Preetz () is a town southeast of

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland pe ...

in the district of Plön, in Schleswig-Holstein, Northern

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 ...

. Preetz is also known as "Schusterstadt" (English: 'shoemaker town') named after shoemakers who used to live and work in this town. Preetz has a population of about 16,000 and is the largest city in the district of Plön.

Geography

Preetz is located in a hilly area referred to as the ''Holsteinische Schweiz'' ( Holstein Switzerland) with a number of lakes and forests surrounding the town. Lakes include the Postsee, Lanker See and the smaller Kirchsee in the centre of town, which forms part of the river Schwentine. There are multiple nature reserves around Preetz that attract tourists and locals alike for biking and hiking, especially in the summer months.

History

The first mention of Preetz dates from the year 1185, when Ecbrecht Procensis writes about the location Poretz in the ''Versus de Vicelino''. The origins of the name Preetz are said to be found in the Slavic term "po rece" (i.e., on the river). In 1221, the term "Poretzie" appeared, and in 1442 "Pretze". A first town church was built in 1210. In 1211, Count Albrecht von Orlamünde established a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

monastery: Preetz Priory. The foundation of the abbey was renewed by Adolf IV von Schauenburg in 1226, and it was given to nuns. In 1268, the nunnery church was built. The nunnery formed the highest administrative authority until 1867 and exercised jurisdiction as well. Preetz obtained street lighting in 1852. The station was built in 1864, the Town Hall in 1871. An oak tree in front of the Town Hall, which was planted in 1871, still exists. Limited town rights were awarded to Preetz on 17 May 1870, full town rights in 1901.

Politics

Mayors

* 1946–1946: Paul Schön * 1946–1959: Max Grothe * 1959–1971: Heinrich Niendorf * 1971–1982: Bendix Herrmann * 1982–1991: Claus Feddersen * 1992–1999: Walter Riecken * 1999–2015: Wolfgang Schneider * since 2015: Björn Demmin

Coat of arms

The fish in the top part is meant to show the past's principal source of food. Displayed is a Percidae. This kind of fish is known for its defensive traits and is meant to show the defensive traits the population of Preetz has.

Twin towns

Preetz is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: * Blandford Forum, United Kingdom *

Stavenhagen Stavenhagen () is a municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated 28 km northwest of Neubrandenburg. Subdivisions Stavenhagen is divided into following parts: History The ...

, Germany * Tapa, Estonia * Neman, Russia

Personalities

Karl Genzken Karl August Genzken (June 8, 1885 – October 10, 1957) was a Nazi physician who conducted human experiments on prisoners of several concentration camps. He was a ''Gruppenführer'' (Major General) of the Waffen-SS and the Chief of the Medical ...

(1885-1957), physician, SS group leader and chief of the medical office of the Waffen-SS * Otto Armster (1891-1957), intelligence service officer and resistance fighter (Personalities of 20 July 1944 plot) *

Hans Hermann Junge Hans Hermann Junge (11 February 1914 – 13 August 1944)Some sources give date of death as 18 August 1944. Junge, Traudl (2002). ''Until the Final Hour'', London, Notes section #10. . was a German SS officer who served as aide-de-camp and ...

(1914-1944), SS-officer, valet to Adolf Hitler, husband of Traudl Junge *

Rolf Rendtorff Rolf Rendtorff (10 May 1925 – 1 April 2014) was Emeritus Professor of Old Testament at the University of Heidelberg. He has written frequently on the Jewish scriptures and was notable chiefly for his contribution to the debate over the origins o ...

(1925-2014), Protestant theologian and university lecturer * Sabine Christiansen (born 1957), journalist * Allison Mack (born 1982), American actress, known from the series ''Smallville'' *

Steffen Uliczka Steffen Uliczka (born 17 July 1984 in Preetz) is a German track and field athlete who mainly competes in the 3000 metres steeplechase. He was the 2010 winner of the Warandecross cross country meeting in Tilburg, Netherlands.Carola Rackete Carola Rackete (; born 8 May 1988 in Preetz, Germany) is a German ship captain who volunteered with the German sea rescue organisation Sea-Watch. In June 2019, she was arrested for docking a migrant rescue ship without authorization in the por ...

, ship captain, working for Sea-Watch, arrested in Italy in 2019