Friedland, Brandenburg

For other places with the same name, see Friedland.

Friedland
Town
Coat of arms
Location of Friedland within Oder-Spree district
Country	Germany
State	Brandenburg
District	Oder-Spree
Subdivisions	16 districts
Government
• Mayor	Thomas Hähle (Ind.)
Area
• Total	173.21 km2 (66.88 sq mi)
Elevation	50 m (160 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31)
• Total	2,997
• Density	17/km2 (45/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	15848, 15868
Dialling codes	033676
Vehicle registration	LOS
Website	www.friedland-nl.de

Friedland (Lower Sorbian Bryland) is a town in the Oder-Spree district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated in the historic Lower Lusatia region, about 8 km (5.0 mi) south of Beeskow, and 39 km (24 mi) north of Cottbus.

History

Historical affiliations

March of Lusatia 1235-1367
Kingdom of Bohemia 1367-1469
Kingdom of Hungary 1469-1490
Kingdom of Bohemia 1490-1635
Electorate of Saxony 1635-1697
Poland-Saxony 1697-1706
Electorate of Saxony 1706-1709
Poland-Saxony 1709-1763
Electorate of Saxony 1763-1806
Kingdom of Saxony 1806-1815
Kingdom of Prussia 1815-1871
German Empire 1871-1918
Weimar Republic 1918-1933
Nazi Germany 1933-1945
Allied-occupied Germany 1945-1949
East Germany 1949-1990
Germany 1990-present

The town was first mentioned as Fredberg in a 1235 deed issued by the Lusatian margrave Henry III of Meissen. A 1301 contract signed by Margrave Frederick I named a town and castle of Vredeburch, then a possession of the Lords of Strehla, who served as ministeriales of the ruling House of Wettin. The present name first appeared in a 1350 bull issued by Pope Clement VI. With Lower Lusatia, Friedland passed under the suzerainty of the Bohemian Crown in 1367.

In 1518, the lordship was pawned to the Order of Saint John and turned Protestant in 1540. Under the rule of Lord Master Count Adam of Schwarzenberg, the fortifications were enlarged, nevertheless Friedland suffered severely under the impact of the Thirty Years' War. Upon the 1635 Peace of Prague, it passed with the Lusatias to the Electorate of Saxony. Under Master Prince John Maurice of Nassau-Siegen the lordship quickly recovered. Town privileges were confirmed in 1662, a Jewish community is documented since 1673.

After almost three-centuries rule of the Order of Saint John, Friedland was finally secularised to Saxony in 1811. Only four years later, the town passed to the Prussian province of Brandenburg upon the Final Act of the 1815 Vienna Congress.

Demography

Friedland Castle

Friedland is the least densely populated town ("Stadt") in Germany, just narrowly beating Baruth/Mark (also in Brandenburg) for that distinction.

• 
  Development of Population since 1875 within the Current Boundaries (Blue Line: Population; Dotted Line: Comparison to Population Development of Brandenburg state; Grey Background: Time of Nazi rule; Red Background: Time of Communist rule)
• 
  Recent population development (blue lines) and projections (dotted lines)

Friedland:
Population development within the current boundaries

Year Population 1875 4 509 1890 4 397 1910 4 264 1925 4 212 1933 3 984 1939 3 785 1946 5 900 1950 5 534 1964 4 251 1971 4 132

Year Population 1981 3 480 1985 3 473 1989 3 447 1990 3 457 1991 3 424 1992 3 391 1993 3 410 1994 3 391 1995 3 391 1996 3 349

Year Population 1997 3 362 1998 3 426 1999 3 418 2000 3 428 2001 3 398 2002 3 409 2003 3 503 2004 3 444 2005 3 397 2006 3 350

Year Population 2007 3 270 2008 3 249 2009 3 235 2010 3 166 2011 3 153 2012 3 109 2013 3 053

Detailed data sources are to be found in the Wikimedia Commons.