Etymology
The region's official standard German name is Altes Land, which means "old country". However, Altes Land is a mistranslation of the original Low Saxon Olland, which originally had nothing to do with "old": It stems from Holland. This is a reference to the area's original reclamation and colonisation by Dutch settlers. The first colonisation agreement goes back to 1113 and was drawn up during the time of Archbishop Friedrich I of Bremen. One of the municipalities of the Altes Land is Hollern, a name which comes from Holländer (German for the Dutch). However, the mistranslation of Olland as Altes Land has now come full circle, since most Low Saxon speakers today refer to the region as dat Ole Land (literally the old land). There also is an eponymous periodical.
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