The castle in the meadows

The name "Hammaburg“ derives from the Old Saxon language, an early form of Low German. In Old Saxon, the term "ham“ describes fenced grassland or a separate bay in a lowland. The name Hammaburg, therefore, literally means "the castle in the meadows“ or "in the bay“. Hammaburg is the first ring-shaped fortification of the 8th century and according to the linguistic roots of its name, the Saxon inhabitants of the village already referred to it as a “castle”. At the same time the name refers to the entire area as well. Hammaburg, therefore, meant the structure of the castle and associated settlement - the early Hamburg.