Seelow

Seelow (German pronunciation: [ˈzeːloː] ) is a German town, seat of the Märkisch-Oderland, a district of Brandenburg. As of 2013 its population was of 5,464.

Seelow
Seelow Town Hall
Seelow Town Hall
Coat of arms of Seelow
Location of Seelow within Märkisch-Oderland district
Seelow   is located in Germany
Seelow
Seelow
Seelow   is located in Brandenburg
Seelow
Seelow
Coordinates: 52°31′00″N 14°22′59″E
CountryGermany
StateBrandenburg
DistrictMärkisch-Oderland
Government
  Mayor (201725) Jörg Schröder[1] (SPD)
Area
  Total25.28 km2 (9.76 sq mi)
Elevation
52 m (171 ft)
Population
 (2021-12-31)[2]
  Total5,363
  Density210/km2 (550/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
15306
Dialling codes03346
Vehicle registrationMOL, FRW, SEE, SRB
WebsiteOfficial website

Geography

It is situated in the extreme east of Germany, 70 km (40 miles) east of Berlin, 16 km (10 miles) west of the border with Poland.

History

Church in Seelow

The village appears in the records held in 1252 by Archbishop Wilbrand of Magdeburg. At that time, listed as Villa Zelou, it was included in the property of the formerly Polish Bishopric of Lebus (Lubusz Land), contested between the Magdeburg archbishops and the Ascanian margraves of Brandenburg.

Seelow suffered damaging town fires in 1630, 1788 and again in 1809.

From 1816 Seelow was included for administrative purposes in the Lebus district, a subdivision of the Frankfurt Region within the Prussian Province of Brandenburg. In 1863 the district council office was relocated to Seelow and in 1950 "Lebus district" was renamed "Seelow district"; following frontier changes agreed with the Soviet Union in 1945, the town of Lebus itself had lost to Poland much of the agricultural area that had traditionally supported it. Between 1952 and 1993, Seelow was the administrative centre for the eponymous district within the larger Frankfurt territory.

Seelow was the location of one of the last major pitched battles in Europe during the Second World War - the Battle of the Seelow Heights. In this battle, from 16 to 19 April 1945, Soviet troops under Marshal Zhukov opened the way to Berlin. By the time the slaughter was over the town was largely destroyed, primarily through a major air attack which took place on 17 April 1945, and which was followed by extensive burning and plunder.

Cultural references

Because of its importance in the Second World War, Seelow is today featured in many video games, books and films. Seelow is a playable map in the popular video game Call of Duty: World at War. The Battle of the Seelow Heights is featured extensively in Men of War. The planet Тзаэло (Tzaelow) in the Warhammer 40,000 universe is a likely reference to the town of Seelow, particularly the way that the battle is fought.

Demography

Seelow: Population development
within the current boundaries (2020)[3]
YearPop.±% p.a.
1875 5,736    
1890 5,205−0.65%
1910 4,492−0.73%
1925 4,754+0.38%
1939 4,420−0.52%
1950 4,667+0.50%
1964 5,652+1.38%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1971 5,804+0.38%
1981 6,304+0.83%
1985 6,457+0.60%
1990 6,231−0.71%
1995 5,829−1.32%
2000 6,082+0.85%
2005 5,776−1.03%
YearPop.±% p.a.
2010 5,540−0.83%
2015 5,387−0.56%
2016 5,451+1.19%
2017 5,415−0.66%
2018 5,426+0.20%
2019 5,422−0.07%
2020 5,394−0.52%

Twin towns – sister cities

Seelow is twinned with:[4]

See also

References

Media related to Seelow at Wikimedia Commons

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