Neubrandenburg

775 Years of Neubrandenburg – Welcome to the City of Four Gates

In 2023, Neubrandenburg will celebrate its 775th anniversary. The city looks at its past, present and future and what moves, shapes and changes it.

Neubrandenburg is situated in an idyllic landscape directly by a lake, the Tollensesee. The third largest city in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is the economic and cultural centre of the Mecklenburg Lake District region. The town centre’s historical layout, its medieval fortifications with integrated watch houses (the magnificent “Wiekhäuser”) and Gothic town gates give Neubrandenburg its special charm and attraction, making it a perfect place to visit.

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Immediately following the founding of the town in 1248, the Franciscan Order settled in Neubrandenburg. The monastery church of St. John’s and the east wing are the oldest parts of the Franciscan monastery and were built in 1260. Around the beginning of the 15th century, the margravial court to the north was integrated in an extension. Today the monastery is home to the Regional Museum, which you can also explore digitally. Discover its permanent exhibition here.

Stargarder Straße 2, 17033 Neubrandenburg

Franciscan monastery, Neubrandenburg

The medieval fortifications have been almost entirely preserved and completely enclose the old town. A double rampart is also still in place. The four city gates (Friedländer Tor, Stargarder Tor, Treptower Tor and Neues Tor) were designed as double gate complexes, protecting the city with front and main gates.

4.Ringstraße 429, 17033 Neubrandenburg, Deutschland

Neues Tor, Neubrandenburg

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The Friedland Gate at the north-east of the medieval fortifications is the oldest of Neubrandenburg’s four city gates and also the best preserved in terms of its complexity. The northern and eastern section of the fortifications towards Pomerania and Rügen was most susceptible to danger, so the fortification of Neubrandenburg commenced from here. Construction of the gate started around the year 1300. The structure of this gate illustrates perfectly the design of such medieval gateway systems. The layout of the Friedland Gate consists of a main gate on the town side and a front gate on the outer side. Both are connected by walls, forming the enclosed space of the Zwinger for attacking possible intruders. In front of the gate, there is a later addition to protect the gate against large-calibre firearms, the Zingel. This strong semi-circular structure was in turn connected to the front gate by walls, forming a further Zwinger. The double gate system of a main gate, a front gate plus the Zingel and the respective connecting walls gave the Friedland Gate an overall length of 88 metres. The architecture of the Friedland Gate reveals several construction phases. The three-storey main or inner gate has a square […]

Friedländer Tor 1, 17033 Neubrandenburg, Deutschland

Friedland Gate, Neubrandenburg

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Stargarder Tor 2, 17033 Neubrandenburg, Deutschland

Stargarder Tor, Neubrandenburg

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Stargard Castle was once the political and strategic centre of the Stargard region. The Margraves of Brandenburg had the castle built over a Slavic rampart between 1260 and 1290. Despite being destroyed over the centuries, the main parts of the complex have been preserved: the gates, the “Krumme Haus” (literally: curved house) and parts of the dodecagonal series of curtain walls, marked by the Brick Gothic style. A mighty moat surrounds the whole complex. The keep, a 38-metre round tower with a conical top, stands out as a landmark. Besides the castle itself, the old town, the Church of St. John (“St. Johannes”) and the former Chapel of the Holy Spirit (“Kapelle zum Heiligen Geist”) are also worth a visit.

Burg 1, 17094 Burg Stargard, Deutschland

Stargard Castle

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Treptower Str. 39, 17033 Neubrandenburg, Deutschland

Treptower Tor, Neubrandenburg

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St. Mary’s Church (“Marienkirche”), consecrated in 1298, is one of the most important works of North German Brick Gothic. The church was severely devastated during the Second World War. A modern reconstruction with excellent acoustics now makes it one of the Germany’s most formidable concert halls. Whether philharmonic concert, opera, musical or ballet – all genres come into their own thanks to the special sound of the building. Since July 2017, a new organ with 2,852 pipes has contributed significantly to the concert programme. The church tower has a permanent exhibition on “Paths to Brick Gothic” (“Wege zur Backsteingotik”), showcasing Neubrandenburg’s religious and secular architecture.

An der Marienkirche 1, 17033 Neubrandenburg, Deutschland

St. Mary’s Church, Neubrandenburg

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Ursprünglich waren 57 Wiekhäuser in Abständen von jeweils rund dreißig Metern in die Stadtmauer eingefügt. Diese Häuser waren in 3 bis 4 Meter breiten Vorsprüngen, sogenannten Wieken, eingelassen. Sie dienten einst als Verteidigungspositionen, denn in Neubrandenburg gab es keinen Wehrgang. Die Bauten waren rechteckige, manchmal auch halbrunde Türme, die nach außen vor die Mauer vorspringen. Zur Stadtseite waren die Wieken geöffnet. Zum ersten Geschoss führte eine massive Treppe. Die anderen Etagen waren über Leitern zu erreichen. Einige hatten ein Dach oder waren mit Spitzbögen überwölbt, bei anderen war die oberste Plattform offen und mit Zinnen zum Schutz der Verteidiger bestückt. Die unteren Geschosse waren mit Schießscharten versehen, die ermöglichten, das Feld vor der Mauer, aber auch seitlich den Mauerfuß zu bestreichen. Anhand der Art der Schießscharten lassen sich verschiedene Typen von Wiekhäusern unterscheiden. Die frühen Bauten hatten relativ breite Scharten, was der Nutzung von Armbrüsten geschuldet war. Der spätere Typ weist schmalere Öffnungen auf, durch die mit den im ausgehenden Mittelalter aufkommenden Feuerwaffen geschossen werden konnte. Im nördlichen Abschnitt der Stadtmauer, das heißt in der 1. Ringstraße nordwestlich des Friedländer Tores, sind zwei Wiekhäuser zu sehen, die originalgetreu als reine Wehrbauten rekonstruiert worden sind. Zwei weitere Wiekhäuser wurden schon im […]

1.Ringstraße 8, 17033 Neubrandenburg, Deutschland

Wiekhäuser, Neubrandenburg

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Neubrandenburg

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Franciscan monastery, Neubrandenburg

Neues Tor, Neubrandenburg

Friedland Gate, Neubrandenburg

Stargarder Tor, Neubrandenburg

Stargard Castle

Treptower Tor, Neubrandenburg

St. Mary’s Church, Neubrandenburg

Wiekhäuser, Neubrandenburg