Atteln


Atteln is a village in the district of Paderborn, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is part of the town Lichtenau.

Geography

Location

Atteln is situated in the Paderborn tableland, approximately 20 km south of Paderborn. Atteln is the central town in the Altenau valley.

Neighbouring settlements

Starting in the north, rotating clockwise, Etteln, Dörenhagen, Ebbinghausen, Husen, Dalheim, Elisenhof, Helmern and Henglarn are neighbouring villages of Atteln.

History

Germanic tribes were living in the area of Atteln already 5000 years ago, and their traces can still be seen today. Seven cist graves, two of them in Atteln, have been discovered in the Altenau valley. The largest cist grave has been excavated in Atteln in 1978. Atteln is the oldest rural parish in the diocese of Paderborn. A priest Meinhard of Atteln in mentioned in 897. The town probably got its name from the family Atteln, a noble family that arrived in the Altenau valley in 804. One Anselm of Atteln is recorded in a 13th-century document. Atteln gained importance during medieval times, when a court was established in the village. Atteln's baroque style parish church St Achatius was built in 1712.