Sülze Saltworks
Encyclopedia
The Sülze Saltworks was a 'saline', or saltworks, on the Lüneburg Heath
in Germany which was worked for centuries, from the High Middle Ages
to 1862. It had a considerable impact on the history of the village of Sülze
and other heath villages in the area.
was extracted from brine
in Sülze. The development of Sülze's salt spring was strongly encouraged by the dukes of the Principality of Lüneburg
who wanted to create a counterbalance to the town of Lüneburg
, which had largely succeeded in maintaining its independence from territorial lords as a result of the salt trade. This intent was never realised, however, because a glance at the quantities of salt produced demonstrates the overwhelming supremacy of the Lüneburg Saltworks
. Whilst an average of 110,000 t of salt was extracted annually in Lüneburg, Sülze generated no more than 4,000 t. In addition, the salt content of the brine in Lüneburg was up to 25% whereas in Sülze it was a mere 5% and thus barely economical.
The right to extract salt lay with the Lüneburg dukes, but was leased to the owners of the salt pans.
Over the course of the centuries the boiling houses had to be moved several times into the surrounding villages due to the lack of fuel. All the peat in the vicinity of Sülze had already been used up and productive operation in the village itself was no longer possible. From 1673 to 1678 the boiling houses were transferred to Bornrieth Moor, where there were two salt houses and a graduation tower
200 metres long and 7 metres high. A boring mill was also built here for the manufacture of water pipes from tree trunks.
Brine was carried in wooden pipes from Sülze and peat delivered by boat using a canal excavated for the purpose. As early as 1719 there were discussions about moving the boiling houses again because Bornrieth Moor was exhausted. In the period from 1719 to 1725 the brine pipeline was relaid to the newly established village of Altensalzkoth
in the "Scheuer Bruch" marsh. The existing pipes were moved from Lindhorst
along the river Örtze
eastwards past Eversen
to the salt house at Altensaltzkoth. But because the brine had to be piped over a greater distance, other problems arose. At "Zuckenberg" the brine was pumped to a height of 5 m by a water-powered pump (Zucke) in order to achieve the required natural slope. Leaks and regular blockages in the pipes soon meant that economical production was no longer possible. This led finally to the boiling houses being relocated back to Sülze. To overcome the continued lack of fuel locally, an improved transportation system was established, enabling peat from the surrounding areas to be delivered to Sülze.
Lüneburg Heath
The Lüneburg Heath is a large area of heath, geest and woodland in northeastern part of the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. It forms part of the hinterland for the cities of Hamburg, Hanover, and Bremen and is named after the town of Lüneburg. Most of the area is a nature reserve...
in Germany which was worked for centuries, from the High Middle Ages
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages was the period of European history around the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries . The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which by convention end around 1500....
to 1862. It had a considerable impact on the history of the village of Sülze
Sülze (Bergen)
Sülze is a village administered by the Lower Saxon town of Bergen in the northern part of Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath in North Germany.- Geography :...
and other heath villages in the area.
History
The saline is first mentioned in the records in 1381 and, from that time on, saltSalt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
was extracted from brine
Brine
Brine is water, saturated or nearly saturated with salt .Brine is used to preserve vegetables, fruit, fish, and meat, in a process known as brining . Brine is also commonly used to age Halloumi and Feta cheeses, or for pickling foodstuffs, as a means of preserving them...
in Sülze. The development of Sülze's salt spring was strongly encouraged by the dukes of the Principality of Lüneburg
Principality of Lüneburg
The Principality of Lüneburg was a territorial division of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg within the Holy Roman Empire, immediately subordinate to the emperor. It existed from 1269 until 1705 and its territory lay within the modern-day state of Lower Saxony in Germany...
who wanted to create a counterbalance to the town of Lüneburg
Lüneburg
Lüneburg 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...
, which had largely succeeded in maintaining its independence from territorial lords as a result of the salt trade. This intent was never realised, however, because a glance at the quantities of salt produced demonstrates the overwhelming supremacy of the Lüneburg Saltworks
Lüneburg Saltworks
The Lüneburg Saltworks was a saline in the German town of Lüneburg that extracted salt.According to legend, a hunter killed a wild boar whose coat was snow-white from crystallised salt...
. Whilst an average of 110,000 t of salt was extracted annually in Lüneburg, Sülze generated no more than 4,000 t. In addition, the salt content of the brine in Lüneburg was up to 25% whereas in Sülze it was a mere 5% and thus barely economical.
The right to extract salt lay with the Lüneburg dukes, but was leased to the owners of the salt pans.
Over the course of the centuries the boiling houses had to be moved several times into the surrounding villages due to the lack of fuel. All the peat in the vicinity of Sülze had already been used up and productive operation in the village itself was no longer possible. From 1673 to 1678 the boiling houses were transferred to Bornrieth Moor, where there were two salt houses and a graduation tower
Graduation tower
A graduation tower is a structure used in the production of salt which removes water from a saline solution by evaporation, increasing its concentration of mineral salts. The tower consists of a wooden wall-like frame stuffed with bundles of brushwood which have to be changed about every 5 to 10...
200 metres long and 7 metres high. A boring mill was also built here for the manufacture of water pipes from tree trunks.
Brine was carried in wooden pipes from Sülze and peat delivered by boat using a canal excavated for the purpose. As early as 1719 there were discussions about moving the boiling houses again because Bornrieth Moor was exhausted. In the period from 1719 to 1725 the brine pipeline was relaid to the newly established village of Altensalzkoth
Altensalzkoth
Altensalzkoth is a village in the Lower Saxon town of Bergen in north Germany. It belongs to the parish of Eversen in the district of Celle on the Lüneburg Heath. It lies 13 km north of Celle on the Landesstraße L 240 and currently has 65 inhabitants....
in the "Scheuer Bruch" marsh. The existing pipes were moved from Lindhorst
Diesten
Diesten is a village subordinated to the Lower Saxon town of Bergen in the northern part of Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath in northern Germany. It lies 20 km north of Celle on state road K 240 and currently has 357 inhabitants....
along the river Örtze
Örtze
The Örtze is a river in the North German state of Lower Saxony, which rises north of Munster in the Große Heide and, after , joins the Aller southeast of Winsen.- Source and course :...
eastwards past Eversen
Eversen (Bergen)
Eversen is a village in the town of Bergen in the northern part of Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath in the north German state of Lower Saxony....
to the salt house at Altensaltzkoth. But because the brine had to be piped over a greater distance, other problems arose. At "Zuckenberg" the brine was pumped to a height of 5 m by a water-powered pump (Zucke) in order to achieve the required natural slope. Leaks and regular blockages in the pipes soon meant that economical production was no longer possible. This led finally to the boiling houses being relocated back to Sülze. To overcome the continued lack of fuel locally, an improved transportation system was established, enabling peat from the surrounding areas to be delivered to Sülze.
Source
- August Theiss - Die Geschichte der Saline zu Sülze 1979