Calenberg Land
Encyclopedia
The Calenberg Land is a historic landscape southwest of Hanover
in Germany
, roughly formed by the countryside between the Leine and the Deister
hills. The name of this region comes from the Principality of Calenberg ruled the area during the Middle Ages
with its seat at Calenburg Castle near Pattensen
.
, Kleiner Deister
and Osterwald. Its northern boundary is Hanover
and the line of the A 2 motorway towards Wunstorf
. Its name is not derived from the hill known as the Kalenberg on the Deister.
The region includes the Calenberg Loess Börde (Calenburger Lössbörde) which was formed during and after the Weichselian glaciation. Strong north winds deposited the loess
soil in layers between 0.2 -2 m thick, the upper layers of which became loam
. The area is heavily dominated by arable farming as a result of its fertile soils. The elevations of the Marienberg, crowned by Schloss Marienburg (135 m AMSL), Süllberg (199 m), Benther Berg
(173 m), Gehrdener Berg
(154 m) and Stemmer Berg (122 m) dominate the otherwise gently rolling hills.
Under the Calenberg Land lie natural resources
which were already being used in the Middle Ages
. There are coal
deposits in the Deister, potash
salts, which were mined at Ronnenberg and Benthe, sandstone
and limestone
in the Deister and Kleine Deister, clay
for baking brick
s and sand and gravel in the river terraces of the Leine.
The towns of the Calenberg Land developed in the Middle Ages as the ruling classes conferred self-administration and market rights. All of them remained farming towns, in which many of the inhabitants continued to work on the land. Whilst today the majority of population of the Calenberg Land commutes
into Hanover, Hanover's citizens use the region as their local recreation area.
area of Marstemgau which was ruled by the House of Billung in the Early Middle Ages
. In the 12th century various fiefdoms emergted ruled by noble families from the region who were enfeoffed by the bishops of Minden and Hildesheim. These were the counts of Wölpe
(Nienburg/Weser), of Roden (Wunstorf
), of Schaumburg, of Schwalenberg (Barsinghausen
), of Spiegelberg
(Lauenstein) and of Hallermund (Springe
). At that time the counts founded a number of abbeys including: Mariensee, Marienwerder, Barsinghausen, Wennigsen and Wülfinghausen.In the 13th century the House of Welf gained the upper hand in Calenberg Land, although it was not called that. They bought out the counts and their estates or defeated their feudal masters in the shape of the bishops of Hildesheim and Minden. In the 13th century the Welfs built, south of Hanover in the vicinity of the Leine the water castle
of Calenberg
. Out of that emerged the Welf sub-principality of Calenberg.
In this way the land ruled by the Principality of Calenberg emerged, which was formerly much larger than the Calenberg Land is today. In the 15th century it stretched as far north as Nienburg/Weser and as far southwest as Hamelin
. In 1495 the Principality of Calenberg was united with the Principality of Göttingen
to become the Principality of Calenberg-Göttingen.
In 1519, during the Hildesheim Feud (Hildesheimer Stiftsfehde), there was serious devastation in the region. A map published in 1590 depicts almost all the settlements in the Calenberg Land as burning. In 1542 the area became Lutheran thanks to the work of the widowed duchess, Elisabeth of Brandenburg
(1510–1558), and Anton Corvinus carried out the Reformation
at her request. An attempt to re-catholicise the area by Eric II, Duke of Calenberg
during the Schmalkaldic War
failed due to popular resistance.
In 1625, during the Thirty Years War, the forces of Tilly invaded and captured the castle of Calenberg after a three-week siege. The general ruled the whole of the Calenberg Land with the exception of Hanover. Not until 1633 was the castle recaptured.
Calenberg Land was incorporated into the Landdrostei, later Regierungsbezirk
of Hanover in 1823 together with Hoya
and Diepholz
. After the dissolution of the Regierungsbezirke and their governments in Lower Saxony in 2004 it became part of Hanover Region. Since the 19th century there has been an economic boom in the Calenberg Land as a result of more intensive use of its geological and agricultural resources, such as potash mining and intensive sugar beet
farming by cement
factories and sugar refineries respectively.
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, roughly formed by the countryside between the Leine and the Deister
Deister
The Deister is a chain of hills in the German state of Lower Saxony, about 15 mi southwest of the city of Hanover. It runs in a north-westerly direction from Springe in the south to Rodenberg in the north. The next the chain of hills that attaches in the south is called Small Deister...
hills. The name of this region comes from the Principality of Calenberg ruled the area during the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
with its seat at Calenburg Castle near Pattensen
Pattensen
Pattensen is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 12 km south of Hanover.-History:It was the capital of the Principality of Calenberg until 1636, when the capital moved to the town of Hanover, from which the state of Hanover was...
.
Geography
Today Calenberg Land covers a geographical area of about 20 x 30 km. It lies on the left bank of the river Leine and is bordered to the west by the hills of the DeisterDeister
The Deister is a chain of hills in the German state of Lower Saxony, about 15 mi southwest of the city of Hanover. It runs in a north-westerly direction from Springe in the south to Rodenberg in the north. The next the chain of hills that attaches in the south is called Small Deister...
, Kleiner Deister
Kleiner Deister
The Kleiner Deister is a ridge of hills in the Calenberg Uplands which, together with the Nesselberg and the Osterwald, forms a group of three adjacent hill ranges in the northern part of the Leine Uplands...
and Osterwald. Its northern boundary is Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
and the line of the A 2 motorway towards Wunstorf
Wunstorf
Wunstorf is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 22 km west of Hanover. The following localities belong to the city of Wunstorf: Blumenau , Bokeloh, Grossenheidorn, Idensen , Klein Heidorn, Kolenfeld, Luthe, Mesmerode, Steinhude, Wunstorf....
. Its name is not derived from the hill known as the Kalenberg on the Deister.
The region includes the Calenberg Loess Börde (Calenburger Lössbörde) which was formed during and after the Weichselian glaciation. Strong north winds deposited the loess
Loess
Loess is an aeolian sediment formed by the accumulation of wind-blown silt, typically in the 20–50 micrometre size range, twenty percent or less clay and the balance equal parts sand and silt that are loosely cemented by calcium carbonate...
soil in layers between 0.2 -2 m thick, the upper layers of which became loam
Loam
Loam is soil composed of sand, silt, and clay in relatively even concentration . Loam soils generally contain more nutrients and humus than sandy soils, have better infiltration and drainage than silty soils, and are easier to till than clay soils...
. The area is heavily dominated by arable farming as a result of its fertile soils. The elevations of the Marienberg, crowned by Schloss Marienburg (135 m AMSL), Süllberg (199 m), Benther Berg
Benther Berg
The Benther Berg is a ridge, up to , in the Calenberg Land near Benthe in Hanover Region in the German state of Lower Saxony.- Location :The Benther Berg is about 3.5 kilometres long and 500 m wide...
(173 m), Gehrdener Berg
Gehrdener Berg
The Gehrdener Berg is a forested ridge in the Calenberg Land in Hanover Region in the north German state of Lower Saxony. On its slopes nestles the town of Gehrden that gives the ridge its name. The ridge is about 2.7 kilometres long and is the sister hill range of the Benther Berg in southwest...
(154 m) and Stemmer Berg (122 m) dominate the otherwise gently rolling hills.
Under the Calenberg Land lie natural resources
Natural Resources
Natural Resources is a soul album released by Motown girl group Martha Reeves and the Vandellas in 1970 on the Gordy label. The album is significant for the Vietnam War ballad "I Should Be Proud" and the slow jam, "Love Guess Who"...
which were already being used in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. There are coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
deposits in the Deister, potash
Potash
Potash is the common name for various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form. In some rare cases, potash can be formed with traces of organic materials such as plant remains, and this was the major historical source for it before the industrial era...
salts, which were mined at Ronnenberg and Benthe, sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
and limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
in the Deister and Kleine Deister, clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
for baking brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
s and sand and gravel in the river terraces of the Leine.
Towns and villages
- BarsinghausenBarsinghausenBarsinghausen is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated at the Deister chain of hills approx. 20 km west of Hanover...
- GehrdenGehrdenGehrden is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. southwest of Hanover.- References :...
- Hemmingen
- PattensenPattensenPattensen is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 12 km south of Hanover.-History:It was the capital of the Principality of Calenberg until 1636, when the capital moved to the town of Hanover, from which the state of Hanover was...
- RonnenbergRonnenbergRonnenberg is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 8 km southwest of Hanover....
- SeelzeSeelzeSeelze is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Leine, approx. 10 km west of Hanover. Today Seelze mainly plays the role of a bedroom town for commuters working in Hanover.-Division of the town:...
- SpringeSpringeSpringe is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the Deister hills, southwest of Hanover.-City Structure:* Springe with 12,666 Inhabitants* Bennigsen with 4,095 Inhabitants...
- Wennigsen
- WunstorfWunstorfWunstorf is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 22 km west of Hanover. The following localities belong to the city of Wunstorf: Blumenau , Bokeloh, Grossenheidorn, Idensen , Klein Heidorn, Kolenfeld, Luthe, Mesmerode, Steinhude, Wunstorf....
The towns of the Calenberg Land developed in the Middle Ages as the ruling classes conferred self-administration and market rights. All of them remained farming towns, in which many of the inhabitants continued to work on the land. Whilst today the majority of population of the Calenberg Land commutes
Commuting
Commuting is regular travel between one's place of residence and place of work or full time study. It sometimes refers to any regular or often repeated traveling between locations when not work related.- History :...
into Hanover, Hanover's citizens use the region as their local recreation area.
History
The present-day geographical region of Calenberg Land roughly corresponds to the GermanicGermanic peoples
The Germanic peoples are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.Originating about 1800 BCE from the Corded Ware Culture on the North...
area of Marstemgau which was ruled by the House of Billung in the Early Middle Ages
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...
. In the 12th century various fiefdoms emergted ruled by noble families from the region who were enfeoffed by the bishops of Minden and Hildesheim. These were the counts of Wölpe
County of Wölpe
The County of Wölpe was the territorial lordship of a noble family in the Middle Ages in the Middle Weser Region near Nienburg/Weser which folded in 1302. The seat of the counts of Wölpe was the castle site at Erichshagen-Wölpe on the Wölpe stream in the borough of Nienburg in north Germany...
(Nienburg/Weser), of Roden (Wunstorf
Wunstorf
Wunstorf is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 22 km west of Hanover. The following localities belong to the city of Wunstorf: Blumenau , Bokeloh, Grossenheidorn, Idensen , Klein Heidorn, Kolenfeld, Luthe, Mesmerode, Steinhude, Wunstorf....
), of Schaumburg, of Schwalenberg (Barsinghausen
Barsinghausen
Barsinghausen is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated at the Deister chain of hills approx. 20 km west of Hanover...
), of Spiegelberg
Spiegelberg
Spiegelberg is a town in the district of Rems-Murr in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.The name of the town refers to 18th century glass production on the hills, with mirror polishing being done in the valley of the Lauter river....
(Lauenstein) and of Hallermund (Springe
Springe
Springe is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the Deister hills, southwest of Hanover.-City Structure:* Springe with 12,666 Inhabitants* Bennigsen with 4,095 Inhabitants...
). At that time the counts founded a number of abbeys including: Mariensee, Marienwerder, Barsinghausen, Wennigsen and Wülfinghausen.In the 13th century the House of Welf gained the upper hand in Calenberg Land, although it was not called that. They bought out the counts and their estates or defeated their feudal masters in the shape of the bishops of Hildesheim and Minden. In the 13th century the Welfs built, south of Hanover in the vicinity of the Leine the water castle
Water castle
A water castle is a castle or stately home whose site is entirely surrounded by moats or natural waterbodies. Topographically water castles are a type of lowland castle.There is a further distinction between:...
of Calenberg
Calenberg Castle
Calenberg Castle was a medieval lowland castle in central Germany, near Schulenburg in the borough of Pattensen, 13 km west of the city of Hildesheim. It was built as a water castle in 1292 by the Welf duke, Otto the Strict, in der Leine river meadows between 2 branches of the Leine river on...
. Out of that emerged the Welf sub-principality of Calenberg.
In this way the land ruled by the Principality of Calenberg emerged, which was formerly much larger than the Calenberg Land is today. In the 15th century it stretched as far north as Nienburg/Weser and as far southwest as Hamelin
Hamelin
Hamelin is a town on the river Weser in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Hamelin-Pyrmont and has a population of 58,696 ....
. In 1495 the Principality of Calenberg was united with the Principality of Göttingen
Principality of Göttingen
The Principality of Göttingen was a subdivision of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire with Göttingen as its capital. It was split off from the principality of Brunswick in 1286 in the course of an estate division among members of the House of Welf...
to become the Principality of Calenberg-Göttingen.
In 1519, during the Hildesheim Feud (Hildesheimer Stiftsfehde), there was serious devastation in the region. A map published in 1590 depicts almost all the settlements in the Calenberg Land as burning. In 1542 the area became Lutheran thanks to the work of the widowed duchess, Elisabeth of Brandenburg
Elisabeth of Brandenburg, Duchess of Brunswick-Calenberg-Göttingen
Elisabeth of Brandenburg was a princess of the House of Hohenzollern and a Margravine of Brandenburg by birth and by marriage Duchess of Brunswick-Göttingen-Calenberg and later and was Countess Consort of Henneberg...
(1510–1558), and Anton Corvinus carried out the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
at her request. An attempt to re-catholicise the area by Eric II, Duke of Calenberg
Eric II, Duke of Calenberg
Eric II, Duke of Brunswick and Lunenburg was duke in the Brunswick-Lunenburgian Principality of Calenberg from 1545 to 1584. Since 1495 the Principality of Göttingen was incorporated in Calenberg....
during the Schmalkaldic War
Schmalkaldic War
The Schmalkaldic War refers to the short period of violence from 1546 until 1547 between the forces of Emperor Charles I of Spain and V of the Holy Roman Empire, commanded by Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba, and the Lutheran Schmalkaldic League within the domains of the Holy Roman...
failed due to popular resistance.
In 1625, during the Thirty Years War, the forces of Tilly invaded and captured the castle of Calenberg after a three-week siege. The general ruled the whole of the Calenberg Land with the exception of Hanover. Not until 1633 was the castle recaptured.
Calenberg Land was incorporated into the Landdrostei, later Regierungsbezirk
Regierungsbezirk
In Germany, a Government District, in German: Regierungsbezirk – is a subdivision of certain federal states .They are above the Kreise, Landkreise, and kreisfreie Städte...
of Hanover in 1823 together with Hoya
Hoya
Hoya is a genus of 200-300 species of tropical plants in the family Apocynaceae , fomerly considered to be in the Asclepiadaceae...
and Diepholz
Diepholz
Diepholz is a town and capital of the district of Diepholz, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Hunte, approximately 45 km northeast of Osnabrück, and 60 km southwest of Bremen....
. After the dissolution of the Regierungsbezirke and their governments in Lower Saxony in 2004 it became part of Hanover Region. Since the 19th century there has been an economic boom in the Calenberg Land as a result of more intensive use of its geological and agricultural resources, such as potash mining and intensive sugar beet
Sugar beet
Sugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose tuber contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production. Sugar beets and other B...
farming by cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
factories and sugar refineries respectively.
Sights
- Bennigser Burg
- Calenberg CastleCalenberg CastleCalenberg Castle was a medieval lowland castle in central Germany, near Schulenburg in the borough of Pattensen, 13 km west of the city of Hildesheim. It was built as a water castle in 1292 by the Welf duke, Otto the Strict, in der Leine river meadows between 2 branches of the Leine river on...
- Hallermund Castle
- Wülfinghausen Abbey
- Saupark Springe
- Marienburg Castle
- Springe Bison Enclosure
Source
- Carl-Hans Hauptmeyer: Calenberg, Geschichte und Gesellschaft einer niedersächsischen Landschaft, Hanover, 1983, ISBN 3-7716-1437-6
