Hauländer

German settlers were called Hauländer in Prussia, Poland and partly in Lithuania, on the royal (or at least noble ) estates - were settled - the so-called domains. Until 1807, she was found mainly in Posen and East Prussia.

These products are considered to colonists who had essentially two tasks to fulfill. First, many of these colonists had to make their allocated land arable. In addition to clearing this meant, above all, the draining of swamps and other engineering measures. Since the necessary know -how circulated especially in Lower Saxony, Dutch and Flemish areas were particularly, but not exclusively, recruited immigrants from these already densely populated areas. The second major task was then the management of the country. For the country they initially paid nothing. However, they paid a yearly interest rate. One can therefore speak of a kind of tenancy.

Hauländer settled in their own villages, Hauländereien. For it was a more liberal law than for the usual peasants in Prussia, who was standing in for Fronverhältnis respective landlord / Junker and so was his serf. The agreements with the aristocratic landowners secured the Hauländern to their status.

The term Hauländerei probably goes back to medieval German settlements in today Polish and Lithuanian territories. Even then, there were already demonstrably Dutch estates (Polish: Olędrzy ). But this does not mean that all Hauländer from the area of ​​present-day Netherlands came. Although there were many Hauländer Mennonites from the Netherlands, but also from North and East Germany came Hauländer. Even Poland were often found in Hauländereien.