Cloppenburg

Cloppenburg grew near the older settlement of Krapendorf, on the edge of the lowlands of the Soeste. The counts of Tecklenburg built a castle here to secure their authority, and it was recorded in 1297. In 1393 the bishops and towns of Münster and Osnabrück besieged and captured the fortress; by the peace of 1400 the surrounding district passed to the bishopric of Münster.

A settlement developed beside the castle and received urban privileges in 1411. In 1435 the bishop granted Cloppenburg town rights, its own court and a coat of arms bearing Saint Paul. Ramparts and a ditch enclosed the town before 1450, while neighbouring Krapendorf remained outside. Fire destroyed the castle buildings in 1716. After the secularisation of Münster's territories, Cloppenburg passed to Oldenburg in 1803.