Grasberg
Encyclopedia
Grasberg is a municipality in the district of Osterholz
, in Lower Saxony
, Germany
. It is situated approx. 13 km southeast of Osterholz-Scharmbeck
, and 20 km northeast of Bremen
.
s. The area belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen, established in 1180. By the Peace of Westphalia
the Prince-Archbishopric was transformed into the Duchy of Bremen in 1648, which - together with the Principality of Verden - was first given as a prey for its participation in the Thirty Years' War to be ruled in personal union
by the Swedish Crown. These two imperial fiefs to the Swedes are thus colloquially called Bremen-Verden
.
After a Danish occupation (1712-1715) the Duchy of Bremen was sold to the House of Hanover
, and thus became ruled in personal union with the Electorate of Hanover
and the United Kingdom
. It was Bremen-Verden's government which commissioned the drainage, cultivation and colonisation of the moorlands, first under the responsibility of Moor Commissioner Jürgen Christian Findorff (1720–1792).
In 1785-89 Findorff prompted - after his own design - the construction of the Lutheran church of today's Grasberg on a sandy grass-covered hill (ca. 5 m above sea level), giving the name to Grasberg (literally in grass mount), serving as a parish church for 12 newly founded villages in the lower moorlands.
The Lutheran church houses a rare treasury, the only surviving small scale urban pipe organ
created by the famous Arp Schnitger
, originally commissioned by an orphanage in Hamburg
in 1694. In 1789 Grasberg's congregation bought the organ.
The Hanoveran Duchy of Bremen, including the already existing municipalities now component of Grasberg, changed occupation several times during the Napoléonic Wars
.
In 1807 the ephemeric Kingdom of Westphalia
annexed the Duchy, before France
annexed it in 1810. In 1813 the Duchy was restored to the Electorate of Hanover, which - after its upgrade to the Kingdom of Hanover
in 1814 - incorporated the Duchy in a real union
and the ducal territory, including the villages now comprising Grasberg, became part of the Stade Region
, established in 1823. In 1831 the village named Grasberg developed at the church.
Osterholz
Osterholz is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Wesermarsch, Cuxhaven, Rotenburg and Verden, and by the city of Bremen.-History:...
, in Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, 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...
. It is situated approx. 13 km southeast of Osterholz-Scharmbeck
Osterholz-Scharmbeck
Osterholz-Scharmbeck is a town and the capital of the district of Osterholz, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Osterholz-Scharmbeck is situated in between the cities of Bremen and Bremerhaven.-Neighbouring places:* Bremen * Delmenhorst...
, and 20 km northeast of Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
.
History
Before the cultivation and colonisation of the area comprising today's Grasberg, the landscape was dominated by moorlandMoorland
Moorland or moor is a type of habitat, in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, found in upland areas, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils and heavy fog...
s. The area belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen, established in 1180. By the Peace of Westphalia
Peace of Westphalia
The Peace of Westphalia was a series of peace treaties signed between May and October of 1648 in Osnabrück and Münster. These treaties ended the Thirty Years' War in the Holy Roman Empire, and the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Dutch Republic, with Spain formally recognizing the...
the Prince-Archbishopric was transformed into the Duchy of Bremen in 1648, which - together with the Principality of Verden - was first given as a prey for its participation in the Thirty Years' War to be ruled in personal union
Personal union
A personal union is the combination by which two or more different states have the same monarch while their boundaries, their laws and their interests remain distinct. It should not be confused with a federation which is internationally considered a single state...
by the Swedish Crown. These two imperial fiefs to the Swedes are thus colloquially called Bremen-Verden
Bremen-Verden
Bremen-Verden, formally the Duchies of Bremen and Verden , were two territories and immediate fiefs of the Holy Roman Empire, which emerged and gained Imperial immediacy in 1180...
.
After a Danish occupation (1712-1715) the Duchy of Bremen was sold to the House of Hanover
House of Hanover
The House of Hanover is a deposed German royal dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , the Kingdom of Hanover, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
, and thus became ruled in personal union with the Electorate of Hanover
Electorate of Hanover
The Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg was the ninth Electorate of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It was Bremen-Verden's government which commissioned the drainage, cultivation and colonisation of the moorlands, first under the responsibility of Moor Commissioner Jürgen Christian Findorff (1720–1792).
In 1785-89 Findorff prompted - after his own design - the construction of the Lutheran church of today's Grasberg on a sandy grass-covered hill (ca. 5 m above sea level), giving the name to Grasberg (literally in grass mount), serving as a parish church for 12 newly founded villages in the lower moorlands.
The Lutheran church houses a rare treasury, the only surviving small scale urban pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
created by the famous Arp Schnitger
Arp Schnitger
Arp Schnitger was a highly influential German organ builder. He was primarily active in Northern Europe, especially the Netherlands and Germany, where a number of his instruments survive to the present day; his organs can also be found as far away as Portugal and Brazil.Notable examples still in...
, originally commissioned by an orphanage in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
in 1694. In 1789 Grasberg's congregation bought the organ.
The Hanoveran Duchy of Bremen, including the already existing municipalities now component of Grasberg, changed occupation several times during the Napoléonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
.
In 1807 the ephemeric Kingdom of Westphalia
Kingdom of Westphalia
The Kingdom of Westphalia was a new country of 2.6 million Germans that existed from 1807-1813. It included of territory in Hesse and other parts of present-day Germany. While formally independent, it was a vassal state of the First French Empire, ruled by Napoleon's brother Jérôme Bonaparte...
annexed the Duchy, before France
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
annexed it in 1810. In 1813 the Duchy was restored to the Electorate of Hanover, which - after its upgrade to the Kingdom of Hanover
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg , and joined with 38 other sovereign states in the German...
in 1814 - incorporated the Duchy in a real union
Real union
Real union is a union of two or more states, which share some state institutions as in contrast to personal unions; however they are not as unified as states in a political union...
and the ducal territory, including the villages now comprising Grasberg, became part of the Stade Region
Stade (region)
The Stade Region emerged in 1823 by an administrative reorganisation of the dominions of the Kingdom of Hanover, a sovereign state, whose then territory is almost completely part of today's German federal state of Lower Saxony...
, established in 1823. In 1831 the village named Grasberg developed at the church.
Component Localities
Today's Grasberg comprises a number of formerly independent municipalities, incorporated into Grasberg in the 1970-s and 1980-s.- Wörpedorf, established in 1751, incorporated in 1974
- Eickedorf, established in 1753, incorporated in 1974
- Rautendorf, established in 1762, incorporated in 1974
- Schmalenbeck, established in 1762, incorporated in 1974
- Dannenberg, established in 1780, incorporated in 1974
- Tüschendorf, established in 1782, incorporated in 1974
- Meinershausen, established in 1785, incorporated in 1974
- Grasdorf, established in 1784, incorporated in 1974
- Huxfeld, established in 1789, incorporated in 1974
- Seehausen, established in 1790, incorporated in 1974
- Mittelsmoor, established in 1792, incorporated in 1974
- Otterstein, established in 1794, incorporated in 1974
- Adolphsdorf, established in 1800. Lieutenant General Prince Adolphus, Duke of CambridgePrince Adolphus, Duke of CambridgeThe Prince Adolphus, 1st Duke of Cambridge , was the tenth child and seventh son of George III and Queen Charlotte. He held the title of Duke of Cambridge from 1801 until his death. He also served as Viceroy of Hanover on behalf of his brothers George IV and William IV...
, then stationed in the Electorate of HanoverElectorate of HanoverThe Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg was the ninth Electorate of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation...
, attended the foundation and named the village after himself Adolphsdorf. Adolphsdorf was incorporated into Grasberg in 1974. - Weinkaufsmoor, established in 1826, incorporated in 1974
- Grasberg, established in 1831
- Wilstedter Moor, incorporated in 1976
- Tarmstedter Moor, incorporated in 1983