Rethen
Encyclopedia
The formally independent municipality Rethen is part of the municipality Vordorf
in Northern Germany
. First documented in 1301, it now has a population of about 1,200. Rethen is part of the Samtgemeinde Papenteich
at the administrative district of Gifhorn
(Lower Saxony
). Together with the villages Vordorf
and Eickhorst it forms the municipality Vordorf which is situated halfway between Braunschweig
and Gifhorn
.
, between the Harz and the Lüneburg Heath. However, administrative it belongs to the district of Gifhorn
. The village is part of the municipality Vordorf
and is around 3 km northeast of the central village Vordorf.
Rethen is around 4 km to the west to the German highway 4 (near Meine
) and around 7 km to the north of the interchange Brunswick North (A2 /A391). Other bigger towns nearby are: Wolfsburg
, Salzgitter
, Wolfenbüttel
, Gifhorn
, Peine
and Celle
.
* distance from downtown
. The ground moraine
originated from the deposition of rubble and stone of the defrosting glacier
at the end of the last Ice age
about 12,000 years ago. Out of this a fertile Loess developed. The scenery around Rethen shows only extremely low height differences. A specialty in the Rethen area and the neighbouring areas of Meine and Vordorf sedimentary rock
of marl
penetrating the surface and increasing the farmland quality.
It isn’t possible to find any exact population figures for the time before the year 1821. The only reliable dates are sporadic documents, mentioning the number of different farms and buildings in Rethen. In 1489 a document listed 3 Hufner (greater farms), 4 smallholding
s and 13 Kötner (small Prussia
n house owner). This didn't change much until the next notification in 1773 with 6 greater farms, 14 Kötner and 4 Brinksitzer (smallest farms). An enlargement of the village started after the end of 18th century. As a result of these sparse notes, scientists believe that between 200 and 250 people were living in the village during the middle age
s.
The next enlargement was triggered by refugee
s of the World War II
. Many of them removed later further to the west. This was mainly because of the nonexistent possibilities of housing space within the village. The latest enlargement started during suburbanization
in the 1990s, activated by new preparations of land for building and the vicinity to several larger cities and highways. Model calculations shows a further growth of population figures during the next decades based on the facts named above.
s were assumed or already found. Most of them are out of Rethens boundary nowadays. All villages has been deserted between 13th and 16th century.
Other abandoned villages around Rethen are: Dudanroth (1000 n.Chr), Bromhorst (1007 n.Chr.) and Arnsbüttel (never documentary mentioned).
y area. The so called –heim is mostly linked to some of the earliest settlements, partly going back up to the Cherusci
. But no continued settlement is proved about that long time.
In the latest Scientific published papers (1994), Rethen is considered as a frankish
founding, related to the founding of Meine
. It is believed, that the Franks
founded several settlements while they subdued the Saxons
in 8th century. In that century, an important road crossed the, in that time existing, Northforest in east-west direction, supposable in the vicinity of Rethen and Meine. A number of examples were already explored, where several Frankish settlements where assigned to one central village. However, this relation continued just short time. Already in 11th century, the border between the Bishopric of Halberstadt
and the Bishopric of Hildesheim
divided both villages. Several tryouts of the different Bishops of Hildesheim to take over the Rethen area failed. The border existed for around 500 years, up to the Protestant Reformation
.
The first documentary mentioning of Rethen was in the year 1301 by the name Rethene. The document evidence a sale of estate in Rethen. Knight Balduin von Wenden sold his estates in Rethen to the Monastery
St. Crucis in Braunschweig
. In this era, Rethen was an only agricultural village.
Already around the year 1211 "Heinrich Bethman from Chur in the land of Rhetia" received the feudality about court, jus patronatus
about church and the right of hunting. The documentary mentioning of these rights was firstly found in a document from the year 1383/85. Based on his long-standing experience in the war service Bethmann built his house in the kind of a water castle
on a small island in the village pond. During the following decades the village was attacked several times by robber baron
s. In the years 1308, 1380, 1381 and 1388 they destroyed Rethen nearly completely. At one of these raids (presumably on 13 July 1381) the water castle was also destroyed.
Consequently the masters of Rethen left the village after about 150 years of presence and relocated in Braunschweig
. Also the left Rethen, they kept the patronage right about Rethen. The family extinct presumably in the 18-th century. After the connection of the parishes of Adenbüttel
and Rethen in the first half of the 16-th century, the master von Rethen and the Freiherr
von Marenholz (patronage right in Adenbüttel) concerted the patronage right in the combined church municipality. Nevertheless, in the course of the time the right went over more and more to the family of Marenholz. This exercised it up to the death of the last patron (baron of Marenholz-Nolte) in 1969.
In the year 1625, during the Danish intervention in the Thirty Years' War
, troops of Emperors Ferdinand II
troops made their winter camp near Rethen. Houses and Church were looted
and the citizens had to work at sconce
s construction near Wolfenbüttel
. Also in the 1640s lootings are reported more than once, mostly by Swedish
soldiers.
The village was spared by the Seven Years' War
as well as during the French Revolutionary Wars
and was charged only by taxes and war loans. Only worth mentioning is the murdering of a shepherd by French Dragoons in 1758. During the Austro-Prussian War
in 1866 as well as during the Franco-Prussian War
war in 1870/71 people from Rethen were drawn and returned home without worse injuries.
Living in the village was mainly affected by the changes in agriculture during 19th century. These concerned several reorganisations of the local surface as well as the intensification of husbandry linked with strong deforestation. In the second half of the 19-th century an intensive cultivation of sugar beets starts, strongly favoured by the construction of the sugar beet factory in Meine
.
at the start of the conflict in 1914. In all, 78 citizens were drawn into the German Empire
's army; 14 of them died during the war. In the winter of 1914/15, refugees from Russian occupied territories were quartered in Rethen. French prisoners of war were brought to Rethen to help in road construction and agricultural work. By the end of war, especially during the “Steckrübenwinter” (Rutabaga
winter) in 1916/17, ordinary life became difficult for the people of Rethen as it did for their fellow countrymen throughout Germany. In spite of food rationing, high unemployment, and a generally poor economy, no revolution took place. In the last days of the war, a workers and soldiers council
arose, but after a short time it collapsed and was followed by a parish council.
s and Prisoners of war
, mainly from France
, Poland
and Russia
. The treatment of the different ethics was quit unequal. While the Russians remained in Prisoner-of-war camp
s, the Polish and French were accommodated with the villagers. However, even this accommodation was mostly rather inadequate cause the villagers feared denunciation and announcement by other inhabitants loyal to government in case of a friendly treatment of the prisoners.
The heaviest bomb attack Rethen experienced on 23 August 1944 at 11:30 o'clock. Four Gravity bomb
s came down close-by the village. Besides, a larger amount of Incendiary bombs
were thrown down directly above the village and caused several conflagrations. The community building, two stables, three wheat stocks and four residential buildings were torched down completely. Fires in other buildings could be extinguished by the inhabitants themselves. Fire brigades from the whole Papenteich
and Braunschweig
appeared. In spite of the massive attack, no people came to damage.
On 10 April 1945 American soldiers, coming from Peine
, occupied Rethen peacefully. The military order to the Volkssturm
to defend the village was refused and the weapons were sunk in the village pond. Most American soldiers stayed just a few days and only a small part remained for one quarter.
area around Hannover. However, a part of the population still use German combined with phrases from the old Brunswick and the Papenteich
Low Saxon
. In former times the everyday speech of Rethen was an Eastphalian
Papenteich
dialect, whereas the speech in school and church was Standard German
.
With the changes of the 20th century the Low Saxon dialect disappeared more and more. After World War II
it was displaced completely by standard German.
Since Protestant Reformation people in Rethen were part of the Lutheranism
church and highly affected by the ecclesiastical life.
First changes were noted in the early 19th century. Until then 350 people visited the worship
in average. This number reduced during the next decades (1938: 100people) to the nowadays level of 70 (1990s). Likewise the percentage of Protestant interest in the whole population decreased from 91% to 61%.
.jpg)
Following voluntary association
s and institutions are situated in Rethen:
) was found within the Rethen district (near the Maaßel forest). Six (rather small) stones form an arrangement, straightened in east-west direction. Based on investigations of the local archaeological department, the tomb is dated on 3,000 B.C. It is assumed, that the arrangement was a collective grave, build as a kind of cottage. The Neolithic
settlement belonging to the grave is supposed in a vicinity of about 3 km.
The grave is probably a disturbed arrangement, which was coverer earlier with wood or stones. Some bigger stones as well as the cover were probably removed in former times and used, e.g., for the building of a house. The arrangement was made accessible and handed over to the public in 1996. The Rethen Dolmen was the first known Megalithic tomb in the district of Gifhorn
.
.jpg)
Kindergarten: In the year 1992 a Kindergarten
was establishes opposite to the sports field. During the antecedent centuries children from Rethen visited the Kindergartens in the surrounding villages and cities. Operator of the Kindergarten is the “Kindergarten Vordorf e. V.“. The Kindergarten offers places for up to 50 children in two age-mixed groups.
(formally principality Lüneburg). After the district reform of 1972, Gifhorn was affiliated to the region of Braunschweig
. In the short era of the Kingdom of Westphalia
it belongs to the Canton Rötgesbüttel
and with that to the Département Oker.
In 1970 Rethen and 14 other municipalities formed the Samtgemeinde Papenteich
with the administrative centre in Meine
. In this time Rethen was still an independent municipality. The union with Vordorf and Eickhorst followed under the new name “Gemeinde Vordorf” (Municipality Vordorf) with the election of the first municipality council at June 28, 1974.
Vordorf
Vordorf is a municipality in the district of Gifhorn, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a member municipality of the Samtgemeinde Papenteich. The Municipality Vordorf includes the villages of Eickhorst, Rethen and Vordorf.-Municipal Council:...
in Northern Germany
Northern Germany
- Geography :The key terrain features of North Germany are the marshes along the coastline of the North Sea and Baltic Sea, and the geest and heaths inland. Also prominent are the low hills of the Baltic Uplands, the ground moraines, end moraines, sandur, glacial valleys, bogs, and Luch...
. First documented in 1301, it now has a population of about 1,200. Rethen is part of the Samtgemeinde Papenteich
Papenteich
Papenteich is a Samtgemeinde in the district of Gifhorn in Lower Saxony, Germany, situated approximately 10 km south of Gifhorn, and 15 km north of Braunschweig. Papenteich was founded on October 2, 1970 and includes 6 local municipalities with 19 villages. At present its population is...
at the administrative district of Gifhorn
Gifhorn (district)
-Geography:The district is located at the border of Saxony-Anhalt and extends from the southern edge of the Lüneburg Heath in the north to the suburbs of Braunschweig and Wolfsburg in the south. The Aller River enters the district in the southeast, runs through the town of Gifhorn, is joined by...
(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...
). Together with the villages Vordorf
Vordorf
Vordorf is a municipality in the district of Gifhorn, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a member municipality of the Samtgemeinde Papenteich. The Municipality Vordorf includes the villages of Eickhorst, Rethen and Vordorf.-Municipal Council:...
and Eickhorst it forms the municipality Vordorf which is situated halfway between Braunschweig
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
and Gifhorn
Gifhorn
Gifhorn is a town and capital of the district Gifhorn in the east of Lower Saxony, Germany. It has a population of about 42,000 and is mainly influenced by the small distance to the industrial and commercially important cities nearby, Brunswick and Wolfsburg...
.
Geographical position
Rethen is situated north of BraunschweigBraunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
, between the Harz and the Lüneburg Heath. However, administrative it belongs to the district of Gifhorn
Gifhorn (district)
-Geography:The district is located at the border of Saxony-Anhalt and extends from the southern edge of the Lüneburg Heath in the north to the suburbs of Braunschweig and Wolfsburg in the south. The Aller River enters the district in the southeast, runs through the town of Gifhorn, is joined by...
. The village is part of the municipality Vordorf
Vordorf
Vordorf is a municipality in the district of Gifhorn, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a member municipality of the Samtgemeinde Papenteich. The Municipality Vordorf includes the villages of Eickhorst, Rethen and Vordorf.-Municipal Council:...
and is around 3 km northeast of the central village Vordorf.
Rethen is around 4 km to the west to the German highway 4 (near Meine
Meine
Meine is a municipality in the district of Gifhorn, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a village and member municipality of the Samtgemeinde Papenteich...
) and around 7 km to the north of the interchange Brunswick North (A2 /A391). Other bigger towns nearby are: Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located on the River Aller northeast of Braunschweig , and is mainly notable as the headquarters of Volkswagen AG...
, Salzgitter
Salzgitter
Salzgitter is an independent city in southeast Lower Saxony, Germany, located between Hildesheim and Braunschweig. Together with Wolfsburg and Braunschweig, Salzgitter is one of the seven Oberzentren of Lower Saxony...
, Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, located on the Oker river about 13 kilometres south of Brunswick. It is the seat of the District of Wolfenbüttel and of the bishop of the Protestant Lutheran State Church of Brunswick...
, Gifhorn
Gifhorn
Gifhorn is a town and capital of the district Gifhorn in the east of Lower Saxony, Germany. It has a population of about 42,000 and is mainly influenced by the small distance to the industrial and commercially important cities nearby, Brunswick and Wolfsburg...
, Peine
Peine
Peine is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, capital of the district Peine. It is situated on the river Fuhse and the Mittellandkanal, approx. 25 km west of Braunschweig, and 40 km east of Hanover.- History :...
and 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...
.
Neighbourhood
| City of Gifhorn Gifhorn Gifhorn is a town and capital of the district Gifhorn in the east of Lower Saxony, Germany. It has a population of about 42,000 and is mainly influenced by the small distance to the industrial and commercially important cities nearby, Brunswick and Wolfsburg... (16 km) |
||||
| Municipality Rötgesbüttel Rötgesbüttel Rötgesbüttel is a municipality in the district of Gifhorn, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a member municipality of the Samtgemeinde Papenteich-Neighbourhood:* distance from downtown-Geographical position:... (8 km) |
||||
| Municipality Adenbüttel Adenbüttel Adenbüttel is a municipality in the Gifhorn district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a member municipality of the Samtgemeinde Papenteich. The Municipality Adenbüttel includes the villages of Adenbüttel and Rolfsbüttel- Neighbourhood :... (2 km) |
 |
Municipality Meine Meine Meine is a municipality in the district of Gifhorn, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a village and member municipality of the Samtgemeinde Papenteich... (4 km) |
City of Wolfsburg Wolfsburg Wolfsburg is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located on the River Aller northeast of Braunschweig , and is mainly notable as the headquarters of Volkswagen AG... (22 km) |
|
| Municipality Schwülper Schwülper Schwülper is a municipality in the district of Gifhorn, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a member municipality of the Samtgemeinde Papenteich. The Municipality Schwülper includes the villages of Hülperode, Klein Schwülper, Lagesbüttel, Rothemühle, Groß Schwülper, Walle-Municipal Council:The council... (5 km) |
Eickhorst (2 km) | Vordorf Vordorf Vordorf is a municipality in the district of Gifhorn, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a member municipality of the Samtgemeinde Papenteich. The Municipality Vordorf includes the villages of Eickhorst, Rethen and Vordorf.-Municipal Council:... (4 km) |
||
| City of Braunschweig Braunschweig Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser.... (14 km) |
Geology
Rethen is located centrally on the sandy-clayey plateau of PapenteichPapenteich
Papenteich is a Samtgemeinde in the district of Gifhorn in Lower Saxony, Germany, situated approximately 10 km south of Gifhorn, and 15 km north of Braunschweig. Papenteich was founded on October 2, 1970 and includes 6 local municipalities with 19 villages. At present its population is...
. The ground moraine
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
originated from the deposition of rubble and stone of the defrosting glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
at the end of the last Ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
about 12,000 years ago. Out of this a fertile Loess developed. The scenery around Rethen shows only extremely low height differences. A specialty in the Rethen area and the neighbouring areas of Meine and Vordorf sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rock are types of rock that are formed by the deposition of material at the Earth's surface and within bodies of water. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause mineral and/or organic particles to settle and accumulate or minerals to precipitate from a solution....
of marl
Marl
Marl or marlstone is a calcium carbonate or lime-rich mud or mudstone which contains variable amounts of clays and aragonite. Marl was originally an old term loosely applied to a variety of materials, most of which occur as loose, earthy deposits consisting chiefly of an intimate mixture of clay...
penetrating the surface and increasing the farmland quality.
Population
| Year | Inhabitants | Houses | Year | Inhabitants | Houses | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1821 | 328 | 37 | 1950 | 848 | 91 | |
| 1848 | 365 | 55 | 1961 | 687 | 119 | |
| 1890 | 386 | 75 | 1970 | 725 | 134 | |
| 1900 | 420 | unknown | 1980 | 843 | unknown | |
| 1905 | 473 | unknown | 1990 | 879 | unknown | |
| 1925 | 499 | 89 | 2000 | 1222 | ~310 | |
| 1933 | 478 | unknown | ||||
| 1939 | 503 | unknown |
Smallholding
A smallholding is a farm of small size.In third world countries, smallholdings are usually farms supporting a single family with a mixture of cash crops and subsistence farming. As a country becomes more affluent and farming practices become more efficient, smallholdings may persist as a legacy of...
s and 13 Kötner (small 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...
n house owner). This didn't change much until the next notification in 1773 with 6 greater farms, 14 Kötner and 4 Brinksitzer (smallest farms). An enlargement of the village started after the end of 18th century. As a result of these sparse notes, scientists believe that between 200 and 250 people were living in the village during the middle age
Middle age
Middle age is the period of age beyond young adulthood but before the onset of old age. Various attempts have been made to define this age, which is around the third quarter of the average life span of human beings....
s.
The next enlargement was triggered by refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s of the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Many of them removed later further to the west. This was mainly because of the nonexistent possibilities of housing space within the village. The latest enlargement started during suburbanization
Suburbanization
Suburbanization a term used to describe the growth of areas on the fringes of major cities. It is one of the many causes of the increase in urban sprawl. Many residents of metropolitan regions work within the central urban area, choosing instead to live in satellite communities called suburbs...
in the 1990s, activated by new preparations of land for building and the vicinity to several larger cities and highways. Model calculations shows a further growth of population figures during the next decades based on the facts named above.
Prehistory
The first signs of settlement within the boundaries of Rethen go back more than 5000 years. In 1995 Megalithic tomb remains were found near the village. The settlement, belonging to the tomb, is assumed within 3 km.Abandoned villages
In the vicinity of Rethen several abandoned villageAbandoned village
An abandoned village is a village that has, for some reason, been deserted. In many countries, and throughout history, thousands of villages were deserted for a variety of causes...
s were assumed or already found. Most of them are out of Rethens boundary nowadays. All villages has been deserted between 13th and 16th century.
- Algesbüttel was mentioned first time in the year 1022. The place had around 7 farmes and one church. The last documentary mentioning was in 1480 as a fiefdomFiefdomA fee was the central element of feudalism and consisted of heritable lands granted under one of several varieties of feudal tenure by an overlord to a vassal who held it in fealty in return for a form of feudal allegiance and service, usually given by the...
of LüneburgLüneburgLüneburg is a town in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of fellow Hanseatic city Hamburg. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, and one of Hamburg's inner suburbs...
.
- Ossenrode (Asenroth) was mentioned first time in the year 1112. The place had around 4 farms and was situated in the north-east of Rethen. Archaeological records belongs to the 12th and 14th century.
- Zinsrode (Sinesrode) was situated between Rethen and VordorfVordorfVordorf is a municipality in the district of Gifhorn, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a member municipality of the Samtgemeinde Papenteich. The Municipality Vordorf includes the villages of Eickhorst, Rethen and Vordorf.-Municipal Council:...
. The place is located but not ascertained. At the surface area several arranged stones can be seen. The last documentary mentioning was in the end of 15th century.
- Wendenbüttel (Wendenbutle) was mentioned first time in the year 1007 and was situated in the south of Rethen. Archaeological records belongs to the 10th and 14th century.
Other abandoned villages around Rethen are: Dudanroth (1000 n.Chr), Bromhorst (1007 n.Chr.) and Arnsbüttel (never documentary mentioned).
Founding of Rethen
The history of places names is, besides documents, the most important indicator to explore the exact time of founding. In older research papers, Rethen (Rethene, Rethen, Rethne, Reten, Rethenne) was deduced from Rietheim. Within this word, Riet means a swampSwamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
y area. The so called –heim is mostly linked to some of the earliest settlements, partly going back up to the Cherusci
Cherusci
The Cherusci were a Germanic tribe that inhabited parts of the northern Rhine valley and the plains and forests of northwestern Germany, in the area between present-day Osnabrück and Hanover, during the 1st century BC and 1st century AD...
. But no continued settlement is proved about that long time.
In the latest Scientific published papers (1994), Rethen is considered as a frankish
Frankish Empire
Francia or Frankia, later also called the Frankish Empire , Frankish Kingdom , Frankish Realm or occasionally Frankland, was the territory inhabited and ruled by the Franks from the 3rd to the 10th century...
founding, related to the founding of Meine
Meine
Meine is a municipality in the district of Gifhorn, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a village and member municipality of the Samtgemeinde Papenteich...
. It is believed, that the Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
founded several settlements while they subdued the Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
in 8th century. In that century, an important road crossed the, in that time existing, Northforest in east-west direction, supposable in the vicinity of Rethen and Meine. A number of examples were already explored, where several Frankish settlements where assigned to one central village. However, this relation continued just short time. Already in 11th century, the border between the Bishopric of Halberstadt
Bishopric of Halberstadt
The Bishopric of Halberstadt was a Roman Catholic diocese from 804 until 1648 and an ecclesiastical state of the Holy Roman Empire from the late Middle Ages...
and 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...
divided both villages. Several tryouts of the different Bishops of Hildesheim to take over the Rethen area failed. The border existed for around 500 years, up to the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
.
The first documentary mentioning of Rethen was in the year 1301 by the name Rethene. The document evidence a sale of estate in Rethen. Knight Balduin von Wenden sold his estates in Rethen to the Monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
St. Crucis in Braunschweig
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
. In this era, Rethen was an only agricultural village.
The masters of Rethen
Patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
about church and the right of hunting. The documentary mentioning of these rights was firstly found in a document from the year 1383/85. Based on his long-standing experience in the war service Bethmann built his house in the kind of a water castle
Water castle
A water castle is a castle or stately home whose site is entirely surrounded by moats or natural waterbodies. Topographically water castles are a type of lowland castle.There is a further distinction between:...
on a small island in the village pond. During the following decades the village was attacked several times by robber baron
Robber baron
A robber baron or robber knight was an unscrupulous and despotic nobility of the medieval period in Europe, for example, Berlichingen. It has slightly different meanings in different countries. In modern US parlance, the term is also used to describe unscrupulous industrialists...
s. In the years 1308, 1380, 1381 and 1388 they destroyed Rethen nearly completely. At one of these raids (presumably on 13 July 1381) the water castle was also destroyed.
Consequently the masters of Rethen left the village after about 150 years of presence and relocated in Braunschweig
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
. Also the left Rethen, they kept the patronage right about Rethen. The family extinct presumably in the 18-th century. After the connection of the parishes of Adenbüttel
Adenbüttel
Adenbüttel is a municipality in the Gifhorn district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a member municipality of the Samtgemeinde Papenteich. The Municipality Adenbüttel includes the villages of Adenbüttel and Rolfsbüttel- Neighbourhood :...
and Rethen in the first half of the 16-th century, the master von Rethen and the Freiherr
Freiherr
The German titles Freiherr and Freifrau and Freiin are titles of nobility, used preceding a person's given name or, after 1919, before the surname...
von Marenholz (patronage right in Adenbüttel) concerted the patronage right in the combined church municipality. Nevertheless, in the course of the time the right went over more and more to the family of Marenholz. This exercised it up to the death of the last patron (baron of Marenholz-Nolte) in 1969.
Early modern period till Modernity
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
, troops of Emperors Ferdinand II
Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand II , a member of the House of Habsburg, was Holy Roman Emperor , King of Bohemia , and King of Hungary . His rule coincided with the Thirty Years' War.- Life :...
troops made their winter camp near Rethen. Houses and Church were looted
Looting
Looting —also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting...
and the citizens had to work at sconce
Sconce
Sconce may refer to any of the following:* Sconce , a military fortification* Sconce * Sconcing, imposing a penalty in the form of drink* SCoNCe, , University of California, Irvine...
s construction near Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, located on the Oker river about 13 kilometres south of Brunswick. It is the seat of the District of Wolfenbüttel and of the bishop of the Protestant Lutheran State Church of Brunswick...
. Also in the 1640s lootings are reported more than once, mostly by Swedish
Swedish Empire
The Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...
soldiers.
The village was spared by the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
as well as during the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
and was charged only by taxes and war loans. Only worth mentioning is the murdering of a shepherd by French Dragoons in 1758. During 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...
in 1866 as well as during the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
war in 1870/71 people from Rethen were drawn and returned home without worse injuries.
Living in the village was mainly affected by the changes in agriculture during 19th century. These concerned several reorganisations of the local surface as well as the intensification of husbandry linked with strong deforestation. In the second half of the 19-th century an intensive cultivation of sugar beets starts, strongly favoured by the construction of the sugar beet factory in Meine
Meine
Meine is a municipality in the district of Gifhorn, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a village and member municipality of the Samtgemeinde Papenteich...
.
World War I
In common with many Europeans, the people of Rethen expressed a great enthusiasm for World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
at the start of the conflict in 1914. In all, 78 citizens were drawn into the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
's army; 14 of them died during the war. In the winter of 1914/15, refugees from Russian occupied territories were quartered in Rethen. French prisoners of war were brought to Rethen to help in road construction and agricultural work. By the end of war, especially during the “Steckrübenwinter” (Rutabaga
Rutabaga
The rutabaga, swede , turnip or yellow turnip is a root vegetable that originated as a cross between the cabbage and the turnip; see Triangle of U...
winter) in 1916/17, ordinary life became difficult for the people of Rethen as it did for their fellow countrymen throughout Germany. In spite of food rationing, high unemployment, and a generally poor economy, no revolution took place. In the last days of the war, a workers and soldiers council
Workers' council
A workers' council, or revolutionary councils, is the phenomenon where a single place of work or enterprise, such as a factory, school, or farm, is controlled collectively by the workers of that workplace, through the core principle of temporary and instantly revocable delegates.In a system with...
arose, but after a short time it collapsed and was followed by a parish council.
World War II
During World War II no big war enthusiasm took place in Rethen. The agricultural work had to be done by women and old people. They were partly supported by foreign workerForeign worker
A foreign worker is a person who works in a country other than the one of which he or she is a citizen. The term migrant worker as discussed in the migrant worker page is used in a particular UN resolution as a synonym for "foreign worker"...
s and Prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
, mainly from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. The treatment of the different ethics was quit unequal. While the Russians remained in Prisoner-of-war camp
Prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
s, the Polish and French were accommodated with the villagers. However, even this accommodation was mostly rather inadequate cause the villagers feared denunciation and announcement by other inhabitants loyal to government in case of a friendly treatment of the prisoners.
The heaviest bomb attack Rethen experienced on 23 August 1944 at 11:30 o'clock. Four Gravity bomb
Gravity bomb
An unguided bomb, also known as a free-fall bomb, gravity bomb, dumb bomb, or iron bomb, is a conventional aircraft-delivered bomb that does not contain a guidance system and hence, simply follows a ballistic trajectory....
s came down close-by the village. Besides, a larger amount of Incendiary bombs
Incendiary device
Incendiary weapons, incendiary devices or incendiary bombs are bombs designed to start fires or destroy sensitive equipment using materials such as napalm, thermite, chlorine trifluoride, or white phosphorus....
were thrown down directly above the village and caused several conflagrations. The community building, two stables, three wheat stocks and four residential buildings were torched down completely. Fires in other buildings could be extinguished by the inhabitants themselves. Fire brigades from the whole Papenteich
Papenteich
Papenteich is a Samtgemeinde in the district of Gifhorn in Lower Saxony, Germany, situated approximately 10 km south of Gifhorn, and 15 km north of Braunschweig. Papenteich was founded on October 2, 1970 and includes 6 local municipalities with 19 villages. At present its population is...
and Braunschweig
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
appeared. In spite of the massive attack, no people came to damage.
On 10 April 1945 American soldiers, coming from Peine
Peine
Peine is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, capital of the district Peine. It is situated on the river Fuhse and the Mittellandkanal, approx. 25 km west of Braunschweig, and 40 km east of Hanover.- History :...
, occupied Rethen peacefully. The military order to the Volkssturm
Volkssturm
The Volkssturm was a German national militia of the last months of World War II. It was founded on Adolf Hitler's orders on October 18, 1944 and conscripted males between the ages of 16 to 60 years who were not already serving in some military unit as part of a German Home Guard.-Origins and...
to defend the village was refused and the weapons were sunk in the village pond. Most American soldiers stayed just a few days and only a small part remained for one quarter.
Language
Linguistically Rethen belongs to the German languageGerman 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....
area around Hannover. However, a part of the population still use German combined with phrases from the old Brunswick and the Papenteich
Papenteich
Papenteich is a Samtgemeinde in the district of Gifhorn in Lower Saxony, Germany, situated approximately 10 km south of Gifhorn, and 15 km north of Braunschweig. Papenteich was founded on October 2, 1970 and includes 6 local municipalities with 19 villages. At present its population is...
Low Saxon
Low Saxon
Low Saxon may refer to:In political or territorial respect:*Of or relating to Lower Saxony*Of or relating to Saxe-Lauenburg*Of or relating to Lower Saxon CircleIn linguistic respect:*Any West Low German speech variety*The Northern Low Saxon dialect...
. In former times the everyday speech of Rethen was an Eastphalian
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...
Papenteich
Papenteich
Papenteich is a Samtgemeinde in the district of Gifhorn in Lower Saxony, Germany, situated approximately 10 km south of Gifhorn, and 15 km north of Braunschweig. Papenteich was founded on October 2, 1970 and includes 6 local municipalities with 19 villages. At present its population is...
dialect, whereas the speech in school and church was Standard German
Standard German
Standard German is the standard variety of the German language used as a written language, in formal contexts, and for communication between different dialect areas...
.
With the changes of the 20th century the Low Saxon dialect disappeared more and more. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it was displaced completely by standard German.
Religion
| Denomination | People | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Protestantism/Lutheranism Lutheranism Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation... |
740 | 61% |
| Roman Catholicism Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity... |
114 | 9% |
| Atheism Atheism Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities... and others |
rest | 30% |
Since Protestant Reformation people in Rethen were part of the Lutheranism
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
church and highly affected by the ecclesiastical life.
First changes were noted in the early 19th century. Until then 350 people visited the worship
Worship
Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. The word is derived from the Old English worthscipe, meaning worthiness or worth-ship — to give, at its simplest, worth to something, for example, Christian worship.Evelyn Underhill defines worship thus: "The absolute...
in average. This number reduced during the next decades (1938: 100people) to the nowadays level of 70 (1990s). Likewise the percentage of Protestant interest in the whole population decreased from 91% to 61%.
Voluntary association
Voluntary association
A voluntary association or union is a group of individuals who enter into an agreement as volunteers to form a body to accomplish a purpose.Strictly speaking, in many jurisdictions no formalities are necessary to start an association...
s and institutions are situated in Rethen:
- Skittle Clubs: founded 1928 (“Morgenstern – Morning star) and 1954 (“GemütlichkeitGemütlichkeitGemütlichkeit is a German abstract noun that has been adopted into English. Its closest equivalent is the word "coziness"; however, rather than merely describing a place that is compact, well-heated and nicely furnished , Gemütlichkeit connotes the notion of belonging, social acceptance,...
”) the members of both Skittle ClubsSkittles (sport)Skittles is an old European lawn game, a variety of bowling, from which ten-pin bowling, duckpin bowling, and candlepin bowling in the United States, and five-pin bowling in Canada are descended. In the United Kingdom, the game remains a popular pub game in England and Wales, though it tends to be...
: meeting regularly every week. - TSV Rethen: founded 1947 the club had about 637 member in the year 2000. The club offers VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, GymnasticsGymnasticsGymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
, DanceDanceDance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
and T'ai chi ch'uan. The footballFootball (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
department had been outsourced in 2006. - FSV Adenbüttel Rethen: founded on the 29. April 2006 as a merger of the footballFootball (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
departments of TSV Rethen and MTV Adenbüttel. - Schützenverein: founded 1962 the SchützenvereinShooting sportsA shooting sport is a competitive sport involving tests of proficiency using various types of guns such as firearms and airguns . Hunting is also a shooting sport, and indeed shooting live pigeons was an Olympic event...
had about 637 member in the year 2000. The club owns an air gunAir gunAn air gun is a rifle , pistol , or shotgun that fires projectiles by means of compressed air or other gas, in contrast to a firearm, which burns a propellant. Most air guns use metallic projectiles as ammunition. Air guns that only use plastic projectiles are classified as airsoft...
– shooting rangeShooting rangeA shooting range or firing range is a specialized facility designed for firearms practice. Each facility is typically overseen by one or more supervisory personnel, called variously a range master or "RSO – Range Safety Officer" in the United States or a range conducting officer or "RCO" in the UK...
and organises the yearly SchützenfestSchützenfestA Schützenfest is a traditional festival or fair featuring a target shooting competition in the cultures of both Germany and Switzerland.... - Youth Club Rethen: founded 1973 is the youth club Rethen the oldest self governing youth club in Northern GermanyNorthern Germany- Geography :The key terrain features of North Germany are the marshes along the coastline of the North Sea and Baltic Sea, and the geest and heaths inland. Also prominent are the low hills of the Baltic Uplands, the ground moraines, end moraines, sandur, glacial valleys, bogs, and Luch...
. In 1998 the club had more than 90 members. - Choir „Polyhymnia“: founded 1895
Megalithic tomb
In 1995, during farming activities, a Megalithic tomb (DolmenDolmen
A dolmen—also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, dolmain , cromlech , anta , Hünengrab/Hünenbett , Adamra , Ispun , Hunebed , dös , goindol or quoit—is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of...
) was found within the Rethen district (near the Maaßel forest). Six (rather small) stones form an arrangement, straightened in east-west direction. Based on investigations of the local archaeological department, the tomb is dated on 3,000 B.C. It is assumed, that the arrangement was a collective grave, build as a kind of cottage. The Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
settlement belonging to the grave is supposed in a vicinity of about 3 km.
The grave is probably a disturbed arrangement, which was coverer earlier with wood or stones. Some bigger stones as well as the cover were probably removed in former times and used, e.g., for the building of a house. The arrangement was made accessible and handed over to the public in 1996. The Rethen Dolmen was the first known Megalithic tomb in the district of Gifhorn
Gifhorn (district)
-Geography:The district is located at the border of Saxony-Anhalt and extends from the southern edge of the Lüneburg Heath in the north to the suburbs of Braunschweig and Wolfsburg in the south. The Aller River enters the district in the southeast, runs through the town of Gifhorn, is joined by...
.
Infrastructure
- Road network: The nowadays road network was constructed in the second half of the 19th century. The streets names was established in 1976. Previously the houses were just numbered.
- Freah water/sewage: Although Rethen ever has more than enough clear groundwater, the village was attached to the public water supply network in 1963. In 1977 Rethen was connected to the sewage system as well.
- Energie: The electric power supply was installed in 1916.
- natural gas The grid gas supply was installed in 1996
Public facilities
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
was establishes opposite to the sports field. During the antecedent centuries children from Rethen visited the Kindergartens in the surrounding villages and cities. Operator of the Kindergarten is the “Kindergarten Vordorf e. V.“. The Kindergarten offers places for up to 50 children in two age-mixed groups.
Politics
In its early times Rethen belonged to area of the Welf dynasty, but changed a lot between the House of Brunswick and the House of Lüneburg. With the construction of the Gifhorn District in 1549, Rethen belongs to the Gografschaft Rötgesbüttel. Up to 1972 Gifhorn belongs to the region of LüneburgLüneburg (region)
Lüneburg was one of the four Regierungsbezirke of Lower Saxony, Germany, located in the north of the federal state between the three cities Bremen, Hamburg and Hanover....
(formally principality Lüneburg). After the district reform of 1972, Gifhorn was affiliated to the region of Braunschweig
Braunschweig (region)
Brunswick is one of the four former administrative regions of Lower Saxony, Germany, located in the southeast of the state. The region covers roughly the area of the former state of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
. In the short era of the Kingdom of Westphalia
Kingdom of Westphalia
The Kingdom of Westphalia was a new country of 2.6 million Germans that existed from 1807-1813. It included of territory in Hesse and other parts of present-day Germany. While formally independent, it was a vassal state of the First French Empire, ruled by Napoleon's brother Jérôme Bonaparte...
it belongs to the Canton Rötgesbüttel
Rötgesbüttel
Rötgesbüttel is a municipality in the district of Gifhorn, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a member municipality of the Samtgemeinde Papenteich-Neighbourhood:* distance from downtown-Geographical position:...
and with that to the Département Oker.
In 1970 Rethen and 14 other municipalities formed the Samtgemeinde Papenteich
Papenteich
Papenteich is a Samtgemeinde in the district of Gifhorn in Lower Saxony, Germany, situated approximately 10 km south of Gifhorn, and 15 km north of Braunschweig. Papenteich was founded on October 2, 1970 and includes 6 local municipalities with 19 villages. At present its population is...
with the administrative centre in Meine
Meine
Meine is a municipality in the district of Gifhorn, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a village and member municipality of the Samtgemeinde Papenteich...
. In this time Rethen was still an independent municipality. The union with Vordorf and Eickhorst followed under the new name “Gemeinde Vordorf” (Municipality Vordorf) with the election of the first municipality council at June 28, 1974.
Further reading
- Falk, Michael (2001), Geschichtliches aus Rethen – Namen, Zahlen und Daten, Dokumente und Fotos; Adenbüttel 2001
- Der Landkreis Gifhorn. Hrsg. von Niedersächsischen Landesverwaltungsamt. Bremen 1972. (Die Landkreise in Gifhorn, Bd. 26. ISBN 3-87172-327-4.)
- Klose, Heinz (1983) Geschichtliches aus dem Papenteich; Meine 1983; ISBN 3-87040-029-3.
- Meibeyer, Wolfgang (2004) Siedlungskundliches über den Papenteich; Schriftreihe des Landkreises Gifhorn; Gifhorn 2004; ISBN 3-929632-70-5