Garz () is a town in the county of

Vorpommern-Rügen Vorpommern-Rügen is a district in the north of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is bounded by (from the west and clockwise) the Baltic Sea and the districts Vorpommern-Greifswald, Mecklenburgische Seenplatte and Rostock. The district seat is ...

in the German state of

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; nds, Mäkelborg-Vörpommern), also known by its anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ranks 14th in pop ...

. The town is administered by the ''

Amt Amt is a type of administrative division governing a group of municipalities, today only in Germany, but formerly also common in other countries of Northern Europe. Its size and functions differ by country and the term is roughly equivalent to ...

'' of Bergen auf Rügen, in the town of the same name.

Geography

Garz lies in the south of the island of

Rügen Rügen (; la, Rugia, ) is Germany's largest island. It is located off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic Sea and belongs to the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The "gateway" to Rügen island is the Hanseatic city of Stralsund, w ...

, about 5 kilometres from the coast. The surrounding area comprises low rolling hills, and the highest point is the ''Kanonenberg'' at 34 metres above sea level. Garz is 22 kilometres from

Stralsund Stralsund (; Swedish: ''Strålsund''), officially the Hanseatic City of Stralsund ( German: ''Hansestadt Stralsund''), is the fifth-largest city in the northeastern German federal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania after Rostock, Schwerin, ...

on the mainland, and 12 kilometres from the county town of Bergen auf Rügen. The following municipalities belong to Garz/Rügen: Bietengast, Dumsevitz, Foßberg, Freudenberg, Glewitz, Götzlaffshagen,

Grabow Grabow () is a town in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated on the river Elde, 7 km (4.35 mi) southeast of Ludwigslust, and 34 km (21.12 mi) northwest of Wittenberge. It ...

, Groß Schoritz, Karnitz, Klein Stubben, Kniepow, Koldevitz, Kowall, Losentitz, Maltzien, Poltenbusch, Poppelvitz, Rosengarten, Schabernack, Silmenitz, Swiene, Tangnitz, Wentorf, Zicker and Zudar.

History

Origin of the name

In ''Karennz'', ''Kerentia'' or ''

Charenza Charenza, also Karentia or Karenz, later also Gharense, was a medieval '' Slavic burgwall'' on the island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea. It was the administrative centre of the Rani tribe and of the Principality of Rugia. Today, the remnants are c ...

'' were the names given to a

Slavic Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Slavi ...

castle that was hard fought for in 1168 and 1234 and at one time, the town was thought to be the former princely residence of ''Charenza'', but today that seems unlikely. In 1327, a town seal bore the name ''Chertz in Ruya'' (Rügen). The name "Garz", however, probably comes from the

''"gardec"'' or ''"gard"'' and means "fortified place" or "little castle" (as in

Stargard Stargard (; 1945: ''Starogród'', 1950–2016: ''Stargard Szczeciński''; formerly German: ''Stargard in Pommern'', or ''Stargard an der Ihna''; csb, Stôrgard) is a city in northwestern Poland, located in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. In 20 ...

). The precursor of Garz is more likely to have been the town of ''Ruyendal''.

Early history

Around the turn of the first millennium, the inhabitants of Rügen were from the

East Germanic East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

tribe of the

Rugii The Rugii, Rogi or Rugians ( grc, Ρογοί, Rogoi), were a Roman-era Germanic people. They were first clearly recorded by Tacitus, in his ''Germania'' who called them the ''Rugii'', and located them near the south shore of the Baltic Sea. So ...

, who, from the 7th century, were followed by the

Rani ''Rani'' in Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, sometimes spelled ''Ranee'', is a Hindu/Sanskrit feminine given name. The term is the female form of the term for princely rulers in South and Southeast Asia and applies equally to the wife of ...

, a West Slavic tribe. In the 11th and 12th centuries, a Slavic castle with a rampart and settlement existed here as a royal residence. The well-preserved ''

burgwall Burgwall is a word of German origin, literally meaning "fort rampart", and may refer to: * Gord (archaeology), a typical Slavic settlement type of the High Middle Ages, sometimes called a Slavic burgwall * ''Burgwall'', the local term for a pre- an ...

'' was seen by historical writers of the 19th and 20th centuries as that of the legendary prince's residence of

. Recent interdisciplinary research in the years 2004 and 2005, however, has shown that the ''burgwall'' at Venz (between

Gingst Gingst is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the Europ ...

and

Trent Trent may refer to: Places Italy * Trento in northern Italy, site of the Council of Trent United Kingdom * Trent, Dorset, England, United Kingdom Germany * Trent, Germany, a municipality on the island of Rügen United States * Trent, California, ...

on the shores of the Neuendorfer Wiek) is much more likely to have been the aristocratic seat and temple castle of ''Charenza''. The latter was surrendered without a fight on 16 June 1168 - one day after the conquest of the

Jaromarsburg The Jaromarsburg was a cult site for the Slavic tribe of Rani dedicated to the god Svantovit and used from the 9th to the 12th century. It was located on the northeastern tip of the Baltic Sea island of Rügen at Cape Arkona, and was protect ...

Cape Arkona Cape Arkona () is a 45-metre (150-foot) high cape on the island of Rügen in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It forms the tip of the Wittow peninsula, just a few kilometres north of the Jasmund National Park. The protected landscape of Cape Ar ...

- to the King of Denmark Valdemar I and his army commander, Absalon of Roskilde, after earlier negotiations. In 1168, the Christian

Danes Danes ( da, danskere, ) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. Danes generally regard ...

destroyed the fortress in Garz, as well as the

Svetovid Svetovit, Sventovit, Svantovit is the god of abundance and war, and the chief god of the Slavic tribe of the Rani, and later of all the Polabian Slavs. His organized cult was located on the island of Rügen, at Cape Arkona, where his main tem ...

temple in the fort at

. German settlers arrived from 1240 and the village of Garz emerged. In 1316, Garz was given

town rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...

''(civitatis Gartz)'' by the Rügen prince, Vitslav III, and was first mentioned in 1316 and 1319. Thus it is considered to be the oldest town on the island. The 14th-century town church, St. Peter's, initially belonged to the Danish bishopric of

Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 51,916 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...

. In 1325 Rügen, including Garz, went into

Pomerania Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to t ...

. In 1478, Rügen was united with Pomerania and, after the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battl ...

in 1648 the

Treaty of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia (german: Westfälischer Friede, ) is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought peac ...

saw Garz falling to Sweden. It was not until 1815, as a result of the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...

that Garz finally became a

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

n town. Around 1648, the church steeple was destroyed in a storm and replaced with today's tower. In 1765 a large fire destroyed many homes. The older town houses, most of which are oriented with their longer side parallel to the road, were built after that. The town is dominated today, as in the past, by agriculture.

Modern times

In 1930, the

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level (hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

researcher,

Gerhardt Katsch Gerhardt Katsch (14 May 1887 –⁠ 7 March 1961) was a German internist. Between 1928 and 1957 he served as Professor of Internal medicine at the University of Greifswald. It was on the initiative of Katsch that in 1930 a residential facility ...

, founded

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

's first home for the clinical and sociomedical treatment of diabetics in Garz. After the institution moved to Karlsburg in

Vorpommern Historical Western Pomerania, also called Cispomerania, Fore Pomerania, Front Pomerania or Hither Pomerania (german: Vorpommern), is the western extremity of the historic region of Pomerania forming the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, Weste ...

, an outpost of the Karlsburg Institute (Central Institute for Diabetes) remained in Garz as a holiday location for treating diabetic children over the summer holidays. Since 1991, the centre of Garz has been extensively redeveloped as part of an

urban development Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

plan. Near Garz,

Deutsche Telekom Deutsche Telekom AG (; short form often just Telekom, DTAG or DT; stylised as ·T·) is a German telecommunications company that is headquartered in Bonn and is the largest telecommunications provider in Europe by revenue. Deutsche Telekom w ...

has operated a transmission site since 1993.

Territorial ownership

From 1818 to 1952 Garz/Rügen belonged to the district of

(''Kreis Rügen'', from 1939, ''Landkreis Rügen''), from 1952 to 1955 to the district of

Putbus Putbus () is a town on the southeastern coast of the island of Rügen, in the county of Vorpommern-Rügen in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, close to the Baltic Sea. The town has 4,741 inhabitants and is a significant tourist destinat ...

(''Kreis Putbus''), from 1956 to Rügen again (''Kreis Rügen'', from 1990 a ''Landkreis''), and, since 2011 to the district of

. On 1 January 2001

Groß Schoritz Gross or Groß in German is the correct spelling of the surname under German orthographic rules. In Switzerland, the name is spelled Gross. Some Germans and Austrians also use the spelling with "ss" instead of "ß". It is a surname of German, Pru ...

was incorporated into the town of Garz/Rügen. On 13 June 2004,

Zudar The Zudar is a peninsula on the German Baltic Sea island of Rügen. It is about 18 square kilometres in area and sharply divided. Location The peninsula lies between the bay of Schoritzer Wiek, the lagoon of Rügischer Bodden (the northe ...

, on the peninsula of the same name, followed suit. In January 2005, Karnitz was also added to Garz.Gebietsänderungen vom 01.01. bis 31.12.2005

Statistisches Bundesamt The Federal Statistical Office (german: Statistisches Bundesamt, shortened ''Destatis'') is a federal authority of Germany. It reports to the Federal Ministry of the Interior. The Office is responsible for collecting, processing, presenting and ...

Politics

Town council

Following the local elections of 7 June 2009 the following seats were allocated: * Garz Free Voters' Association (''Freie Wählergemeinschaft Garz'') 6 seats *

Christian Democrats __NOTOC__ Christian democratic parties are political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social te ...

3 seats * The Left 1 seat * Free Democrats 1 seat * Independent 1 seat

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was registered as no. 34 in the coat of arms roll of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Flag

The town flag has three vertical stripes: blue - white - blue. The blue stripes each occupy a quarter of the flag, the white stripe fills the central two quarters of its length. In the middle of the centre stripe is the town coat of arms, the ratio of the height of the shield to the height of the flag being 3:5. The overall ratio of the flag is 2:3.

Twinning

Garz's twin town of

Norderney Norderney ( nds, Nördernee) is one of the seven populated East Frisian Islands off the North Sea coast of Germany. The island is , having a total area of about and is therefore Germany's ninth-largest island. Norderney's population amounts ...

lies in

East Frisia East Frisia or East Friesland (german: Ostfriesland; ; stq, Aastfräislound) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia ...

and is one of the

East Frisian Islands The East Frisian Islands (German: ''Ostfriesische Inseln'', West Frisian: ''Eastfryske eilannen'', stq, Aastefräiske Ailounds) are a chain of islands in the North Sea, off the coast of East Frisia in Lower Saxony, Germany. The islands extend fo ...

off the coast of

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

. The towns were twinned immediately after the

reunification of Germany German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...

in 1990.

Culture and sights

* The Evangelical town church of St. Peter's, was built in the mid-14th century in the

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

style using brick. Its two eastern bays were added in the 15th and 16th centuries. Around 1648 the spire was destroyed in a storm and replaced by the present flat-topped tower. *

Ernst Moritz Arndt Ernst Moritz Arndt (26 December 1769 – 29 January 1860) was a German nationalist historian, writer and poet. Early in his life, he fought for the abolition of serfdom, later against Napoleonic dominance over Germany. Arndt had to flee to Sw ...

birthplace in the village of

* The

Slavic burgwall A gord is a medieval Slavonic fortified settlement, usually built on strategic sites such as hilltops, riverbanks, lake islets or peninsulas between the 6th and 12th centuries CE in Central and Eastern Europe. The typical gord usually consisted ...

, whose three temples were destroyed in 1168, is one of the best preserved in Germany. * The older town houses, mainly sideways on to the road, date exclusively to the period after the great town fire of 1765: ''Lindenstraße 1-2'' and ''4'', vicarage, ''Wenden Str. 17, Langestr. 13'' * In the vicinity of Garz,

has operated since 1993 a transmission site for VHF, TV and microwave radio relay. The antenna carrier is a 190-metre-high, guyed, steel lattice mast (''see also:'' Broadcast transmission sites on Rügen). The facility is the main transmitter for the area of Rügen and Stralsund. Programmes are broadcast by the NDR and private broadcasters. * The Ernst Moritz Arndt Museum is dedicated to the

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wr ...

of that name born in the area.

Economy and infrastructure

Transport

The town has a well-built network of

cycle paths Cycle, cycles, or cyclic may refer to: Anthropology and social sciences * Cyclic history, a theory of history * Cyclical theory, a theory of American political history associated with Arthur Schlesinger, Sr. * Social cycle, various cycles in soc ...

with a total length of about 42.5 kilometres.

Personalities

Sons and daughters of the town

(1769 – 1860) *

Johann Christian Ludwig Hellwig Johann Christian Ludwig Hellwig (8 November 1743, in Garz/Rügen – 10 October 1831, in Braunschweig) was a German mathematician, entomologist and wargame designer. Biography After studies of mathematics and natural history at the university of ...

(1743–1831), German

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

Charlotte Pistorius Charlotte Pistorius (5 November 1777 – 14 September 1850) was a German poet and letter-writer. She belonged to the circle of friends around Ernst Moritz Arndt, and corresponded with him and other notable writers, including Friedrich Schleiermac ...

(1777 – 1850)

References

Literature

* Gustav Kratz: ''Die Städte der Provinz Pommern - Abriß ihrer Geschichte, zumeist nach Urkunden''. Berlin, 1865, pp. 154–156
Full text
.

External links

Official website of Garz
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garz (Rugen) Vorpommern-Rügen Towns and villages on Rügen Populated places established in the 1310s 1319 establishments in Europe