DEUTSCHLAND | GERMANY |
Bundesland: Brandenburg | |
Landkreis: Oder-Spree |
Beeskow is situated at an elevation of 40 m on the river Spree in eastern Brandenburg, about 80 km southeast of Berlin and about 30 km southwest of Frankfurt (Oder). Beeskow is the capital town of the district Oder-Spree. The municipality has a population of about 8,000 (2012).
Beeskow was founded below a castle which was mentioned in written documents for the first time in 1316. The town gained importance in the 15th and 16th century as a customs post in the Niederlausitz (Lower Lusatia) region. The parish was part of the bishopric of Meißen and was under the patronage of the monastery of Neuzelle. In 1556 King Ferdinand I of Bohemia (1558 Hoy Roman Emperor) granted Beeskow as a fief to the margraves of Brandenburg. Although the domains thus remained under the sucerainty of Bohemia, the margraves of Brandenburg succeeded over the following decades in gradually breaking the ties to Lower Lusatia, and by c. 1600 the area had become a firm part of Brandenburg. After two devastatng fires in the 16th and 17th century, Beeskow was rebuilt and became a garrison town. With the opening in 1888 of the railway line to Grunow, Beeskow was connected to the railroad system, followed by connections to Königs Wusterhausen (1898), Lübben (1901–1996) and Bad Saarow (1911–1998). During World War II, parts of the historic town were destroyed during an Soviet air raid in 1945. During the 1950s and 1960s, these parts were rebuilt in modern designs. After the reunification of Germany, the remaining historic parts were restored. [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beeskow]
The town church Sankt Marien [left] was first mentioned in 1272. In 1323 it came under the patronage of the monastery of Neuzelle. The present church was built in the 15th century replaccing an older church of around 1370/1380. The church tower received its steep pyramidal roof in 1511. On 26 April 1945 the church was largely destroyed, further parts of the remaining wals and pillars collapsed in 1947 and 1950. The southern aisle was secured in the 1950s and was used as a temporary church from 1953 onward. Since 1991 the church is under reconstruction. [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beeskow, https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Marienkirche_%28Beeskow%29]
The picture on glass no. 2929 is labeled "Vom Kiez aus gesehen" ('seen from the Kiez', i.e. from the island in the river Spree).