Ahrensbök
Encyclopedia
Ahrensbök is a municipality in the district of Ostholstein
, in Schleswig-Holstein
, Germany
. It is situated approx. 17-km northwest of Lübeck
, and 45-km southeast of Kiel
.
.
In 1397 the Carthusian
s founded a monastery here, Ahrensbök Charterhouse
, which helped the place grow in prominence. In 1564 the Amt Ahrensbök, or district of Ahrensbök, was established as a civil administration unit, and between 1593 and 1601 a castle was built, Schloss Hoppenbrook, on the site and with the materials of the charterhouse, which had been secularised in the 1580s during the Protestant Reformation
and subsequently demolished. In 1623 Schloss Hoppenbrook became for a few years the residence of the newly-established Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön, until the completion of the dukes' new castle at Plön in 1636, after which Schloss Hoppenbrook became a secondary residence. In 1746 Duke Friedrich Karl
abolished serfdom
in his duchy. In 1765, after the death of his widow, the castle was demolished.
A cattle and horse market was established in the town in 1791, which was replaced in 1832 by a regular weekly market. On the site of the former castle the Amtshaus, or town hall, was built in 1826. During the Second Schleswig War of 1864 Ahrensbök fell for a short time under the control of first the Austrians and then the Prussians. In 1867 a district court was established here. In the same year, after the Austro-Prussian War
, the district of Ahrensbök was given to the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg as compensation for their hereditary claims on the newly-Prussian territory of Holstein
.
On 3 September 1872 a great fire destroyed 22 houses and 10 other structures in Ahrensbök. In 1876 the area was divided in two, an urban district and a rural district. The railway line from Ahrensbök to Pönitz
was opened with much ceremony in 1886.
Between 1912 and 1933 Ahrensbök held the status of "Town (2nd Class)". In 1928 a private school was built in the Lindenstrasse, which has been used since 1950 as a Mittelschule
and Realschule
. Also in 1928 the town celebrated its 600th anniversary.
In 1933 Ahrensbök lost its municipal status and became a Gemeinde
(community) with 19 villages within the boundaries as they now are. The district court was abolished.
In April 1945 Jewish prisoners from Fürstengrube
, a satellite camp of Auschwitz
, were marched through Ahrensbök on the Fürstengrube death march. There is now a memorial here to the casualties http://www.gedenkstaetteahrensboek.de. After World War II
thousands of displaced persons and refugees were resettled here: the population rose from 5,063 in 1939 to 10,169 in 1950.
During the local government reform of 1970 Ahrensbök together with the former Eutin
district became part of the Ostholstein
district. In 1972 the Grundschule and Hauptschule
was re-established as a village group school (Dörfergemeinschaftsschule), when the separate village schools were closed. In 1982 the ZOB plant was built in the Lindenstrasse.
Since March 1985 the local government administration of the Gemeinde has been accommodated in the new town hall (Rathaus
) near the site of the former castle and the Amtshaus (demolished in 1983).
In 1988 the railway line was closed.
Ostholstein
Ostholstein is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Stormarn, Segeberg and Plön, the Baltic Sea and the city of Lübeck.-History:...
, in Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is situated approx. 17-km northwest of Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
, and 45-km southeast of Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
.
History
Ahrensbök came into existence after the foundation here of a pilgrimage chapel in 1280. The first documentary reference to the settlement dates from 1328. In 1348 the place was devastated by the Black DeathBlack Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
.
In 1397 the Carthusian
Carthusian
The Carthusian Order, also called the Order of St. Bruno, is a Roman Catholic religious order of enclosed monastics. The order was founded by Saint Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns...
s founded a monastery here, Ahrensbök Charterhouse
Ahrensbök Charterhouse
Ahrensbök Charterhouse was a former Carthusian monastery, or charterhouse, in Ahrensbök in Holstein, Germany.-Monastery:The charterhouse was established in 1397...
, which helped the place grow in prominence. In 1564 the Amt Ahrensbök, or district of Ahrensbök, was established as a civil administration unit, and between 1593 and 1601 a castle was built, Schloss Hoppenbrook, on the site and with the materials of the charterhouse, which had been secularised in the 1580s during the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
and subsequently demolished. In 1623 Schloss Hoppenbrook became for a few years the residence of the newly-established Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön, until the completion of the dukes' new castle at Plön in 1636, after which Schloss Hoppenbrook became a secondary residence. In 1746 Duke Friedrich Karl
Friedrich Carl, Duke of Holstein-Plön
Frederick Charles of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön , also known as "Friedrich Karl" or "Friedrik Carl"of Holstein-Plön, was a member of a cadet branch of the Danish royal family and the last duke of the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön , a Danish royal prince, and a knight...
abolished serfdom
Serfdom
Serfdom is the status of peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to Manorialism. It was a condition of bondage or modified slavery which developed primarily during the High Middle Ages in Europe and lasted to the mid-19th century...
in his duchy. In 1765, after the death of his widow, the castle was demolished.
A cattle and horse market was established in the town in 1791, which was replaced in 1832 by a regular weekly market. On the site of the former castle the Amtshaus, or town hall, was built in 1826. During the Second Schleswig War of 1864 Ahrensbök fell for a short time under the control of first the Austrians and then the Prussians. In 1867 a district court was established here. In the same year, after the Austro-Prussian War
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War was a war fought in 1866 between the German Confederation under the leadership of the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Italy on the...
, the district of Ahrensbök was given to the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg as compensation for their hereditary claims on the newly-Prussian territory of Holstein
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
.
On 3 September 1872 a great fire destroyed 22 houses and 10 other structures in Ahrensbök. In 1876 the area was divided in two, an urban district and a rural district. The railway line from Ahrensbök to Pönitz
Ponitz
Ponitz is a municipality in the district Altenburger Land, in Thuringia, Germany.It is particularly famous for its Baroque organ by Gottfried Silbermann and for its spectacularly-eccentric Renaissance manor house...
was opened with much ceremony in 1886.
Between 1912 and 1933 Ahrensbök held the status of "Town (2nd Class)". In 1928 a private school was built in the Lindenstrasse, which has been used since 1950 as a Mittelschule
Mittelschule
Mittelschule is a term in German education that may refer to different schools. In some States of Germany a school similar to a Hauptschule may be called Mittelschule, while in other States of Germany a combination of Hauptschule and Realschule is called Mittelschule...
and Realschule
Realschule
The Realschule is a type of secondary school in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia , Denmark , Sweden , Hungary and in the Russian Empire .-History:The Realschule was an outgrowth of the rationalism and empiricism of the seventeenth and...
. Also in 1928 the town celebrated its 600th anniversary.
In 1933 Ahrensbök lost its municipal status and became a Gemeinde
Gemeinde
Gemeinde is a German word for borough, commune, community, township, municipality, or in religious contexts, a parish or congregation ....
(community) with 19 villages within the boundaries as they now are. The district court was abolished.
In April 1945 Jewish prisoners from Fürstengrube
Fürstengrube subcamp
The Fürstengrube subcamp was organized in the summer of 1943 at the Fürstengrube hard coal mine in the town of Wesola near Myslowice , approximately from Auschwitz concentration camp. The mine, which IG Farbenindustrie AG acquired in February 1941, was to supply hard coal for the IG Farben...
, a satellite camp of Auschwitz
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
, were marched through Ahrensbök on the Fürstengrube death march. There is now a memorial here to the casualties http://www.gedenkstaetteahrensboek.de. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
thousands of displaced persons and refugees were resettled here: the population rose from 5,063 in 1939 to 10,169 in 1950.
During the local government reform of 1970 Ahrensbök together with the former Eutin
Eutin
Eutin is the district capital of Eastern Holstein located in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. As of 2005, it had some 17,000 inhabitants....
district became part of the Ostholstein
Ostholstein
Ostholstein is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Stormarn, Segeberg and Plön, the Baltic Sea and the city of Lübeck.-History:...
district. In 1972 the Grundschule and Hauptschule
Hauptschule
A Hauptschule is a secondary school in Germany and Austria, starting after 4 years of elementary schooling, which offers Lower Secondary Education according to the International Standard Classification of Education...
was re-established as a village group school (Dörfergemeinschaftsschule), when the separate village schools were closed. In 1982 the ZOB plant was built in the Lindenstrasse.
Since March 1985 the local government administration of the Gemeinde has been accommodated in the new town hall (Rathaus
Rathaus
Rathaus is a German word literally translating as “council house”, meaning “city hall” or “town hall”. Many specific buildings are referred to as Rathaus even when spoken about in English.Some important Rathäuser are:* Rathaus Schöneberg...
) near the site of the former castle and the Amtshaus (demolished in 1983).
In 1988 the railway line was closed.
People connected with Ahrensbök
- Nelly Mann (1898-1944), wife of Heinrich MannHeinrich MannLuiz Heinrich Mann was a German novelist who wrote works with strong social themes. His attacks on the authoritarian and increasingly militaristic nature of pre-World War II German society led to his exile in 1933.-Life and work:Born in Lübeck as the oldest child of Thomas Johann Heinrich Mann...
- Gerhard Steen (1923–1990), politician (SPD)
External links
- Gemeinde Ahrensbök
- Gedenkstätte Ahrensbök (Memorial at Ahrensbök)