Wittstock

Infobox German Location
type = Stadt
Wappen = Wappen_Wittstock.pnglat_deg = 53 |lat_min = 9 |lat_sec = 49
lon_deg = 12 |lon_min = 29 |lon_sec = 8
Lageplan = Wittstock-Dosse in OPR.pngBundesland = Brandenburg
Landkreis = Ostprignitz-Ruppin
Höhe = 65
Fläche = 417.20
Einwohner = 15907
Stand = 2007-12-31
PLZ = 16909
Vorwahl = 03394
Kfz = OPR
Gemeindeschlüssel = 12 0 68 468
LOCODE = DE WSK
Gliederung = 19
Adresse = Heiligegeiststraße 19-23
16909 Wittstock (Dosse)
Website = [http://www.wittstock.de/ www.wittstock.de]
Bürgermeister = Jörg Gehrmann
Partei = CDU

Wittstock is a town in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district, in northwestern Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the river Dosse, 20 km east of Pritzwalk, and 95 km northwest of Berlin. It was the location of the 1636 Battle of Wittstock between Sweden and an alliance of the Holy Roman Empire and Saxony.

The town's main historic monument is its medieval cathedral. Much of the elaborate late medieval defences still surround the old centre, including a 2500 meters long city wall. Originally 11 meters high, the size today is about 4 to 7 meters.

Town structure

After the integration of several villages surrounding the town in October 2003, Wittstock got the 3rd biggest city in Germany. However, the former freelance districts Herzsprung and Königsberg, which was forced to be integrated in 2003, achieved their independence in 2004 again, claiming that the compulsive integration was null because of a form error. Both districts still were under the overview of the department of Wittstock/Dosse. Since 2005 Herzsprung and Königsberg are parts of the commune Heiligengrabe, so the size of Wittstock decreased.

These are the current district's of Wittstock/Dosse:

History

Wittstock resulted from a slavonic settlement and was first mentioned in the deed of formation for the diocese Havelberg in 946. Obtaining the municipal law of Stendal on the 13th September 1248 from bishop Heinrich I it is one of the oldest towns of Brandenburg. In 1251, Wittstock received an imprint of the town seal, which was one of the oldest in Brandenburg, too. The "Wittstocker Castle", that has been built onto an slavonic fundament, was the residence of the Havelberger bishops from 1271 to 1548. Because of that it is often also designated as the "Old Bishop Castle".

The name "Wittstock" (1271 Wiztok, 1284 Witzstock, 1441 Witstock) has been adapted folk-etymological to the low German "witt" (white) and "stock" (rootstock).

External links

* [http://www.wittstock.de/ Official website of Wittstock (german)]