Hagenhufendorf

A Hagenhufendorf (German: also Bachhufendorf, Hagenhufensiedlung or Hägerhufensiedlung) is an elongated settlement, similar to a Reihendorf, laid out along a road running parallel to a stream, whereby only one side of the road has houses, whilst on the opposite side are the hides (Hufen), the handkerchief-shaped farmer's fields of medieval origin, about 20 to 40 morgens in area.

The Hagenhufensiedlung was a form of planned settlement typical of the High Middle Ages that consisted of individually owned strips of land that were strung together in a line.

From this type of settlement, long linear villages developed like Auhagen, Wiedensahl, Isernhagen, Kathrinhagen or Rodewald in Lower Saxony.

The Hagenhufendörfer arose from the planned settlement of forested areas, predominantly in the 13th century, with the aim of clearing and cultivating the land.

The best-known region, with many such villages, is the area around Stadthagen, which was itself founded as a planned town in the centre of the plain that was to be settled, between the Schaumburg Forest and Bückebergen.