From a promoter of the local economy to an innovative force: The "Wirtschaftsliche Vereinigung Oldenburg - DER KLEINE KREIS e.V." (Oldenburg Business Association - THE LITTLE CIRCLE) pursues the goal of addressing pressing reform issues and initiating public discussion about them.

The story begins at the end of 1950. On December 15, more than 20 gentlemen from leading Oldenburg companies meet in the rooms of the Hotel Hassenbürger. The aim of the meeting is to "bring together a small circle of Oldenburg economists [...] for special tasks" - as Dr. Kurt Jahncke puts it in his invitation.

At the end of the 1950s, the phase begins in which the events of the KLEINER KREIS, which are still successful today, take their start. The famous first "Evening at the Castle in Oldenburg," or Schlossabend for short, in 1957 with its famous first guest, the then Minister of Economics Ludwig Erhard, is equally programmatic for the political direction of the KLEINEN KREIS and symptomatic of its importance. The Schlossabend not only represents Oldenburg's economy, but also Oldenburg as the center of political power and strength in the Northwest.

And so, in the following years(decades), the consistency of the KLEINEN KREIS and its members proves itself in their adherence to vigilant political observation and discussion to the regularity and success of the events of the Economic Association. Through the changing times of German politics and economic development, the KLEINE KREIS has remained true to its ambition. But that is not all: Over the years, the Economic Association has found many an occasion to promote and support progress in the Northwest region as an innovative force.