A ''Hagenhufendorf'' (German: also ''Bachhufendorf'', ''Hagenhufensiedlung'' or ''Hägerhufensiedlung'') is an elongated settlement, similar to a ''

Reihendorf The ''Reihendorf'' ("row village" or ribbon development, plural: ''Reihendörfer'') or ''Hufendorf'' ("oxgang village") is the name used of a particular form of linear settlement in German-speaking countries that is characterized by rows of houses ...

'', laid out along a road running parallel to a stream, whereby only one side of the road has houses, whilst on the opposite side are the hides (''Hufen''), the handkerchief-shaped farmer's fields of medieval origin, about 20 to 40

morgen A morgen was a unit of measurement of land area in Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Lithuania and the Dutch colonies, including South Africa and Taiwan. The size of a morgen varies from . It was also used in Old Prussia, in the Balkans, Norway ...

s in area.

Name

This German term is probably derived from ''Hagenrecht'' ("hedging right"), i.e. the owner had a right to enclose the land he used. This went even further for the ''Hägerhufensiedlungen'', where there was a ''Hägerjunker'' in charge and special courts dealing with enclosure issues, the ''Hägergerichte''.

Description

The ''Hagenhufensiedlung'' was a form of planned settlement typical of the

High Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and were followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended ...

that consisted of individually owned strips of land that were strung together in a line. The hides were as wide as the farmstead, but could be several hundred metres long. The enclosed plots were used as vegetable gardens and for keeping small animals. The stream at the back of the farmhouses supplied the necessary water. From this type of settlement, long linear villages developed like

Auhagen Auhagen is a municipality in the district of Schaumburg, 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 Russia, ...

Wiedensahl Wiedensahl is a municipality in the district of Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The caricaturist, painter and poet Wilhelm Busch Heinrich Christian Wilhelm Busch (14 April 1832 – 9 January 1908) was a German humorist, poet, ill ...

Isernhagen Isernhagen ( Eastphalian: ''Isernhogen'') is a municipality in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the north-east of Hanover. According to the average income per capita it is the most affluent municipality in Low ...

, Kathrinhagen or Rodewald in Lower Saxony. ''Hagenhufensiedlungen'' may be found from the

Taunus The Taunus is a mountain range in Hesse, Germany, located north of Frankfurt. The tallest peak in the range is ''Großer Feldberg'' at 878 m; other notable peaks are ''Kleiner Feldberg'' (825 m) and ''Altkönig'' (798 m). The Taunus range spans ...

region as far as

Western Pomerania Historical Western Pomerania, also called Cispomerania, Fore Pomerania, Front Pomerania or Hither Pomerania (german: Vorpommern), is the western extremity of the historic region of Pomerania forming the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, Weste ...

. The ''Hägerhufensiedlung'' is restricted to a region in the area of the

Weser Uplands The Weser Uplands (German: ''Weserbergland'', ) is a hill region in Germany, between Hannoversch Münden and Porta Westfalica, along the river Weser. The area reaches into three states, Lower Saxony, Hesse, and North Rhine-Westphalia. Important ...

Leine Uplands The Leine Uplands (german: Leinebergland, ) is a region in Germany's Central Uplands which forms a part of the Lower Saxon Hills and lies along the River Leine between Göttingen and Hanover. It borders on the Weser Uplands in the west, the Inners ...

and

Lippe Lippe () is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Herford, Minden-Lübbecke, Höxter, Paderborn, Gütersloh, and district-free Bielefeld, which forms the region Ostwestfalen-Lippe. The d ...

Origin

The ''Hagenhufendörfer'' arose from the planned settlement of forested areas, predominantly in the 13th century, with the aim of clearing and cultivating the land. These villages had a

lokator The ''lokator'' (lat. ''locator'': landlord, land allocator, from Latin to allocate, rent, establish, settle or locate; also ''magister incolarum''; in Mecklenburg and Pomerania also or , similar to the ''Reutemeister'' in South Germany) was a m ...

with a double hide (''Doppelhufe''). The ''Hägerhufensiedlungen'' go back to the 11th-century Eschershausen Treaty. Although they had no double hide and no lokator, they did have special enclosure rights (''Hägerrecht'').

Extent

''Hagenhufendörfer'' are especially common in the

Börde A ''börde'' (plural: ''börden'') is a region of highly fertile lowland in North Germany, a "fertile plain". These landscapes often cover great areas and are particularly important for arable farming on account of their rich soils. These region ...

regions, on the

North German Plain The North German Plain or Northern Lowland (german: Norddeutsches Tiefland) is one of the major geographical regions of Germany. It is the German part of the North European Plain. The region is bounded by the coasts of the North Sea and the Balti ...

immediately north of the German

Central Uplands The Central UplandsDickinson (1964), p.18 ff. (german: die MittelgebirgeN.B. In German die ''Mittelgebirge'' (plural) refers to the Central Uplands; das ''Mittelgebirge'' refers to a low mountain range or upland region (''Mittel'' = "medium" and ...

. The best-known region, with many such villages, is the area around

Stadthagen Stadthagen () is the capital of the district of Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 20 km east of Minden and 40 km west of Hanover. The city consists of the districts Brandenburg, Enzen-Hobbensen, Hörkamp-L ...

, which was itself founded as a planned town in the centre of the plain that was to be settled, between the

Schaumburg Forest The Schaumburg Forest (german: Schaumburger Wald) is a wooded region, about with an area of around 40 km², in the district of Schaumburg in the German federal state of Lower Saxony. Location The Schaumburg Forest lies immediately east of ...

and Bückebergen. The ''Hägerhufensiedlungen'' of the fertile plain can no longer be made out in the countryside.

Sources

*Andreas Reuschel: ''Hagenhufensiedlungen oder "Hägerhufensiedlungen" in der Ithbörde? Ein Beitrag zur Ausdifferenzierung eines siedlungsgeographischen Terminus und Phänomens'', dissertation in Bonn 201

{{authority control Villages in Germany, * Human geography