Templin () is a small town in the
Uckermark district of
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 ...
,
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 ...
. Though it has a population of only 17,127 (2006), in terms of area it is, with 377.01 km2 (145.56 sq mi), the second largest town in Brandenburg (after
Wittstock) and the seventh largest town in Germany. The town is located in the south of the rural
Uckermark
The Uckermark () is a historical region in northeastern Germany, which straddles the Uckermark (district), Uckermark District of Brandenburg and the Vorpommern-Greifswald District of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Its traditional capital is Prenzlau.
...
region and its capital
Prenzlau
Prenzlau (; ) is a town in Brandenburg, in north-eastern Germany, the administrative seat of Uckermark District. It is also the centre of the historic Uckermark region.
Geography
The town is located on the Ucker river, about north of Berlin. ...
, north of the
Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve. The municipality comprises the villages of Ahrensdorf, Bebersee, Beutel, Densow, Gandenitz, Gollin, Gross Dölln, Gross Väter, Grunewald, Hammelspring, Herzfelde, Hindenburg, Klosterwalde, Petznick, Röddelin, Storkow and Vietmannsdorf.
History
The town was first mentioned in a 1270 deed issued by Henry of Ostheeren,
Bishop of Brandenburg. Then a possession of the
Ascanian margraves of
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 ...
, it appeared as a
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 ...
in 1314 under Margrave
Waldemar, who in 1317 concluded the
Treaty of Templin here, ending the war against
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
,
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg (; ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...
and 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 ...
. Heavily devastated by
Danish troops in the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
, Templin from 1816 on belonged to the
Prussian province of Brandenburg
The Province of Brandenburg () was a province of Prussia from 1815 to 1947. Brandenburg was established in 1815 from the Kingdom of Prussia's core territory, comprised the bulk of the historic Margraviate of Brandenburg (excluding Altmark) and ...
near the border with
Mecklenburg-Strelitz
The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a duchy in Northern Germany consisting of the eastern fifth of the historic Mecklenburg region, roughly corresponding with the present-day Mecklenburg-Strelitz district (the former Lordship of Stargard) ...
.

From 1912 on, Templin was the seat of the Electoral Brandenburgian boarding school (''
Joachimsthalsches Gymnasium'') established in 1601 by Elector
Joachim III Frederick of Hohenzollern at nearby
Joachimsthal. The school was finally dissolved in 1953. Today, Templin has a modern grammar school built in 1997.
Mayors
* 1990 - 2010 Ulrich Schoeneich (SPD, later independent)
* 2010 - today Detlef Tabbert (The Left)
Detlef Tabbert was elected in 2010 with 63.4% of the vote, and re-elected in 2018.
[
]
Demography
File:Bevölkerungsentwicklung Templin.pdf, Development of population since 1875 within the current Boundaries (Blue Line: Population; Dotted Line: Comparison to Population development in Brandenburg state; Grey Background: Time of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
; Red Background: Time of communist East Germany
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 ...
)
File:Bevölkerungsprognosen Templin.pdf, Recent Population Development and Projections (Population Development before Census 2011 (blue line); Recent Population Development according to the Census in Germany in 2011 (blue bordered line); Official projections for 2005-2030 (yellow line); for 2017-2030 (scarlet line); for 2020-2030 (green line)
Points of interest
File:2018 02 Templin DSCF1258.jpg, Historic City Hall
File:2018 02 Templin DSCF1256.jpg, Gate tower-Berliner Tor
File:2018 02 Templin DSCF1260.jpg, St.-Maria-Magdalena-Church
File:2018 02 Templin DSCF1257.jpg, Marketplace
File:2018 02 Templin DSCF1268.jpg, Akzisehaus
File:2018 02 Templin DSCF1269.jpg, City Wall at the Akzisehaus
File:2018 02 Templin DSCF1272.jpg, Seehotel Templin
Templin's city walls are small, but complete. There are 3 main gate towers and several modern entrances, where parts of the wall were torn down. The main Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
church is the St.-Maria-Magdalenen-Kirche. The town has many eastern era '' Plattenbau'' houses (highrise apartments) and smaller neighborhoods.
The Lehmann-Garten, a botanical garden
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...
was recreated in 1988 in the park of the former ''Joachimsthalsches Gymnasium''.
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician, aviator, military leader, and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which gov ...
from 1933 on had his country residence '' Carinhall'' erected in the forest south of Gollin. The building designed by Werner March was destroyed by Luftwaffe
The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
personnel in April 1945, just days before 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 ...
reached the area.
North of Groß Dölln is an airfield
An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...
built in the 1950s as a military airbase of the 16th Air Army of the Soviet Forces
Templin has recently built a spa and mainly relies on tourism. It is a popular destination for day-trippers from 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 ...
to enjoy the many glacial lakes and extended forests. There is no discothèque in Templin, the closest is in Milmersdorf. The town square with the old town hall building is surrounded by an active downtown. There are many shops and restaurants in the area and an outdoor market every week. Many neighbouring municipalities like Milmersdorf and several other villages rely on Templin for many services.
There is an old powder tower in the town wall known as the '' Pulverturm''.
Twin towns
* Bad Lippspringe, Germany
* Połczyn-Zdrój, Poland
Notable people
* Friederike Krüger, (1789–1848), female Prussian soldier, died at Templin.
* Walter Ulbricht
Walter Ernst Paul Ulbricht (; ; 30 June 18931 August 1973) was a German communist politician. Ulbricht played a leading role in the creation of the Weimar republic, Weimar-era Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and later in the early development ...
, politician (SED), (1893–1973), head of East German state 1960–1973, died at Groß Dölln.
* Herlind Kasner, (1928–2019), mother of Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German retired politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. She is the only woman to have held the office. She was Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2005 and Leade ...
, born in Danzig (now Gdańsk
Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...
, Poland), died at Templin.
* Angela Winkler, actress, born 1944 at Templin.
* Manfred Kokot, (born 1948), Olympic athlete.
* Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German retired politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. She is the only woman to have held the office. She was Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2005 and Leade ...
, (born 1954), politician (CDU), German chancellor from 2005 to 2021 grew up from 1957 in Templin. Merkel was made an honorary citizen of Templin in 2019.
* Christa Wiese (born 1967), athlete.
See also
* Lübbesee
References
External links
{{Authority control
Localities in Uckermark (district)