Altlandsberg () is a historic

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

in the district of Märkisch-Oderland, in

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 squ ...

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 betwee ...

. It is situated about east of

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

History

Altlandsberg was first mentioned in a 1230 deed, it was located at the site of a former Slavic ( Sprevane) settlement. The area then was resettled in the course of the German

Ostsiedlung (, literally "East-settling") is the term for the Early Medieval and High Medieval migration-period when ethnic Germans moved into the territories in the eastern part of Francia, East Francia, and the Holy Roman Empire (that Germans had a ...

, promoted both by the

Ascanian The House of Ascania (german: Askanier) was a dynasty of German rulers. It is also known as the House of Anhalt, which refers to its longest-held possession, Anhalt. The Ascanians are named after Ascania (or Ascaria) Castle, known as ''Schlos ...

Margraves of

and the rivaling Margraves of

Meissen Meissen (in German orthography: ''Meißen'', ) is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albre ...

from the

House of Wettin The House of Wettin () is a dynasty of German kings, prince-electors, dukes, and counts that once ruled territories in the present-day German states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The dynasty is one of the oldest in Europe, and its ori ...

. The town's name may refer to Saxon Landsberg Castle and therefore indicate an establishment by the Wettins. In 1245 the tensions rose to an armed conflict, in which the Ascanians maintained their grounds. From that time on Altlandsberg remained with Brandenburg. The city was laid out at the behest of the Ascanian rulers, their successor Margrave

Louis I Louis I may refer to: * Louis the Pious, Louis I of France, "the Pious" (778–840), king of France and Holy Roman Emperor * Louis I, Landgrave of Thuringia (ruled 1123–1140) * Ludwig I, Count of Württemberg (c. 1098–1158) * Louis I of Blois ...

from the Bavarian

House of Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate ...

even established a monastery of the

Servite Order The Servite Order, officially known as the Order of Servants of Mary ( la, Ordo Servorum Beatae Mariae Virginis; abbreviation: OSM), is one of the five original Catholic mendicant orders. It includes several branches of friars (priests and brothe ...

in 1335, which was dissolved during the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...

. Altlandsberg was devastated by the

Hussites The Hussites ( cs, Husité or ''Kališníci''; "Chalice People") were a Czech proto-Protestant Christian movement that followed the teachings of reformer Jan Hus, who became the best known representative of the Bohemian Reformation. The Huss ...

in 1432, it was affected by several town fires and

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

epidemics in the 16th century. The medieval town was burnt down completely in 1632 during 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 batt ...

. A

hoard A hoard or "wealth deposit" is an archaeological term for a collection of valuable objects or artifacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground, in which case it is sometimes also known as a cache. This would usually be with the intention of ...

of 7450 gold and silver coins dating from the 14th and early 15th century was discovered in the grounds of the former manor in late 2016. The dates suggest that it was buried in order to protect it during the Hussite wars. It is the largest hitherto found in the state of Brandenburg, and is now being examined in the archeological museum in

Brandenburg an der Havel Brandenburg an der Havel () is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, which served as the capital of the Margraviate of Brandenburg until it was replaced by Berlin in 1417. With a population of 72,040 (as of 2020), it is located on the banks of the ...

Demography

File:Bevölkerungsentwicklung Altlandsberg.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 Altlandsberg.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 (german: Volkszählung) 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, w ...

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

Mayors

In 1993

Ravindra Gujjula Gujjula Ravindra Reddy (born 1954) is a former member of the state parliament of Brandenburg and former mayor of Altlandsberg. He was born in Neredupalli (village), Pedacherlopalli (mandal) Kanigiri, Prakasam District, Andhra Pradesh, India. Red ...

was elected mayor, he was in office till 2003. Manfred Andruleit was the mayor from 2003 till 2007. In July 2007 Arno Jaeschke (independent) was elected with 54,8 % of the votes. He was reelected in June 2015 with 56,8 % of the votes.Ergebnis der Bürgermeisterstichwahl am 14. Juni 2015
/ref>

Sons and daughters of the town

* (1780–1851), architect and Berlin city planner * (1850–1931), member of parliament (SPD) *

Erasmus Schöfer Erasmus Schöfer (4 June 1931 – 7 June 2022) was a German writer. He was a member of the German Communist Party and took part in resistance against the Vietnam War and rearmament, among others, and became the chronicler of resistance in German ...

(1931-2022), writer * (born 1941), theater actor and director *

Dagmar Enkelmann Dagmar Enkelmann (born Dagmar Ebert: 5 April 1956) is a German politician ( Die Linke (''"The Left"'')). In 2005 she became Parliamentary Party Manager (''"Chief Whip"'') for Die Linke in the Bundestag (''national parliament''), a position f ...

(born 1956), member of parliament ( Die Linke (''"The Left"''))

Other personalities who are associated with the town

* Frederick I (Prussia)(1657–1713), first king of Prussia, was educated in Altlandsberg *

Gujjula Ravindra Reddy Gujjula Ravindra Reddy (born 1954) is a former member of the state parliament of Brandenburg and former mayor of Altlandsberg. He was born in Neredupalli (village), Pedacherlopalli (mandal) Kanigiri, Prakasam District, Andhra Pradesh, India. Re ...

(born 1954), 1993-2003 honorary mayor of Altlandsberg

Gallery

File:Altlandsberg church.jpg, Altlandsberg Church File:Gielsdorf Kirche.jpg, Gielsdorf church File:Friedrich I of Prussia.jpg, Friedrich I of Prussia ca 1701

References

External links

{{Authority control Localities in Märkisch-Oderland