Mackensen (Dassel)
Encyclopedia
Mackensen is a village of about 450 inhabitants which is incorporated into the city of Dassel
(Northeim district
, Germany
) since 1974.
This village lies at the east side of the Solling
mountains. The name Mackensen is a derivation
of Makkonhusun, which in medieval times in the eastphalian language
meant: village of a man named Makko.
It was menttioned in a wirtten list of Corvey Abbey
in the 9th century. In the middle ages, it was a part of the Suilbergau
district, their men being ministeriales
of the Counts of Dassel
, who lived on the nearby Hunnesrück castle. Today Mackensen is located at the political border between the district of Northeim and the district of Holzminden
(that border goes through a nearby hill named Heukenberg). In medieval times, Mackensen was located at a border, too, when it belonged to the Bishopric of Hildesheim
, because the neighbouring territory of the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
began nearby. Therefore, people constructed a church in their village devoted to Saint Christopher
(patron of travellers) so that travellers could pray in that church before they continued their journey.
Coat of arms shows an ear
and a two-handled hand saw on green background. These symbols remind that people were dependent from agriculture and the Solling woods in their history.
Dassel
Dassel is a town in southern Lower Saxony, Germany, located in the district Northeim. It is located near the hills of the Solling mountains.-History:...
(Northeim district
Northeim (district)
Northeim is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Holzminden, Hildesheim, Goslar, Osterode and Göttingen, and the state of Hesse .-History:...
, 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...
) since 1974.
This village lies at the east side of the Solling
Solling
The Solling is a range of hills up to high in the Weser Uplands in the German state of Lower Saxony, whose extreme southerly foothills extend into Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia....
mountains. The name Mackensen is a derivation
Derivation (linguistics)
In linguistics, derivation is the process of forming a new word on the basis of an existing word, e.g. happi-ness and un-happy from happy, or determination from determine...
of Makkonhusun, which in medieval times in the eastphalian language
Eastphalian language
Eastphalian, or Eastfalian , is a West Low German dialect spoken east of the Weser river in southern parts of Lower Saxony and western parts of Saxony-Anhalt in Germany, including Hanover, Braunschweig, Hildesheim, Göttingen and Magdeburg, an area that roughly corresponds with the historic region...
meant: village of a man named Makko.
It was menttioned in a wirtten list of Corvey Abbey
Corvey Abbey
The Imperial Abbey of Corvey was a Benedictine monastery on the River Weser, 2 km northeast of Höxter, now in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
in the 9th century. In the middle ages, it was a part of the Suilbergau
Suilbergau
Suilbergau, also known as Suilbergi, and Sülberggau, was an early medieval county in the province of Eastphalia, in the Duchy of Saxony.-Geography:...
district, their men being ministeriales
Ministerialis
Ministerialis ; a post-classical Latin word, used in English, meaning originally servitor, agent, in a broad range of senses...
of the Counts of Dassel
County of Dassel
The County of Dassel emerged shortly after the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries when, after the extinction of the male line of the Billungs, its seat in Suilbergau, north of the Solling hills was divided into the domains of Einbeck and Dassel. Reinold of Dassel was able to secure rights...
, who lived on the nearby Hunnesrück castle. Today Mackensen is located at the political border between the district of Northeim and the district of Holzminden
Holzminden (district)
Holzminden is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Hamelin-Pyrmont, Hildesheim and Northeim, and by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia .-History:...
(that border goes through a nearby hill named Heukenberg). In medieval times, Mackensen was located at a border, too, when it belonged to the Bishopric of Hildesheim
Bishopric of Hildesheim
The Diocese of Hildesheim is a diocese or ecclesiastical territory of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in Germany. Founded in 815 as a missionary diocese by King Louis the Pious, his son Louis the German appointed the famous former archbishop of Rheims, Ebbo, as bishop...
, because the neighbouring territory of the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
The Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was a subdivision of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, whose history was characterised by numerous divisions and reunifications. Various dynastic lines of the House of Welf ruled Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel until the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806...
began nearby. Therefore, people constructed a church in their village devoted to Saint Christopher
Saint Christopher
.Saint Christopher is a saint venerated by Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians, listed as a martyr killed in the reign of the 3rd century Roman Emperor Decius or alternatively under the Roman Emperor Maximinus II Dacian...
(patron of travellers) so that travellers could pray in that church before they continued their journey.
Coat of arms shows an ear
Ear (botany)
An ear is the grain-bearing tip part of the stem of a cereal plant, such as wheat or maize. It can also refer to "a prominent lobe in some leaves".The ear is a spike, consisting of a central stem on which grows tightly packed rows of flowers...
and a two-handled hand saw on green background. These symbols remind that people were dependent from agriculture and the Solling woods in their history.