Müncheberg is a small

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

Märkisch-Oderland Märkisch-Oderland is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in the eastern part of Brandenburg, Germany. Neighboring this district are (from the north clockwise) the district of Barnim, the country of Poland, the district-free city of Frankfurt (Oder), the d ...

, in eastern

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

approximately halfway between

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

and the border with

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, within the historic region of

Lubusz Land Lubusz Land (; ) is a historical region and cultural landscape in Poland and Germany on both sides of the Oder river. Originally the settlement area of the Lechites, the swampy area was located east of Margraviate of Brandenburg, Brandenburg and ...

Geography

Prior to 2003 the area today covered by Müncheberg was organized as the so-called " Amt Müncheberg". It included eight

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

that were incorporated on March 31, 2002 to form the town of Müncheberg: (population in parentheses) *Müncheberg (5,190) *Obersdorf (253) *Hermersdorf (273) *Trebnitz (509) *Eggersdorf (345) *Hoppegarten (268) *Jahnsfelde (295) *Münchehofe (102)

History

The settlement was founded between 1225 and 1232 by Cistercian monks who had been given the land by the

Piast The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of King Casimir III the Great. Branches of ...

Duke of

Lower Silesia Lower Silesia ( ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ) is a historical and geographical region mostly located in Poland with small portions in the Czech Republic and Germany. It is the western part of the region of Silesia. Its largest city is Wrocław. The first ...

and soon-to-be monarch of Poland,

Henry I the Bearded Henry the Bearded (, ; c. 1165/70 – 19 March 1238) was a Polish duke from the Piast dynasty. He was Dukes of Silesia, Duke of Silesia at Wrocław from 1201, Seniorate Province, Duke of Kraków and List of Polish monarchs, High Duke of all Kin ...

. A citation in a document from June 29, 1232, marks the official date of the founding. This first settlement was called ''Lubes'' (modern ) by the monks in honor of the monastery in Lubiąż in Lower Silesia, Poland, where they originally came from. This name was not kept for long and in February 1233 the settlement was first mentioned as ''Munichberc'' (

Middle High German Middle High German (MHG; or ; , shortened as ''Mhdt.'' or ''Mhd.'') is the term for the form of High German, High German language, German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High ...

for "Monk's Hill") in a

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...

Pope Gregory IX Pope Gregory IX (; born Ugolino di Conti; 1145 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and the ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decretales'' and instituting the Pa ...

. The settlement grew quickly and gained

town privileges 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 ...

in 1245. The increasing prosperity led to the construction of a

city wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or Earthworks (military), earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as ...

in 1319. After a war broke out over control of the region in 1319, the town came under the control of the

Duchy of Pomerania The Duchy of Pomerania (; ; Latin: ''Ducatus Pomeraniae'') was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania (''Griffins''). The country existed in the Middle Ages between years 1121–11 ...

. In 1319, Wartislaw IV granted new privileges to the town. In 1324, the town passed to

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

, and between 1373 and 1415 it was part of the Bohemian (Czech) Crown. On April 17, 1432, the town was conquered by the

Hussites upright=1.2, Battle between Hussites (left) and Crusades#Campaigns against heretics and schismatics, Catholic crusaders in the 15th century upright=1.2, The Lands of the Bohemian Crown during the Hussite Wars. The movement began during the Prag ...

who plundered the church and set the town on fire. In 1605 an epidemic of

bubonic plague Bubonic plague is one of three types of Plague (disease), plague caused by the Bacteria, bacterium ''Yersinia pestis''. One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and ...

infested Müncheberg, killing 696 inhabitants. By 1624 about 1,300 people were living in the town again. Following the

Thirty Year War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine, or disease, whil ...

(1618–1648) and further epidemics, the number of inhabitants dropped to less than 400 in 1655. In 1697, a commune of French

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

refugee A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...

s was founded in the town. Ca. 1700 the town became a permanent military base. In 1710, the French Church was consecrated. The population increased and by 1800 the town was flourishing again. The French commune was dissolved in 1806. The first school was constructed in 1852 as well as a new

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

(1856) for the

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish community. The railway between

and the what then

eastern Germany The new states of Germany () are the five re-established states of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) that unified with the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) with its 10 "old states" upon German reunification on 3 October 1990. The ...

(later independent Poland) started operating on October 1, 1867 giving Müncheberg a fast connection to the capital. The first volunteer

fire brigade A fire department (North American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire company, fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and ...

was formed in 1888. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, 129 soldiers from Müncheberg were killed in action. In 1928 the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Breeding Research was opened. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, a subcamp of the

Sachsenhausen concentration camp Sachsenhausen () or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a German Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used from 1936 until April 1945, shortly before the defeat of Nazi Germany in May later that year. It mainly held political prisoners t ...

was located in the present-day district of Trebnitz. The prisoners were Norwegians, Poles, Germans and Soviets. In early 1945, a

death march A death march is a forced march of prisoners of war, other captives, or deportees in which individuals are left to die along the way. It is distinct from simple prisoner transport via foot march. Article 19 of the Geneva Convention requires tha ...

of prisoners of various nationalities from the dissolved camp in Żabikowo to Sachsenhausen passed through the town. In the war, more than 400 inhabitants of Müncheberg died fighting on various battlefields in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. Combat in Müncheberg between the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

and the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

took place from April 17 to April 19, 1945 and destroyed 85% of the town. After World War II, Müncheberg was part of the

Soviet occupation zone The Soviet occupation zone in Germany ( or , ; ) was an area of Germany that was occupied by the Soviet Union as a communist area, established as a result of the Potsdam Agreement on 2 August 1945. On 7 October 1949 the German Democratic Republ ...

. From 1949 until the

German Reunification German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...

on October 3, 1990, the town was a municipality in the ''Bezirk'' (district)

Frankfurt (Oder) Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (, ; Central Marchian: ''Frankfort an de Oder,'' ) is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after Potsdam, Cottbus and Brandenburg an der Havel. With around 58,000 inh ...

of the

German Democratic Republic East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

(East Germany).

Demography

File:Bevölkerungsentwicklung Müncheberg.pdf, Development of Population since 1875 within the Current Boundaries (Blue Line: Population; Dotted Line: Comparison to Population Development of Brandenburg state; Grey Background: Time of Nazi rule; Red Background: Time of Communist rule) File:Bevölkerungsprognosen Müncheberg.pdf, Recent Population Development and Projections (Population Development before Census 2011 (blue line); Recent Population Development according to the

Census in Germany A national census in Germany (, ) was held every five years from 1875 to 1910. After the World Wars, only a few full population censuses have been held, the last in 1987. The most recent census, though not a national census, was the 2011 Europea ...

in 2011 (blue bordered line); Official projections for 2005–2030 (yellow line); for 2017–2030 (scarlet line); for 2020–2030 (green line)

Mayors

*2003-2008: Klaus Zehm *since 2008: Uta Barkusky (The Left)Ergebnis der Bürgermeisterwahl am 25. September 2016
/ref>

Businesses

Several grocery stores are located in the town beside other stores that fulfill the everyday needs of the citizens: *2 pharmacies *2 gas stations *several bakeries *several butchers *2 florists *2 department stores *book store *electric appliances store

Education and social life

Müncheberg serves as a regional center for the area. Facilities include: *''Grundschule Müncheberg'' (elementary school; grades 1-6) *''Gesamtschule mit gymnasialer Oberstufe Müncheberg'' (grades 7-10; with ''Fachoberschulreife'' as school-leaving diploma, qualifying for vocational school; - since 2005: grades 11–13; with

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

as school leaving exam, qualifying for university) *''Berufsschule Müncheberg'' (vocational school) The '' Gymnasium Müncheberg'' (grades 7-13; with

as school-leaving exam, qualifying for university) which was established on the foundation walls of a former military barracks in 1991—as a sign of the dawning of a new age—was closed in July 2007 in the aftermath of the 1990s decline in the birth rate. Between August 22, 1991 and July 11, 2007, up to 750 pupils per year were finishing their secondary education at this grammar school. Müncheberg is home to the ''ZALF - Leibniz-Zentrum für Agrarlandschaftsforschung'' ( Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research). Currently there are 428 scientists and technicians employed doing research at seven different institutes including the

German Entomological Institute The Senckenberg German Entomological Institute (; SDEI or DEI) is a German entomology, entomological research institute devoted to the study of insects. Founded in 1886, the institute has an extraordinary insect collection and a world-class ento ...

. Several physicians and dentists have settled in Müncheberg providing medical care for the area. There is also an ambulance based in Müncheberg being responsible for all medical emergencies in the southern area of the county. Firefighting and most of all other emergencies are handled by the volunteer fire brigade of Müncheberg. Besides that there are also two police officers assigned to Müncheberg.

Münchehofe

Münchehofe is the second-oldest and smallest township (102 residents) of the town of Müncheberg.

People

* Ernst von Pfuel (1779-1866), Prussian general

References

External links

Municipal website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muncheberg Localities in Märkisch-Oderland 13th-century establishments in Poland Populated places established in the 13th century