Geusa

Geusa is a village and a former municipality within the district Saalekreis, in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since January 1, 2010, it is within the town limits of Merseburg.GeographyGeusa is approximately 5 kilometres west of Merseburg. The Geiseltalsee is found to the south-west. The A38 goes through the neighborhood.HistoryThe village of Geusa was mentioned as early as 880/890 in the Hersfeld Tithe Register as Husuwa, or Husiuwa. Additional nobility maps dating back to 1000 have the town marked as Geußau, Geißau, Geusau, and Geußen. It appears as Gusau in an August 9, 975 entry in the Pago Hassaga, a record of noble land holdings for the region during the reign of Otto II. The town appears as "Geuse" in Willem Blaeu's 1645 edition of Atlas Novus in the map of Mansfeld Land entitled Mansfeldia Commitatus.Origin of nameThe von Geusau family of Geusa maintains that the name derives from the Latin gans for "goose." However, while this cannot be ruled out, no salient documents exist to support this claim. It is equally probable that the name Geusa shares its origin with the Geisel River Valley, but since both names date back to the days of the Carolingian Empire, the original spelling and etymology have been lost. There are several equally valid possibilities: