Schnackenburg
Encyclopedia
Schnackenburg is a town in the Lüchow-Dannenberg
district, in Lower Saxony
, Germany
. It is situated on the left bank of the Elbe
. It is part of the Samtgemeinde ("collective municipality") Gartow
.
name of Schnackenburg is Godegord (also spelled Godegür in older German reference material), probably from god (< Slavic
*gadă) ‘snake’ and gord (< Slavic
*gordă) ‘fortress’, ‘town’. The German name Schnackenburg appears to be derived from Low Saxon
Snaak or Snack ‘snake’ (plural Snaken or Snacken) and Borg ‘fortress’, ‘town’.
on the Elbe. The crossing was open for freight vessels navigating between Czechoslovakia
, the Soviet Zone of occupation in Germany (till 1949, thereafter the East German Democratic Republic
), or West Berlin
and the British zone of occupation (till 1949) and thereafter the West German Federal Republic of Germany
. The traffic was subject to the Interzonal traffic
regulations, that between West Germany and West Berlin followed the special regulations of the Transit Agreement (1972)
.
Lüchow-Dannenberg
Lüchow-Dannenberg is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany which is usually referred to as Hannoversches Wendland or Wendland. It is bounded by the districts of Uelzen and Lüneburg and the states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania , Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt Lüchow-Dannenberg is a district in...
district, in Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, 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 on the left bank of the Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
. It is part of the Samtgemeinde ("collective municipality") Gartow
Gartow
Gartow is a municipality in the district Lüchow-Dannenberg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the easternmost tip of Lower Saxony, on the river Elbe, approx. 30 km northeast of Salzwedel, and 20 km west of Wittenberge...
.
Etymology of the toponym
The PolabianPolabian language
The Polabian language is an extinct West Slavic language that was spoken by the Polabian Slavs in present-day North-Eastern Germany around the Elbe river, from which derives its name...
name of Schnackenburg is Godegord (also spelled Godegür in older German reference material), probably from god (< Slavic
Slavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
*gadă) ‘snake’ and gord (< Slavic
Slavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
*gordă) ‘fortress’, ‘town’. The German name Schnackenburg appears to be derived from Low Saxon
Low German
Low German or Low Saxon is an Ingvaeonic West Germanic language spoken mainly in northern Germany and the eastern part of the Netherlands...
Snaak or Snack ‘snake’ (plural Snaken or Snacken) and Borg ‘fortress’, ‘town’.
History
Between 1945 and 1990 Schnackenburg served as West German inner German border crossing for inland navigationInland navigation
Inland navigation is transport with ships via inland water between inland ports or quays and wharfs.-See also:* Code Européen des Voies de la Navigation Intérieure -External links:...
on the Elbe. The crossing was open for freight vessels navigating between Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, the Soviet Zone of occupation in Germany (till 1949, thereafter the East German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
), or West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
and the British zone of occupation (till 1949) and thereafter the West German Federal Republic of Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. The traffic was subject to the Interzonal traffic
Interzonal traffic
The term inter-zonal traffic was used to describe the cross-border traffic between the four designated garrison zones in Germany between 1945 and 1973 that were created in 1945 by the victors of the Second World War.- History :...
regulations, that between West Germany and West Berlin followed the special regulations of the Transit Agreement (1972)
Transit Agreement (1972)
The Transit Agreement of 26 May 1972 arranged access to and from West Berlin from West Germany and secured the right of West Berliners to visit East Berlin and East Germany also secured the rights of GDR citizens to visit the FRG, but only in cases of family emergency.-References:*...
.