Stadt Lüneburg

Amt Lüne

Lüneburg was founded in the 10th century as a salt mining town. In 1189, it was granted city rights, supplanting Bardowick as the major trading hub of the region. It was the nominal seat of a duchy as early as 1200, but it was not until 1235 that it formally became one of the capitals of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Although that Duchy remained legally intact until the end of the Holy Roman Empire, it was functionally administered as a collection of principalities, one of which was seated in Lüneburg beginning in 1269. From that point on, Lüneburg had minimal influence on the rest of the Duchy. In fact, even the seat of the Principality of Lüneburg moved to Celle in 1378.

 

The convent of Lüne was founded just north of Lüneburg in 1172. Its excercise of secular authority was officially recognized in 1395. In 1529, its secular authority was transferred to an Amt, which was divided into two Vogteien. In 1794, it was involved in a transfer of territory among Ämter that resulted in the acquisition of the larger part of several villages that had previously been under the jurisdiction of Vogtei Bienenbüttel in Amt Winsen an der Luhe.