Landschaftsverband Stade

The Landschaftsverband Stade (officially Landschaftsverband der ehemaligen Herzogtümer Bremen und Verden) is a registered association (eingetragener Verein) based in Stade, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1963, it is one of the Landschaftsverbände (regional cultural associations) of Lower Saxony. Its geographic remit covers the Elbe-Weser Triangle, roughly corresponding to the former Duchy of Bremen and Verden, the Land Hadeln, and adjacent areas that historically formed the Stade administrative region. The association's members include the districts of Cuxhaven, Stade, Rotenburg (Wümme), Osterholz, and Verden, along with 17 towns and municipalities, 39 historical, heritage, and cultural associations, and the Landschaft of the former duchies. A board comprising representatives of these groups and a regional historian governs the association. The Landschaftsverband Stade engages in cultural funding, identity cultivation, and regional marketing. It supports its members' cultural projects and other cultural actors in its area, and it employs a full-time museum advisor to help develop the museum landscape. Together with the Lower Saxony state government, it runs a program for the preservation of museum collections. It also organizes an annual museum education week in cooperation with a local school. A major focus is the maintenance and promotion of Low German (Plattdeutsch): the association offers theater seminars for adults and youth, and its traveling stage "Theater auf dem Flett" performs in regional heritage houses, while the youth theater seminar "Wellenbreker" appears on school stages. The association has also addressed the history of refugees and displaced persons who settled in the region after World War II. As a publisher, the Landschaftsverband Stade issues the quarterly magazine "Heimat und Kultur zwischen Elbe Weser," a scholarly book series, and since 2001 a smaller scholarly series. A key project is the multi-volume "Geschichte des Landes zwischen Elbe und Weser" (History of the Land between Elbe and Weser), of which three volumes had appeared by April 2020. It has also released CDs and a video film, and publishes the "Zeitschriftenschau," an index of articles about the region, now available online. The association is a member of ALLviN, the working group of the 13 Landschaften and Landschaftsverbände in Lower Saxony, founded in 1997. Through its publications, events, and funding programs, the Landschaftsverband Stade serves as a key institutional custodian of the cultural heritage of the Elbe-Weser region.

The Landschaftsverband Stade was founded in 1963 as a registered association (eingetragener Verein) in Stade, Lower Saxony. It is one of the Landschaftsverbände in Lower Saxony, institutions that trace their origins to historical regional bodies. Its full name, Landschaftsverband der ehemaligen Herzogtümer Bremen und Verden, reflects its connection to the former Duchies of Bremen and Verden, which historically formed the Stade administrative region (Landdrostei Stade) in the Kingdom of Hanover and later the Regierungsbezirk Stade until 1978. The association's geographic scope covers the Elbe-Weser Triangle, including the districts of Cuxhaven, Stade, Rotenburg (Wümme), Osterholz, and Verden, as well as areas such as Thedinghausen (formerly Brunswick) and Cuxhaven (formerly Hamburg). From its inception, the Landschaftsverband Stade has focused on cultural work, heritage preservation, and regional identity. Over the decades, it has developed a wide range of activities: cultural funding for members and other cultural actors, museum advisory services, and a program for the preservation of museum collections in cooperation with the Lower Saxony state government. It organizes an annual museum education week with a local school. A significant part of its work is the promotion of the Low German language (Plattdeutsch), through theater seminars for adults and youth, traveling theater performances (Theater auf dem Flett, Wellenbreker), and events such as the Plattdüütscher Schoolmeesterdag, a teachers' day for Low German instruction. The association also addressed the history of post-World War II refugees and displaced persons in the region. As a publisher, the Landschaftsverband Stade has issued the quarterly magazine Heimat und Kultur zwischen Elbe Weser, a scholarly book series (Schriftenreihe), and since 2001 a smaller scholarly series. A major publication project is the multi-volume Geschichte des Landes zwischen Elbe und Weser, of which three volumes had appeared by April 2020. It has also produced CDs and a video film, and publishes the Zeitschriftenschau, an index of regional articles, now online. The association is a member of ALLviN, the working group of the 13 Landschaften and Landschaftsverbände in Lower Saxony, founded in 1997; since 2004, the Region Hannover and the Stiftung Braunschweigischer Kulturbesitz have also joined, and since 2018 the Verbund der Historischen Landschaften. In June 2022, the 16 ALLviN members concluded a new cooperation agreement. The Landschaftsverband Stade continues to serve as a central institution for cultural promotion and regional identity in the Elbe-Weser region.

• 2026

  44th Plattdüütscher Schoolmeesterdag held in Vollersode on 16 September.

• 2025

  Publication of 'Hofkultur im weltlichen Hochstift' (Band 62.1/62.2) by Christian Kammann, part of the Schriftenreihe.

• 2024

  Parliamentary 'Abend der Landschaften' held in the Lower Saxony State Parliament on 8 February, with the biennial change in ALLviN chairmanship.

• 2022

  The 16 ALLviN members conclude a new cooperation agreement in June.

• 2018

  Verbund der Historischen Landschaften joins ALLviN.

• 2004

  Region Hannover and Stiftung Braunschweigischer Kulturbesitz join ALLviN.

• 2001

  The association begins publishing a smaller scholarly series (kleine Schriftenreihe).

• 1997

  ALLviN, the working group of the 13 Landschaften and Landschaftsverbände in Lower Saxony, founded; Landschaftsverband Stade is a member.

• 1963

  Landschaftsverband Stade founded as a registered association in Stade, Lower Saxony.

A regional cultural association dedicated to preserving and promoting the heritage, language, and identity of the Elbe-Weser Triangle through funding, publications, and educational programs.

• Heimat und Kultur zwischen Elbe Weser

  Quarterly magazine published by the Landschaftsverband Stade.

• Schriftenreihe des Landschaftsverbandes der ehemaligen Herzogtümer Bremen und Verden

  Scholarly book series; volume 62.1/62.2 (2025) is 'Hofkultur im weltlichen Hochstift' by Christian Kammann.

• Geschichte des Landes zwischen Elbe und Weser

  Multi-volume history of the region; three volumes published by April 2020.

• Zeitschriftenschau

  Index of regional articles, published online since 2002/2003.

• Okke children's book series

  Bilingual (High German/Low German) children's book 'Wat is dat blots? Okke un de sünnerbore Dreeangel' by Nele Ohlsen, illustrated by Nadine Wulf, published November 2025.

1. 1Official websitelandschaftsverband-stade.de
2. 2Okke pagelandschaftsverband-stade.de
3. 3ALLviN pagelandschaftsverband-stade.de
4. 4Band 62.1 / 62.2 pagelandschaftsverband-stade.de
5. 5Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6German Wikipediade.wikipedia.org