DEUTSCHLAND | GERMANY |
Bundesland: Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | Mecklenburg-West Pomerania |
Landkreis: Mecklenburgische Seenplatte |
Neustrelitz is situated at an elevation of 73 m on the shore of the Zierker See in the Mecklenburg Lake District, about 27 km southwest of the district town Neubrandenburg and about 115 km southeast of Schwerin, the capital of Germany's state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The municipality has a population of about 20,400 (2023).
The village of Strelitz was first mentioned in 1278. It grew to a small town in the following centuries. In the 17th century Strelitz was a part of the duchy of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, which ceased to exist after the death of the last duke in 1695. After that, the new duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was established in 1701. The small duchy contained the present-day district and an exclave around Ratzeburg, which is today situated in Germany's state of Schleswig-Holstein. In 1712 the castle and the town of Strelitz burnt down. After this, the duke and his family lived on their hunting lodge at the lake Zierker See to the northwest of Strelitz. Around this place the new town of Neustrelitz (New Strelitz) was constructed as planned town. It became the official capital of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in 1736 (see map of the German states in 1815). Neustrelitz remained the ducal seat until 1918 and was the capital of the Free State of Mecklenburg-Strelitz from 1918 to 1933. In 1934 it was merged with Mecklenburg-Schwerin to the Gau of Mecklenburg (see map). The ancient town of Strelitz continued to exist after the fire of 1712; it was a small village, which was merged into the municipality of Neustrelitz in 1931 and today forms the city borough of Strelitz-Alt.
The history of the Landestheater Neustrelitz [left, no. 0000] goes back to a riding hall
that was built in 1755 just behind the current site and was transformed into a theatre in 1775 under the name Mecklenburgisch-Strelitzsches
Hoftheater (Mecklenburg-Strelitz Court Theatre). After the end of the monarchy, the theatre was renamed the Landestheater Neustrelitz
in 1919. In January 1924, the building, which had been used as a theatre for 150 years, burned down to its foundations. A new theatre (the
one depicted on this glass) was then built in 1925–1928. The main architect in this project was Max Littmann. The theatre was again
destroyed by a large fire that also destroyed Neustrelitz castle. A new theatre, named Friedrich-Wolf-Theater opened in 1954. From
1991 it was named Landestheater Mecklenburg. In 2000 it was renamed Landestheater Neustrelitz.
[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neustrelitz, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neustrelitz;
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landestheater_Neustrelitz]