The Roman historian Plinius reported In the year 39 of unhappy people living in Eastfrisia, they drink rainwater and they cook meal with dried mud. He did not know peat. Nevertheless, the peat created Großefehn.
Over 350 years the name Großefehn is known, in fact as summarizing name for the three settle colonies Westgrossefehn, Mittegrossefehn and Ostgrossefehn, although these were politically independent.
The "large moor" was established in the year 1633, as four citizens of Emden got the permission by leasing to dig away moor and to cultivate the underground on 400 Diemat (400 hectare) next the river Flumm, approximately 2 km north of Timmel,. On 20th April 1624 the dig of the peat , through that the town Emden should be supplied sufficiently with cheap fuel, was started there where Westgrossefehn lays today. After this model, also the "Spetzer Fehn" was constructed later (1746).
The moors were reduced and cultivated. A navigable canal network was created for the transportation of the peat. The colonies were named "Fehn" (marshes) after Westfrisian model. The Dutch name was "Veen".
In the following time wide areas were populated, in which the present-day places Akelsbarg and Fiebing lie. The villages Aurich-Oldendorf, Bagband, Felde, Holtrop, Strackholt, Timmel, Ulbargen and Wrisse are older.
The village Aurich-Oldendorf shall possessed a considerable castle in the 12th and 13th century; in a document of 7. September 1431 the place is called "Aldathorp".
The history of Bagband can be retraced until in the 13th century. Approximately, the considerable church, whose refers into the time of the Romance style, was built in the middle of this century.
Holtrop, whose formation is also led back to the 12/13th century, has one originated church of the 13th century, whose history can be pursued until the pre-reformed time.
Strackholt, lain in the southeast of the community Großefehn, was already mentioned under the name "Stretholt" in the parish registers of Münster in the 15th century. The village should be essentially older. The church shall approximately have been built in the 13th century. Strackholt is familiar through Quade Foelke in the Eastfrisian history, the spouse of the knight Ocko tom Brook as well as through several raids of the Oldenburgers in the 15th century. In the village even, two castles are supposed to have confessed.
Timmel is already mentioned under the name "Timberlae" in the parish registers of the abbey "Werden" in the year 1000.
An extension station of the Cistercian monks caused in the 12th century shall have been in the place of Ulbargen. According to other representations a castle named "Üteborg" shall stood near at the village.
The villages Felde and Wrisse should already have stood up also to the year 1500. A known tax register dates from the year 1580.
The municipality Großefehn was formed in the course of the area reform in 1972 from fourteen until then independent municipalities, they were Akelsbarg, Aurich-Oldendorf, Bagband, Felde, Fiebing, Holtrop, Mittegroßefehn, Ostgroßefehn, Spetzerfehn, Strackholt, Timmel, Ulbargen, Westgroßefehn und Wrisse. Großefehn is part of the administrative district Aurich and belongs to the district government Weser-Ems.
The area of the municipality Großefehn is marked through the typically Eastfrisian embankment hedges and lowland bogs, passed through many watercourses, in fact natural waters and marsh canals. One of the few East Frisian inland lakes is the Boekzeteler Lake adjacent to the village Timmel and it stands with the surrounding valley areas under nature conservation. A vacation and recreation area called "Timmeler Lake" with an approximately 20 hectare large lake were built between the "Boekzeteler Lake" and the village Timmel. In 1990 the villages Timmel and Westgroßefehn got the state appreciation "spa".
The villages belonging to the municipality Großefehn are partly typical marsh landscapes with canals, sluices and bascule bridges, old peasant villages with old Eastfrisian churches and place cores. From the windmills in large numbers existing earlier in the area of the municipality Großefehn, the windmills of Bagband, Felde, Ostgroßefehn, Spetzerfehn and Westgroßefehn are remained.
Thanks to courageous decisions the municipality Großefehn developed and exerts still great attraction on all of that want to live in a neat residential municipality with optimal recreational values and good traffic connections.
Timmel and Westgroßefehn are state-recognised spas, which cultivates the mild tourism.
In the west of the municipality there are the nature reservations "Fehntjer Tief" and "Boekzeteler Lake".
A visit of the municipality Großefehn is worthwhile.
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