Editing Wilhelmshaven (section)

==History==
The {{ill|Siebethsburg castle|de|3=Sibetsburg}}, built before 1383, operated as a [[pirate]] stronghold; the [[Hanseatic League]] destroyed it in 1433. Four centuries later, the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] planned a fleet and a harbour on the North Sea. In 1853, Prince [[Adalbert of Prussia]], a cousin of the Prussian King [[Frederick William IV of Prussia|Frederick William IV]], arranged the [[Jade Treaty]] (''Jade-Vertrag'') with the [[Grand Duchy of Oldenburg]], in which Prussia and the Grand Duchy entered into a contract whereby Oldenburg ceded {{cvt|3.13|km2}} of its territory at the Jade Bight to Prussia. In 1869 King [[William I of Prussia]] (later also German Emperor) founded the town as an [[exclave]] of the [[Province of Hanover]] and a naval base for [[Prussian Navy|Prussia's developing fleet]]. All the [[hinterland]] of the city remained a part of Oldenburg.

A shipbuilding yard developed at Wilhelmshaven, the ''Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven'' ([[Wilhelmshaven Imperial Shipyard]]). On 30 June 1934 the "[[pocket battleship]]" ''[[German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee|Admiral Graf Spee]]'' was launched at Wilhelmshaven. The battleship [[German battleship Scharnhorst|''Scharnhorst'']] was subsequently laid down a year afterward, before her commissioning in 1939.

In 1937 Wilhelmshaven and the adjacent village [[Rüstringen]] merged<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.luftschutzbunker-wilhelmshaven.de/historie/histowhv.html |publisher=Luftschutzbunker Wilhelmshaven |access-date=2017-12-18 |title=Wilhelmshaven |archive-date=2018-07-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720115346/http://www.luftschutzbunker-wilhelmshaven.de/historie/histowhv.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and the united city, named Wilhelmshaven, became a part of the [[Free State of Oldenburg]].

===World War II===
{{See also|Bombing of Wilhelmshaven in World War II}}
During [[World War II]] (1939–1945), Wilhelmshaven served as the main base of the [[Kriegsmarine]]. [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] bombing destroyed two thirds of the town's buildings while the main target, the [[Kriegsmarinewerft|Naval Shipyard Wilhelmshaven]], remained operational despite serious damage.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.luftschutzbunker-wilhelmshaven.de/historie/statistik.html |title=Angriffe und Statistik |publisher=Homepage Luftschutzbunker Wilhelmshaven |access-date=2017-12-17 |archive-date=2018-04-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425183243/http://www.luftschutzbunker-wilhelmshaven.de/historie/statistik.html |url-status=live }}</ref> A major attack on residential areas of Wilhelmshaven was carried out on 15 October 1944. Various churches, hospitals, schools and many residential buildings were destroyed or severely damaged.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uwe-karwath.de/wilhelmshaven_abisz_M.html |title=Uwe Karwath &#124; Wilhelmshaven – Sehenswürdigkeiten von a bis Z – Teil 3 |access-date=2022-06-11 |archive-date=2022-03-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328071708/https://www.uwe-karwath.de/wilhelmshaven_abisz_M.html |url-status=live }}</ref> During the war, ''Alter Banter Weg'' (No. 1582 Wilhelmshaven), functioned as a subcamp of the [[Neuengamme concentration camp]].<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-neuengamme.de/en/history/satellite-camps/satellite-camps/wilhelmshaven-alter-banter-weg/ | title= KZ-Gedenkstätte Neuengamme, WILHELMSHAVEN (ALTER BANTER WEG) | language = en | access-date=2023-12-27 }}</ref>
On 28 April 1945 the [[1st Armoured Division (Poland)|Polish First Armored Division]] captured Wilhelmshaven, and took the surrender of the entire garrison, including over 200 ships of the [[Kriegsmarine]].<ref>{{cite book | author= Evan McGilvray | title= The Black Devils' March--A Doomed Odyssey: The 1st Polish Armoured Division 1939-1945 | isbn = 9781874622420 | language = English}}</ref> The Poles remained as part of the Allied occupation forces until 1947.

=== Since 1945 ===
In 1947 the city council decided to seek a new emblem for the city. After the [[Control Commission for Germany - British Element|Control Commission for Germany – British Element (CCG/BE)]] had rejected several designs, Wilhelmshaven selected the image of a [[Frisia]]n warrior (''Rüstringer Friese''), designed after a [[Nail Men|nail man]] erected in the city during the [[World War I|First World War]] to collect war donations.

Between 1947 and 1972 Wilhelmshaven was the home of [[Prince Rupert School]], a comprehensive boarding school for children of [[British Army of the Rhine]] and [[Royal Air Force Germany]] personnel serving in [[West Germany]]. The school relocated to [[Rinteln]] in [[Lower Saxony]] in 1972, and closed in 2014. There is an active association of former Wilhelmshaven pupils called The Wilhelmshaven Association. After World War II the shipyard was totally disarmed under the British Commander in Chief, and of course many military buildings were damaged or vacant. While it was prohibited to establish any kind of military-linked businesses, Wilhelmshaven took the opportunity to provide a convenient location for [[Olympia Werke]], which became one of the most popular quality typewriter factories in the world. A workforce of 7,000 worker was employed there in 1953.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.zeit.de/1954/29/olympia-werke-jetzt-ag |title=Olympiawerke jetzt AG = Die Zeit | newspaper=Die Zeit |date=1954-07-22 |access-date=2017-12-18 |archive-date=2018-11-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181112055540/https://www.zeit.de/1954/29/olympia-werke-jetzt-ag |url-status=live }}</ref>