Hassel (Bergen)
Encyclopedia
Hassel is a village administered by the Lower Saxon town of Bergen in the northern part of Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath
in North Germany
.
in Sülze. The majority of Hassel's population are Protestant; Roman Catholic villagers come under the parish of Bergen.
language region and Northern Low Saxon
dialect group. Since the end of the Second World War, High German (i.e. standard German) has become widespread and largely superseded Low German. However, amongst the older villagers Low German is still used colloquially.
.
Hassel was first mentioned in the records in 1298. In a list of cattle holdings in 1438 three farms are documented; in 1589 five farmsteads are named in a housebook. These three farms and two individual houses (Kötnerhöfen) continued to exist over the following centuries and it was not until the 19th century that further farms appeared.
The 19th century was characterised by extensive agricultural reforms. Fundamental to subsequent reforms was the general division (Generalteilung) of land at the beginning of the 19th century, whereby the villages were given fixed boundaries and every piece of land was allocated to a municipality (Gemeinde
). The amount of land around the individual villages which was allocated to them was based on the grazing rights they had held in the past.
This was followed during the period 1838 to 1858 by the division of common land (Gemeinheitsteilungen). Common land
, i.e. those areas which had hitherto been shared by the community, was now transferred to the individual farms as freehold property based on their existing rights to the common land.
On the basis of the Kingdom of Hanover
's 1833 redemption law the obligations on farms under the manorial system were repealed. Farms to which the so-called manorial rights applied had been hitherto obliged to give numerous services and make frequent payments to the manor. That was now repealed on payment of 25 times the annual dues and the land was then granted under freehold into the farmers' ownership.
One consequence of the redemption law was that the land holdings could now be freely sold. That created the right conditions for the establishment of new farmsteads. As a result, in the second half of the 19th century, a new village appeared on the Achterberg.
's office, the lowest level of administration and justice, which was presided over by a ducal vogt
. Matters of importance that only affected Hassel were discussed and decided by the Realgemeinde, i.e. the farm owners who had common land
rights. The political reforms of the 19th century brought about a fundamental change from which the political municipality of Sülze arose. Participation in the resolution of village affairs was no longer dependent on ownership of property or land; instead every male villager over 25 had the right to vote.
Since the merging of local councils as part of the Lower Saxon administrative reforms of 1971, Hassel has been part of the town of Bergen. Hassel is represented by a local council (Ortsrat) and a mayor (Ortsbürgermeister). The council is empowered, inter alia, to make decisions about public services in the village, is responsible for maintaining the appearance of the village and for overseeing its clubs and societies, and has to be consulted by the town of Bergen on all important matters affecting the village. It consists of five elected representatives who, together with the mayor, sit on the Bergen town council. The village council elects its own mayor. The current incumbent is Helmut Ebel.
Lüneburg Heath
The Lüneburg Heath is a large area of heath, geest and woodland in northeastern part of the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. It forms part of the hinterland for the cities of Hamburg, Hanover, and Bremen and is named after the town of Lüneburg. Most of the area is a nature reserve...
in North 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...
.
Geography
It lies about 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) south of Bergen on the B 3 federal road in the glacial valley of the River Örtze. It has an area of 1440 hectares (3,558.3 acre) and a current population of 217 inhabitants. It is administratively responsible for the neighbouring hamlets of Achterberg, Grünewald and Wallerholz.Religion
Until 1971 Hassel belonged to the parish of Winsen. Then, at the request of the parishioners, they were transferred to the parish of St. Fabian and St. SebastianChurch of St. Fabian and St. Sebastian, Sülze
The Church of St. Fabian and St. Sebastian in Sülze is a church of the Evangelical-Lutheran parish in the church district of Celle and in the Evangelical-Lutheran State Church of Hanover.- History of the parish :...
in Sülze. The majority of Hassel's population are Protestant; Roman Catholic villagers come under the parish of Bergen.
Language
Hassel lies within the Low GermanLow German
Low German or Low Saxon is an Ingvaeonic West Germanic language spoken mainly in northern Germany and the eastern part of the Netherlands...
language region and Northern Low Saxon
Northern Low Saxon
Northern Low Saxon is a West Low German dialect.As such, it covers a great part of the West Low-German-speaking areas of northern Germany, with the exception of the border regions where Eastphalian and Westphalian are spoken...
dialect group. Since the end of the Second World War, High German (i.e. standard German) has become widespread and largely superseded Low German. However, amongst the older villagers Low German is still used colloquially.
History
It is not clear when the village of Hassel first came into being, but what is certain is that the first settlements appeared between Krähenberg and Ostermoor on the slopes of the glacial valley of the ÖrtzeÖrtze
The Örtze is a river in the North German state of Lower Saxony, which rises north of Munster in the Große Heide and, after , joins the Aller southeast of Winsen.- Source and course :...
.
Hassel was first mentioned in the records in 1298. In a list of cattle holdings in 1438 three farms are documented; in 1589 five farmsteads are named in a housebook. These three farms and two individual houses (Kötnerhöfen) continued to exist over the following centuries and it was not until the 19th century that further farms appeared.
The 19th century was characterised by extensive agricultural reforms. Fundamental to subsequent reforms was the general division (Generalteilung) of land at the beginning of the 19th century, whereby the villages were given fixed boundaries and every piece of land was allocated to a municipality (Gemeinde
Gemeinde
Gemeinde is a German word for borough, commune, community, township, municipality, or in religious contexts, a parish or congregation ....
). The amount of land around the individual villages which was allocated to them was based on the grazing rights they had held in the past.
This was followed during the period 1838 to 1858 by the division of common land (Gemeinheitsteilungen). Common land
Common land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
, i.e. those areas which had hitherto been shared by the community, was now transferred to the individual farms as freehold property based on their existing rights to the common land.
On the basis of 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...
's 1833 redemption law the obligations on farms under the manorial system were repealed. Farms to which the so-called manorial rights applied had been hitherto obliged to give numerous services and make frequent payments to the manor. That was now repealed on payment of 25 times the annual dues and the land was then granted under freehold into the farmers' ownership.
One consequence of the redemption law was that the land holdings could now be freely sold. That created the right conditions for the establishment of new farmsteads. As a result, in the second half of the 19th century, a new village appeared on the Achterberg.
Politics and administration
Since the 14th century Winsen was recorded as having a vogteiVogtei
Vogtei could be:* The residenz or domain of a Vogt* Vogtei , a municipal association in the Unstrut-Hainich district of Thuringia, Germany....
's office, the lowest level of administration and justice, which was presided over by a ducal vogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
. Matters of importance that only affected Hassel were discussed and decided by the Realgemeinde, i.e. the farm owners who had common land
Common land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
rights. The political reforms of the 19th century brought about a fundamental change from which the political municipality of Sülze arose. Participation in the resolution of village affairs was no longer dependent on ownership of property or land; instead every male villager over 25 had the right to vote.
Since the merging of local councils as part of the Lower Saxon administrative reforms of 1971, Hassel has been part of the town of Bergen. Hassel is represented by a local council (Ortsrat) and a mayor (Ortsbürgermeister). The council is empowered, inter alia, to make decisions about public services in the village, is responsible for maintaining the appearance of the village and for overseeing its clubs and societies, and has to be consulted by the town of Bergen on all important matters affecting the village. It consists of five elected representatives who, together with the mayor, sit on the Bergen town council. The village council elects its own mayor. The current incumbent is Helmut Ebel.