The village of Hammel rests peacefully on the banks of the Schmutter River, just outside the bustling city of Augsburg. It’s a picturesque place, with its charming cottages and the majestic Schloss Hammel, standing proud like a sentinel over the land.
The story of Hammel is a long and fascinating one, dating back to the Bronze Age. The hilltop, known as Hammelberg, has seen many changes over the centuries. Archaeological finds suggest it was continuously inhabited since that ancient time.
It’s rumored, with a touch of mystery, that the original castle on the hilltop, the Burgstall Hammel, was once the seat of the powerful Hamel family, who served the Bishops of Augsburg as ministeriales.
The Augustinian monastery, originally founded in Muttershofen, relocated to Hammel in the 12th century, only to be transferred to Augsburg later in the same century. The Bishop of Augsburg remained the ultimate owner of the land following this move.
Through various exchanges and grants, the ownership of the land eventually landed back in the hands of the Bishop in 1225. Time passed, the Bishop offered the Hammelhof as a fiefdom to Hans Lieber in 1455, a testament to the importance of this estate.
History took another turn in 1550 when Wolfgang Paller became the inheritor of the Hammelhof. The Paller family built a new castle on the site and earned the right to call themselves “von Hammel.” The family line ended with Wolfgang Leonhard Paller in 1679, leaving the estate to the Sulzer family of Augsburg.
Following several ownership changes, Christoph Rad and Paul von Stetten inherited the estate. It remains in the hands of the von Stetten family to this day.
Despite all the ownership changes, the village itself remained small, with only a handful of houses. It grew slowly due to the proximity to Augsburg, but the limited agricultural land always posed a challenge. Hammel became its own municipality in the 19th century and even boasted a train station on the Augsburg-Welden line. It remained independent until 1972 when it became part of Neusäß in a local government reform.
Today, you can still visit the impressive Schloss Hammel dating back to the 17th century.
Hammel welcomes you for a visit to the stunning surrounding countryside, to admire its architectural heritage, to take a stroll along the Schmutter River, and to feel the spirit of history that lingers in the air.