Atteln is a village in the district of Paderborn

Paderborn (district)

Paderborn is a Kreis in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Gütersloh, Lippe, Höxter, Hochsauerland, and Soest.-History:...

, in North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...

, 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...

. It is part of the town Lichtenau

Lichtenau, Westphalia

Lichtenau is a municipality in the district of Paderborn, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Lichtenau is situated on the western slope of the Eggegebirge, approx...

.

Location

Atteln is situated in the Paderborn tableland, approximately 20 km south of Paderborn

Paderborn

Paderborn is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pader, which originates in more than 200 springs near Paderborn Cathedral, where St. Liborius is buried.-History:...

. Atteln is the central town in the Altenau valley.

Neighbouring settlements

Starting in the north, rotating clockwise, Etteln, Dörenhagen, Ebbinghausen, Husen, Dalheim, Elisenhof, Helmern and Henglarn are neighbouring villages of Atteln.

History

Germanic tribes were living in the area of Atteln already 5000 years ago, and their traces can still be seen today. Seven cist graves, two of them in Atteln, have been discovered in the Altenau valley. The largest cist grave has been excavated in Atteln in 1978. Atteln is the oldest rural parish in the diocese of Paderborn

Paderborn

Paderborn is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pader, which originates in more than 200 springs near Paderborn Cathedral, where St. Liborius is buried.-History:...

. A priest Meinhard of Atteln in mentioned in 897. The town probably got its name from the family (of) Atteln, a noble family that arrived in the Altenau valley in 804. One Anselm of Atteln is recorded in a 13th century document. Atteln gained importance during medieval times, when a court was established in the village. Atteln's baroque style parish church St Achatius was built in 1712.