Essel is a municipality in the Heidekreis district, in

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Most of the village is located on the southern bank of the river

Aller Aller may refer to: Places Rivers * Aller (Germany), a major river in North Germany *Aller (Asturian river), a river in Asturias, Spain *River Aller, a small river on Exmoor in Somerset, England Inhabited places in the United Kingdom *Aller, Devo ...

. The A 7 motorway runs through the village.

Subdivisions

The municipality of Essel comprises 4 subdivisions: * Essel * Engehausen * Stillenhöfen *

Ostenholz Moor Ostenholz Moor (German: ''Ostenholzer Moor'') is a raised bog on the Lüneburg Heath in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is named after the village of Ostenholz and is not far from Meißendorf. The bog is almost entirely within the Bergen- ...

History

Essel was first mentioned in 1251 as ''Esele''. The surveillance of the Aller crossing at Essel and control of

shipping was undertaken by the three lords of

Hademstorf Hademstorf is a municipality in the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russi ...

. In the 14th century their seat was at

Uhlenburg Uhlenburg is the site ('' Burgstall'') of a lowland castle that was built in the 14th century close to the River Aller near Essel in the German state of Lower Saxony. This Late Middle Ages aristocratic seat only existed for a few decades towards t ...

. This castle was situated in the Aller valley between Essel and

Buchholz (Aller) Buchholz (Aller) () is a municipality in the Heidekreis district, in Lower Saxony, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after ...

and was destroyed in 1394 by the

Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

. Another castle was built in the 13th century at Engehausen— Blankenburg Castle—on the site of which a manor house was subsequently built.

References

Heidekreis {{Heidekreis-geo-stub