Altensalzkoth
Encyclopedia
Altensalzkoth is a village in the Lower Saxon
town of Bergen in north Germany. It belongs to the parish of Eversen
in the district of Celle on the Lüneburg Heath
. It lies 13 km north of Celle
on the Landesstraße
L 240 and currently has 65 inhabitants.
. When the moors in the vicinity of Sülze
were exhausted, the boiling sites were moved initially to the Bornrieth Moor
from 1673 to 1678. In 1719 the first discussions took place about moving the boiling sites again, because the Bornrieth Moor was also being exhausted. To achieve this the existing pipes to the moor from Lindhorst
along the Örtze
, were moved eastwards past Eversen
to the Scheuer Bruch, south of Sülze, in the newly established village of Altensalzkoth. The survey staff charged with organising the move described this new site on their maps as Alte Salz kath, from which the present name of the village was later derived. In 1723 the new wooden pipes were finished. From 1725 brine was boiled in the salt huts of Altensalzkoth. Due to the increasing difficulty of transporting Sülze brine due to the long road, in 1793 the boiling sites started to move back to Sülze. A large number of those working in the saltworks left Altensalzkoth as a result. For those remaining behind a long battle began over the division of land in order to secure their livelihood from farming. Years later this was resolved by giving the settlers three acres (Morgen) of pasture and six acres of farmland each. Although this division of land enabled them to eke out a basic existence, the inhabitants also developed secondary occupations. Barrel-making
gained an importance at this time. Many household objects were made from the wood of local trees and sold at the markets in Celle
and Hermannsburg
.
After the end of the Second World War the SS Führer Adolf Eichmann
lived in Altensalzkoth under the name of Otto Henninger. Escaping from US Army custody, he reported to the parish office in Eversen on 30 March 1946 and took a job as a lumberjack
in Altensalzkoth. When a short time later the firm who had employed him went bankrupt, he rented an empty farmhouse and lived in the years that followed mainly by doing odd jobs. In 1950 Eichmann fled to Argentina
, where he was traced some years later by Mossad
and taken to Israel
. For his co-conspiracy in the holocaust Eichmann was sentenced to death.
Until its incorporation into the parish of Eversen in 1929, Altensalzkoth was an independent parish. Since 1972 it has belonged to the borough of Bergen.
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...
town of Bergen in north Germany. It belongs to the parish of Eversen
Eversen (Bergen)
Eversen is a village in the town of Bergen in the northern part of Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath in the north German state of Lower Saxony....
in the district of Celle on 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...
. It lies 13 km north of Celle
Celle
Celle is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the River Aller, a tributary of the Weser and has a population of about 71,000...
on the Landesstraße
Landesstraße
Landesstraßen are roads in Germany and Austria that are, as a rule, the responsibility of the respective German or Austrian federal state. The term may therefore be translated as "state road". They are roads that cross the boundary of a rural or urban district...
L 240 and currently has 65 inhabitants.
History
The history of Altensalzkoth is closely bound to the saltworks in SülzeSülze Saltworks
The Sülze Saltworks was a 'saline', or saltworks, on the Lüneburg Heath in Germany which was worked for centuries, from the High Middle Ages to 1862. It had a considerable impact on the history of the village of Sülze and other heath villages in the area....
. When the moors in the vicinity of Sülze
Sülze (Bergen)
Sülze 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.- Geography :...
were exhausted, the boiling sites were moved initially to the Bornrieth Moor
Bornrieth Moor
The Bornrieth Moor is the remains of a raised bog in the German district of Celle and belongs to the Südheide Nature Park. It has an area of . The bog, which has had most of its peat extracted, was reflooded and placed under nature conservation protection in 1988. The moor was also designated as a...
from 1673 to 1678. In 1719 the first discussions took place about moving the boiling sites again, because the Bornrieth Moor was also being exhausted. To achieve this the existing pipes to the moor from Lindhorst
Diesten
Diesten is a village subordinated to the Lower Saxon town of Bergen in the northern part of Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath in northern Germany. It lies 20 km north of Celle on state road K 240 and currently has 357 inhabitants....
along the Örtze
Örtze
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 :...
, were moved eastwards past Eversen
Eversen (Bergen)
Eversen is a village in the town of Bergen in the northern part of Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath in the north German state of Lower Saxony....
to the Scheuer Bruch, south of Sülze, in the newly established village of Altensalzkoth. The survey staff charged with organising the move described this new site on their maps as Alte Salz kath, from which the present name of the village was later derived. In 1723 the new wooden pipes were finished. From 1725 brine was boiled in the salt huts of Altensalzkoth. Due to the increasing difficulty of transporting Sülze brine due to the long road, in 1793 the boiling sites started to move back to Sülze. A large number of those working in the saltworks left Altensalzkoth as a result. For those remaining behind a long battle began over the division of land in order to secure their livelihood from farming. Years later this was resolved by giving the settlers three acres (Morgen) of pasture and six acres of farmland each. Although this division of land enabled them to eke out a basic existence, the inhabitants also developed secondary occupations. Barrel-making
Cooper (profession)
Traditionally, a cooper is someone who makes wooden staved vessels of a conical form, of greater length than breadth, bound together with hoops and possessing flat ends or heads...
gained an importance at this time. Many household objects were made from the wood of local trees and sold at the markets in Celle
Celle
Celle is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the River Aller, a tributary of the Weser and has a population of about 71,000...
and Hermannsburg
Hermannsburg
Hermannsburg is a municipality in the Celle district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated at the River Örtze, approx. 15 kilometers east of Bergen and 30 kilometers north of Celle.-Division of the municipality:...
.
After the end of the Second World War the SS Führer Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Otto Eichmann was a German Nazi and SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust...
lived in Altensalzkoth under the name of Otto Henninger. Escaping from US Army custody, he reported to the parish office in Eversen on 30 March 1946 and took a job as a lumberjack
Lumberjack
A lumberjack is a worker in the logging industry who performs the initial harvesting and transport of trees for ultimate processing into forest products. The term usually refers to a bygone era when hand tools were used in harvesting trees principally from virgin forest...
in Altensalzkoth. When a short time later the firm who had employed him went bankrupt, he rented an empty farmhouse and lived in the years that followed mainly by doing odd jobs. In 1950 Eichmann fled to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, where he was traced some years later by Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
and taken to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. For his co-conspiracy in the holocaust Eichmann was sentenced to death.
Until its incorporation into the parish of Eversen in 1929, Altensalzkoth was an independent parish. Since 1972 it has belonged to the borough of Bergen.
People
- Adolf EichmannAdolf EichmannAdolf Otto Eichmann was a German Nazi and SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust...
(b 19 March 1906 in Solingen, d 1 June 1962 in Ramleh/Tel Aviv, Israel) lived in Altensalzkoth from 1946 to 1950.
Sources
- Horst Gädcke: Eversen. Ein altes Dorf im Celler Land, 1994. ISBN 3930374021
- Franz Rathmann: Dorfbuch Eversen. Ein Haus- und Lesebuch, 1998. ISBN 3921744091