Peter Mager, chairman of the supervisory board of NORDENIA International AG, Steinfeld (more than 3,000 employees): “Oldenburger Münsterland has undergone an astonishing economic development in the past decades. The history of my company NORDENIA International AG also represents this development. In 1966, I founded ...” [Read more ...]
From a poorhouse to a boom region
The outstanding industrial potential of the economic region Oldenburger Münsterland is the result of a far-reaching structural change which started with the completion of the federal highway A 1 in the end of the 60s of the previous century. When this street was opened up, the two decisive advantages of location of this region came to effect: The economic and geographic location of the region between the sea ports and the Ruhrgebiet industrial area and the tendency towards self-employment which is traditionally deep seated in large parts of the population.
This is due to the changeful history of Oldenburger Münsterland. Already in 1252, the diocese of Münster of that time bought the county Ravensberg-Vechta. After the victory over the counts of Tecklenburg, the current district of Cloppenburg also became part of the so-called „Niederstift“ Münster in 1400. In contrast to the rest of the „Niederstift“, the bishop of Münster was also the spiritual head since 1668. In 1803, both areas became part of the protestant grand duchy of Oldenburg. The fact that the mostly catholic population still today belongs to the diocese of Münster formed the cultural identity of being Westphalians in Lower Saxony.
Agriculture was not able to sufficiently feed families with many children for centuries due to the poor sandy soils. Guest work in the neighbouring Netherlands (so-called “Hollandgänger”) and emigration to the USA was often the result. Only the connection to the railroad network in the end of the 19th century created new possibilities of income for the farmers. They bought in grain via the close sea ports and started growing animals and birds on a larger scale. Meat was transported to the Ruhrgebiet by railroad. From these humble beginnings, a core area of intensive livestock farming was created in this region. The first foodstuff producing companies and product marketing soon followed. Still in the 60s of the previous century, a dominating agriculture, the production of turf and peat as well as small enterprises in the fields of cork, textile and metal processing were characteristic for this economic region. The demand for turf packaging and bottle corks with plastic caps in the fifties caused the first companies of the plastic industry to be founded.
When the highway A1 was completed, the following motto came up: Knowledge creates new markets in Oldenburger Münsterland! The close contact between farmers and machine and plant manufacturers in the area made this region an international innovation centre for agri-technology. Active business people with their motivated staff created an ultramodern plastic industry. The experiences and the know-how gained in the agricultural and plastic technology now started to be put into practice also in other fields.
Today, in Oldenburger Münsterland, even sounds of products are optimised according to marketing demands. It is here that the first cycle system for polyethylene plastics has been developed world-wide. High-tech components for the European launch vehicle Ariane and the Space Shuttle are produced here. Even the bike that carried Jan Ulrich to his title of amateur world champion stems from this region.
