Bützow

Town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany

Town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany

53°51′N 11°59′E / 53.850°N 11.983°E / 53.850; 11.983CountryGermanyStateMecklenburg-VorpommernDistrictRostock Municipal assoc.Bützow Land Government • MayorChristian Grüschow (Ind.)Area • Total39.70 km² (15.33 sq mi)Elevation2 m (7 ft)Population • Total8,181 • Density210/km² (530/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)Postal codesDialling codes038461Vehicle registrationLRO, BÜZ, DBR, GÜ, ROS, TETWebsitewww.buetzow.de

Bützow is a town in the district of Rostock in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in north-eastern Germany, centered on Bützower See.

History

The town was first mentioned in 1171. From 1815 to 1918 Bützow was part of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, from 1871 within the German Empire.

From 1933 to 1945, during Nazi rule and World War II, a Nazi prison was operated in the Dreibergen district with multiple forced labour subcamps located in various places in the region.^[2] After the war, the town was part of East Germany until 1990.

On 5 May 2015, the town was struck by an F3 tornado which caused severe damage to many buildings, including the local hospital.^[3] This tornado grew to 1.5km wide (1500m)

Culture

Medieval Bützow Castle is located in Bützow. The town also has a medieval Brick Gothic church, which contains an altarpiece made by the Master of the Bützow Altarpiece (1503). Bützow also has one of the last German monuments dedicated to Lenin, a memorial stone located at Leninring.^[4]

Notable people

• Dietrich Ludwig Gustav Karsten (1768-1810), mineralogist
• Karl Johann Bernhard Karsten (1782–1853), mineralogist.^[5]
• Else Hirsch (1889-1943), Jewish teacher and member of the German Resistance

Sport

• Eckhard Martens (born 1951), rower, team silver medallist at the 1972 Summer Olympics
• Torsten Fröhling (born 1966), soccer player and football coach; played 109 games
• Andrea Philipp (born 1971), sprinter and three time Olympic competitor

People who have worked in Bützow

• Sophie Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel (1678-1749), Duchess of Mecklenburg, lived in Bützow and founded the German Reformed Church
• Wenceslaus Johann Gustav Karsten (1732-1787), mathematician, grew up locally with his grandfather; twice rector of the University of Bützow

References