Großhansdorf

Großhansdorf is a municipality in the district of Stormarn, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated approximately 3 km east of Ahrensburg, and 25 km northeast of Hamburg.HistoryGroßhansdorf was first mentioned in 1274 in a deed of Hamburg's St. Catherine's Church congregation, to which Großhansdorf was affiliated at that time. In 1435 the city of Hamburg acquired Großhansdorf and administered it as part of its forest villages domain (Walddörfer), consisting of a series of Hamburgian exclaves surrounded by then else Holstein territories. In 1642 the erection of a water mill is recorded, which operated until the 19th century. Since 1701 Großhansdorf was the seat of a forest rider (Waldreiter), an official of Hamburg's police administration, which is recalled in today's coat-of-arms of Großhansdorf. Hamburg then formed a free imperial city within the Holy Roman Empire.By 1806 the rotation of arable fields among the resident farming families - as typical within crop rotation - was replaced by coupling fields (Verkoppelung) to become fixed particular family properties, which thus could be alienated - such as by sale or compulsory auction - and therefore pledged to secure credits. So agriculture was integrated into monetary economy. Between 1811 and 1813 Großhansdorf formed a part of the First French Empire, Bouches-de-l'Elbe département, before it was restored to Hamburg, then forming a sovereign city state within the new loose German Confederation.