What is "sondern"

Sondern, meaning "But" in German, may refer to:

• Sondern (land division), a form of land division in the Middle Ages in Germany
• Sondern, Halver, a village in Halver, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
• Sondern, Olpe, a village in Olpe, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
• Sondern, Radevormwald, a village in Radevormwald in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
• Sondern, Wuppertal, a village in Wuppertal-Beyenburg in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Sondern or Sundern was a type of land segregation in the Middle Ages in Germany, especially in North Rhine-Westphalia. It gave personal entitlement to farm specific areas of land without owning the land. A Königssondern (royal sondern) is land whose use was administered by the Crown. The term is still found in many place names, indicating the history of the locality.