Vierlande

Location of the Vierlande in Hamburg
Base data for Vierlande
Country:	Germany
Bundesland:	Hamburg
Bezirk:	Bergedorf

Vierlandeis the name given to a roughly 77-square kilometre region in theHamburgdistrict ofBergedorfwhich has a population of 18,419and comprises four quarters of the city.

Its name goes back to the year 1556 and refers to the fourchurch parishesofCurslack,Kirchwerder,NeuengammeandAltengammewhich are identical with their modern-day quarters.

Geography

The Vierlande consists of former river islands in theurstromtalof theElbe.

History

Map of the Vierlande around 1790

The populace of the Vierlande were free farmers, but sovereignty over the whole region frequently changed hands. From the 12th century it belonged to the dukes ofSaxe-Lauenburgwho, due to a shortage of money,enfeoffedit to thefreeHanseatic citiesofHamburgandLübeck.In 1401 Saxe-Lauenburg repossessed it without returning the pledge money; however, the Vierlande, along withBergedorfandRiepenburg,were reconquered by the two cities in 1420 and, as a result of theTreaty of Perleberg,managed jointly as acondominiumuntil the 19th century. This status continued until 1868, when they were taken over by Hamburg. Part of Kirchwerder remained, however, an exclave of the PrussianDistrict of Harburguntil the enactment of theGreater Hamburg Actin 1938.

Altengamme is first mentioned in the records in 1188; Neuengamme ( "New Island" ) and Kirchwerder in 1212, and Curslack in 1217.

Traditional costume of the Vierlande farmers' wives

Dyke construction

The first dykes were constructed in the 12th century as part of land reclamation.

Museums

Kokerwindmühleused for drainage at Rieck-Haus

Rieck-Haus

TheRieck-Hausis built in the style of aFachhallenhausand is an open-air museum in Curslack. It is part of the Bergedorf Museum Landscape (Bergedorfer Museumslandschaft), which also manages the regional museum, theMuseum for Bergedorf and the Vierlande(Museum für Bergedorf und die Vierlande) inBergedorf Castle.

Literature

• Torkild Hinrichsen:Natur - Kultur. Ein Lehrstück aus den Vierlanden.In:Lichtwark-HeftNo. 72, Verlag HB-Werbung, Hamburg-Bergedorf 2007,ISSN1862-3549.
• Harald Richert:Hutständer - eine Besonderheit der Vierländer Kirchen.In:Lichtwark-HeftNo. 69, Verlag HB-Werbung, Hamburg-Bergedorf 2004,ISSN1862-3549.
• H. Schween:Zur Geschichte der Vierlande.In:LichtwarkNr. 11., 1. Jahrg., Hrsg. Lichtwark-Ausschuß, Bergedorf 1949. Siehe jetzt: Verlag HB-Werbung, Hamburg-Bergedorf.
• Achim Sperber:Vier- und Marschlande, Land hinterm Deich.Hans Christians Verlag, Hamburg 1981,ISBN3-7672-0734-6.
• Ludwig Uphoff:Die Vierlande und der Vierländer.In:LichtwarkNr. 7, Hrsg. Lichtwark-Ausschuß, Bergedorf 1953. Siehe jetzt: Verlag HB-Werbung, Hamburg-Bergedorf.
• Kulturbehörde/Denkmalschutzamt Hamburg (Herausgeber):Vier- und Marschlande.Hans Christians Verlag, Hamburg 1986,ISBN3-7672-0969-1.
• Hamburger Sparkasse (publisher):Hamburg von Altona bis Zollenspieker.Hoffmann und Campe, Hamburg 2002,ISBN3-455-11333-8.
• Gundula Hubrich-Messow:Sagen und Märchen aus Hamburg.Husum-Verlag, Husum 2002,ISBN3-89876-036-7.