Sachsenwald
{{short description|Forest near Hamburg, Germany}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{About|the forest|the 1939 ship|German weather ship Sachsenwald}}{{Infobox forest|photo=Sachsenwald near Langbett.jpg|region=Schleswig-Holstein|website=https://www.sachsenwald.de/|coords={{coord|53|32|N|10|22|E|region:DE_type:forest_source:GNS-enwiki|display=it}}|county=Germany|country=Duchy of Lauenburg|map_image=File:Sachsenwald in RZ.svg|map_caption=Sachsenwald in the Duchy of Lauenburg. Amt Hohe Elbgeest shown in light red.|owner=67% Bismarck Family
33% Eberhart von Rantzau}}
The Sachsenwald ({{IPA|de|ˈzaksn̩valt|-|de-Sachsenwald.ogg}}) is a forest near Hamburg, Germany. The forest derives its name, which can be translated as 'Saxon woods
Large parts of the forest belong to the House of Bismarck since 1871, who still have their headquarters at Friedrichsruh Castle on the edge of the Sachsenwald.
History
The Sachsenwald are the remnants of the ancient old-growth forest which used to cover most of northern Germany.
The Sachsenwald was given to Otto von Bismarck in 1871 by Wilhelm I in recognition of his services to the founding of Germany. The forest area amounts to about {{convert|6,000|ha|acre}}, of which 4,500 still belong to the House of Bismarck, residing at Friedrichsruh. From 1989 until 2003, Ferdinand von Bismarck sold 2,250 hectares (roughly one third) to the shipowner Eberhart von Rantzau, owner of the Deutsche Afrika-Linien.{{Cite web |last=Bombeck |first=Nataly |date=3 May 2005 |title=Reeder Rantzau: Jetzt gehört ihm schon ein Drittel des Sachsenwaldes |url=https://www.abendblatt.de/hamburg/article106988678/Reeder-Rantzau-Jetzt-gehoert-ihm-schon-ein-Drittel-des-Sachsenwaldes.html |access-date=2023-06-25 |website=Hamburger Abendblatt |language=de-DE}}
The Red Army Faction (RAF) built a secret weapons depot in the Sachsenwald named Daphne, where a revolver, machine guns, and fake IDs were stored. On 16 November 1982, Christian Klar, a RAF-member and terrorist, would be arrested near Friedrichsruh in the Sachsenwald while on his way to the, at that point known, depot.{{Cite web |last=Holz |first=Susanne |date=11 December 2008 |title=Top-Terrorist saß in Reinbeker Zelle |url=https://www.abendblatt.de/region/stormarn/reinbek/article112493859/Top-Terrorist-sass-in-Reinbeker-Zelle.html |access-date=2023-06-25 |website=Hamburger Abendblatt |language=de-DE}}
Politics
The Sachsenwald was part of the collective municipality (Amt) of Aumühle-Wohltorf until 2008, when Aumühle-Wohltorf was disbanded and all territories in it folded into the Amt Hohe Elbgeest, which the Sachsenwald remains a part of to this day.
Due to being uninhabited, the Sachsenwald has no municipal government. It is however formally administered and represented by a Gutsvorsteher (roughly 'estate manager'), the office of which being equal to that of mayor. Due to being an equal position to mayor, the Gutsvorsteher is a non-voting member of the Amt's board (Amtsausschuss).{{Cite web |title=Sachsenwald / Amt Hohe Elbgeest |url=https://www.amt-hohe-elbgeest.de/Gemeinden/Sachsenwald/ |access-date=2023-06-25 |website=amt-hohe-elbgeest.de}} Gutsvorsteher is Andreas Illgner, an empoyee of Gregor von Bismarck.{{Cite web |title=Die Fürsteneiche {{!}} Natur und Erholung im Sachsenwald |url=https://www.sachsenwald.de/fuersteneiche.html |access-date=2023-06-25 |website=sachsenwald.de}}
= Alleged tax haven =
Due to the special historical status of the forest area, Georg von Bismarck has allegedly used the Sachsenwald as a tax haven.{{Cite web |date=2024-10-11 |title=Ururenkel von Reichskanzler Bismarck betreibt eine Steueroase mitten im Wald |trans-title=Imperial Chancellor Bismarck's Great-Great-Grandson is Operating a Tax Haven in the Middle of the Forest |url=https://www.stern.de/kultur/tv/jan-boehmermann--reichskanzler-bismarcks-nachfahre-betreibt-steueroase-35137202.html |access-date=2024-10-12 |website=stern.de |language=de}} The municipal trade tax rate{{snd}}set by a Gutsvorsteher nominated by von Bismarck{{snd}}has remained unchanged since 1958 at a rate about half that of nearby Hamburg. In October 2024, it was reported that at least 21 firms were registered in Sachsenwald, including several real estate companies, an investment consultancy, a trust company, and more than ten subsidiaries of international companies. All of these companies officially reside in von Bismarck's hut, including, reportedly, companies with millions of euros in annual revenue.{{cite web |url=https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/schleswig-holstein/Sachsenwald-als-Steueroase-Schwere-Vorwuerfe-gegen-Bismarck,steueroase108.html |work=Norddeutscher Rundfunk |title=Sachsenwald als Steueroase? Schwere Vorwürfe gegen Bismarck |date=14 October 2024 |access-date=15 October 2024 |lang=de |trans-title=Sachsenwald as a Tax Haven? Serious Accusations Against Bismarck |first=Johannes |last=Tran }} Journalists have raised serious doubts whether any business was taking place in the forest hut, which could suggest the companies have been evading taxes, as municipal trade taxes are due to the municipality in which the economic activity takes place.
Religion
The Sachsenwald was the meeting place of the Sachsenwald Coven, the first ever Wiccan Coven in Germany. It was established during imbolc 1969 in Hamburg, but exclusively met in the Sachsenwald until 2013. Due to most members of the coven living in Hamburg and wanting a shorter journey to meetings, the coven would change its policy and also allow meetings to take place in Hamburg. After several years of almost exclusively meeting in Hamburg, the coven would change its name to Coven Hamburg on imbolc 2017.{{Cite web |date=17 May 2022 |title=Sachsenwald Coven |url=http://www.sachsenwald-coven.de/ |access-date=2023-06-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517020907/http://www.sachsenwald-coven.de/ |archive-date=2022-05-17 }}
Gallery
= Photos =
File:Sachsenwald trees 2023.jpg|Trees in the western Sachsenwald
File:Langbett Sachsenwald.jpg|Long barrow in the western Sachsenwald
File:RK 2105 P1840796 Sachsenwald.jpg|Wentorfer Lohe next to the Sachsenwald
File:RK 2105 P1840798 Sachsenwald.jpg|Sachsenwald by Aumühle
File:RK 2105 P1840797 Sachsenwald.jpg|Sachsenwald by Aumühle
File:RK 2105 P1840799 Sachsenwald.jpg|Sachsenwald by Aumühle
File:RK 2105 P1840800 Sachsenwald.jpg|Sachsenwald by Aumühle
File:RK 2105 P1840811 Schwarze Au Aumühle.jpg|Schwarze Au in the Sachsenwald by Aumühle
File:RK 2105 P1840817 Schwarze Au Aumühle.jpg|Schwarze Au in the Sachsenwald by Aumühle
File:RK 2105 P1840818 Schwarze Au Aumühle.jpg|Schwarze Au in the Sachsenwald by Aumühle
File:RK 2105 P1840824 Schwarze Au Einmündung Bille.jpg|Schwarze Au flowing into the Bille in the Sachsenwald
File:Bille 24.11. DSCI0227.jpg|Bille in the Billetal nature reserve in the Sachsenwald
File:RK 2104 P1840737 Bille Sachsenwald.jpg|Bille flowing through the Sachsenwald
File:RK 2104 P1840693 Billetal Brücke A24.jpg|Bundesautobahn 24 bridge over the Bille in the Sachsenwald
File:Dassendorf Riesenbetten P4100115.JPG|Dassendorf Riesenbett in the southern Sachsenwald
File:Winter an der Bille.jpg|Bille as seen from the Sachsenwald in Winter
= Art =
File:AF Vollmer Stangenmühlengrund im Sachsenwald (1852).jpg|The Sachsenwald in the 19th century. Painting by Adolph Friedrich Vollmer (1852)
File:Sachsenwald Weiher 01.jpg|Drawing of the Sachsenwald from the Book Schleswig-Holstein meerumschlungen (1895)
File:Carl Röhling Bismarck mit seiner Dogge im Sachsenwald.jpg|Bismarck with his Great Dane in the Sachsenwald by Carl Röhling (1998)
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.sachsenwald.de/ Information about the Sachsenwald] {{in lang|de}}
{{Authority control}}