Political Maps

	These maps should help put the ancestral family farm near Buer, Sehlingdorf and Melle into perspective with the rest of the country. To the left is an overall map of Germany. Click on a map to see it full size. Osnabrück is in the low-lying northwest corner of the country, near the Netherlands.
Windmills, canals, and streams are among the tourist sights in that area. The region is quite flat, compared to the country a little farther south. At right is a smaller section of the map. This one shows the area including Bremen, Hannover, and Osnabrück.
It also shows the city of Münster, about 30 kilometers to the southwest of Osnabrück. My brother Dan spent some time in Münster as an exchange student in the early 1960's. At the same time, I was stationed with the Army in Bad Kreuznach, just south of the Rhine river cities of Wiesbaden and Mainz. Unfortunately, at that time we knew nothing about our origins in Germany. It would have been a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the family.
	Osnabrück lies in the German Land (State) of Niedersachsen, or Lower Saxony. Hannover, some 120 kilometers or about 75 miles to the east, is the Hauptstadt (capital) of Niedersachsen. Before the modern political boundaries were established, Osnabrück was a province of Prussia.
Until 1866, that area was part of the Kingdom of Hannover. This may be the reason that many family members were told that the family emigrated from Hannover. Note how the Land (State) border dips to the south just east of Osnabrueck.
That boundary is the outline that matches this map. The Landkreis Osnabrueck is roughly equivalent to a county in the United States. Although it is part of Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), notice how it seems to lie more in the area of Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine - Westphalia).
Buer, Melle and Sehlingdorf, all mentioned in the family history, lie in the southeast corner of the Landkreis Osnabrück. The Landkreis is made up of subordinate Gemeinde (communities or municipalities). Notice how the southern border has the same shape as the boundary pointed out on the larger-area map above.
	The Gemeinde Melle is roughly 20 kilometers or about 12 miles across in both north-south and east-west directions. At left is a roadmap of the Osnabück - Melle area. Osnabrück is circled in the upper left portion of the map. Melle is at the lower right corner.
The Buer - Sehlingdorf - Auf dem Bußdieck area is to the upper right of Melle. At right is an enlarged view of the Melle - Sehlingdorf - Auf dem Bußdieck area.
On the page titled "The Beginning" there is one more map, which presents the greatest amount of detail. That one shows the location of "Auf dem Bussdieck" more clearly. It also shows the relative locations of Buer and Sehlingdorf. Auf dem Bußdieck is the site of the historic Bußdiecker family farm. A photo of the farm is located on the Family Farm page.