Hattert
Encyclopedia
Hattert is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
– in the Westerwaldkreis
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
. It is the biggest Ortsgemeinde in the Verbandsgemeinde of Hachenburg
, a kind of collective municipality.
and Altenkirchen, on the so-called Altenkirchen Plateau (Altenkirchener Hochebene) in the “Further” Westerwald (Vorderwesterwald). The hollow called the Hatterter Grund stretches from an elevation of 265 m up to 349 m. The Rothenbach, which rises in Gehlert
, flows through the Hatterter Grund. In Oberhattert it is fed by the Selbach and in Niederhattert by the Aggerbach, emptying into the Wied
as the Hatterter Bach between Winkelbach
and Hanwerth. Along the edge of the Hatterter Grund run Bundesstraße
n 413 and 414, which meet near Hachenburg.
From 1180, the Count of Sayn
held sway over the Hatterter Grund. The community’s first documentary mention has been dated to 13 December 1373 (the original document is found in the Hessian Hauptstaatsarchiv in Wiesbaden
under the Akten-Nummer 74/484). As with most of the surrounding places, the name, or its historical forerunner, suggests a clearing settlement for which patches of forest were cleared of trees. In the Hatterter Grund arose the communities of Oberhattert, Mittelhattert, Niederhattert, Laad and Hütte.
The Hatterter Grund belonged to the parochial centres of Kroppach
and Altstadt (the latter now an outlying centre of Hachenburg
), whose common boundary was the Rothenbach. Thus, some of the little places here were assigned to Kroppach and others to Altstadt.
Sometime before 1402 arose the lesser noble name Nail von Hattenrode (also Nayl or Nayll), to whose estate the mill
in the Hatterter Grund belonged as of 1427. The family’s last representative, Wilhelm von Hattenrode, died about 1523, whereafter the Hatteroth (later Sophiental) Estate underwent changing ownership arrangements.
Overlords in the whole area were the Counts of Sayn, until 1799 when Sayn-Hachenburg passed to Nassau-Weilburg. From 1806 the Hatterter Grund belonged to the Duchy of Nassau through the founding of the Confederation of the Rhine
.
In 1817 came the amalgamation of Niederhattert and Laad into one community. The same was done with Mittelhattert and Hütte, with the resulting bigger community swelling further in 1818 with the addition of the Sophiental Estate to its municipal area.
In 1866, the Duchy of Nassau was annexed by Prussia
in the wake of the Austro-Prussian War
, soon after which – indeed the next year – the communities in the Hatterter Grund were assigned to the Oberwesterwaldkreis (district), whose seat was in Marienberg.
As of 1946, these places belonged to Rhineland-Palatinate and the Regierungsbezirk
of Montabaur, and then later, between 1968 and 2000 to the Regierungsbezirk of Koblenz. In 1969, the villages of Niederhattert with Laad, Mittelhattert with Hütte and Oberhattert were then amalgamated with each other to create what has been ever since then the biggest community in the Verbandsgemeinde of Hachenburg.
railway (Kleinbahn-AG Selters-Hachenburg) linked Hachenburg and Selters. The alignment led right through the Hatterter Grund, and both Niederhattert and Oberhattert had halts at their disposal. In 1950, dismantling work began on the narrow-gauge railway. The old trackbed can still be seen now only in a few spots in Hattert. The former Oberwesterwaldbahn railway station is now a request stop, and the station building is now privately owned.
In the 1960s, schooling within Hattert ended altogether. Since then, schoolchildren have been going to the primary school in Müschenbach
, while secondary-level students have been going to the Hauptschule
and Realschule
in Hachenburg as well as to the private Gymnasium
run by the Marienstatt Cistercian Abbey.
in 1948 and newly built after a fire in 1996. In 1957 came the parish church Maria Königin, which was built on the same lot, as well as the Hattert-Merkelbach
rectorate.
On 1 January 2007, the parishes of Hachenburg and Hattert-Merkelbach were merged to form the parish of St. Marien Hachenburg-Hattert. The parish church since then has been Maria Himmelfahrt in Hachenburg, while Maria Königin in Hattert is now a branch church.
are those formerly borne by the lesser noble family of Nayl, whose members bore the title Denß Monhard Nayl von Hatterode (see History). The nails refer to the name “Nayl”. Interestingly, one spelling of the family’s name, namely “Nail”, is the same as the English
word. The German
word is, however, Nagel.
Verbandsgemeinde
A Verbandsgemeinde is an administrative unit in the German Bundesländer of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt.-Rhineland-Palatinate:...
– in the Westerwaldkreis
Westerwaldkreis
The Westerwaldkreis is a district in the east of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
in Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
, 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 the biggest Ortsgemeinde in the Verbandsgemeinde of Hachenburg
Hachenburg (Verbandsgemeinde)
Hachenburg is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Westerwaldkreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Hachenburg....
, a kind of collective municipality.
Location
Hattert lies between HachenburgHachenburg
-Geography:The town lies in the Westerwald between Koblenz and Siegen, roughly 10 km west of Bad Marienberg on the river Nister. Hachenburg is the administrative seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Hachenburg, a kind of collective municipality .-The castle and the town:The castle , former seat of...
and Altenkirchen, on the so-called Altenkirchen Plateau (Altenkirchener Hochebene) in the “Further” Westerwald (Vorderwesterwald). The hollow called the Hatterter Grund stretches from an elevation of 265 m up to 349 m. The Rothenbach, which rises in Gehlert
Gehlert
Gehlert is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-Location:...
, flows through the Hatterter Grund. In Oberhattert it is fed by the Selbach and in Niederhattert by the Aggerbach, emptying into the Wied
Wied
Wied was a County of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, located on the river Wied where it meets the Rhine. Wied emerged as a County earlier than many other German states. From 1243–1462, Wied was united with an Isenburgian County as Isenburg-Wied. Wied was partitioned twice: between itself and...
as the Hatterter Bach between Winkelbach
Winkelbach
Winkelbach is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-Location:...
and Hanwerth. Along the edge of the Hatterter Grund run Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
n 413 and 414, which meet near Hachenburg.
Constituent communities
Hattert’s Ortsteile are Oberhattert, Mittelhattert, Niederhattert, Laad and Hütte.Establishment
With the help of Hattert’s historical names it is assumed that the community had already arisen by the 11th century. It is furthermore assumed that the settlement of Hattenrode grew out of a one-farm Frankish settlement. This part of Hattert later bore the field name Auf dem Frankenhof, and is still known as such by today’s inhabitants.From 1180, the Count of Sayn
Sayn
Sayn was a mediæval German County located in the Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia. There were two Counties of Sayn: the first County emerged in 1139. It became closely associated with the County of Sponheim early in its existence. Count Henry II was notable for being accused of...
held sway over the Hatterter Grund. The community’s first documentary mention has been dated to 13 December 1373 (the original document is found in the Hessian Hauptstaatsarchiv in Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
under the Akten-Nummer 74/484). As with most of the surrounding places, the name, or its historical forerunner, suggests a clearing settlement for which patches of forest were cleared of trees. In the Hatterter Grund arose the communities of Oberhattert, Mittelhattert, Niederhattert, Laad and Hütte.
The Hatterter Grund belonged to the parochial centres of Kroppach
Kroppach
Kroppach is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The agriculturally structured residential community of Kroppach belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Hachenburg, a kind of collective municipality...
and Altstadt (the latter now an outlying centre of Hachenburg
Hachenburg
-Geography:The town lies in the Westerwald between Koblenz and Siegen, roughly 10 km west of Bad Marienberg on the river Nister. Hachenburg is the administrative seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Hachenburg, a kind of collective municipality .-The castle and the town:The castle , former seat of...
), whose common boundary was the Rothenbach. Thus, some of the little places here were assigned to Kroppach and others to Altstadt.
Sometime before 1402 arose the lesser noble name Nail von Hattenrode (also Nayl or Nayll), to whose estate the mill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
in the Hatterter Grund belonged as of 1427. The family’s last representative, Wilhelm von Hattenrode, died about 1523, whereafter the Hatteroth (later Sophiental) Estate underwent changing ownership arrangements.
Overlords in the whole area were the Counts of Sayn, until 1799 when Sayn-Hachenburg passed to Nassau-Weilburg. From 1806 the Hatterter Grund belonged to the Duchy of Nassau through the founding of the Confederation of the Rhine
Confederation of the Rhine
The Confederation of the Rhine was a confederation of client states of the First French Empire. It was formed initially from 16 German states by Napoleon after he defeated Austria's Francis II and Russia's Alexander I in the Battle of Austerlitz. The Treaty of Pressburg, in effect, led to the...
.
In 1817 came the amalgamation of Niederhattert and Laad into one community. The same was done with Mittelhattert and Hütte, with the resulting bigger community swelling further in 1818 with the addition of the Sophiental Estate to its municipal area.
In 1866, the Duchy of Nassau was annexed by Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
in the wake of the Austro-Prussian War
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War was a war fought in 1866 between the German Confederation under the leadership of the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Italy on the...
, soon after which – indeed the next year – the communities in the Hatterter Grund were assigned to the Oberwesterwaldkreis (district), whose seat was in Marienberg.
As of 1946, these places belonged to Rhineland-Palatinate and the Regierungsbezirk
Regierungsbezirk
In Germany, a Government District, in German: Regierungsbezirk – is a subdivision of certain federal states .They are above the Kreise, Landkreise, and kreisfreie Städte...
of Montabaur, and then later, between 1968 and 2000 to the Regierungsbezirk of Koblenz. In 1969, the villages of Niederhattert with Laad, Mittelhattert with Hütte and Oberhattert were then amalgamated with each other to create what has been ever since then the biggest community in the Verbandsgemeinde of Hachenburg.
Railway
On 1 April 1885, the Altenkirchen-Hachenburg stretch of railway, the so-called Oberwesterwaldbahn, was opened with a station at Hattert, whose building time can nevertheless no longer be exactly dated. The first plans for such a railway were put forth as early as 1842, and the last stretch of the line, from Altenkirchen to Au/Sieg began running on 1 May 1887. By 1 August 1901, a narrow-gaugeNarrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
railway (Kleinbahn-AG Selters-Hachenburg) linked Hachenburg and Selters. The alignment led right through the Hatterter Grund, and both Niederhattert and Oberhattert had halts at their disposal. In 1950, dismantling work began on the narrow-gauge railway. The old trackbed can still be seen now only in a few spots in Hattert. The former Oberwesterwaldbahn railway station is now a request stop, and the station building is now privately owned.
Schools
In 1820, both Oberhattert and Niederhattert got their own school buildings. With the other one in Hütte, which can no longer be reliably dated, the Hatterter Grund had three school buildings all together. The school in Oberhattert was, after comprehensive repairs already held to have become unfit for use in 1887, but new building or a conversion could not be done owing to a lack of money and differences of opinion among those responsible. Only on 3 October 1911 was a new school building finished in Oberhattert and the old one torn down.In the 1960s, schooling within Hattert ended altogether. Since then, schoolchildren have been going to the primary school in Müschenbach
Müschenbach
Müschenbach is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-Location:...
, while secondary-level students have been going to the Hauptschule
Hauptschule
A Hauptschule is a secondary school in Germany and Austria, starting after 4 years of elementary schooling, which offers Lower Secondary Education according to the International Standard Classification of Education...
and Realschule
Realschule
The Realschule is a type of secondary school in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia , Denmark , Sweden , Hungary and in the Russian Empire .-History:The Realschule was an outgrowth of the rationalism and empiricism of the seventeenth and...
in Hachenburg as well as to the private Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
run by the Marienstatt Cistercian Abbey.
Church
In 1940, a Catholic branch church was built in Oberhattert, which was expanded to a chapelChapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
in 1948 and newly built after a fire in 1996. In 1957 came the parish church Maria Königin, which was built on the same lot, as well as the Hattert-Merkelbach
Merkelbach
Merkelbach is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-Location:...
rectorate.
On 1 January 2007, the parishes of Hachenburg and Hattert-Merkelbach were merged to form the parish of St. Marien Hachenburg-Hattert. The parish church since then has been Maria Himmelfahrt in Hachenburg, while Maria Königin in Hattert is now a branch church.
Coat of arms
The community’s armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
are those formerly borne by the lesser noble family of Nayl, whose members bore the title Denß Monhard Nayl von Hatterode (see History). The nails refer to the name “Nayl”. Interestingly, one spelling of the family’s name, namely “Nail”, is the same as the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
word. The German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
word is, however, Nagel.
Population development
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1760 | 259 |
| 1793 | 558 |
| 1843 | 670 |
| 1888 | 689 |
| 1893 | 768 |
| 1933 | 1200 |
| 1956 | 1314 |
| 1975 | 1751 |
| 1988 | 1732 |
| 2003 | 1756 |
| 2004 | 1847 |
| 2005 | 1815 |
| 2006 | 1807 |
External links
- Hattert-online.de (unofficial)