The coordination chemistry of the oxadiazole-containing rigid bidentate ligands 2,5-bis(4-pyridyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (L1) and 2,5-bis(3-pyridyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (L2) with inorganic IIB metal salts have been investigated. Five new coordination polymers (1–5) were prepared by solution reactions and fully characterized by infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Cd(L1) 2 (CH 3 CN) 2 ](ClO 4 ) 2 ·(CH 3 CN) 2 (1) crystallized in the monoclinic space group P2 1 /c, a=8.4028(5) Å, b=21.3726(13) Å, c=10.5617(7) Å, β=95.1200(10)°, and Z=2. In the solid state, it adopts an infinite two-dimensional polymeric structural motif with effective cross section of ca. 14.31×14.31 Å. Cd(L2)(H 2 O)(NO 3 ) 2 (2) crystallized in the monoclinic space group Ia, a=7.1203(5) Å, b=22.2475(15) Å, c=20.2652(16) Å, β=90.6080(10)°, and Z=8. In the solid state, the two Cd(II) centers are connected to each other by L2 ligands and bridging nitrates into a two-dimensional network. [ZnCl 2 (L1)] (3) and [HgI 2 (L1)]·CH 3 CN (4) crystallized in the monoclinic crystal system (3: P2 1 /c, a=5.3702(3) Å, b=20.4800(11) Å, c=12.4093(7) Å, β=94.7930(10)°, and Z=4; 4: P2/n, a=17.2733(11) Å, b=5.2173(3) Å, c=20.4069(13) Å, β=102.8690(10)°, and Z=4). In the solid state, Zn(II) and Hg(II) metal centers are connected to each other by L1 ligands into a zigzag chain motif. Compound 5 (HgBr 2 (L2) is different from 3 and 4, monoclinic, P2(1)/n, a=5.470(4) Å, b=16.271(13) Å, c=16.486(12) Å, β=93.197(15)°, and Z=4) adopts a novel one-dimensional helical chain motif which resulted from the relative different coordinated orientation of the two N-donors on L2 ligand.