Pomerania (Pommern) Land and Property

Landownership in Pommern

This article traces the development in farming and landowning practices in Pommeren beginning in the 16th century. At this time the nobility, which already had owned most of the land, began displacing even more previously free farmers and acquiring their lands in a process called the Bauerlegen (to lay-down farmers). The majority of the people became renters of their farms, or landless agricultural laborers or farmers. Farmers who rented from the local nobleman had little control of their own farmland.An individual farm was not usually one large tract of land, but smaller strips in various locations in the local cropland fields. This was done to divide equally the bad and good land among the farmers. In 1807 and 1811, laws were passed to reform this feudal landowning system. Farmers were allowed to own and purchase their own land. However the lands available were small as the nobles still retained large holdings. Laws allowing partible inheritance in 1845 diminished the sizes of farms even further. Most villagers did not own enough land to be self sufficient farmers, but were mainly craftsman or agricultural laborers. This lack of available land in large quantities made places like America with vast amounts of land available inexpensively, attractive to many in Pommern.

Source:

Die Pommerschen Leute Vol. 29 Issue 3 Fall 2006 943.81 D25p page 50-51