Boizenburg () is a

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

in the

Ludwigslust-Parchim Ludwigslust-Parchim is a district in the west of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is bordered by (clockwise starting from the west) the state Schleswig-Holstein, the district Nordwestmecklenburg, the district-free city Schwerin, the distri ...

district in

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 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 po ...

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 on the right bank of the

Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Re ...

, 53 km west of Ludwigslust, 25 km northeast of

Lüneburg Lüneburg (officially the ''Hanseatic City of Lüneburg'', German: ''Hansestadt Lüneburg'', , Low German ''Lümborg'', Latin ''Luneburgum'' or ''Lunaburgum'', Old High German ''Luneburc'', Old Saxon ''Hliuni'', Polabian ''Glain''), also called ...

and 50 km east of

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

. It is part of the

Hamburg Metropolitan Region The Hamburg Metropolitan Region (German: Metropolregion Hamburg) is a metropolitan area centred around the city of Hamburg in northern Germany, consisting of eight districts (''Landkreise'') in the federal state of Lower Saxony, six districts (''Kr ...

. Boizenburg's historical old town stretches along the Elbe, has a harbour and offers heritage baroque timberframe and brick buildings. As per the dictates of the

Yalta Conference The Yalta Conference (codenamed Argonaut), also known as the Crimea Conference, held 4–11 February 1945, was the World War II meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union to discuss the post ...

, Boizenburg was placed just a few kilometers behind the perimeter of the

Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its ...

, otherwise known as the 'Inner German Border'.

History

The German name ''Boyceneburg'' was first documented in 1158. The written form changed to ''Boiceneburg'' (1171) and then ''Boizeneburg'' (1195). The old Low German name for the town and river (Boize) likely stems from the Slavic ''boj'' for war (''boj''-burg = war-castle). Boizenburg suffered during the Thirty Years' War and its old castle was burnt down by Swedish troops in 1628. In 1709 the church and 160 or more medieval dwellings were incinerated by a fire. The Town Hall was rebuilt in 1712 and the layout of the town was redesigned by Prussian architects sent from Schwerin. They focused on incorporating efficiency of movement with fire-resistance, better sanitation and public space. During the Napoleonic Wars French troops were quartered in Boizenburg in 1807. A battle was fought with the retreating French army near Boizenburg in 1813. From 1815 to 1918, Boizenburg was part of the

Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin The Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a territory in Northern Germany held by the House of Mecklenburg residing at Schwerin. It was a sovereign member state of the German Confederation and became a federated state of the North German ...

. In 1826 a highway was built, connecting Hamburg, Berlin and subsequently Boizenburg (Highway "B5"). In 1846 the railway between Berlin and Hamburg was constructed. Boizenburg was included with its own train station along this important route. The shipbuilding yard ''Lemmsche'' founded in 1793 became highly industrialized in 1852 and produced many wooden and steel ships. The shipbuilders ''Thomsen & Co'' supported the German war effort during World War II. In 1973 the SED reactivated the shipbuilding facilities for the production of smaller inland ships for the USSR. After being privatized in 1989, the yard was declared bankrupt in 1997. Today smaller independent companies are active in the old ship yard. The Boizenburg Tile Factory established by Hans Duensing in 1903, became Europe's largest tile manufacturer by 1937. After being re-established in 1991, it remains one of the town's main employers. Artistic impressions of the tile work produced in Boizenburg—particularly in the

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

style - can be found at the ''Erstes Deutsches Fliesen Museum''. During the communist East German era, residents of Boizenburg were kept under close scrutiny by the

Stasi The Ministry for State Security, commonly known as the (),An abbreviation of . was the state security service of the East Germany from 1950 to 1990. The Stasi's function was similar to the KGB, serving as a means of maintaining state autho ...

. Many deemed 'politically untrustworthy' had their property confiscated during a state-sponsored terror campaign code-named Operation Vermin ( Aktion Ungeziefer).

Sightseeing

One of the advantages of Boizenburg's isolation during the Cold War, is the pristine natural landscape of the Elbe Valley region stretching to the North, South and East. Much of the architecture and infrastructure in the old city remained 'perfectly untouched' during the DDR regime. In addition to significant restoration projects, new installations such as the modern redesign of the harbor and the addition of a topiary garden have greatly added to the Old Town's charm. Some noteworthy buildings and structures in Ludwigslust-Parchim: Wallanlage Bollenberg.jpg, Old Moat on the ''Bollenberg'' Wallanlage Boizenburg.jpg, Ship model along the Old Moat Boizenburg Elbhafen.jpg, Boizenburg Harbour looking towards the

and shipbuilding docks Topiary Garden Boizenburg Marcel Kalberer.jpg, Topiary garden Topiary Garden Boizenburg Marcel Kalberer 2.jpg, Topiary garden: water snail Marienkirche Boizenburg.jpg, View of the East wing of the St. Marien Church Boizenburg Friedhof.jpg, Mausoleum in Boizenburg's Graveyard Boizenburg Friedhof Weg.jpg, Path in Boizenburg's Graveyard

Miscellaneous

Until April 30, 1945 a

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

was established in Boizenburg. The camp was a subcamp to the

Neuengamme concentration camp Neuengamme was a network of Nazi concentration camps in Northern Germany that consisted of the main camp, Neuengamme, and more than 85 satellite camps. Established in 1938 near the village of Neuengamme in the Bergedorf district of Hamburg, th ...

. On March 12, 1953 a RAF

Avro Lincoln The Avro Type 694 Lincoln is a British four-engined heavy bomber, which first flew on 9 June 1944. Developed from the Avro Lancaster, the first Lincoln variants were initially known as the Lancaster IV and V; these were renamed Lincoln I and I ...

heading to

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 ...

was shot down over Boizenburg by two VVS

MiG-15 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (russian: Микоя́н и Гуре́вич МиГ-15; USAF/DoD designation: Type 14; NATO reporting name: Fagot) is a jet fighter aircraft developed by Mikoyan-Gurevich for the Soviet Union. The MiG-15 was one of ...

.ww.ndr.de/kultur/geschichte/schauplaetze/abschussboizenburg101.html

Transport

The town lies on the Berlin-Hamburg railway.

Personalities

* Hermann Burmeister (1849-1935), jurist, 40 years (1879-1919) mayor of Boizenburg, since 1922 honorary citizen

Sons and daughters

* Georg Christian Benedict Ackermann (1763–1833), theologian and teacher * Leonhard Adelt (1881–1945), bookseller, writer and journalist * (born 1955), chemist * (1892–1972), Evangelical theologian

References

*Official German list of concentration camp
Verzeichnis der Konzentrationslager und ihrer Außenkommandos
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Mecklenburg Neuengamme concentration camp Ludwigslust-Parchim Populated places established in the 13th century 1260s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1267 establishments in Europe Populated riverside places in Germany Populated places on the Elbe Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin