sign in German and Saterland Frisian

History

In medieval times, the Saterland was a sandy region occupying an area of about 15 km long by 1–4 km wide surrounded by marshes. It was settled between the 10th and 13th centuries by Frisians from East Frisia. Being relatively isolated, the inhabitants developed their own form of the East Frisian language, Saterland Frisian, which survives to this day. The "Saterfriesen," as the speakers of this language are called in German, are the smallest minority recognized by the federal government.

Notable places

On the area of the municipality of Saterland is the VLF transmitter DHO38, a large VLF transmitter of the German Navy for sending commands to submarines.