| Fürstenwalde/Spree | |
| Type: | Stadt |
| Image Coa: | Wappen Fuerstenwalde.png |
| Coordinates: | 52.3667°N 18°W |
| Image Plan: | Fürstenwalde-Spree in LOS.png |
| State: | Brandenburg |
| District: | Oder-Spree |
| Elevation: | 43 |
| Area: | 70.55 |
| Postal Code: | 15517 |
| Area Code: | 03361 |
| Licence: | LOS |
| Gemeindeschlüssel: | 12 0 67 144 |
| Divisions: | City center and 4 districts |
| Website: | https://www.fuerstenwalde-spree.de/ |
| Mayor: | Matthias Rudolph[1] |
| Leader Term: | 2018 - 26 |
Fürstenwalde/Spree (pronounced as /de/; Lower Sorbian: Pśibor pśi Sprjewje pronounced as /dsb/)[2] is the most populous town in the Oder-Spree District of Brandenburg, in eastern Germany.
The town is situated in the glacial valley (Urstromtal) of the Spree river north of the Rauen Hills, about 60km (40miles) east of Berlin and 30km (20miles) west of Frankfurt (Oder). The district capital Beeskow is about 25km (16miles) to the southeast. In the north, the municipal area comprises the village of Trebus. The town is located on the western part of historic Lubusz Land (Land Lebus).
The Fürstenwalde station is a stop on the railway line from Berlin to Frankfurt (Oder), the former Lower Silesian-Marcher Railway. It also has access to the parallel Bundesautobahn 12. The 39 MW Fürstenwalde Solar Park supplies electricity to the local grid.
The settlement of Fürstenwalde was first mentioned in a 1272 deed, founded in the course of the German Ostsiedlung migration at a ford across the Spree river, probably near the site of a former Slavic settlement. The Lebus Land had been acquired from Poland by the Ascanian margraves of Brandenburg in 1248/1249. The town's importance rose as a staple port and terminal of the transportation of goods on the river.
In 1373 Emperor Charles IV, since 1367 also Margrave of adjacent Lower Lusatia campaigned the Brandenburg lands and enforced the renunciation of the Wittelsbach margrave Otto VII of Brandenburg by the Treaty of Fürstenwalde. From 1373 to 1415, the town was part of the Bohemian Crown. As also the collegiate church in Lebus was destroyed, Bishop Wenceslaus moved the official seat of the Bishopric of Lebus to Fürstenwalde, where the St Mary's Church was raised to a cathedral.
The last Catholic bishop was Georg von Blumenthal (1490–1550), who was besieged in his palace by Lutheran robbers led by Nickel von Minckwitz. The Bishop had to escape through a window in disguise. The bishopric was secularized during the Reformation in 1555, and was completely disbanded at the ascension of Joachim Frederick as Margrave of Brandenburg in 1598.
From the 18th century, Fürstenwalde was part of the Kingdom of Prussia, and from 1815 to 1947, it was administratively located in the Province of Brandenburg. During World War II, it was the location of a subcamp of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp.[3] From 1947 to 1952 it was part of the State of Brandenburg, from 1952 to 1990 of the Bezirk Frankfurt of East Germany and since 1990 again of Brandenburg.
Seats in the town's assembly (Stadtverordnetenversammlung) as of 2014 local elections:
7
2
1
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany. Fürstenwalde is twinned with:[4]
