Imagine a time long before cars and buses. That time was before even paved roads connected Willinghusen to the world. This is Willinghusen a place with a history stretching back centuries.
Willinghusen’s story begins with its name. It likely evolved from old Saxon terms. Weddingehusen Wittigehusen or Wedingenhusen. These names suggest a “gifted village” or a place of “Schenkungsbesitz.” The suffix “-husen” hints at Saxon origins.
Our journey through Willinghusen’s past takes us to 1238. In that year Willinghusen was first documented as Widdinghusen. Graf Adolf IV granted half of Willinghusen and its jurisdiction to the Hamburg Cathedral Chapter. However archaeological finds suggest people lived here far earlier. Discoveries from the Stone Age around Glinder Berg show early settlement. Urn burials from the Bronze and Iron Ages also confirm this.
In 1342 Willinghusen suffered during conflicts between Hamburg and its church. Plundering and arson struck the village. Graf Johann ceded his rights in Willinghusen to the Hamburg Cathedral Chapter.
The 14th century brought more devastation. The plague hit Willinghusen hard. The village was deserted for a time. By the 16th century Willinghusen was resettled. In 1578 a treaty with Denmark regulated Willinghusen’s relationship with the Hamburg Cathedral Chapter. In 1609 Willinghusen Oststeinbek Stemwarde and Barsbüttel became part of the Reinbek office.
The Thirty Years’ War in 1627 brought further hardship. Troops of Tilly and Wallenstein marched through Willinghusen leaving destruction in their wake.
A significant change occurred in 1771. The Royal General-Landes- und Öconomie-Verbesserungs-Directorium dissolved field communities. Villagers could leave the community and own their land.
In 1803 Willinghusen had 23 families and 123 residents. Until 1870 villagers paid “Rauchhühnergeld” to their landlords each year.
Prussian reforms paved the way for modernization. In 1881 the road to Barsbüttel was paved with cobblestones. A postal agency with a telephone was established. By 1909 Willinghusen even had a school library.
The South Stormarn District Railway Tiefstack–Trittau opened on December 17 1907.
World War I had a profound impact. In 1914 mobilization orders arrived. A war relief committee formed. Refugees from East Prussia arrived in Willinghusen but returned home in 1915. Food shortages led to animal slaughter. Children collected leaves for animal feed. Twenty-one men from Willinghusen died in the war.
The post-war years saw rising unemployment and crime. Inflation soared in 1923. A pound of potatoes cost 65 billion marks.
The Hamburg–Lübeck highway was completed in 1937. Construction on the Hamburg–Berlin highway stopped due to World War II.
During World War II many men were drafted. Reports of missing and fallen soldiers arrived. Willinghusen largely avoided bombing. Residents sought shelter in cellars and bunkers. Blackout measures helped prevent greater damage. In 1943 many refugees came to Willinghusen. They were housed in stables and fed by local businesses. In 1945 Willinghusen faced immense hardship. An English tank arrived. Drought and food shortages plagued the village.
After the war Willinghusen rebuilt. In 1948 the Reichbund was founded. This organization for war victims still exists today.
In 1949 Rudolf Michelmann became the first freely elected mayor. In 1950 Professor Gleisberg cultivated heathland into a medicinal plant garden.
Willinghusen celebrated its 700th anniversary in 1952. Streetlights were funded by the celebration’s surplus. In 1956 a memorial was erected on Katzenberg.
In 1964 Willinghusen had various businesses. These included restaurants carpentry shops and grocery stores. The village gradually changed. Trades and farms closed. New housing areas emerged.
In 1974 Willinghusen Barsbüttel Stellau and Stemwarde merged. They formed the main office-managed municipality of Barsbüttel.
Today Willinghusen is a part of Barsbüttel. It is a place with a rich past. Its name geography and historical events have shaped it. From ancient settlements to modern times Willinghusen has a story to tell.