Treuenbrietzen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Treuenbrietzen | |
 |
|
  Treuenbrietzen
|
|
| Administration | |
| Country | Germany |
|---|---|
| State | Brandenburg |
| District | Potsdam-Mittelmark |
| Town subdivisions | 16 Ortsteile |
| Mayor | Michael Knape (FDP) |
| Basic statistics | |
| Area | 211.33 km2 (81.59 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 59 m (194 ft) |
| Population | 8,207 (31 December 2006) |
| - Density | 39 /km2 (101 /sq mi) |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Licence plate | PM |
| Postal code | 14929 |
| Area code | 033748 |
| Website | Treuenbrietzen |
| Location of the town of Treuenbrietzen within Potsdam-Mittelmark district | |
 Coordinates: 52°05′50″N 12°52′16″E / 52.09722°N 12.87111°E |
|
Treuenbrietzen is a town in the Bundesland of Brandenburg, Germany.
Contents |
[edit] History
The town has existed since the Middle Ages 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, which is called to this day Lutherlinde.
During the Industrial Revolution, several textile factories have been 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[1]. 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 number of 1000 civilian inhabitants of the town during the last days of April and early days of May in a nearby forest, many women were also raped.[2] 251 killed persons were notified by their relatives to the municipal register office, while eyewitnesses, ordered to bury the victims at the local cemetery, stopped to count at a number of 721[3], today 125 known graves exist[4].
The town suffered damages during the war, although the historic town centre remained intact. Since 1945, the town's economy concentrates in cattle cultivation. In 2005, it had 8,548 residents. The mayor of Treuenbrietzen is Michael Knape, of the FDP.
[edit] Famous Residents
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Die Tageszeitung Ein verschüttetes Verbrechen
- ^ welt.de Das Massaker der Roten Armee in Treuenbrietzen
- ^ berliner-zeitung Das Massaker von Treuenbrietzen
- ^ Claus-Dieter Steyer, , Der Tagesspiegel online June 21 2006 , viewed November 11 2006 at "Stadt ohne Männer" (City without men)
[edit] Links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Treuenbrietzen |
- Treuenbrietzen Homepage (German)
- Treuenbrietzen Heritage Society (German)
|
|||||||
