Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1989-1112-009, Zarrentin, Grenzübergang

Zarrentin am Schaalsee, until 2004 simply Zarrentin, is a town 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 Schaalsee lake, 19 km southeast of

Ratzeburg Ratzeburg (; Low German: ''Ratzborg'') is a town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is surrounded by four lakes—the resulting isthmuses between the lakes form the access lanes to the town. Ratzeburg is the capital of the district Herzogtu ...

, and 34 km west of

Schwerin Schwerin (; Mecklenburgian Low German: ''Swerin''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the capital and second-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as well as of the region of Mecklenburg, after Rostock. It ...

History

In the 11th century, the Slavic settlement of ''Zarnethin'' was at Zarrentin. It could translate vaguely to ''"place of evil"'' or ''"black site"'', indicating a former ritual place. In 1139/1143 the place was reigned by

Henry of Badewide Henry of Badewide (or Badwide) (german: Heinrich von Badewide) (died ca. 1164) was a Saxon Count of Botwide (after 1149) and Count of Ratzeburg (after 1156). Henry came from a knightly family from Lüneburg. He took his name from Bode near Ebstor ...

, a Saxon count. From the late 12th century on, many Germans settled here. The ''Ratzeburger Zehntregister'' mentions the place in 1230. The

Zarrentin Abbey Zarrentin am Schaalsee, until 2004 simply Zarrentin, is a town in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated on the Schaalsee lake, 19 km southeast of Ratzeburg, and 34 km west of Sc ...

was founded in 1246 and dissolved in 1552. Parts of the building remain until today. When the town was connected to train tracks in 1896 via the

Hagenow Land–Bad Oldesloe railway The Hagenow Land–Bad Oldesloe railway (also known in German as the ''Kaiserbahn'' or ''Kaiserstrecke''—"Emperor Railway") was a railway line in the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein. It linked the towns of Hagenow, Ratzeb ...

, it grew larger and became home to various factories (for barrels, potato fabrication, a lime kiln), and construction entrepreneurs, corn and cattle dealers settled. 1938, when Zarrentin already grew to a population of 2000, it received

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 ...

. Since then, it also became popular with tourists for the surrounding nature and the renowned hospitality.Stadt Zarrentin - Geschichte
(de) Between 1982 and 1990 Zarrentin served as East German

inner German border The inner German border (german: Innerdeutsche Grenze or ; initially also ) was the border between the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) and the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, West Germany) from 1949 to 1990. Not including the ...

crossing for cars travelling along today's Bundesautobahn 24 between the East

German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **G ...

, or

West Berlin West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...

and the West German

Federal Republic of 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 between ...

. The traffic was subject to the interzonal traffic regulations, that between West Germany and West Berlin followed the special regulations of the Transit Agreement (1972).

References

Inner German border Cities and towns in Mecklenburg Ludwigslust-Parchim Populated places established in 1938 Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin {{LudwigslustParchim-geo-stub