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Werder (Havel)
Encyclopedia
Werder (official name derived from Werder an der Havel ("Werder upon Havel"), colloquially just Werder), is a town in the state of Brandenburg
, Germany
, located on the Havel
river in the Potsdam-Mittelmark
district, west of the state's capital Potsdam
.
Werder has a long and rich history and is a nationally recognized Erholungsort – a government designation given to regions of Germany that have been recognized and must be continuously recertified as having air and climate
qualities which provide a healthful environment to visitors. Werder is also famous for hosting one of Germany’s three largest festivals', the blossoming season
', held annually in May.
, and the town's oldest quarter is located on an island in the river. Hence the name, as the landscape term Werder (like Wörth
in Upper German
) means "river island".
, which lies just 35 km (21.7 mi) in the northeast. The city "Werdere" is mentioned in 1317, "Wehrder" in 1450 and in its present spelling in 1580. However, in its southwest end pieces of ancient broken glass have been discovered, and on its south end are remains of what may had been an Early Medieval Slavic
castle wall.
The coin-shaped city island in the Havel river is mentioned as being accessible via a bridge in a 1317 deed, when the ministeriales
of the Brandenburg margraves
had to sell the estates to the monks of nearby Lehnin Abbey
. The town was devastated by Swedish
troops during the Thirty Years' War
.
During World War II
and prior thereto an airfield existed in the north of the city which, together with an adjacent park, was used during the war as an airplane pilot
training area. Werder was the base of Luftwaffe
general Karl Koller
during the Battle of Berlin
. After the end of the war, Soviet
troops were stationed in this area of the city. The last Russia
n troops departed in 1993, three years after the reunification of Germany
.
has been Werner Große of the Christian Democratic Union
(CDU), who had previously functioned as the city’s deputy. The 29-seat town council (SVV), meets every two months, to represent the interests of the citizenry. The council is composed of 17 CDU members, 4 Social Democratic Party
members, 3 Action Free Citizens members and various other unaffiliated city delegates.
There are a number of committees with appointed citizens delegates who consult with the town council. The central committee, which exists under chairmanship of the mayor, deals with finances in consultation with an auditing board of examiners. The committee for social policy, education, culture and sport, oversees area schools. There is also a special committee responsible for town development, construction and living conditions, which has significant influence over the city’s infrastructure.
cultivated fruit in the region and Werder is still today particularly well-known for this endeavor, which is also the foundation for its famous blossoming season festival. The predominant fruits grown in the area are cherries
, apple
s, and strawberries
but raspberries
, gooseberries
, currant
s, blackberries
, apricot
s, peach
es, pear
s, and plum
s are also cultivated. Vegetables are also grown, especially tomatoes, the bulk of which are cultivated in local greenhouse
s.
is the city's second-oldest trade after fishing, brought to this area before 1300 by monks of the Cistercian Order. The wine of the Margraviate of Brandenburg
(Mark Brandenburg) counted at the end of the 13th century to the most important export articles to East and Northern Europe. The Hohenzollern
dynasty, they came from Franconia to Brandenburg
, made the wine of the Brandenburg March able of court. Up to the death of the Great Elector the wine was drunk in his board. The first Wine Master Order of Brandenburg was already remitted 1598 by the Elector Johann Georg and at that time it was reported which would be surrounded Havel by vineyards like the Moselle. However, the viticulture
in this area was not trouble-free. The winters were so hard every now and then on which many vines got frostbite. Thus happen in winter, 1739/40, after the frost stopped till June. In the first half of the 18th century, grapes were grown on more than 100 hectares in Werder. The vines at that time were Weißer Elbling, Weißer
and Roter Schönedel and Rotfranke. Nevertheless, more and more red wine than white wine was grown. The Quail's mountain of Werder (Werderaner Wachtelberg
) counts to the oldest wine-growing places beyond the island Werder. On the island wine at the Mill Mountain and at the God's Mountain was grown. The wine foliage was used earlier to the envelopment by fruit, especially from apricots and peaches. The fruits could be transported so carefully in the Obsttienen
(small transport container made from wood). In 1887 it was still reported about 2 vineyards. The wine cultivation period ended provisionally when the last vines in Werder got frostbite in the winter of 1955/56. Only in 1985 began the Cooperative Society Fruit Production of Werder on the Quail's Mountain with putting on a vineyard on a surface of 4.8 hectares. Today about 30 thousand vines grow there on nearly 7 hectares. If Dornfelder
, Regent
, Saphira and Müller-Thurgau
belong to it among other things. Within the scope of the Federal Garden Show (Bundesgartenschau) in Potsdam
Wine Teaching Paths on the Quail's Mountain were put on. Today here grow 38 red and 40 white wine kinds. The vineyard Quail's Mountain of Werder lies geographically with Latitude of 52 degree and 22 minutes north far to the north of the usual wine-growing areas of Europe. In 1991 this vineyard was taken up as a Großlagenfreie Einzellage in the Weinanbaugebiet Saale-Unstrut (winegrowing area at the rivers Saale and Unstrut) and was recognised by the EU. It is with it the most northern registered position for quality-tested wine cultivation (QbA) in Europe and the World.
, North Rhine-Westphalia
, Germany Almdorf
, Schleswig-Holstein
, Germany Hjørring
, Denmark
Tczew
, Poland
Biržai
, Lithuania
Muan-gun, South Korea
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
, 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...
, located on the Havel
Havel
The Havel is a river in north-eastern Germany, flowing through the German states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Berlin and Saxony-Anhalt. It is a right tributary of the Elbe river and in length...
river in the Potsdam-Mittelmark
Potsdam-Mittelmark
Potsdam-Mittelmark is a Kreis in the western part of Brandenburg, Germany. Neighboring are the district Havelland, the district free cities Brandenburg and Potsdam, the Bundesland Berlin, the district Teltow-Fläming, and the districts Wittenberg, Anhalt-Bitterfeld and Jerichower Land in...
district, west of the state's capital Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
.
Werder has a long and rich history and is a nationally recognized Erholungsort – a government designation given to regions of Germany that have been recognized and must be continuously recertified as having air and climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
qualities which provide a healthful environment to visitors. Werder is also famous for hosting one of Germany’s three largest festivals', the blossoming season
Spring (season)
Spring is one of the four temperate seasons, the transition period between winter and summer. Spring and "springtime" refer to the season, and broadly to ideas of rebirth, renewal and regrowth. The specific definition of the exact timing of "spring" varies according to local climate, cultures and...
', held annually in May.
Etymology
The Werder municipal area stretches along the banks of the Havel, a tributary of the ElbeElbe
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...
, and the town's oldest quarter is located on an island in the river. Hence the name, as the landscape term Werder (like Wörth
Wörth
Wörth may refer to:*places in Germany:**Wörth am Main, Miltenberg district, Bavaria**Wörth am Rhein, Germersheim district, Rhineland-Palatinate**Wörth an der Donau, Regensburg district, Bavaria**Wörth an der Isar, Landshut district, Bavaria...
in Upper German
Upper German
Upper German is a family of High German dialects spoken primarily in southern Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Northern Italy.-Family tree:Upper German can be generally classified as Alemannic or Austro-Bavarian...
) means "river island".
History
Werder has several different specific mentions in the ancient historical records of BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, which lies just 35 km (21.7 mi) in the northeast. The city "Werdere" is mentioned in 1317, "Wehrder" in 1450 and in its present spelling in 1580. However, in its southwest end pieces of ancient broken glass have been discovered, and on its south end are remains of what may had been an Early Medieval Slavic
Polabian Slavs
Polabian Slavs - is a collective term applied to a number of Lechites tribes who lived along the Elbe river, between the Baltic Sea to the north, the Saale and the Limes Saxoniae to the west, the Ore Mountains and the Western Sudetes to the south, and Poland to the east. They have also been known...
castle wall.
The coin-shaped city island in the Havel river is mentioned as being accessible via a bridge in a 1317 deed, when the ministeriales
Ministerialis
Ministerialis ; a post-classical Latin word, used in English, meaning originally servitor, agent, in a broad range of senses...
of the Brandenburg margraves
Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....
had to sell the estates to the monks of nearby Lehnin Abbey
Lehnin Abbey
Lehnin Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in Lehnin in Brandenburg, Germany. Since 1911 it has accommodated the Luise-Henrietten-Stift, a Protestant women's community.-History:...
. The town was devastated by Swedish
Swedish Empire
The Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...
troops during the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
.
During 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...
and prior thereto an airfield existed in the north of the city which, together with an adjacent park, was used during the war as an airplane pilot
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
training area. Werder was the base of Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
general Karl Koller
Karl Koller (general)
Karl Koller was a German General der Flieger and the Chief of the General Staff of Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe during World War II....
during the Battle of Berlin
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II....
. After the end of the war, Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
troops were stationed in this area of the city. The last 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...
n troops departed in 1993, three years after the reunification of Germany
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
.
Politics
Since 1990, Werder’s mayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
has been Werner Große of the Christian Democratic Union
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...
(CDU), who had previously functioned as the city’s deputy. The 29-seat town council (SVV), meets every two months, to represent the interests of the citizenry. The council is composed of 17 CDU members, 4 Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
members, 3 Action Free Citizens members and various other unaffiliated city delegates.
There are a number of committees with appointed citizens delegates who consult with the town council. The central committee, which exists under chairmanship of the mayor, deals with finances in consultation with an auditing board of examiners. The committee for social policy, education, culture and sport, oversees area schools. There is also a special committee responsible for town development, construction and living conditions, which has significant influence over the city’s infrastructure.
Economics
Although at one time known for its wine production and fishing industry, both pursuits declined during the 18th century. From early times the monks of the Cistercian monastery of LehninLehnin Abbey
Lehnin Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in Lehnin in Brandenburg, Germany. Since 1911 it has accommodated the Luise-Henrietten-Stift, a Protestant women's community.-History:...
cultivated fruit in the region and Werder is still today particularly well-known for this endeavor, which is also the foundation for its famous blossoming season festival. The predominant fruits grown in the area are cherries
Cherry
The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....
, apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
s, and strawberries
Strawberry
Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...
but raspberries
Raspberry
The raspberry or hindberry is the edible fruit of a multitude of plant species in the genus Rubus, most of which are in the subgenus Idaeobatus; the name also applies to these plants themselves...
, gooseberries
Gooseberry
The gooseberry or ; Ribes uva-crispa, syn. R. grossularia) is a species of Ribes, native to Europe, northwestern Africa and southwestern Asia...
, currant
Ribes
Ribes is a genus of about 150 species of flowering plants native throughout the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It is usually treated as the only genus in the family Grossulariaceae. Seven subgenera are recognized....
s, blackberries
Blackberry
The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by any of several species in the Rubus genus of the Rosaceae family. The fruit is not a true berry; botanically it is termed an aggregate fruit, composed of small drupelets. The plants typically have biennial canes and perennial roots. Blackberries and...
, apricot
Apricot
The apricot, Prunus armeniaca, is a species of Prunus, classified with the plum in the subgenus Prunus. The native range is somewhat uncertain due to its extensive prehistoric cultivation.- Description :...
s, peach
Peach
The peach tree is a deciduous tree growing to tall and 6 in. in diameter, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae. It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach...
es, pear
Pear
The pear is any of several tree species of genus Pyrus and also the name of the pomaceous fruit of these trees. Several species of pear are valued by humans for their edible fruit, but the fruit of other species is small, hard, and astringent....
s, and plum
Plum
A plum or gage is a stone fruit tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera in the shoots having a terminal bud and solitary side buds , the flowers in groups of one to five together on short stems, and the fruit having a groove running down one...
s are also cultivated. Vegetables are also grown, especially tomatoes, the bulk of which are cultivated in local greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
s.
Viticulture
Cultivation of wineWine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
is the city's second-oldest trade after fishing, brought to this area before 1300 by monks of the Cistercian Order. The wine of the Margraviate of Brandenburg
Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....
(Mark Brandenburg) counted at the end of the 13th century to the most important export articles to East and Northern Europe. 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...
dynasty, they came from Franconia to Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
, made the wine of the Brandenburg March able of court. Up to the death of the Great Elector the wine was drunk in his board. The first Wine Master Order of Brandenburg was already remitted 1598 by the Elector Johann Georg and at that time it was reported which would be surrounded Havel by vineyards like the Moselle. However, the viticulture
Viticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
in this area was not trouble-free. The winters were so hard every now and then on which many vines got frostbite. Thus happen in winter, 1739/40, after the frost stopped till June. In the first half of the 18th century, grapes were grown on more than 100 hectares in Werder. The vines at that time were Weißer Elbling, Weißer
Weiser
Weiser is the name of two towns in the United States:* Weiser, Idaho* Weiser Township, North DakotaSeveral individuals have the surname Weiser:* Conrad Weiser, German pioneer* Grethe Weiser, German actress...
and Roter Schönedel and Rotfranke. Nevertheless, more and more red wine than white wine was grown. The Quail's mountain of Werder (Werderaner Wachtelberg
Werderaner Wachtelberg
The Werderaner Wachtelberg is a vineyard in the town of Werder in Brandenburg. As the northernmost outpost of the Saale-Unstrut wine region, it is the most northern registered location for QbA quality wine in Germany.- Location, climate and soil :...
) counts to the oldest wine-growing places beyond the island Werder. On the island wine at the Mill Mountain and at the God's Mountain was grown. The wine foliage was used earlier to the envelopment by fruit, especially from apricots and peaches. The fruits could be transported so carefully in the Obsttienen
Tiene
Tiene, sometimes also called Tine or Obsttiene, was a special container for transporting wine and fruit. These were used until shortly after the First World War, mostly in the Brandenburg city of Werder in northern Germany...
(small transport container made from wood). In 1887 it was still reported about 2 vineyards. The wine cultivation period ended provisionally when the last vines in Werder got frostbite in the winter of 1955/56. Only in 1985 began the Cooperative Society Fruit Production of Werder on the Quail's Mountain with putting on a vineyard on a surface of 4.8 hectares. Today about 30 thousand vines grow there on nearly 7 hectares. If Dornfelder
Dornfelder
Dornfelder is a dark-skinned variety of grape of German origin used for red wine. It was created by August Herold at the grape breeding institute in Weinsberg in the Württemberg region in 1955. Herold crossed the grape varieties Helfensteiner and Heroldrebe, the latter which bears his name, to...
, Regent
Regent (grape)
Regent is a dark-skinned inter-specific hybrid grape variety, used for making wine. It has both European and American vine species in its pedigree and a broad resistance against the most significant fungal diseases which affect grapes, such as downy mildew.Regent was created in 1967 by Professor...
, Saphira and Müller-Thurgau
Müller-Thurgau
Müller-Thurgau is a variety of white grape which was created by Hermann Müller from the Swiss Canton of Thurgau in 1882. It is a crossing of Riesling with Madeleine Royale. It is used to make white wine in Germany, Austria, Northern Italy, Hungary, England, in Australia, Czech Republic, Slovakia,...
belong to it among other things. Within the scope of the Federal Garden Show (Bundesgartenschau) in Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
Wine Teaching Paths on the Quail's Mountain were put on. Today here grow 38 red and 40 white wine kinds. The vineyard Quail's Mountain of Werder lies geographically with Latitude of 52 degree and 22 minutes north far to the north of the usual wine-growing areas of Europe. In 1991 this vineyard was taken up as a Großlagenfreie Einzellage in the Weinanbaugebiet Saale-Unstrut (winegrowing area at the rivers Saale and Unstrut) and was recognised by the EU. It is with it the most northern registered position for quality-tested wine cultivation (QbA) in Europe and the World.
Twin towns — Sister cities
Werder is twinned with: OppenheimOppenheim
Oppenheim is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The town is well known as a wine town, the site of the German Winegrowing Museum and particularly for the wines from the Oppenheimer Krötenbrunnen vineyards.- Location :...
, North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
, Germany Almdorf
Almdorf
Almdorf is a municipality in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.-References:...
, 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 Hjørring
Hjørring
Hjørring Municipality is a municipality in North Denmark Region on the west coast of the island of Vendsyssel-Thy at the top of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 929,58 km², making it the largest in Vendsyssel, and it has a total population of 67,121...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
Tczew
Tczew
Tczew is a town on the Vistula River in Eastern Pomerania, Kociewie, northern Poland with 60,279 inhabitants . It is an important railway junction with a classification yard dating to the Prussian Eastern Railway...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Biržai
Biržai
Biržai is a city in northern Lithuania. Biržai is famous for its reconstructed Biržai Castle manor, and the whole region is renowned for its many traditional-recipe beer breweries.-Names:...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
Muan-gun, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...