Amt Ottersberg

Ottersberg was an independent county until 1255 when it became part of the Archbishopric of Bremen with the status of an Amt. It consisted of a “Hausvogtei” around the town of Ottersberg itself and an “Amtsvogtei” for the outlying villages (of which I use the name of the largest—Fischerhude—as the simplified name of the Vogtei). The reclamation of nearby marshland began in the 18th century and two “Moorvogteien” were created to govern the new villages. In 1764, several villages were transferred to the Amtsvogtei from the Principality of Verden and another was transferred in 1791.