Gartz

Gartz is a town in the Uckermark district in Brandenburg, Germany. It is located on the West bank of the Oder River, on the border with Poland, about 20 km south of Szczecin, Poland. It is located within the historic region of Pomerania.

Gartz
Town hall
Coat of arms
Location of Gartz within Uckermark district
Gartz
Gartz
Coordinates: 53°12′0″N 14°23′0″E
CountryGermany
StateBrandenburg
DistrictUckermark
Municipal assoc.Gartz (Oder)
Government
  MayorBurkhard Fleischmann (SPD)
Area
  Total61.69 km2 (23.82 sq mi)
Elevation
6 m (20 ft)
Population
 (2019-12-31)[1]
  Total2,508
  Density41/km2 (110/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
16307
Dialling codes03332
Vehicle registrationUM
Websitewww.gartz.de

History

Preserved medieval town walls

The existence of the town was first documented in 1124, when it was part of the Duchy of Pomerania, which had been conquered by the Polish duke Bolesław III Wrymouth. It was then visited by Otto of Bamberg,[2] who was entrusted by Bolesław III Wrymouth with the Christianization of Western Pomerania.[3] The name of the town derives from Old-Polabian from the word *gardec < *gordьcь, meaning "small fortified settlement". Following the fragmentation of Poland in 1138 it was part of the separate Duchy of Pomerania, which in 1227 fell under the overlordship of the multi-ethnic Holy Roman Empire. In 1236, the castle was the seat of the local Slavic castellan.[4] In 1249 Gartz was granted town privileges by Duke Barnim I the Good. Because of its strategic location on the river, the town was frequently vulnerable during military campaigns. In 1284, it was one of the Pomeranian towns that guaranteed a peace treaty between the Duchy of Pomerania and the Margraviate of Brandenburg.[5] It was granted several privileges by Pomeranian dukes in the following decades.[6] During a Pomeranian succession war, in 1468, the town opened its gates to Brandenburgians, what was taken in other Pomeranian cities and towns as an act of treason.[7] In 1473, the Duchy of Pomerania made an unsuccessful attempt to recapture the town, however in 1477, with the help of the cities of Stargard and Szczecin, Gartz was finally recaptured, which was confirmed in a subsequent peace treaty.[7] In 1502, Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania temporarily resided in the town.[7]

The town was devastated in the Thirty Years' War, the Polish–Swedish War and the Great Northern War in the 17th–18th century. In the 17th century it became part of Sweden, in 1720 it was annexed by Prussia, and from 1871 it formed part of the German Empire. In the final stages of World War II, in 1945, the town was heavily destroyed.[4] Since the Oder-Neisse line was made the German-Polish border after the defeat of Nazi Germany in the war in 1945, Gartz is now a border town. After the war it was part of communist East Germany. After the fall of communism in Central Europe and the German reunification, in 1990 Gartz entered a partnership with the nearby Polish town of Gryfino as its twin town, and in 1998 river cruises between the towns were launched.[4] In 1991, the town was assigned to the state of Brandenburg,[4] despite historically belonging to Pomerania. In 1993, a Polish-German school project was established at the local school.[4] The town was affected by the 1997 Central European flood.[4] Many Poles moved to Gartz, and as of 2014, 32 of 62 children in the local kindergarten had non-German parents.[8]

Geography

Across the river lies an industrial area of the Polish town of Gryfino. Gartz is part of Lower Oder Valley National Park.

Towns near Gartz

Demography

Development of population since 1875 within the current boundaries (Blue line: Population; Dotted line: Comparison to population development of Brandenburg state; Grey background: Time of Nazi rule; Red background: Time of communist rule)
Gartz (Oder): Population development
within the current boundaries (2017)[9]
YearPop.±% p.a.
1875 6,440    
1890 5,877−0.61%
1910 5,369−0.45%
1925 4,830−0.70%
1933 4,998+0.43%
1939 5,231+0.76%
1946 5,430+0.53%
1950 5,381−0.23%
1964 4,045−2.02%
1971 3,699−1.27%
1981 3,013−2.03%
1985 2,943−0.59%
1989 2,835−0.93%
1990 2,806−1.02%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1991 2,747−2.10%
1992 2,668−2.88%
1993 2,652−0.60%
1994 2,673+0.79%
1995 2,714+1.53%
1996 2,711−0.11%
1997 2,730+0.70%
1998 2,754+0.88%
1999 2,725−1.05%
2000 2,730+0.18%
2001 2,703−0.99%
2002 2,669−1.26%
2003 2,654−0.56%
2004 2,647−0.26%
YearPop.±% p.a.
2005 2,588−2.23%
2006 2,521−2.59%
2007 2,505−0.63%
2008 2,492−0.52%
2009 2,470−0.88%
2010 2,477+0.28%
2011 2,461−0.65%
2012 2,438−0.93%
2013 2,470+1.31%
2014 2,482+0.49%
2015 2,478−0.16%
2016 2,515+1.49%
2017 2,550+1.39%

Twin towns

Gartz is twinned with:

References

  1. "Bevölkerung im Land Brandenburg nach amtsfreien Gemeinden, Ämtern und Gemeinden 31. Dezember 2019". Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg (in German). July 2020.
  2. Gustav Kratz, Die Städte der Provinz Pommern. Abriss ihrer Geschichte, zumeist nach Urkunden, Berlin, 1865, p. 145 (in German)
  3. D. J. Medley, The church and the empire, Kessinger Publishing, 2004, p. 152
  4. "Gartz (Oder)" (in German). Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  5. Kratz, p. 147
  6. Kratz, p. 147-148
  7. Kratz, p. 150
  8. Zuzug in die Uckermark, Hurra, die Polen kommen!
  9. Detailed data sources are to be found in the Wikimedia Commons.Population Projection Brandenburg at Wikimedia Commons

Media related to Gartz at Wikimedia Commons

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