Even before the year 1194 a German parish village called Zarrentin existed, which belonged to the Ratzeburg Bishopric. A heathen place of worship possibly existed here before Christianisation. In 1246 a Cistercian convent was founded in Zarrentin. The eastern wing of the cloister is still preserved today and is being reconstructed. The convent church, which was erected in 1460, can also be visited.
From 1359 on Zarrentin belonged to Mecklenburg. In the 17th century the village was granted the right to hold markets. Large parts of medieval Zarrentin fell victim to the Thirty Years' War and several large town fires. In 1896 Zarrentin was linked to the railway from Hagenow-Land to Neumünster. Afterwards various companies settled in Zarrentin. But it was not before 1938 that Zarrentin was assigned the status of a town.
After 1920 Zarrentin slowly developed into a tourist resort. During the era of the German Democratic Republic this development was stopped abruptly, as Zarrentin was located close to the border. Since German Unification Zarrentin has become an increasingly popular destination for an outing.
Amt Zarrentin
Kirchplatz 8
19246 Zarrentin
phone: 038851-8380
fax: 038851-25488
e-mail: amt@zarrentin.de
Internet: www.zarrentin.de