Treuenbrietzen
Encyclopedia
Treuenbrietzen is a town in the Bundesland
of Brandenburg
, Germany
.
and the first written evidence about it is from 1217. During the Reformation
, Martin Luther
came in 1537 to preach in the town, but his way to the church was blocked. He preached instead under a basswood, or lime tree, which is called to this day the Lutherlinde.
During the Industrial Revolution
, several textile
factories were founded in the town.
After the opening of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp
in 1936, a sub-camp was opened in the town, where slave labourers were forced to work in a weapons plant. With the approach of the Red Army, on April 23, 1945, the Wehrmacht executed 127 Italian
POWs
, who were interned in the camp. Between April 24 and May 1, 1945, the region was the scene of the Battle of Halbe
between the Wehrmacht
and the Red Army
.
The town was first occupied by the 5th Guards Mechanised Corps on April 21, 1945 but German Wehrmacht and Waffen SS troops managed to return for a short time, finally retreating on April 23. Subsequently Red Army soldiers executed an estimated 1000 civilian inhabitants of the town during the last days of April and early days of May in a nearby forest. In addition many women were raped.
Relatives registered some 251 deaths with the municipal register office, while eyewitnesses, ordered to bury the victims at the local cemetery, stopped counting after they had buried 721 dead, today 125 known graves exist.
The town suffered considerable damage during the war, although the historic town centre remained intact. Since 1945, the town's economy has been concentrated on cattle
farming. In 2005, it had 8,548 residents. The mayor of Treuenbrietzen is Michael Knape, of the FDP
.
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
of Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
History
The town has existed since the Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
and the first written evidence about it is from 1217. During the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
, Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
came in 1537 to preach in the town, but his way to the church was blocked. He preached instead under a basswood, or lime tree, which is called to this day the Lutherlinde.
During the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
, several textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
factories were founded in the town.
Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May, 1945. After World War II, when Oranienburg was in the Soviet Occupation Zone, the structure was used as an NKVD...
in 1936, a sub-camp was opened in the town, where slave labourers were forced to work in a weapons plant. With the approach of the Red Army, on April 23, 1945, the Wehrmacht executed 127 Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
POWs
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
, who were interned in the camp. Between April 24 and May 1, 1945, the region was the scene of the Battle of Halbe
Battle of Halbe
The Battle of Halbe lasted from April 24 - May 1, 1945 was a battle in which the German Ninth Army, under the command of Colonel General Theodor Busse was destroyed as a fighting force by the Red Army during the Battle for Berlin....
between the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
and the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
.
The town was first occupied by the 5th Guards Mechanised Corps on April 21, 1945 but German Wehrmacht and Waffen SS troops managed to return for a short time, finally retreating on April 23. Subsequently Red Army soldiers executed an estimated 1000 civilian inhabitants of the town during the last days of April and early days of May in a nearby forest. In addition many women were raped.
Relatives registered some 251 deaths with the municipal register office, while eyewitnesses, ordered to bury the victims at the local cemetery, stopped counting after they had buried 721 dead, today 125 known graves exist.
The town suffered considerable damage during the war, although the historic town centre remained intact. Since 1945, the town's economy has been concentrated on cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
farming. In 2005, it had 8,548 residents. The mayor of Treuenbrietzen is Michael Knape, of the FDP
Free Democratic Party (Germany)
The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government...
.
Famous residents
- Martin ChemnitzMartin ChemnitzMartin Chemnitz was an eminent second-generation Lutheran theologian, reformer, churchman, and confessor...
(theologian) - Friedrich Heinrich HimmelFriedrich Heinrich HimmelFriedrich Heinrich Himmel , German composer, was born at Treuenbrietzen in Brandenburg, Prussia, and originally studied theology at Halle before turning to music....
(composerComposerA composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
) - Henry MaskeHenry MaskeHenry Maske is a German boxer, one of Germany's most popular sports figures.-Amateur career:Maske was an Olympic Gold Medalist 1988 in Seoul for East Germany...
(boxerBoxingBoxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
)