| Germendorf | |
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Germendorf
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| Coordinates | |
| Administration | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Brandenburg |
| District | Oberhavel |
| Basic statistics | |
| Area | 15 km2 (5.8 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 36 m (118 ft) |
| Population | 41,810 (31 December 2010)[1] |
| - Density | 2,787 /km2 (7,219 /sq mi) |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Licence plate | OHV |
| Postal code | 16515 |
| Area code | 03301 |
Germendorf is a part of Oranienburg, a town in the district Oberhavel (northern Brandenburg, Germany). In 2008, Germendorf had 1,818 inhabitants.
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Germendorf is located west of its central city, Oranienburg, and reaches from the "Muhre" to the "Ländchen Glien" (Germendorfer Sander) with a total acreage of 1,528 hectares, of which only 207 hectares are populated. The area surrounding Germendorf is agrarian-oriented (mostly rye, sweetcorn and oat) and also densely wooded in the upper part.
The first documental mention of Germendorf is dated in 1395 in the "Landbuch" of Charles IV under the name Gerwendorff[2]. Germendorf also was mentioned over the years under different names such as Gerwendorff (1375), Germendorff, Gerbendorff (1450), Gerwendorpp (1480) and Gerbendorff[3].
The place has been destroyed many times in cause of fire and had to be rebuilt several times. During the Thirty Years' War 1618 - 1648 a large part of the village has been destroyed, also by devastating fires. The clinker-chirch, which nowadays is under monumental protection, has been built in 1739, after the former chirch has become a victim of fire. In 1861 the steeple was renewed because of the same reason[4].
Germendorf has been a village built around a village green for hundreds of years until the beginning of the 20th century. In 1915 Germendorf got its own railway station after establishing a railway line from Oranienburg to Kremmen. In fact, Germendorf moved closer to Berlin. In cause of that the industry moved to Germendorf and gave the village a boom and changed the villages look with new utowns for the worker.
During the second industrial revolution in the first part of the 20th century, the well-known Heinkel Flugzeugwerke were built near Germendorf. Between 6,200 and 8,000 prisoners of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp had to do unfree labour in the "Flugzeugwerke". As respect for the 1,500 killed prisoners, a memorial stone was built in 1974 at the road to Velten.
In April 1945, during the Second World War, Germendorf took part of a huge Russian offenese. On April 22, the Russian spires were standing north Spandau in Hennigsdorf, Hohen-Neuendorf and Birkenwerder. Oranienburg has been surrounded southernly and the Russian troops tried to push forward into the southern part of Oranienburg. The scoutings of the eastern part failed days before. Beside the pincer movement towards Berlin, the Russian army tried to press forward west widespread and stood at the "Ruppiner Kanal". On April 23, 1945 a German bridgehead was still held at the southern side of the "Ruppiner Kanal" in the north of Germendorf, called the bridgehead Oranienburg ("Brückenkopf Oranienburg"). By Night the Russian troops were situated at Schwante and in the Kremmener Forst. Until April 24, other German troops are concentrated in the north of Oranienburg. Most of the fighting German soldiers were in the army for just about 3 weeks. At April 25, a German attack of the "Brückenkopf Oranienburg" towards Berlin tried to server the pincer movement of the Russian army. After numbers of heavy fights the attack had to stop at the railway line north Germendorf. The heavy fights took to the next day. The Russian fights increase and became even heavier until in the next few days Oranienburg, Germendorf, Friedrichsthal and Velten were occupied[5].
After the Berlin Wall came down, Germendorf recorded an increase of the population because of the suburbanisation. Many people moved from Oranienburg or Berlin to Germendorf because of the cheap house prizes and the closeness to Berlin. Since 26 October 2006 Germendorf is a part of Oranienburg because of a local government reorganization.
In the last 10 years numerous business entreprises moved to Germendorf and generated hundrets of new jobs. Currently there are 197 different entreprises registered in Germendorf (in 2006)[2].
Germendorf is well known for the "Wildtierpark Germendorf", an animal park, in which 600 animals in 40 various types can be visited. Some are domestic, some are even exotic. A lake with a seaside and a hotel can be found also in that area. Originator and owner of the park is former municipal administrator Horst Eichholz (born November 4, 1932). First just a seaside resort, the animal park was formed in 2000 after an expansion and a rearrangement. The animal park is located in the western part of Germendorf over an acreage of 42ha in a former gravel pit. After the construction of the highway Berlin-Rostock, the A19, the gravel pit arose in the forrest. The park has to work without supsidy and is depending on donations and the money of the owner. The park with its 22 worker costs about 500.000 Euro every year. During the week about 1000 visitors come to see the park, at the weekend even up to 2500 (in 2006)[6]. Nowadays the park can also offer different types of attractions such as an open air theatre, 15 barbecue areas, swimming areas and a big playground.
In 2001, on the 06. and 07. of July a big Death and Black Metal festival took place at the park, the "Under the Black Sun Festival". On 2 days the bands Mütiilation, Judas Iscariot, Destroyer 666, Horna, Murder Rape, Ork and Trimonium played at a just for that festival made stage in the western part of the Tierpark. There is even existing a DVD-Bootleg of the Mütiilation-gig called "Desecrated Jesus Name - Live in Germendorf, Germany 7/7/01"[7].
Germendorf has a primary school which needed to fusion with the "Eden Grundschule", another local primary school, because both had just a small amount of pupils.
By now, there are about 180 children attending the school, who are educated by 10 teachers (male and female) in the grade 1 to 6. The school offers several study groups ("AG") to the children, for example a music-group, a math-group and a sports-group. The schools mantra is: "We are a non-violent school, where every student receives the opportunity to acquire a comprehensive database of knowledge." Environmental engagement is also a part of the school. Because of that, the school took part at the contest "Grün für Oranienburg"("Green for Oranienburg") in 2008 to keep the local area cleaner. Also in 1999, the oldest students cleansed the village pond of Germendorf.
Germendorf is situated at the "Bundesstraße B273", a federal highway. It connects the village with the central city Oranienburg in the east, Schwante and Kremmen in the west and is a junction to the B96a which connects the north of Oberhavel with the "Berliner Ring", the Berlin city highway, short A10.
The village is also located at a former railway line Kremmen-Oranienburg-Nauen. This line was closed for the puplic transportation in 1967. The train station Germendorf was built in 1915 like the whole railway line. The rails between Germendorf and Oranienburg had to be removed in cause of planning and building the B96a. Since 2006, the track section Germendorf-Kremmen can be exploited by a draisine.
With the bus line 824, traveling between Oranienburg train station and Hennigsdorf train station, Germendorf can be reached over to bus stops "Germendorf Dorfstr." and "Germendorf Am Bahndamm". Every 20 minutes, a bus is leaving the bus stations on this bus line.
Football has a long tradition in Germendorf. In 1926 a Bicycle-Driving-Club was founded which got their own football team in 1930[8]. After WWII the team was forbidden in 1945 and reorganized in the 1950s as "SG Germendorf". In the 1960s this football club played under the name of "ASG Vorwärts Germendorf" (ASG stands for "Armeesportgemeinschaft" - Army sports community). In 1972 the club was refounded uder the name "BSG Einheit Germendorf" and changed their name in the 1990s to "FSV Germendorf 1972"[8]. In 2009 the club had to play in the lowest German football league, the Kreisliga Oberhavel[9]. The teams Manager is Heino Sandig and the first team is trained by Dietmar Müller. The clubs playground is the "Germendorfer Sportplatz" contiguous to the Germendorfer Grundschule. In 2010 the FSV Germendorf won the Kreisliga Oberhavel for the first time in their history and promoted to the Landesklasse West.
The clubs final results in the Kreisliga Oberhavel:
2009/2010 - 1.
2008/2009 - 3.
2007/2008 - 3.
2006/2007 - 6.
2005/2006 - 2.
2004/2005 - 7.
2003/2004 - 11.
2002/2003 - 8.
2001/2002 - 9.