As one would expect from a university in northern Germany, there had already been academic interest in the Low German language in Oldenburg even before the current degree programmes were established.

This began with the work of Dr Marron C. Fort, who, as a Senior Academic Officer here from 1983, conducted research into both Sater Frisian and Low German in north-west Germany and, from 1986 to 2003, headed the Low German Research Centre established at the University Library. This led to publications on the role of Low German in its coexistence with Frisian, for example *Niederdeutsch und Friesisch zwischen Lauwerzee und Weser* ( 1995), * * and *Niederdeutsch als zweite Sprache der Saterfriesen* ( 1997). Since 1989, Dr Volker Broweleit has, amongst other things, offered seminars relating to the Low German language at the Institute for German Studies. Prof. Dr Wolfgang Rohde, who held one of the first professorships in linguistics in Oldenburg, has engaged even more extensively with Low German in his research and teaching. Notable publications in this context include the annotated edition of the Middle Low German *Chronica van den groten daden der Graven van Oldenburg* ( 1993) and the essay *Die oldenburgischen Sprachenverhältnisse zwischen Mittelalter und früher Neuzeit* ( 1995). It is also thanks to Rohde that teaching posts were established at the Institute for German Studies, which were taken up by Gabriele Diekmann-Dröge from 1995 onwards. Since then, there has been a limited but continuous range of courses on Low German topics (dialectology, history of language, didactics, literary history) available to students of German Studies.

The academic symposia organised by the ‘Spieker’ (Heimatbund für das Oldenburger Land) has organised here since 1997 in collaboration with the university, and which have provided important impetus for the linguistic policy of strengthening and promoting Low German. Topics included , amongst others: Low German in the Charter – what next? (1997), More Low German in the media (1999), Low German at universities: Research and Teaching (2001), Low German in Schools (2004), Low German and Frisian in the Education System (2006), 10 Years of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in Lower Saxony ( 2009).

Against the backdrop of the closure of the Low German chair in Göttingen – which was responsible for the ‘Low German Philology’ degree programme, unique in Germany at the time – efforts to establish a corresponding professorship in Oldenburg intensified from 2005 onwards. Various advocacy groups and institutions were strongly committed to this cause, including the Institute for Low German Language in Bremen, the Bundesrat för Nedderdüütsch, the Low German section of the Lower Saxony Heritage Association, as well as the Ostfriesische and Oldenburgische Landschaft, and, at the University of Oldenburg, above all Prof. Dr Gerd Hentschel as Dean of School III - School of Linguistics and Cultural Studies.

In 2007, the German Studies professorship in ‘Pragmatics and Sociolinguistics/Low German’ was established and filled by Prof. Dr Jörg Peters. From the 2007/2008 winter semester onwards, under his leadership, the ‘Low German and Sater Frisian Specialisation’ was established at the Institute for German Studies, forming the basis for further research and teaching in Low German. From 2008 onwards, language acquisition courses for beginners and advanced learners were also introduced. From the outset, many students took advantage of the opportunity to undertake a ‘specialisation in Low German and Sater Frisian’ within the German Studies programme and to complete this with the award of the ‘Low German Certificate’. The first certificate was awarded in 2010. This provided the first opportunity to demonstrate the credits earned in a prominent way and thus, for example, to be appointed as a teacher with a Low German qualification in schools.

Thanks to the gradual increase in academic staff within the research focus, the range of courses on offer has been continuously expanded – both in terms of quantity and, above all, in terms of subject matter. A significant step in this direction was the establishment of a further Low German professorship in ‘Low German Literature from a Historical and Cultural Studies Perspective’, which was filled in October 2020 by Prof. Dr Doreen Brandt. In autumn 2023, a post in subject didactics was finally filled by Dr Franziska Buchmann, whose research and teaching focus on issues relating to the acquisition and teaching of Low German. This now ensures comprehensive coverage of all relevant areas of research and teaching for the Bachelor’s degree programme in Low German, which began in the winter semester of 2023, and for the Master of Education degree programmes due to follow in 2026/2027.