Otterndorf () is a town on the coast of the North Sea in the federal state of Lower Saxony, Germany, and is part of the collective municipality (Samtgemeinde) of Land Hadeln. The town, located in the administrative district (Landkreis) of Cuxhaven, is at the mouth of the river Medem, part of the Elbe delta. The old town centre (Altstadt) features a number of half-timbered houses. History Otterndorf belongs to the Land of Hadeln, first an exclave of the younger Duchy of Saxony and after its de facto dynastic partition in 1296 of the Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg, established de jure in 1260. The first written evidence of the town of Otterndorf dates from the year 1261 in a document written by Godefridus who was a Priest. In 1400, Otterndorf was granted city rights by Eric IV, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg. In 1728 Emperor Charles VI enfeoffed the George II Augustus and his House of Hanover in personal union with the reverted fief of Saxe-Lauenburg. By a redeployment of Hanoverian territories in 1731 the Hanoverian Duchies of Bremen and Verden were conveyed the administration of the neighboured Land of Hadeln. The Kingdom of Hanover incorporated the Land of Hadeln in a real union and its territory, including Otterndorf, became part of the new Stade Region, established in 1823. The Crane House One of Otterndorf's prominent buildings is in the oldest part of the town and is called the Crane House. This building dates from 1735 although its present façade dates from the later year of 1760. Once owned by the Radiek family the building was the focal point of this successful family business. The family traded in wine, salt and other spices. The crane effigy atop the house which is the building's namesake was placed there by Elizabeth Radiek in memory of her late husband. The Crane House today is the location of a museum dedicated the country life of Hadeln, as well as a local history archive. Another old building in the town is the Latin school. This unusual building dates from 1614. For many years this school provided the only education for the children of the Hadeln farmers and Otterndorf citizens who could not afford to send their children to schools that charged tuition. The building once boasted a bell which hung from a roof timber on the front but has unfortunately been lost over the years. The school's headmaster from