Preetz

Preetz
Preetz
	Town hall
	Coat of arms
	Location of Preetz within Plön district
	Preetz Preetz
	Coordinates: 54°14′12″N 10°16′56″E
Country	Germany
State	Schleswig-Holstein
District	Plön
Government
• Mayor	Björn Demmin (Ind.)
Area
• Total	14.4 km2 (5.6 sq mi)
Elevation	24 m (79 ft)
Population (2019-12-31)[1]
• Total	15,952
• Density	1,100/km2 (2,900/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	24211
Dialling codes	04342
Vehicle registration	PLÖ
Website	www.preetz.de

Preetz (German pronunciation: [ˈpʁeːts]) is a town southeast of Kiel in the district of Plön, in Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany. 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

Preetz around 1895

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 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 with:

Blandford Forum, United Kingdom[2]
Stavenhagen, Germany
Tapa, Estonia
Neman, Russia

Personalities

Karl August Genzken (1946/1947)

Karl Genzken (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 (1914-1944), SS-officer, valet to Adolf Hitler, husband of Traudl Junge
Rolf Rendtorff (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 (born 1984), 3000 meter obstacle runner
Carola Rackete, ship captain, working for Sea-Watch, arrested in Italy in 2019

References

"Statistikamt Nord – Bevölkerung der Gemeinden in Schleswig-Holstein 4. Quartal 2019 (XLS-file)". Statistisches Amt für Hamburg und Schleswig-Holstein (in German).
"Dorset Twinning Association List". The Dorset Twinning Association. Archived from the original on 21 June 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2013.