Rotenburg

Rotenburg is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district (Kreis) of Rotenburg. Population: 21,500.

Rotenburg is situated at the Wümme river, which in turn lies between the rivers Elbe and Weser at about the same latitude as Hamburg and Bremen. It is often spelled "Rotenburg (Wümme)" in order to distinguish from the Bavarian town of Rothenburg ("Rothenburg (Tauber)").

The town was founded in 1195, when the bishop of Verden built a castle at the place. The castle took its name from the colour of the bricks (rot="red", Burg="castle"). The adjoining settlement remained a tiny village until the 19th century.