Cities
On this page you will find a summary of the (most important) hometowns of the v. Halem's.
Hilmann von Halen, who can be seen as the ancestor of the V. Halem's, was born in the German city of
Delmenhorst in 1560, near to the large city of Bremen.
He died in Oldenburg, not far away
from his native town. His children did not move that far away to cities like Rastede and Aurich.
(Map at the left; Source:The Times Concise Atlas of the World)
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Neuharlingersiel: the 'Floodgate'
At the 28th of June 1785 the 'Esener Amtmann' (Esens is a small village near to Neuharlingersiel, an 'amtmann' can be seen as an official)
Gerhard Heinrich von Halem put symbollicaly the first brick in the floodgates of Neuharlingersiel.
On the brick he wrote down his initials 'G.H.v.H'.
After a short speach at the eastern side of the
floodgate, he put the brick in the bottom. His colleague, 'Rentmeister' Ketler, did the same.
Eleven years after this ceremony,in 1796, sir J. C. Freese wrote how the floodgate looked like, how much it cost,
and how it was made to conquer the sea: "Neu Harrlinger Syhl, im 3ten Deichquartier, ist 1785 massiv, 20 Fuß im Lichten weit erbauet (...)
Der im Jahre 1785 neu erbaute Neu Harrlinger Syhl, im Amte Esens, hat mit Inbegriff von 4209 Rthlr.
17 Sch. in Gold, 16470 Rthlr. 23 Sch. 7 witt. gekostet, wozu der König aus dem in der Fürstlichen
Allodialkreditmasse verbleibenden Bestande 7341 Rthlr. 22 ggr. 4 pf. geschenkt hat. (...)
Mit welchen kostspieligen Gegenständen hat demnach unser Vaterland zu kämpfen,
um sich gegen die Gewalt der See zu verwahren!".
Till 1958 this floodgate was of major importance for the city.
(Source: Familienforschung in Ostfriesland)
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Norderney: the 'Kurhaus'
About Norderney, an island close to the Dutch island of Schiermonnikoog, and the connection with v. Halem, we can tell a lot more.
In the 16th century this island was known as Norderney-Oog. Life in those days was hard and not easy.
A lot of inhabitants died, while working at sea.
We notice the first V. Halem in Norderney in 1797. In this year the place bacame a seaside place
thanks to Dr. Von Halem, a scientist. For 1.394 'Taler'(half-a-crowns) he built a 'Kurhaus', a public-bath, in the year 1799.
For years Norderney had been a wealthy city, with a large amount of tourists every year. Only in 1807 the city
became impoverished after it became a part of the Netherlands in the Napoleon-era.
Nowadays the local hospital is called the 'Dr. Von Halem Hospital'
To read more about Dr. Friedrich Wilhelm von Halem, click here
(Source: Norderney Homepage)
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Oldenburg
The Von Halem's also lived in the duchy of Oldenburg.
In those days the family belonged to the higher class of society of the city of Oldenburg.
The shires of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst were part of the Danish royal house for hundred years, till the end of 1700 (due to the royal dynasty). The government was settled in Copenhagen.
Afterwards, the Duke of Oldenburg ruled the shires of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst. Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig (1755-1829) ordered the members of the higher society to study abroad and to have
field trips in other countries. A good example of this higher class can be found in the von
Halem family, personified by Gerard Anton von Halem.
(Source:7)
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Zeilitzheim: 'Schloss Zeilitzheim'
Since 1979 the castle of Zeilitzheim is belonging to the von Halem's. They restored the castle completely.
(Source: Schloss Zeilitzheim)
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Von Halem Straße
1)Aurich: the 'Von Halem' street in Aurich next to the school of music
2)Oldenburg: the 'Von Halem' street in Oldenburg.
3)Berlin: the 'Halemweg' in Berlin and the subway station 'Halemweg' (Bahnhhof).
(Photos 1)Aurich and 2)Oostburg: collection mr. M van Halem, NL; photos 3)Berlin: miss N. Kießhauer, Falkensee (DU))
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