Wesseln (Bad Salzdetfurth)
Encyclopedia
Wesseln is a village with a long history in the northern part of the borough of Bad Salzdetfurth
in Lower Saxony
, Germany. It lies on the River Lamme, a tributary of the Innerste
. The village has a railway station served by the Lamme Valley Railway
.
The extraction of potash
salt at a mine in Salzdetfurth, which started in 1896, and the inauguration of the Lamme Valley Railway in 1900 promoted the economic growth and industrial development of the village. At the beginning of the 20th century, Wesseln had 388 inhabitants.
In 1974 Wesseln was incorporated into the borough of Bad Salzdetfurth
together with several other villages. The railway station was closed in 1991, but reopened in 2003 after the line had been modernized and taken over by a private company.
to Wesseln and to Bad Salzdetfurth with one train per hour on working days and one train at least every two hours on Sundays and public holidays. From the railway station of Wesseln, Bockenem
can be reached by bus on working days.
Bad Salzdetfurth
is a town on the banks of the river Lamme in the district of Hildesheim, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was mentioned in Tom Clancy's bestseller Red Storm Rising.-Geography:...
in 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...
, Germany. It lies on the River Lamme, a tributary of the Innerste
Innerste
The Innerste is a river in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Leine river and 95 km in length.- Origin of the name :...
. The village has a railway station served by the Lamme Valley Railway
Lamme Valley Railway
The Lamme Valley Railway is a branch line, that turns off in Groß Düngen from the Hildesheim–Goslar railway and runs today via Bad Salzdetfurth to Bodenburg...
.
History
Wesseln was first mentioned in records as Westenem in 1146. Later, the village was also called Westheim. In a document written in 1215, Henricus sacerdote de Westene, the priest of Wesseln, was mentioned as a witness in a trial. In the 16th century, Wesseln ceased to be an independent parish and became part of the parish of nearby Detfurth where the Reformation was not introduced. Originally Protestants were not allowed to settle in Wesseln and Detfurth. Wesseln had a small gothic chapel on the right bank of the Lamme where the priest from Detfurth held regular services. When the number of inhabitants increased in the 19th century, the chapel proved to be too small. A church was built on the left bank of the Lamme in 1853-55, and the old chapel was used as a stable and barn until it burnt down in 1905.The extraction of potash
Potash
Potash is the common name for various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form. In some rare cases, potash can be formed with traces of organic materials such as plant remains, and this was the major historical source for it before the industrial era...
salt at a mine in Salzdetfurth, which started in 1896, and the inauguration of the Lamme Valley Railway in 1900 promoted the economic growth and industrial development of the village. At the beginning of the 20th century, Wesseln had 388 inhabitants.
In 1974 Wesseln was incorporated into the borough of Bad Salzdetfurth
Bad Salzdetfurth
is a town on the banks of the river Lamme in the district of Hildesheim, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was mentioned in Tom Clancy's bestseller Red Storm Rising.-Geography:...
together with several other villages. The railway station was closed in 1991, but reopened in 2003 after the line had been modernized and taken over by a private company.
Sights
- St. John Baptist is a small Catholic church with about 60 seats in the village centre. Services are regularly held. It was built of quarrystone in a neogothicGothic Revival architectureThe Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style in 1853-55. Its naveNaveIn Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
has large stained-glass windows set in pointed arches, and a gable roofGableA gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
with a flècheFlècheA flèche is used in French architecture to refer to a spire and in English to refer to a lead-covered timber spire, or spirelet. These are placed on the ridges of church or cathedral roofs and are usually relatively small...
instead of a tower. The small apseApseIn architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
in the northern part of the building has a tented roofTented roofA tented roof is a type of roof widely used in 16th and 17th century Russian architecture for churches. It is like a polygonal spire but differs in purpose in that it is typically used to roof the main internal space of a church, rather than an auxiliary structure...
and a round window. The entrance doorway in the southern part has a pointed arch. - There are several picturesque half-timbered houses in the village centre.
- A glider airfield is located northwest of the village.
- Wesseln is surrounded by wooded hills offering a scenic view of the village and the Lamme valley. Two noteworthy historic oaks on the Turmberg hill, the 600-year-old Sängereiche and 650-year-old Passeiche, can be reached by footpaths.
Traffic connections
There are good train connections from HildesheimHildesheim
Hildesheim is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste river, which is a small tributary of the Leine river...
to Wesseln and to Bad Salzdetfurth with one train per hour on working days and one train at least every two hours on Sundays and public holidays. From the railway station of Wesseln, Bockenem
Bockenem
Bockenem is a town in the district of Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, Germany that was founded in 1154. It is located on the German Framework Road.-Surrounding villages:*Jerze*Königsdahlum*Bornum*Mahlum*Schlewecke*Ortshausen*Volkersheim*Hary*Störy...
can be reached by bus on working days.