Luckenwalde

Luckenwalde
Market tower and St. John's Church
Luckenwalde
Location of the town of Luckenwalde within Teltow-Fläming district
Coordinates	52°05′N 13°10′E
Administration
Country	Germany
State	Brandenburg
District	Teltow-Fläming
Town subdivisions	3 Ortsteile
Mayor	Elisabeth Herzog-von der Heide (SPD)
Basic statistics
Area	46.75 km2 (18.05 sq mi)
Elevation	48 m  (157 ft)
Population	20,471 (31 December 2010)
- Density	438 /km2 (1,134 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	TF
Postal code	14943
Area code	03371
Website	www.luckenwalde.de

Luckenwalde (German pronunciation: [lʊkənˈvaldə]) is the capital of the Teltow-Fläming district in the German state of Brandenburg. It is situated on the Nuthe river north of the Fläming Heath, at the eastern rim of the Nuthe-Nieplitz Nature Park, about 50 km (31 mi) south of Berlin. The town area includes the villages of Frankenfelde and Kolzenburg.

Overview

Hat factory, under reconstruction

The former Slavic settlement of Lugkin was conquered by Margrave Conrad Wettin of Meissen in the course of the 1147 Wendish Crusade. Lukenwalde Castle was first mentioned in a 1216 deed as a burgward of the Bishopric of Brandenburg, it was acquired by Zinna Abbey in 1285. Together with Zinna it remained under the rule of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg and its successor, the Prussian Duchy of Magdeburg until it was attached to the Margraviate of Brandenburg in 1773.

Originating in the 17th century, Luckenwalde's cloth and wool factories did not spring up till the reign of King Frederick II of Prussia and soon were among the most extensive in Germany. Other traditional industries were cotton printing and a dye works, brewing, and the making of metal and bronze goods. In 1808 Luckenwalde officially received town privileges.

In 1923, architect Erich Mendelsohn erected the Herrmann hat factory, a milestone of Expressionist architecture. During WW2, there was a Stalag for prisoners of war (Stalag IIIa). There was also a work camp for civilians. Nazis forced people to work for their war effort, else the families of people who worked there would perish. Lack of food and hard work killed thousands of them. Among them were Poles, Italians, French and many more. There were several places in town and around it where they worked.

Politics

Seats in the municipal assembly (Stadtverordnetenversammlung) as of 2008 elections:

• The Left: 11
• Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD): 9
• Christian Democratic Union (CDU): 4
• Free Democratic Party (FDP): 2
• Luckenwalder Komitee für Gerechtigkeit (Independent): 1
• German People's Union (DVU): 1

Born in Luckenwalde

• Hans Freudenthal, mathematician, 1905–1990
• Katherina Reiche, politician, born 1973
• Ilka Bessin, comedian (Cindy aus Marzahn), born 1971

Rudi Dutschke (1940–1979), spokesman of the German 1968 movement, was raised in Luckenwalde

International relations

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Luckenwalde is twinned with:

• Dieppe, Seine-Maritime, France
• Bad Salzuflen, Germany

References

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

External links

Media related to Luckenwalde at Wikimedia Commons