Gadebusch
approx. 5,700 inhabitants
Smoke is drifting through the rooms of this house - anywhere else this would be a reason to worry; however, here it is desirable. Smokehouses have no chimney; instead the smoke produced by the open fire is supposed to drift through the house in order to dry the grain whilst conserving the beams. You can visit such a smokehouse in Möllin, northwest of Gadebusch.
Swans are leisurely circling the skies; the grey heron is searching the banks for prey. From the town lake you can enjoy the best view of the late Romanesque parish church, the Pfarrkirche. After a short stroll through the municipal forest, you will reach the historic town hall, the Rathaus. If you are not in a hurry to move on, you should visit the Renaissance castle and discover the multitudinous details of the elaborate wall decoration.
Historical facts
Already during the times of Slavic colonisation, the fortress of Gadebusch was the centre of the rural district as first recorded in 1154. Thanks to its favourable location on important travel routes, the livelihood of the inhabitants of Gadebusch was principally based on trade with travellers passing through. However, their brewing business and cultivation were important sources of income, too. In 1570 a new castle was built on the fortress grounds, which served as a ducal residence.
During the Nordic War (1700-1721) a Swedish field army under the command of General Earl Stenbock and Danish troops under the command of King Frederik IV entered into fierce field combat near the small village of Wakenstädt outside the gates of Gadebusch in December 1712. Thanks to its strong artillery the Swedes emerged victorious from the greatest battle ever to take place in Mecklenburg.
In 1813 the German novelist Theodor Körner died during the War of Liberation in Lützow near Gadebusch.
Amt Gadebusch
Am Markt 1
19205 Gadebusch
phone: 03886 - 21210
fax: 03886 - 212121
e-mail: hauptamt@gadebusch.info
Internet: www.gadebusch.de