Fürstenwalde

Fürstenwalde/Spree
Town
Town hall and Cathedral
Coat of arms
Location of Fürstenwalde/Spree within Oder-Spree district <imagemap>File: Fürstenwalde-Spree in LOS.png | 240x240px poly 90 163 104 152 113 148 116 143 115 128 108 118 101 128 92 133 Bad Saarow poly 144 199 148 194 159 198 177 200 185 198 185 187 188 177 164 181 159 154 154 155 151 176 145 171 142 180 138 184 134 200 Beeskow poly 139 121 147 118 150 108 128 93 126 105 Berkenbrück poly 173 138 172 126 179 127 187 138 193 128 197 123 173 124 169 113 154 118 153 107 149 112 146 119 141 125 149 135 Briesen poly 233 164 251 155 244 141 239 140 230 149 220 146 230 150 Brieskow-Finkenheerd poly 101 167 107 162 109 161 115 150 112 150 98 157 Diensdorf-Radlow poly 242 215 238 207 240 198 245 192 246 183 247 175 246 165 256 178 259 192 271 190 264 175 270 169 276 170 271 179 279 189 270 200 272 221 267 221 262 210 260 209 Eisenhüttenstadt poly 33 91 33 73 26 73 19 78 23 90 Erkner poly 144 246 140 232 139 214 143 197 150 195 176 202 184 197 198 208 209 218 204 228 216 238 207 249 194 248 193 235 176 232 162 244 Friedland poly 114 120 121 104 129 103 129 99 118 98 108 70 104 82 94 82 92 95 79 86 71 92 87 103 87 110 98 104 106 111 103 119 Fürstenwalde poly 21 104 29 98 39 99 32 90 24 89 20 86 8 91 20 93 Gosen-Neu Zittau poly 228 169 239 157 230 151 221 151 210 150 208 154 Groß Lindow poly 41 104 36 98 34 84 32 76 40 70 50 64 60 60 75 55 84 71 96 86 93 96 78 85 72 89 Grünheide poly 210 235 207 228 210 219 209 216 191 204 187 196 185 182 204 188 208 202 216 217 215 232 Grunow-Dammendorf poly 169 129 170 106 179 99 186 95 202 99 194 109 206 112 194 129 184 122 Jacobsdorf poly 119 129 125 122 136 118 129 107 125 103 116 115 110 122 Langewahl poly 250 222 245 210 262 207 263 221 Lawitz poly 157 117 151 105 141 98 143 89 145 80 153 88 162 83 172 90 173 96 179 100 172 106 168 111 Briesen (Mark) poly 200 182 204 174 202 166 194 169 185 176 186 186 201 188 Mixdorf poly 192 170 190 159 177 150 177 146 175 134 173 124 177 128 185 140 194 131 192 145 208 141 216 146 208 156 228 167 214 165 200 157 Müllrose poly 279 265 284 247 290 231 284 223 273 221 268 234 257 232 Neißemünde poly 275 258 264 240 260 231 267 232 273 218 269 215 247 221 248 214 238 209 228 205 222 220 216 226 214 245 217 259 235 257 246 244 262 254 264 266 Neuzelle poly 163 182 164 164 158 149 175 152 188 158 196 173 183 180 Ragow-Merz poly 89 134 91 108 106 107 106 123 106 131 Rauen poly 86 165 92 159 92 133 82 133 74 136 Reichenwalde poly 137 187 140 182 147 172 151 172 153 157 158 155 161 153 176 150 177 138 165 138 153 134 147 133 147 130 137 122 126 116 119 126 114 137 120 139 113 151 111 163 101 167 98 177 101 198 108 189 109 183 113 169 124 171 120 180 123 188 Rietz-Neuendorf poly 216 223 212 204 200 186 227 188 239 185 247 182 242 196 237 208 231 207 Schlaubetal poly 17 58 24 55 16 45 13 39 3 53 11 62 Schöneiche poly 204 188 205 178 202 164 202 157 226 167 235 167 247 166 247 182 Siehdichum poly 42 136 46 126 29 121 17 116 27 102 46 100 58 95 67 88 82 97 90 108 88 120 89 131 69 137 62 123 57 136 Spreenhagen poly 94 83 85 71 84 61 97 65 97 55 111 55 113 68 131 62 136 58 138 50 147 49 164 63 164 83 153 86 150 79 144 86 145 105 133 97 124 102 114 97 114 84 110 74 105 79 Steinhöfel poly 86 211 100 203 102 197 100 187 86 185 72 182 72 173 87 166 77 150 71 134 64 127 56 136 50 134 51 153 46 153 46 173 49 179 60 179 59 183 46 187 59 198 44 207 67 205 81 202 Storkow poly 141 238 136 224 142 202 133 199 137 189 120 186 124 179 126 169 111 173 106 189 104 202 98 205 88 204 88 214 111 217 121 232 120 237 131 235 Tauche poly 260 190 256 175 261 177 271 192 Vogelsang poly 97 182 98 173 99 167 93 160 83 170 74 175 72 183 Wendisch Rietz poly 250 169 257 165 257 158 265 159 273 154 251 146 243 145 251 153 235 163 Wiesenau poly 30 75 39 67 30 64 29 59 20 57 13 69 19 64 Woltersdorf poly 260 181 268 169 276 168 279 162 276 154 268 159 258 159 255 168 251 174 Ziltendorf poly 296 108 296 0 191 0 190 87 209 110 Brandenburg desc bottom-right </imagemap>
Fürstenwalde/Spree Fürstenwalde/Spree
Coordinates: 52°22′N 14°04′E
Country	Germany
State	Brandenburg
District	Oder-Spree
Subdivisions	City center and 4 districts
Government
• Mayor (2018–26)	Matthias Rudolph
Area
• Total	70.55 km2 (27.24 sq mi)
Elevation	43 m (141 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31)
• Total	32,646
• Density	460/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	15517
Dialling codes	03361
Vehicle registration	LOS
Website	https://www.fuerstenwalde-spree.de/

Fürstenwalde/Spree (German pronunciation: [ˈfʏʁstn̩ˌvaldə] ; Lower Sorbian: Pśibor pśi Sprjewje [ˈpɕibɔr ˈpɕi sprʲɛwʲɛ]) is the most populous town in the Oder-Spree District of Brandenburg, in eastern Germany.

Geography

The town is situated in the glacial valley (Urstromtal) of the Spree river north of the Rauen Hills, about 60 km (37 mi) east of Berlin and 30 km (19 mi) west of Frankfurt (Oder). The district capital Beeskow is about 25 km (16 mi) to the southeast. In the north, the municipal area comprises the village of Trebus. The town is located on the western part of historic Lubusz Land (Land Lebus).

The Fürstenwalde station is a stop on the railway line from Berlin to Frankfurt (Oder), the former Lower Silesian-Marcher Railway. It also has access to the parallel Bundesautobahn 12. The 39 MW Fürstenwalde Solar Park supplies electricity to the local grid.

History

Postcard from 1911

The settlement of Fürstenwalde was first mentioned in a 1272 deed, founded in the course of the German Ostsiedlung migration at a ford across the Spree river, probably near the site of a former Slavic settlement. The Lebus Land had been acquired from Poland by the Ascanian margraves of Brandenburg in 1248/1249. The town's importance rose as a staple port and terminal of the transportation of goods on the river.

In 1373 Emperor Charles IV, since 1367 also Margrave of adjacent Lower Lusatia campaigned the Brandenburg lands and enforced the renunciation of the Wittelsbach margrave Otto VII of Brandenburg by the Treaty of Fürstenwalde. From 1373 to 1415, the town was part of the Bohemian Crown. As also the collegiate church in Lebus was destroyed, Bishop Wenceslaus moved the official seat of the Bishopric of Lebus to Fürstenwalde, where the St Mary's Church was raised to a cathedral.

The last Catholic bishop was Georg von Blumenthal (1490–1550), who was besieged in his palace by Lutheran robbers led by Nickel von Minckwitz. The Bishop had to escape through a window in disguise. The bishopric was secularized during the Reformation in 1555, and was completely disbanded at the ascension of Joachim Frederick as Margrave of Brandenburg in 1598.

From the 18th century, Fürstenwalde was part of the Kingdom of Prussia, and from 1815 to 1947, it was administratively located in the Province of Brandenburg. During World War II, it was the location of a subcamp of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. From 1947 to 1952 it was part of the State of Brandenburg, from 1952 to 1990 of the Bezirk Frankfurt of East Germany and since 1990 again of Brandenburg.

Demography

• 
  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 and Projections (Population Development before Census 2011 (blue line); Recent Population Development according to the Census in Germany in 2011 (blue bordered line); Official projections for 2005–2030 (yellow line); for 2017–2030 (scarlet line); for 2020–2030 (green line)

Fürstenwalde/Spree: Population development
within the current boundaries (2020)

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1875 11,929 —     1890 15,783 +1.88% 1910 26,286 +2.58% 1925 28,369 +0.51% 1939 35,842 +1.68% 1950 30,815 −1.36% 1964 30,849 +0.01%

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1971 31,296 +0.21% 1981 35,566 +1.29% 1985 35,443 −0.09% 1990 35,214 −0.13% 1995 33,628 −0.92% 2000 34,044 +0.25% 2005 33,336 −0.42%

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 2010 32,468 −0.53% 2015 31,741 −0.45% 2016 32,025 +0.89% 2017 32,098 +0.23% 2018 31,941 −0.49% 2019 31,965 +0.08% 2020 31,992 +0.08%

Politics

Seats in the town's assembly (Stadtverordnetenversammlung) as of 2014 local elections:

• The Left: 7
• Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU): 6
• Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD): 6
• Free Voters (BFZ): 5
• Free Democratic Party (FDP): 3
• Alternative for Germany (AfD): 2
• Alliance 90/The Greens: 2
• Pirate Party Germany: 1

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Fürstenwalde is twinned with:

• Choszczno, Poland
• Reinheim, Germany
• Sulechów, Poland

Notable people

Julius Pintsch

• Karl Friedrich Schulz (1784–1850), Protestant composer and music teacher
• Julius Pintsch (1815–1884), founder of the former industrial company Julius Pintsch AG Berlin-Fürstenwalde
• Ernst Laas (1837–1885), pedagogue and philosopher
• Max Valentin (1875–1920), sculptor and architect
• Wilhelm Burgdorf (1895–1945), general of the infantry
• Wolfgang Götze (1937–2021), theoretical physicist
• Hans-Michael Rehberg (1938–2017), actor and film director
• Ludolf von Wartenberg (born 1941), politician, member of Bundestag
• Helmut Panke (born 1946), manager
• Burkhard Reich (born 1964), footballer
• Axel Schulz (born 1968), boxer

External links

• Media related to Fürstenwalde/Spree at Wikimedia Commons
• "Fürstenwalde" . Encyclopedia Americana. 1920.
• Official website (in German)
• History of Fürstenwalde (in German)