0 Uelzen

Uelzen is a town in Germany which has one of the main railway stations between Hamburg and Hannover. In 1500, its main church, St Marien, which had been built for about 300 years, received an upgrade, financed by the merchants of the city. Since the leading two merchant families were the Heins and Schillings, it is possible that Familie Hein was involved.

In his 1935 book on the history of Uelzen, H. Grotkaß, (Beiträge zur Geschichte der alten Uelzener Familien, pub Heidewanderer 1935, pp. 165/6) has a chapter on the Hein family which gives many examples of Heins doing various things dating back as far as 1528. These range from ownership of property, study (an Albert Hein studied at University in 1540 with the aid of council support) and business.

Whereas this Albert Hein may have been a direct ancestor, church records were not kept in Uelzen until 1654, and the first Hein known to be an ancestor referenced is Johann Hein, born before 1654 but listed as City Treasurer in 1680. He had two sons, Baltzer and August, who were listed as clothiers in 1722. Baltzer had a son August Heinrich, who lived in Lüneburger Straße, and was listed as a watchmaker there in the years from 1725 to 1755. And his son in turn, Heinrich Ludewig Hein was also listed as a watchmaker in 1764. His son August Christoph married the daughter of a merchant in nearby Lüchow and became a merchant and Councillor there. That pathway to Hamburg in the following generation and then Australian migration will be taken up in the following chapter.

Full details of this ancestry in Uelzen and later for about one generation in Luechow can be found at the foot of the Christine Hein page (chapter 4 here).

Similar professions were held by fathers of various wives. For example Heinrich Ludewig Hein married the daughter of a clothier, and August Heinrich Hein married the daughter of a goldsmith.

What is Uelzen like as a town?

It is a Hanseatic town of population about 33,000 people, located about 100km south of Hamburg. Together with Lüneberg they are the two main towns on the railway line between Hannover and Hamburg. Lüchow is maybe 30km to its east.

It is a very pleasant place with nice pedestrian areas as shown above and architecture as shown below.

Its skyline is dominated by the Church, St Marien.

Its tower can be seen from all across town.

It dates back well before 1500, before Luther, and it is very ornate in the tradition of a Catholic Church which it originally would have been. Its history notes say that the church was built via generous donations of the local merchants.

Lüneberger Straße is one of the main streets.

The most famous part of the town now is the railway station itself, designed by the Austrian artist Hundertwasser. He is known for several similar buildings in Europe, but in later life he migrated to New Zealand and is famous for the design of the artistic toilets in the town of Kawakawa near the Bay of Islands.