Plön
Encyclopedia
Plön (ˈpløːn) is the district seat of the Plön district in Schleswig-Holstein
, Germany
, and has about 13,000 inhabitants. It lies right on the shores of Schleswig-Holstein's biggest lake, the Great Plön Lake, as well as on several smaller lakes, touching the town on virtually all sides. The town's landmark is Plön Castle
, a chateau
built in the 17th century on a hill overlooking the town.
Plön has a grammar school
with a 300-year history, and is home to a German Navy
non-commissioned officer school and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology. The town, nestled as it is in the hilly, wooded lake district of Holstein Switzerland (Holsteinische Schweiz), also has importance in the tourism
industry.
, Slavic tribes entered the region of Plön during the early 7th century following the withdrawal of the original Germanic
population. On the large island opposite Plön, which was later called Olsborg, they built a large fortification. They called their settlement Plune, which means "ice-free water".
In 1075, Kruto
lured Budivoj of the Nakonids
into the "castrum plunense" (according to Helmold of Bosau), laid siege to him, and then once Budivoj's men had given themselves up after Kruto's promises to let them withdraw freely, Kruto had them slain. In 1139 the Holstein
count, Adolf II of Schauenburg
, destroyed the fortress, ending the domination of the Slavs in the region of Plön. Twenty years later, Adolf II had the castle on the island rebuilt, but soon had it moved to the present hill of Schlossberg ("castle hill"). It was here, under the protection of the castle and close to the major trading route from Lübeck to the north, that a Saxon market town emerged.
In 1236, Plön was granted town rights under Lübeck law
. Strategically located on a narrow isthmus between the lakes and the River Schwentine, Plön remained a centre of the County of Holstein until the Danish royal house fell in the 15th century.
Between 1561 and 1729, Plön was the capital of the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön. The Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Plön emerged in 1622 as a result of succession in the Danish royal house. From 1633 to 1636 a Renaissance
castle was built on the site of the old castle by Duke Joachim Ernest, and Plön became the capital of the small but independent princedom. As a residence town Plön experienced a considerable increase in status. For example, in 1685 Duke John Adolphus
("Hans Adolf") founded the new town (Neustadt) northwest of the town in order to settle craftsmen here and thus increase the economic might of the duchy. Under Charles Frederick
the castle district was expanded with several baroque
buildings and a pleasure garden. At that time the town had about 1,000 inhabitants and reached as far as the bridge over the Schwentine in the east and as far as the end of today's pedestrian zone in the west. Both entrances were protected by gates.
In 1761 the Duchy fell back into the hands of the Danish crown. Plön remained under Danish rule until the Second Schleswig War in 1864. Although it was the Danish king's summer residence from time to time, it remained otherwise a sleepy provincial town of about 2,000 inhabitants. The cultural life of the minor residence was charmingly described by Rochus von Liliencron in his "Childhood Memories". In the mid-19th century, the Danish crown prince
spent a few years of his summer vacation in Plön Castle
, since when it has been decorated in white plaster with a gray roof.
In 1867 Plön became a county town following the introduction of Prussian administrative reforms. The Hohenzollern
princes were educated for a time in Plön. The Princes' Island
(Prinzeninsel) is still owned by the House of Hohenzollern. Since 1868, Plön Castle was a Prussian military school. After World War I
it became a boarding school
that served as a 1933-1945 as a National Political Institutes of Education
. Since 1946, it has again been a state boarding school.
In 1891 Emil Otto Zacharias
founded the first "Biological Station" for freshwater research
on German soil on the Plöner See. It was established as a private research institute with the aid of financial support from the Prussian government and several private citizens. After his death, August Thienemann
took the lead. Its successor for a long time was the Max Planck Institute of Limnology
, now renamed the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology (see weblinks).
From mid-April 1945, elements of the last Reich government and the Commander of the Navy, Admiral Karl Dönitz
, moved into the buildings of the Stadtheide Barracks. On 1 May, Doenitz announced that Hitler had fallen and had appointed him as his successor. On 2 May the new Government Executive
of the Reich fled to Flensburg
before the approaching British troops.
The boarding school in Plön Castle was closed in 2001 under the state government of Heide Simonis
and the castle was sold to the Fielmann
optical company. They re-opened it in October 2006, after extensive restoration work, as a school for opticians. The total cost of refurbishment and reconstruction was 35 million euros. Today it is a non-profit training centre for the whole field of optics. This has strengthened the economy of the town of Plön, which has become more widely known, even internationally. Each year the castle is home to six thousand Fielmann employees who receive training for anything up to a two week period. Other students at the castle take part in B.A. and master optician courses. The castle has extensive grounds and is one of the most beautiful castles in Schleswig-Holstein. There are lavishly restored historic buildings - such as the Princes' House
(Prinzenhaus), Old Swimming Baths (Alte Schwimmhalle), Clock House (Uhrenhaus) - as well as shady avenues and old trees open to the public to stroll through and explore. Parts of Günther Fielmann's own antique collection can be viewed at the castle; it encompasses pieces from the major north European and French epochs since the mid-seventeenth century.
The Princes' House is affectionately called the "Pearl of the Rococo
Period". It was previously used as a summer house and was given its present name when the sons of the last German Emperor, William II
were taught in this building. After several years of restoration, it is now again open to the public. The Uhrenhaus now contains the information centre for the Holstein Switzerland Nature Park
. The former imperial swimming pool is now a cultural forum, which is available for events and exhibitions. Evidence of the imperial era is still visible in many parts of Plon. For example, there is on the Princes' Island
, a thatched pavilion, from where there is a magnificent view of the Great Plön Lake - this was a favourite haunt of the Empress. In the chapel at the Old Cemetery is an altar donated by Empress Augusta Victoria.
Relics of the Cold War
can be found in the form of explosive vehicle traps along the Fünf-Seen-Allee ("Five Lake Lane") near the old Five Lake Barracks (formerly home to the 6th Engineer Battalion (Pionierbataillon 6) and 6th Panzergrenadier Division), in Plön-Stadtheide.
(as of municipal election on May 2008)
on 21 November 2004 Jens Paustian became Plön's mayor.
shows on a silver background above silver and blue waves in which a red fish is swimming, a red, full-width, low crenellated wall made of bricks, on top of which is a short, red crenellated tower with two black window arches; over the tower hovers Holstein's coat of arms (in red a silver nettle leaf)
, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, since 1990 A sponsorship arrangement also exists with the town of Zhilino (formerly the German town of Schillen) in the old Tilsit-Ragnit district in Russia
's Kaliningrad Oblast
, in what was once East Prussia
. Ksour-Essaf, Tunisia
, since 1969Plöns Kreis is the parntership of Lääne-Virumaa county in Estonia
and Lübeck
, on which trains run half-hourly in each direction, runs through Plön. Plön station became known Germany-wide as a result of the early evening television series, Kleinstadtbahnhof ("small town station"), which was filmed here and starred Heidi Kabel
and Gustav Knuth
. In the series the town was called "Lüttin".
Main article: Kiel–Lübeck railway
The town is a highway hub, being on the junction of the federal roads (Bundesstraßen) B 76 (east-west) and B 430
(southwest-northeast).
to the west of the town.
The village of Sandkaten (municipality of Bösdorf) and the new suburb of Stadtheide lie on the B 76
to the east of the town. Most of Stadtheide is built on the newly reclaimed terrain of the old engineer barracks.
is one of the most important Renaissance
buildings in the country. Until the death of Duke Frederick Charles of Schleswig-Holstein-Plön in 1761 it was the ducal Residenz
; thereafter it was used for various purposes. Today it is owned by the firm of Fielmann
.
is a 20-metre-high, steel lattice tower on a stone plinth erected in 1888 as an observation tower by the Plön Tourism Society (Plöner Verschönerungsverein). It is open from April to October.
with its North German glass collection, the Nature Park House, the Plön Princes' House
(Prinzenhaus) and the Fritz-During Foundation in Plön District.
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...
, and has about 13,000 inhabitants. It lies right on the shores of Schleswig-Holstein's biggest lake, the Great Plön Lake, as well as on several smaller lakes, touching the town on virtually all sides. The town's landmark is Plön Castle
Plön Castle
Plön Castle in Plön is one of the largest castles in the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein and the only one located on a hill. The former Residenz of the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Plön was built in the 17th century during the Thirty Years War and has had a colourful history in which it...
, a chateau
Château
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
built in the 17th century on a hill overlooking the town.
Plön has a grammar school
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
with a 300-year history, and is home to a German Navy
German Navy
The German Navy is the navy of Germany and is part of the unified Bundeswehr .The German Navy traces its roots back to the Imperial Fleet of the revolutionary era of 1848 – 52 and more directly to the Prussian Navy, which later evolved into the Northern German Federal Navy...
non-commissioned officer school and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology. The town, nestled as it is in the hilly, wooded lake district of Holstein Switzerland (Holsteinische Schweiz), also has importance in the tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
industry.
History
In the course of the Migration PeriodMigration Period
The Migration Period, also called the Barbarian Invasions , was a period of intensified human migration in Europe that occurred from c. 400 to 800 CE. This period marked the transition from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages...
, Slavic tribes entered the region of Plön during the early 7th century following the withdrawal of the original Germanic
Germanic peoples
The Germanic peoples are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.Originating about 1800 BCE from the Corded Ware Culture on the North...
population. On the large island opposite Plön, which was later called Olsborg, they built a large fortification. They called their settlement Plune, which means "ice-free water".
In 1075, Kruto
Kruto
Kruto , son of Grin or Grinus, was a prince of Wagria. James Westfall Thompson believed his family belonged to the Rani of Rugia....
lured Budivoj of the Nakonids
Nakonids
The Nakonids were the leading noble family of the Slavic peoples of the Elbe River from ca. 960 until 1129. They were themselves of Abodrite origin and engineered the formation of a Slavic principality in the region. They went extinct in the male line in the early 12th century...
into the "castrum plunense" (according to Helmold of Bosau), laid siege to him, and then once Budivoj's men had given themselves up after Kruto's promises to let them withdraw freely, Kruto had them slain. In 1139 the Holstein
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
count, Adolf II of Schauenburg
Adolf II of Holstein
Adolf II was the Count of Schauenburg and Holstein from 1130 until his death, though he was briefly out of Holstein from 1137 until 1142. He succeeded his father Adolf I under the regency of his mother, Hildewa....
, destroyed the fortress, ending the domination of the Slavs in the region of Plön. Twenty years later, Adolf II had the castle on the island rebuilt, but soon had it moved to the present hill of Schlossberg ("castle hill"). It was here, under the protection of the castle and close to the major trading route from Lübeck to the north, that a Saxon market town emerged.
In 1236, Plön was granted town rights under Lübeck law
Lübeck law
The Lübeck law was the constitution of a municipal form of government developed at Lübeck in Schleswig-Holstein after it was made a free city in 1226. The law provides for self-government. It replaced the personal rule of tribal monarchs descending from ancient times or the rule of the regional...
. Strategically located on a narrow isthmus between the lakes and the River Schwentine, Plön remained a centre of the County of Holstein until the Danish royal house fell in the 15th century.
Between 1561 and 1729, Plön was the capital of the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön. The Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Plön emerged in 1622 as a result of succession in the Danish royal house. From 1633 to 1636 a Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
castle was built on the site of the old castle by Duke Joachim Ernest, and Plön became the capital of the small but independent princedom. As a residence town Plön experienced a considerable increase in status. For example, in 1685 Duke John Adolphus
John Adolphus of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön
John Adolphus of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön was the second Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön, which had been created by a division of the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg.- Life :...
("Hans Adolf") founded the new town (Neustadt) northwest of the town in order to settle craftsmen here and thus increase the economic might of the duchy. Under Charles Frederick
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...
the castle district was expanded with several baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
buildings and a pleasure garden. At that time the town had about 1,000 inhabitants and reached as far as the bridge over the Schwentine in the east and as far as the end of today's pedestrian zone in the west. Both entrances were protected by gates.
In 1761 the Duchy fell back into the hands of the Danish crown. Plön remained under Danish rule until the Second Schleswig War in 1864. Although it was the Danish king's summer residence from time to time, it remained otherwise a sleepy provincial town of about 2,000 inhabitants. The cultural life of the minor residence was charmingly described by Rochus von Liliencron in his "Childhood Memories". In the mid-19th century, the Danish crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
spent a few years of his summer vacation in Plön Castle
Plön Castle
Plön Castle in Plön is one of the largest castles in the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein and the only one located on a hill. The former Residenz of the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Plön was built in the 17th century during the Thirty Years War and has had a colourful history in which it...
, since when it has been decorated in white plaster with a gray roof.
In 1867 Plön became a county town following the introduction of Prussian administrative reforms. The Hohenzollern
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern is a noble family and royal dynasty of electors, kings and emperors of Prussia, Germany and Romania. It originated in the area around the town of Hechingen in Swabia during the 11th century. They took their name from their ancestral home, the Burg Hohenzollern castle near...
princes were educated for a time in Plön. The Princes' Island
Princes' Island
The Princes' Island is a peninsula in the Großer Plöner See southwest of the town of Plön in the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein.Princes' Island was turned into a peninsula in the 19th century by the artificial lowering of the water level. It is about 2 km long and only about 30 m wide in...
(Prinzeninsel) is still owned by the House of Hohenzollern. Since 1868, Plön Castle was a Prussian military school. After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
it became a boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
that served as a 1933-1945 as a National Political Institutes of Education
National Political Institutes of Education
National Political Institutes of Education were secondary boarding schools in Nazi Germany. They were founded as "community education sites" after the National Socialist seizure of power in 1933.-Overview:...
. Since 1946, it has again been a state boarding school.
In 1891 Emil Otto Zacharias
Otto Zacharias
Emil Otto Zacharias was a German zoologist, plankton researcher and journalist.-Life:Otto Zacharias studied in Leipzig, including mathematics, philosophy and zoology. For many years he worked as a tutor in Italy, where he devoted himself mainly to the popular science presenting complex issues of...
founded the first "Biological Station" for freshwater research
Limnology
Limnology , also called freshwater science, is the study of inland waters. It is often regarded as a division of ecology or environmental science. It covers the biological, chemical, physical, geological, and other attributes of all inland waters...
on German soil on the Plöner See. It was established as a private research institute with the aid of financial support from the Prussian government and several private citizens. After his death, August Thienemann
August Thienemann
August Friedrich Thienemann was a German limnologist, zoologist and ecologist. He was an associate Professor of Hydrobiology at the University of Kiel, and director of the former Hydrobiologische Anstalt der Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gesellschaft at Plön.A co-founder of Societas Internationalis...
took the lead. Its successor for a long time was the Max Planck Institute of Limnology
Max Planck Institute of Limnology
The Max Planck Institute of Limnology concerned the study of inland waters like lakes, ponds and rivers. It is located in Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It was founded as Hydrobiologische Station zu Plön in 1892, and was renamed 1966...
, now renamed the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology (see weblinks).
Karl Dönitz
Karl Dönitz was a German naval commander during World War II. He started his career in the German Navy during World War I. In 1918, while he was in command of , the submarine was sunk by British forces and Dönitz was taken prisoner...
, moved into the buildings of the Stadtheide Barracks. On 1 May, Doenitz announced that Hitler had fallen and had appointed him as his successor. On 2 May the new Government Executive
Government Executive
Government Executive is an American trade magazine, founded in 1969. In 2009, the independent research firm Market Connections, Inc. cited the magazine as the number one publication read by federal managers...
of the Reich fled to Flensburg
Flensburg
Flensburg is an independent town in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the region of Southern Schleswig...
before the approaching British troops.
The boarding school in Plön Castle was closed in 2001 under the state government of Heide Simonis
Heide Simonis
Heide Simonis is a German politician. She is a member of the SPD.She was Minister President of Schleswig-Holstein from 1993 to 2005, the first woman to hold this position in any German state in Germany's history.-Life:...
and the castle was sold to the Fielmann
Fielmann
Fielmann is a German optics company focussing on eyewear retail. With 655 subsidiaries in 2010, Fielmann gained a sales quantity share of 48% and a turnover market share of 22% in Germany...
optical company. They re-opened it in October 2006, after extensive restoration work, as a school for opticians. The total cost of refurbishment and reconstruction was 35 million euros. Today it is a non-profit training centre for the whole field of optics. This has strengthened the economy of the town of Plön, which has become more widely known, even internationally. Each year the castle is home to six thousand Fielmann employees who receive training for anything up to a two week period. Other students at the castle take part in B.A. and master optician courses. The castle has extensive grounds and is one of the most beautiful castles in Schleswig-Holstein. There are lavishly restored historic buildings - such as the Princes' House
Princes' House
The Princes' House in Plön in the North German state of Schleswig-Holstein is a former royal summer residence in the grounds of the park at Plön Castle. It is the only surviving maison de plaisance in Germany...
(Prinzenhaus), Old Swimming Baths (Alte Schwimmhalle), Clock House (Uhrenhaus) - as well as shady avenues and old trees open to the public to stroll through and explore. Parts of Günther Fielmann's own antique collection can be viewed at the castle; it encompasses pieces from the major north European and French epochs since the mid-seventeenth century.
The Princes' House is affectionately called the "Pearl of the Rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
Period". It was previously used as a summer house and was given its present name when the sons of the last German Emperor, William II
William II, German Emperor
Wilhelm II was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia, ruling the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia from 15 June 1888 to 9 November 1918. He was a grandson of the British Queen Victoria and related to many monarchs and princes of Europe...
were taught in this building. After several years of restoration, it is now again open to the public. The Uhrenhaus now contains the information centre for the Holstein Switzerland Nature Park
Holstein Switzerland Nature Park
The Holstein Switzerland Nature Park is a German federal nature park in the Holstein Switzerland region of Schleswig-Holstein.In 1986 an association called the Naturpark Holsteinische Schweiz was founded...
. The former imperial swimming pool is now a cultural forum, which is available for events and exhibitions. Evidence of the imperial era is still visible in many parts of Plon. For example, there is on the Princes' Island
Princes' Island
The Princes' Island is a peninsula in the Großer Plöner See southwest of the town of Plön in the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein.Princes' Island was turned into a peninsula in the 19th century by the artificial lowering of the water level. It is about 2 km long and only about 30 m wide in...
, a thatched pavilion, from where there is a magnificent view of the Great Plön Lake - this was a favourite haunt of the Empress. In the chapel at the Old Cemetery is an altar donated by Empress Augusta Victoria.
Relics of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
can be found in the form of explosive vehicle traps along the Fünf-Seen-Allee ("Five Lake Lane") near the old Five Lake Barracks (formerly home to the 6th Engineer Battalion (Pionierbataillon 6) and 6th Panzergrenadier Division), in Plön-Stadtheide.
Town council
Plön's town council consists of 23 councillors.| CDU Christian Democratic Union (Germany) The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum... |
SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
FWG Free Voters Free Voters is a German concept in which an association of persons participates in an election without having the status of a registered political party. Usually it is a locally organized group of voters in the form of a registered association . In most cases, Free Voters are active only at the... -Plön (citizens' coalition) |
FDP Free Democratic Party (Germany) The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government... |
Total | |
| 2008 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 23 seats |
(as of municipal election on May 2008)
Mayor
After a runoffTwo-round system
The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...
on 21 November 2004 Jens Paustian became Plön's mayor.
Coat of arms
The coat of armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
shows on a silver background above silver and blue waves in which a red fish is swimming, a red, full-width, low crenellated wall made of bricks, on top of which is a short, red crenellated tower with two black window arches; over the tower hovers Holstein's coat of arms (in red a silver nettle leaf)
Partnerships
Plau am SeePlau am See
Plau am See is a town in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated 28 km east of Parchim, and 29 km west of Waren....
, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, since 1990 A sponsorship arrangement also exists with the town of Zhilino (formerly the German town of Schillen) in the old Tilsit-Ragnit district in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
's Kaliningrad Oblast
Kaliningrad Oblast
Kaliningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia situated on the Baltic coast. It has a population of The oblast forms the westernmost part of the Russian Federation, but it has no land connection to the rest of Russia. Since its creation it has been an exclave of the Russian SFSR and then the...
, in what was once East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
. Ksour-Essaf, Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, since 1969Plöns Kreis is the parntership of Lääne-Virumaa county in Estonia
Transport
The railway line between KielKiel
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...
and 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...
, on which trains run half-hourly in each direction, runs through Plön. Plön station became known Germany-wide as a result of the early evening television series, Kleinstadtbahnhof ("small town station"), which was filmed here and starred Heidi Kabel
Heidi Kabel
Heidi Bertha Auguste Kabel was a German musician and actress. Most of her stage roles were performed at the Ohnsorg-Theater in Hamburg, many of them in Low German....
and Gustav Knuth
Gustav Knuth
Gustav Knuth was a German film actor. He appeared in 128 films between 1935 and 1982.-Selected filmography:* Friedemann Bach * Das Grosse Spiel * Die Mücke * Sissi...
. In the series the town was called "Lüttin".
Main article: Kiel–Lübeck railway
Kiel–Lübeck railway
The Kiel–Lübeck railway is a non-electrified, mostly single-track railway line in eastern Schleswig-Holstein in north Germany. It links Kiel and Lübeck, the only two cities in the state...
The town is a highway hub, being on the junction of the federal roads (Bundesstraßen) B 76 (east-west) and B 430
Bundesstraße 430
The Bundesstraße 430 is a German federal road or Bundesstraße and the east-west link between Dithmarschen and Holstein in the southern part of the state of Schleswig-Holstein.- Route :...
(southwest-northeast).
Suburbs
The village of Koppelsberg lies on the B 430Bundesstraße 430
The Bundesstraße 430 is a German federal road or Bundesstraße and the east-west link between Dithmarschen and Holstein in the southern part of the state of Schleswig-Holstein.- Route :...
to the west of the town.
The village of Sandkaten (municipality of Bösdorf) and the new suburb of Stadtheide lie on the B 76
Bundesstraße 430
The Bundesstraße 430 is a German federal road or Bundesstraße and the east-west link between Dithmarschen and Holstein in the southern part of the state of Schleswig-Holstein.- Route :...
to the east of the town. Most of Stadtheide is built on the newly reclaimed terrain of the old engineer barracks.
Plön Castle
Plön CastlePlön Castle
Plön Castle in Plön is one of the largest castles in the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein and the only one located on a hill. The former Residenz of the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Plön was built in the 17th century during the Thirty Years War and has had a colourful history in which it...
is one of the most important Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
buildings in the country. Until the death of Duke Frederick Charles of Schleswig-Holstein-Plön in 1761 it was the ducal Residenz
Residenz
Residenz is a very formal, otherwise obsolete, German word for "place of living". It is in particular used to denote the building or town where a sovereign ruler resided, therefore also carrying a similar meaning as the modern expressions seat of government or capital...
; thereafter it was used for various purposes. Today it is owned by the firm of Fielmann
Fielmann
Fielmann is a German optics company focussing on eyewear retail. With 655 subsidiaries in 2010, Fielmann gained a sales quantity share of 48% and a turnover market share of 22% in Germany...
.
Parnass Tower
The Parnass TowerParnass Tower
The Parnass Tower is an observation tower in the town of Plön in the North German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It sits on the summit of the low hill of Parnaß ....
is a 20-metre-high, steel lattice tower on a stone plinth erected in 1888 as an observation tower by the Plön Tourism Society (Plöner Verschönerungsverein). It is open from April to October.
Water tower
The old Plön Water Tower (Wasserturm Plön) of 1913 lies in the east of the town and is used today as a residence.Planet Walk
On Plön's Planet Walk the solar system is mapped on a scale of 1:2,000,000,000, starting from a symbol of the sun on the landing stage on Market Bridge.Museums
Museums in Plön include the Museum of Plön DistrictWidow's Palace
The ducal Widow's Palace in Plön in the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein was the widow's seat of the Duchess Dorothea Christina . During its history the building has also served as an orphanage and was modified several times...
with its North German glass collection, the Nature Park House, the Plön Princes' House
Princes' House
The Princes' House in Plön in the North German state of Schleswig-Holstein is a former royal summer residence in the grounds of the park at Plön Castle. It is the only surviving maison de plaisance in Germany...
(Prinzenhaus) and the Fritz-During Foundation in Plön District.
Krieglstein Puppet Theatre
Opposite the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology (until 2007: the MPI for Limnology) is the Krieglstein Puppet Theatre. Ute Krieglstein designed the yarn dolls, including the set and plays songs, composed by her, with her husband, Gerd, who is responsible for the technology. After years as a touring company in Germany, in other European countries and several guest performances in South Korea their company, "Puppen & Co", has had a permanent venue in Plön since 2000.Literature: "Wonderful times in Wonderful Plön"
Personalities
- Rochus von LiliencronRochus von LiliencronRochus Wilhelm Traugott Heinrich Ferdinand Freiherr von Liliencron was a Germanist and historian, known for his collection of German Volkslieder , published in five volumes in 1865-1869, and as the editor of the biographical reference work Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, published...
(1820–1912), Germanist and music historian - Georg KuphaldtGeorg KuphaldtGeorg Friedrich Ferdinand Kuphaldt was an influential German landscape architect, gardener and dendrologist of the Russian Empire....
(1853–1938), gardener, landscape architectLandscape architectA landscape architect is a person involved in the planning, design and sometimes direction of a landscape, garden, or distinct space. The professional practice is known as landscape architecture....
, dendrologist
External links
- A Cordial Welcome to Plön
- Plön's official website
- Fielmann-Akademie Schloss Plön with detailed history of Schloss Plön
- Gymnasium Schloss Plön
- Max Planck Institute of Limnology