Ratzeburg | |
|---|---|
 Ratzeburg Cathedral | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
Location of Ratzeburg within Herzogtum Lauenburg district  | |
  Ratzeburg  Ratzeburg | |
| Coordinates:53°42′N10°45′E / 53.700°N 10.750°E /53.700; 10.750 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Schleswig-Holstein |
| District | Herzogtum Lauenburg |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Eckhard Graf |
| Area | |
• Total | 30.29 km2 (11.70 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 36 m (118 ft) |
| Population (2022-12-31)[1] | |
• Total | 14,553 |
| • Density | 480/km2 (1,200/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 23909 |
| Dialling codes | 04541 |
| Vehicle registration | RZ |
| Website | www.ratzeburg.de |
Ratzeburg (German pronunciation:[ˈʁatsəbʊɐ̯k];Low German:Ratzborg) is atown inSchleswig-Holstein,Germany. It is surrounded byfour lakes—the resultingisthmuses between the lakes form the access lanes to the town. Ratzeburg is the capital of the districtHerzogtum Lauenburg.
The town was founded in the 11th century as Racisburg. The name is traditionally derived from the localWendish ruler, PrinceRatibor of thePolabians, who was nicknamed Ratse. In the year 1044 Christian missionaries under the leadership of the monkAnsverus came into the region and built a monastery. It was destroyed in apagan rebellion in 1066; the monks were stoned to death. Today monuments to the missionaries in two of the town's churches commemorate these events. Ansverus was canonised in the 12th century and his relics were entombed in the Ratzeburg cathedral.
Henry the Lion became the ruler of the town in 1143 and established abishopric in 1154. He was also responsible for the construction of the lateRomanesqueCathedral (Dom), built in typical north German 'red-brick' style. Henry also prompted the construction of the similar-lookingLübeck Cathedral andBrunswick Collegiate Church with his remains interred in the latter.
Since 1180 part of Ratzeburg diocesan area formed aPrince Bishopric, whose ruler was sovereign and as such had a vote at theImperial Diet. ThePrince-Bishopric of Ratzeburg was the last state inNorthern Germany remaining Catholic. After the 1550 death of its ruler Prince-BishopGeorg von Blumenthal, who feuded withThomas Aderpul, the bishopric converted toLutheranism in 1554.
Though the town of Ratzeburg was part of the Ratzeburg diocese, the town itself was not within the territory of the Prince-Bishopric of Ratzeburg, but formed a part of the oldDuchy of Saxony and became part of its dynastic partition ofSaxe-Lauenburg around 1296, remaining with this duchy under altering dynasties until 1876. The cathedral quarter again formed animmunity district (Domfreiheit; cf. alsoLiberty) to the prince-bishopric, secularised as a principality in 1648. In 1619 Saxe-Lauenburg's capital was moved fromLauenburg upon Elbe to Ratzeburg and remained there since. The town was almost completely destroyed in 1693, whenChristian V of Denmark reduced Ratzeburg to rubble bybombardment in his unsuccessful attempt to push through his succession to the dukedom against the prevailingHouse of Hanover. After this event Ratzeburg was rebuilt inbaroque style. The castle, however, was never reconstructed or built anew.
Ratzeburg briefly was part of theFirst French Empire during theNapoleonic Wars, afterwards the Duchy of (Saxe-)Lauenburg was awarded inpersonal union to theDanish crown in theCongress of Vienna. After the Danish crown lost Lauenburg in theSecond Schleswig War (1864), Lauenburg'sestates of the realm offered the dukedom to the PrussianHohenzollern dynasty in personal union, who accepted in 1865. On 1 July 1876 the Duchy of Lauenburg merged into theKingdom of Prussia'sProvince of Schleswig-Holstein, forming the still existing districtHerzogtum Lauenburg (Duchy of Lauenburg) seated in Ratzeburg. The former cathedral immunity district, at last a part ofMecklenburg, finally became part of the town of Ratzeburg with the 1937Greater Hamburg Act.
From 1945 to 1989 theIron Curtain ran just east of the town, putting it on the border with theGerman Democratic Republic.
Ratzeburg is known for its Olympic championRatzeburg Rowing Club, which was responsible for training, among others, the gold medalists at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. The grave ofErnst Barlach, perhaps the most notable creative artist to have made his home in Ratzeburg, is located in one of the town's cemeteries.
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Ancient See of Ratzeburg".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
(in German)| International | |
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