Maschen is a village in the municipality of Seevetal

Seevetal

Seevetal is a municipality in the district of Harburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 20 km south of Hamburg, and 15 km west of Winsen . Its seat is in the village Hittfeld...

 in Harburg district in the German state of 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...

. It lies south of 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...

 on the northern edge of the Lüneburg Heath

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...

 and within the commuter zone of the city of Hamburg. Maschen Marshalling Yard

Maschen Marshalling Yard

Maschen Marshalling Yard near Maschen south of Hamburg on the Hanover–Hamburg railway is the largest marshalling yard in Europe, its size only being exceeded worldwide by the Bailey Yard in the US state of Nebraska....

 is the largest of its kind in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 and the second biggest in the world. It was opened in 1977.

With its 9,266 inhabitants (as at: 31 December 2005) Maschen is the second largest village in Seevetal

Seevetal

Seevetal is a municipality in the district of Harburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 20 km south of Hamburg, and 15 km west of Winsen . Its seat is in the village Hittfeld...

. Maschen was first mentioned in the records in 1294 as Merschene (Low German = end of the marsh). In 1671 the first school was built; it has moved location several times since. Today Maschen Primary School is in the centre of Maschen next to the village hall. The restored school clock from the old school has been installed in the tower of the hall.

53°23′54"N 10°2′24"E