Bad Freienwalde | |
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 St Nicolas Church and town hall | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Bad Freienwalde within Märkisch-Oderland district  | |
 Location of Bad Freienwalde | |
  Bad Freienwalde  Bad Freienwalde | |
| Coordinates:52°47′08″N14°01′57″E / 52.78556°N 14.03250°E /52.78556; 14.03250 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Brandenburg |
| District | Märkisch-Oderland |
| Subdivisions | 7Ortsteile |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2017–25) | Ralf Lehmann[1] (CDU) |
| Area | |
• Total | 131.11 km2 (50.62 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 158 m (518 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 10 m (33 ft) |
| Population (2023-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 12,296 |
| • Density | 93.784/km2 (242.90/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 16259 |
| Dialling codes | 03344 |
| Vehicle registration | MOL, FRW, SEE, SRB |
| Website | bad-freienwalde.de |
Bad Freienwalde (German pronunciation:[baːtˌfʁaɪənˈvaldə]ⓘ) is aspa town in theMärkisch-Oderland district inBrandenburg, in north-easternGermany.
The town is situated on theAlte Oder, an old branch of theOder River at the northwestern rim of theOderbruch basin and the steep rise of theBarnim Plateau. It is located 15 km (9.3 mi) east ofEberswalde, and 50 km (31 mi) northeast ofBerlin, near the border withPoland.The municipal area comprises the following villages: Altranft, Altglietzen, Bralitz, Hohensaaten, Hohenwutzen, Neuenhagen and Schiffmühle.
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The settlement ofVrienwalde in theMargraviate of Brandenburg was first mentioned in a 1316 deed and appeared as atown in 1364. From 1618, the Freienwaldemanor was directly held by the Brandenburgprince-electors (Kurfürsten).
From 1701, Bad Freienwalde was part of theKingdom of Prussia, and from 1871 also theGerman Empire. From 1815 to 1947, it was administratively part of theProvince of Brandenburg.
Amineral spring was discovered in 1683. ThealchemistJohann Kunckel brought it to the attention of the "Great Elector"Frederick William of Brandenburg, who,gout-ridden, arrived in Freienwalde the next year. Recorded by the physicianBernhardus Albinus in 1685, theKurfürstenquelle became the foundation of Freienwalde's rise as a spa town. Frederick William's son KingFrederick I of Prussia had a firstmaison de plaisance erected by the architectAndreas Schlüter.
The development was further promoted, when in 1799 the smallNeoclassical Freienwalde Castle was built according to plans byDavid Gilly as a summer residence of PrincessFrederika Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt, the widow of KingFrederick William II of Prussia. Its park was redesigned byPeter Joseph Lenné in 1822. The industrialist and politicianWalther Rathenau acquired the palace in 1909, it was nationalised after his assassination in 1922. Freienwalde achieved the official status of spa town (Bad) in 1925.
During the final stages ofWorld War II, on 11 March 1945, it was visited byAdolf Hitler in his last visit on the war front.[3] On 16–20 April 1945, fights between the1st Polish Army and9th German Army took place in the area, won by the Poles.[4]
From 1947 to 1952 of the State ofBrandenburg, from 1952 to 1990 of theBezirk Frankfurt ofEast Germany and since 1990 again of Brandenburg.
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Bad Freienwalde istwinned with:
Bad Pyrmont, Germany
Międzyrzecz, Poland
Media related toBad Freienwalde at Wikimedia Commons
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