Schleswig-Holstein: KreiseEdit This Page

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Kreise (counties, districts) are a multifaceted entity in Schleswig-Holstein. Before 1864 the Duchy of Schleswig was divided several times , namely 1490 (1523), 1544, 1564 and 1581/82. Until 1723/21 the last division was intact. Administrative districts were called Amt and Harde see: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herzogtum_Schleswig

Two thirds of the Duchy of Schleswig was divided into Ämter (administrations) which were under sovereign rule. The other third was distributed into hetergeneous entities, i.e., "Landschaften", "oktroyierte Köge", "adlige Güter", "Kanzleigüter", "geistliche Institutionen" and "Städte". A Amt was divided into 14 Harden which had lower judicial and police jurisdiction, which was overseen by a Hardevogt. Manors (Güter) had their own jurisdictions since 1524. "Vogteien", "Landschaften", oktroyierte Köge" and cities also had their own jurisdictions. "Kanzleigüter" had another form of administrative measures. They were partly under the Amt or Harde.

Until 1864 seven parishes south of Kolding, between Königsau und Ribe as well as the island of Aero belonged to the Duchy of Schleswig. They became Danish after Schleswig became Prussian. This was an exchange for the royal Danish enclaves at the west coast of Schleswig (territories administered by Ribe Amt).

Holstein was a German fiefdom and therefore belonged to the Holy Roman Empire. It was divided into three parts: the royal Danish part belonging to the King of Denmark and the other two parts belonging to the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Hardersleben and the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf. Later Dithmarschen became part of the Duchy of Holstein. Land exchanges and extinction of ducal lines brought Holstein under the Danish crown and then under German rule.

Today Schleswig-Holstein is divided into Landkreise

see: http://www.deutschland-auf-einen-Blick.de/schleswig-holstein/landkreise.php

Each Landkreis is subdivided into Ämter, showing the villages belonging to a given Amt.

An Amt can provide copies of civil registration, give information about moving-in and -out records, cemetery records etc.

Church records for Schleswig-Holstein can be obtained through the Nordelbische Kirchenkreisämter, see:

http://old.nordelbien.de/nordelbien/nor.adressen/nor.adressen.kirchenkreise/index.html

A map is provided from which can be estimated if a certain village was part of this particular Kirchenkreis. The address of the Kirchenkreisamt is given and a request for a church record should be directed to this address.

If there is a question to which church a given village belonged historically please, see the list of Schleswig-Holstein towns with its assigned parish on familysearchWiki, portal: Schleswig-Holstein, topic: Place Names.

• This page was last modified on 13 April 2010, at 15:58.
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