It is bounded by (from the west and clockwise) the districts of Wesermarsch, Cuxhaven, Rotenburg and Verden, and by the city of Bremen.Originally the prince-archbishops of Bremen ruled the area comprising today's district.In 1648 the Prince-Archbishopric was transformed into the Duchy of Bremen, which was first ruled in personal union by the Swedish and from 1715 on by the Hanoverian Crown.In 1813 the Duchy was restored to the Electorate of Hanover, which - after its upgrade to the Kingdom of Hanover in 1814 - incorporated the Duchy in a real union and the Ducal territory became part of the Stade Region, established in 1823.Hambergen 1seat of the Samtgemeinde Media related to Landkreis Osterholz at Wikimedia Commons