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. It is often spelled "Rotenburg (Wümme)" in order to distinguish from the Bavarian town of Rothenburg[?] ("Rothenburg (Tauber)", note the additional h).

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