The Grönegau is the historic regional name for one of the many Saxon Gaus that have survived to the present day. The region was first mentioned in the records in 852. The Grönegau is a region that, for the most part, covers the same area as that of the present borough of Melle

Melle

-Places:Belgium* Melle, Belgium, a gemeente in East Flanders, FlandersFrance* Melle, Deux-Sèvres, a commune in Poitou-Charentes* Mellé, Ille-et-Vilaine, a commune in BrittanyGermany* Melle, Germany, a Stadt in Osnabrück Landkreis, Lower Saxony...

 in the district of Osnabrück 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...

. From around 800 to the 12th century the old southern Gau border probably ran from Borgholzhausen

Borgholzhausen

Borgholzhausen is a town in the district of Gütersloh in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Teutoburg Forest, approx...

 and Halle

Halle, North Rhine-Westphalia

Halle is a town in the German Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia and belongs to the district of Gütersloh....

 to Bünde

Bünde

Bünde is a town in the Herford district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Bünde is situated between Osnabrück , Hannover and Bielefeld .- Waterways :...

 and Spenge

Spenge

Spenge is a town in the district of Herford, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany-Geography:Spenge is situated north of Bielefeld and west of the Herford...

 in the east. The Amt of Grönenberg was first mentioned in 1360. Subsequently, it lost parts of the Grönegau of the Early Middle Ages

Early Middle Ages

The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...

, including Halle

Halle, North Rhine-Westphalia

Halle is a town in the German Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia and belongs to the district of Gütersloh....

, Borgholzhausen

Borgholzhausen

Borgholzhausen is a town in the district of Gütersloh in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Teutoburg Forest, approx...

 and Borgloh. From 1852 there are no longer any boundary changes, the extent of the Amt of Grönenberg is from this date identical with the later district of Melle and finally, from 1972, the borough of Melle. Several societies in the region still carry the name Grönegau. Even the motorway services near Melle on the A 30 motorway

Bundesautobahn 30

is a highway in northwestern Germany. It runs from west to east, starting at the Dutch border. On the border it connects with the Dutch A1 motorway, hence, the A 30 is part of the important European connection Berlin - Amsterdam...

carry this ancient regional name.