Town in Brandenburg, Germany
Werder (Havel)
(official name derived from
Werder an der Havel
("Werder upon Havel"), colloquially just
Werder
) is a town in the state of
Brandenburg
,
Germany
, located on the
Havel
river in the
Potsdam-Mittelmark
district, west of the state's capital
Potsdam
.
Werder has a long and rich history and is a nationally recognized
Erholungsort
? a government designation given to regions of Germany that have been recognized and must be continuously re-certified as having air and
climate
qualities which provide a healthful environment to visitors. Werder is also famous for hosting a Cherry Blossom Festival, the
Baumblutenfest
, every May.
Etymology
[
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]
The Werder municipal area stretches along the banks of the Havel, a tributary of the
Elbe
, and the town's oldest quarter is located on an island in the river. Hence the name, as the landscape term
Werder
(like
Worth
in
Upper German
) means "river island".
History
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Werder has several different specific mentions in the ancient historical records of
Berlin
, which lies 40 km (25 mi) north east. The city "Werdere" is mentioned in 1317, "Wehrder" in 1450 and in its present spelling in 1580. However, in its southwest end pieces of ancient broken glass have been discovered, and on its south end are remains of what may have been an Early Medieval
Slavic
castle wall.
The coin-shaped city island in the Havel river is mentioned as being accessible via a bridge in a 1317 deed, when the
ministeriales
of the
Brandenburg margraves
had to sell the estates to the monks of nearby
Lehnin Abbey
. The town was devastated by
Swedish
troops during the
Thirty Years' War
.
During
World War II
and prior thereto an airfield existed in the north of the city which, together with an adjacent park, was used during the war as an
airplane pilot
training area. Werder was the base of
Luftwaffe
general
Karl Koller
during the
Battle of Berlin
. After the end of the war,
Soviet
troops were stationed in this area of the city. The last
Russian
troops departed in 1993, three years after the
reunification of Germany
.
Demography
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-
Development of population since 1875 within the current Boundaries (Blue Line: Population; Dotted Line: Comparison to Population development in Brandenburg state; Grey Background: Time of
Nazi Germany
; Red Background: Time of communist
East Germany
)
-
Recent Population Development and Projections (Population Development before Census 2011 (blue line); Recent Population Development according to the
Census in Germany
in 2011 (blue bordered line); Official projections for 2005-2030 (yellow line); for 2017-2030 (scarlet line); for 2020-2030 (green line)
Werder (Havel): Population development
within the current boundaries (2020)
[3]
Year
| Pop.
| ±% p.a.
|
---|
1875
| 9,271
| ?
|
---|
1890
| 11,415
| +1.40%
|
---|
1910
| 12,925
| +0.62%
|
---|
1925
| 14,342
| +0.70%
|
---|
1939
| 19,699
| +2.29%
|
---|
1950
| 20,469
| +0.35%
|
---|
1964
| 18,250
| ?0.82%
|
---|
| Year
| Pop.
| ±% p.a.
|
---|
1971
| 18,017
| ?0.18%
|
---|
1981
| 18,069
| +0.03%
|
---|
1985
| 18,159
| +0.12%
|
---|
1990
| 17,838
| ?0.36%
|
---|
1995
| 19,404
| +1.70%
|
---|
2000
| 22,218
| +2.75%
|
---|
2005
| 22,874
| +0.58%
|
---|
| Year
| Pop.
| ±% p.a.
|
---|
2010
| 23,017
| +0.12%
|
---|
2015
| 24,856
| +1.55%
|
---|
2016
| 25,345
| +1.97%
|
---|
2017
| 25,695
| +1.38%
|
---|
2018
| 26,184
| +1.90%
|
---|
2019
| 26,412
| +0.87%
|
---|
2020
| 26,662
| +0.95%
|
---|
|
Politics
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Since 1990, Werder's
mayor
has been Werner Große of the
Christian Democratic Union
(CDU), who had previously functioned as the city's deputy. The 29-seat town council (SVV), meets every two months, to represent the interests of the citizenry. The council is composed of 17 CDU members, 4
Social Democratic Party
members, 3 Action Free Citizens members and various other unaffiliated city delegates.
There are a number of committees with appointed citizens delegates who consult with the town council. The central committee, which exists under chairmanship of the mayor, deals with finances in consultation with an auditing board of examiners. The committee for social policy, education, culture and sport, oversees area schools. There is also a special committee responsible for town development, construction and living conditions, which has significant influence over the city's infrastructure.
Economics
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Although at one time known for its wine production and fishing industry, both pursuits declined during the 18th century. From early times, the monks of the
Cistercian
monastery of Lehnin
cultivated fruit in the region, and Werder is still particularly well known for this endeavor, which is also the foundation for its famous blossoming season festival. The predominant fruits grown in the area are
cherries
,
apples
, and
strawberries
but
raspberries
,
gooseberries
,
currants
,
blackberries
,
apricots
,
peaches
,
pears
, and
plums
are also cultivated. Vegetables are also grown, especially tomatoes, the bulk of which are cultivated in local
greenhouses
.
Viticulture
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Wine
cultivation is the city's second-oldest trade after fishing, brought to this area before 1300 by monks of the Cistercian Order. The wine of the
Margraviate of Brandenburg
(
Mark Brandenburg
) was by the end of the 13th century one the region's most important exports to eastern and northern Europe. The
Hohenzollern
dynasty that came from
Franconia
to
Brandenburg
, made the wine of the Brandenburg Mark part of its court. Until the death of the Great Elector, the wine was drunk in his residence. The first Wine Master Order of Brandenburg was founded in 1598 by the Elector Johann Georg, and at that time it was reported that Havel would also have vineyards just like the ones in the
Moselle
. However, the
viticulture
in this area was not trouble-free. The winters could be extremely hard on occasion, when many vines would get frostbite. This happened in the winter of 1739/40, when the frost lasted until June. In the first half of the 18th century, grapes were grown on more than 100 hectares in Werder. The vines at that time were
Weißer Elbling
,
Weißer
and
Roter Schonedel
, and
Rotfranke
grapes. Nevertheless, more red wine than white wine was grown. The
Werderaner Wachtelberg
(Quail's Mountain) is the oldest winegrowing location beyond the island of Werder. On the island, vineyards were located on the Muhlenberg hill. The vineyards existed before their envelopment by fruit trees, especially apricots and peaches. The fruits were transported with great care in the
Obsttienen
(small wooden transport containers).
In 1887 it was reported that 2 vineyards remained. Wine cultivation ended when the last vines in Werder were frostbitten in the winter of 1955/56. In 1985 the Fruit Production Cooperative of Werder was founded on the Werderaner Wachtelberg, with a vineyard covering 4.8 hectares. Today about 30,000 vines grow there on nearly 7 hectares of land.
Dornfelder
,
Regent
,
Saphira
, and
Muller-Thurgau
grapes are grown here, among other varieties. Within the scope of the
Federal Garden Show
(Bundesgartenschau) in
Potsdam
, Wine Teaching Paths were established at the Werderaner Wachtelberg. Today 38 red and 40 white wine varieties are grown here. The Werderaner Wachtelberg vineyard lies at a latitude of 52 degrees and 22 minutes north, far to the north of the typical winegrowing areas in Europe. In 1991 the vineyard was given
Großlagenfreie Einzellage
classification in the
Weinanbaugebiet Saale-Unstrut
(winegrowing area on the Saale and Unstrut rivers) and was also recognised by the EU. It is at the most northern registered position for quality-tested wine cultivation (QbA) in Europe and the world.
Notable people
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Gallery
[
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-
The Holy Spirit Church and "Goat's windmill" on the shore of the Havel
-
Street in bloom on Werder's river island at the end of April, during the blossom festival
-
Old town hall
-
Church in Petzow
-
Petzow Castle
-
Former wash house in Petzow
-
Former fire engine house in Petzow
-
Fisherman's house in Petzow
-
Church in Plotzin
-
Former brickyard Locknitz
International relations
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Twin towns ? Sister cities
[
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Werder is
twinned
with:
See also
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References
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External links
[
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]
Media related to
Werder (Havel)
at Wikimedia Commons
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