Bad Köstritz is a town in the district of Greiz, in

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and larg ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. It is situated on the

White Elster The White Elster
Accessed on 16 Jan 2011. (, ) is a long river in central

Gera Gera is a city in the German state of Thuringia. With around 93,000 inhabitants, it is the third-largest city in Thuringia after Erfurt and Jena as well as the easternmost city of the ''Thüringer Städtekette'', an almost straight string of cit ...

. Bad Köstritz is known for the

Köstritzer The Köstritzer brewery is one of the oldest producers of Schwarzbier (black beer) in Germany. It is in Bad Köstritz, close to Gera in Thuringia. History The brewery was first mentioned in inheritance tax documents as "Köstritzer Inheritanc ...

brewery and its

Schwarzbier , black beer, is a dark lager that originated in Germany. It has an opaque, black colour with hints of chocolate or coffee flavours, and is generally around 5% ABV. It is similar to stout in that it is made from roasted malt, which gives it its da ...

(black beer).

History

The settlement was first mentioned in 1364 as ''Kostricz'', a place of Slavic foundation. There has been a castle since the middle of the 13th century. The city has emerged from two medieval manors. Within the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

(1871–1918), Köstritz was part of the

Principality of Reuss-Gera The Principality of Reuss-Gera (german: Fürstentum Reuß-Gera), called the Principality of the Reuss Junior Line (german: Fürstentum Reuß jüngerer Linie) after 1848, was a sovereign state in modern Germany, ruled by members of the House of Re ...

. Köstritz Castle, a four-winged building around a courtyard built between 1687 and 1704, was the seat of a side wing of the ruling

House of Reuss Reuss (german: Reuß , ) was the name of several historical states located in present-day Thuringia, Germany. Several lordships of the Holy Roman Empire which arose after 1300 and became Imperial Counties from 1673 and Imperial Principalities in ...

, named counts and (from 1806) princes Reuss-Köstritz. The castle was demolished in 1972 under the government of

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

, with only the gatehouse left. Today, a modern hotel has been built on the site. In January 2023 Bad Köstritz absorbed the former municipality Hartmannsdorf.

Local council

Election in May 2014:Stadtratswahl 2014
auf wahlen.thueringen.de, retrieved 6 August 2014 *CDU: 9 seats *The Left: 3 seats *Free voters (FWG): 4 seats

Sights

* Heinrich Schütz House *Municipal park

Sons and daughters of the town

Gustav von Hüfner 1908 Zeitschrift für physiologische Chemie

Heinrich Schütz Heinrich Schütz (; 6 November 1672) was a German early Baroque composer and organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach, as well as one of the most important composers of the 17th century. He ...

(1585–1672), German composer of the early Baroque *

Heinrich IX, Count Reuss of Köstritz Henry IX Reuss, Count of Köstritz (15 September 1711 in Köstritz – 16 September 1780 in Berlin) was a member of the House of Reuss. Henry IX was the founder of the middle branch Köstritz Reuss. Life Henry IX was a son of Count Henry X ...

(1711–1780), founder of the middle branch family Reuss-Köstritz *

Julius Sturm Julius Sturm (21 July 1816 - 2 May 1896), German poet, was born at Köstritz in the principality of Reuss. He studied theology at Jena from 1837 to 1841, and was appointed preceptor to the hereditary prince Heinrich XIV, Prince Reuss Younger Lin ...

(1816–1896), important German poet of late Romanticism, pastor in Köstritz 1856–1885, honorary citizen of Köstritz 1885 *

Gustav von Hüfner Gustav von Hüfner (13 May 1840 in Köstritz – 14 March 1908 in Tübingen) was a German chemist. From 1860 to 1865 he studied medicine at the University of Leipzig, and while a student, attended lectures given by biologists Karl Gegenbaur ...

(1840–1908), German chemist * Heinrich Sturm (1860–1917), German jurist, politician and from 1908 to 1917

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of Chemnitz

References

External links

Landkreis Greiz
Towns in Thuringia Greiz (district) Principality of Reuss-Gera {{Greiz-geo-stub