Möckern
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Möckern is a town in the Jerichower Land district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated east of Magdeburg. The Battle of Möckern took place south of the town in 1813.
Möckern | |
|---|---|
 Church of Saint Lawrence | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Möckern within Jerichower Land district <imagemap>File: Möckern in JL.png | 240x240px poly 80 242 88 240 86 231 108 226 107 218 101 213 93 208 90 206 91 194 86 200 86 199 79 205 74 209 Biederitz poly 119 182 118 172 110 171 102 176 98 189 89 178 95 171 82 164 96 152 97 138 107 127 118 124 139 116 144 109 153 121 155 131 157 137 164 144 159 157 153 158 144 155 144 165 139 168 140 183 Burg bei Magdeburg poly 166 146 160 136 155 125 146 105 155 101 146 97 151 91 162 85 167 74 170 61 172 58 182 72 174 85 179 92 184 89 194 88 205 96 191 105 175 109 185 109 180 124 180 130 176 141 Elbe-Parey poly 248 168 255 141 236 131 232 106 235 102 237 94 246 90 242 85 220 86 220 76 223 61 208 59 197 83 175 79 175 91 193 87 202 96 191 105 182 109 179 124 176 141 192 138 192 155 206 154 196 169 214 173 220 157 225 163 Genthin poly 151 293 168 282 175 275 184 264 167 264 171 252 137 245 129 244 137 230 121 234 121 219 115 230 105 231 89 237 78 244 94 263 113 265 123 266 115 276 141 295 Gommern poly 257 144 267 113 255 107 269 97 266 91 260 85 253 82 259 73 266 62 278 51 268 43 254 45 244 20 241 42 227 42 217 41 203 37 198 22 195 18 185 26 165 28 173 20 170 4 161 8 154 33 169 46 167 56 181 56 186 69 168 79 179 84 196 85 202 66 207 60 225 59 220 74 229 83 245 84 249 91 237 95 230 104 232 114 244 132 Jerichow poly 193 265 170 261 171 253 135 241 141 235 123 233 123 219 116 230 104 228 109 217 101 210 119 200 119 198 129 197 133 198 138 189 162 184 154 178 150 167 145 162 146 156 168 155 164 144 186 141 194 141 188 154 198 155 206 156 197 170 215 176 199 178 179 172 183 168 187 167 180 160 174 160 166 163 180 173 193 179 210 176 219 170 223 163 233 169 234 179 242 182 256 174 260 179 244 189 237 212 247 226 255 245 232 240 226 256 208 259 198 256 Möckern poly 106 210 84 211 94 198 82 198 75 209 71 198 80 184 79 167 87 165 85 184 105 185 105 172 113 170 123 184 140 180 142 166 149 157 157 191 140 188 130 188 133 198 121 192 115 197 Möser poly 257 177 248 163 243 167 227 162 230 170 236 168 231 175 242 181 Möckern poly 177 171 189 164 180 160 170 161 167 164 Möckern poly 89 113 88 0 0 0 0 114 Saxony-Anhalt desc bottom-right </imagemap> | |
  Möckern  Möckern | |
| Coordinates: 52°8′26″N 11°57′9″E / 52.14056°N 11.95250°E | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Saxony-Anhalt |
| District | Jerichower Land |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2022–29) | Doreen Krüger[1] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 530.19 km2 (204.71 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 64 m (210 ft) |
| Population (2022-12-31)[2] | |
| • Total | 12,918 |
| • Density | 24/km2 (63/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 39291, 39279 |
| Dialling codes | 039221, 039223, 039225, 039244, 039245 |
| Vehicle registration | JL |
| Website | www |
History
Möckern was originally called "Mokrianici" by the Slavs who settled in the area in the 7th and 8th centuries. The name meant a humid place, a reference to the formation, at that time, of extensive marshes around the Ehle River. By the middle of the 10th century, the settlement was an established German burgward, but it is believed that by the end of the 9th century, the settlement was already under German influence. As such, the burgward was obliged by a document from Otto I the Great in 948 to pay a tithe to the Magdeburg Moritz monastery. This document is considered to be the first mention of the place. At this period, a fortress was built on the site of the old Slavic settlement, and its keep is still part of the fortress today. The castle served as an outpost to protect Magdeburg and secured the important roads to Brandenburg and Zerbst. In 955, Otto I is supposed to have founded Möckern's parish church, following his victory over Hungary on August 10 of that year. Because that day is (St. Lawrence Day), the church was named for the saint. In the 11th century, Möckern acquired a defensive wall (made of boulders since the 12th century), which was equipped with three gates. Möckern already had its town charter.
Over the centuries, the sovereignty of Möckern took several twists and turns. In the 12th century, the Margrave of Brandenburg had sovereignty, but in 1196, Otto II, Margrave of Brandenburg gave it to the bishopric of Magdeburg. By the 14th century, Möckern had become the property of Quedlinburg Abbey, which, with the town as a manor, the Count of Arnstein mortgaged. In 1376, the abbey gave Brandenburg back its sovereignty. After that, Möckern was mortgaged several times, including to a family of nobles and to the bishopric of Magdeburg. In 1472, after several trials, the Prince-Elector of Brandenburg renounced the bishopric in favor of his vassal. Ownership of the fief then went to the Counts of Arnstein-Lindow, who held it until 1524, when they died out. In 1710, ownership went to Christian Wilhelm von Munchausen and in 1742, to another family, which held it until 1945.
In the 17th century, the town suffered heavy damage from an occupation in 1626 during the Thirty Years' War and a conflagration in 1688. After 1680, the city belonged to the Brandenburg-Prussian Duchy of Magdeburg and was part of the former district of Jerichow. A new town hall was built in 1700 and, in 1715, Münchhausen built a new castle to replace the old fortress. His successor, William Hagen, added on to the castle in 1840.
A series of heavy clashes between allied Prusso-Russian troops and the Napoleonic French army south of Möckern ended in defeat for the French on April 5, 1813. This became the prelude to the war of liberation against Napoleon and is known as the Battle of Möckern.[3]
After Prussia's final victory, the kingdom re-organized the district administration. This brought Möckern into the newly formed Jerichower Land district, with Burg as the urban district. The town had previously been a farming town with breweries and open air markets, but infrastructure began to develop with sawmills, a steam mill and a starch factory, spurred by the 1892 opening of a railway line between Magdeburg and Loburg. In 1895, the former town hall was replaced by a three-story Renaissance-style building. In 1899, the Seventh-day Adventist Church founded the Friedensau Adventist University in a village near the town.[4] At the end of the 19th century, Möckern had more than 1,700 inhabitants.
Modern times
The relative prosperity of the town was reflected in the private construction that began in the second half of the 19th century and continued till the beginning of World War I. A row of new streets was built in the western part of town, some with Jugendstil houses. On May 5, 1945 Möckern was occupied by the Red Army, taking the lives of 42 residents.
After the end of World War II the Soviet occupying forces instituted a land reform, confiscating land held by nobility. The Hagen family lost the Möckern castle and a branch of the State Archives Magdeburg was installed there. Territorial reform in 1952 placed Möckern first in the Loburg urban district and later back in the Burg district. In 1964, Möckern had a population of 2,904.
In the 1960s, a large poultry factory was established, among the largest of its kind in East Germany. After German reunification, the plant was taken over by a corporate group, securing 400 jobs for the town. Another major employer manufactures laminate flooring which is sold throughout Europe. The former castle owners, the Hagens, also prospered and, in 1991, they returned to Möckern and re-purchased parts of their former property. The castle, which remained town property, became Möckern's elementary school in 1998, after the state archives moved out. In 2005, despite significant local protest, a remote facility for mentally incompetent criminals was established on a 12-acre (49,000 m2) former army base in the Lochow section of town.
Geography
The territory of the town of Möckern was expanded with 26 former municipalities between 2002 and 2010. In 2002 it absorbed Friedensau, Lübars, Stegelitz and Wörmlitz,[5] in 2003 Büden and Ziepel,[6] in 2004 Hohenziatz,[7] in 2007 Zeppernick,[8] and in 2008 Theeßen.[9] On 1 January 2009 it absorbed the former municipalities Dörnitz, Hobeck, Küsel, Loburg, Rosian, Schweinitz, Tryppehna, Wallwitz and Zeddenick,[10] and on 2 July of the same year Magdeburgerforth and Reesdorf.[11] Drewitz, Grabow, Krüssau, Rietzel, Schopsdorf, Stresow and Wüstenjerichow were absorbed in 2010,[12] but the merger with Schopsdorf was repealed in 2011. Möckern was part of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft ("collective municipality") Möckern-Loburg-Fläming until it was disbanded in 2012.
Divisions
The town of Möckern consists of the following 27 Ortschaften or municipal divisions:[13]
Notable people
- Aga vom Hagen (1872-1949), German painter, author, and art patron
References
- ^ Bürgermeisterwahlen in den Gemeinden, Endgültige Ergebnisse, Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen-Anhalt, accessed 10 November 2022.
- ^ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden – Stand: 31. Dezember 2022" (PDF) (in German). Statistisches Landesamt Sachsen-Anhalt. June 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ Wars of Liberation, German part
- ^ "History of Friedensau Adventist University". www.thh-friedensau.de. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
- ^ Gebietsänderungen vom 01.01. bis 31.12.2002, Statistisches Bundesamt
- ^ Gebietsänderungen vom 01.01. bis 31.12.2003, Statistisches Bundesamt
- ^ Gebietsänderungen vom 01.01. bis 31.12.2004, Statistisches Bundesamt
- ^ Gebietsänderungen vom 01.01. bis 31.12.2007, Statistisches Bundesamt
- ^ Gebietsänderungen vom 01.01. bis 31.12.2008, Statistisches Bundesamt
- ^ Gebietsänderungen am 01.01.2009, Statistisches Bundesamt
- ^ Gebietsänderungen vom 02. Januar bis 31. Dezember 2009, Statistisches Bundesamt
- ^ Gebietsänderungen vom 01. Januar bis 31. Dezember 2010, Statistisches Bundesamt
- ^ Hauptsatzung der Stadt Möckern, § 13, December 2020.