Amt Winsen an der Luhe

A castle was built on the lower Luhe river late in the 12th century, from which administrative authority was exercised over neighboring villages. In 1371, it became the seat of authority over most of the northern part of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, eventually characterizing itself as a Großvogtei, comparable to the one in Celle. By the time I begin the data base, however (1527), it had been sufficiently diminished that it was recharacterized as an Amt within the Principality of Lüneburg.

 

In addition to Stadt Winsen, the Amt consisted of seven subdivisions, most of which were called Amtsvogteien. One of those Amtsvogteien, Amt Bienenbüttel, consisted of scattered villages (or parts of villages) that were not connected to the rest of the Amt. In 1794, that Amtsvogtei was dissolved and its villages were reassigned to the Ämter and Vogteien that surrounded them. The Amt was never included in any spinoff principalities.