Equord Manor

Equord was first mentioned in a document in 1179. Today (2013), the village has 912 inhabitants. In the village lies the Equord Manor, which originally belonged to the von Saldern family. Hans Adam von Hammerstein (1571/79–1653) married Elisabeth von Salder zu Equord in his first marriage and took over her family property. Later, his son from his second marriage, the Grand Bailiff of Celle, Georg Christoph von Hammerstein (1624–1687), became lord of Equord. Inspired by a trip to Italy, he began building St. Marcus Church as a manor chapel with a family crypt in the style of a Baroque Italian dome church. In 1710, his son, Lieutenant General Alexander von Hammerstein, completed the construction. In the 20th century, the Hammerstein family sold their property. In 2012, the manor with 120 hectares of land was again for sale.