Great Mehsow

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City of Calau
Coat of arms of Groß Mehßow
Coordinates: 51 ° 44 ′ 4 "  N , 13 ° 49 ′ 50"  E
Height : 87 m above sea level NHN
Area : 10.8 km²
Residents : 111  (Jun 1, 2020)
Population density : 10 inhabitants / km²
Incorporation : October 26, 2003
Postal code : 03205
Area code : 035435

Groß Mehßow (until July 30, 2004 Groß-Mehßow ), Změšow in Lower Sorbian , is a district of the town of Calau in the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district in southern Brandenburg .

Groß Mehßow forms a parish (parish) with the mother church in Groß Mehßow and the parish communities of Klein Mehßow , Radensdorf , Schrackau , Tugam and Craupe .

geography

Groß Mehßow is a village in the Mehßower landscape , located in Niederlausitz in the west of the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district in the Niederlausitzer Landücken nature park . Part of the village is located in the Tannenbusch nature reserve and Groß Mehßow pond landscape . While the southern part of the district is touched by the Niederlausitzer Land ridge (also Niederlausitzer Grenzwall), the northern part is located in the Luckau-Calau basin. To the east of Groß Mehßow borders the municipality of Klein Mehßow . The Calau district of Craupe with its districts of Radensdorf and Schrakau connects to the southeast and south . In the southwest, Groß Mehßow borders the Babben district of the municipality of Massen-Niederlausitz , which is already in the Elbe-Elster district . To the west of the village is Crinitz (also in the Elbe-Elster district). To the north is Fürstlich Drehna , a district of Luckau with the municipality of Tugam , these places are in the district of Dahme-Spreewald .

Autumn mood at the large pond.

The part of the municipality Klein-Mehßow belongs to Groß Mehßow .

Groß Mehßow is, according to the type of settlement, a street village, once built on the small brook Rietzka.

The penultimate ice age left extensive layers of clay in the ground in and around Groß Mehßow, which were an almost ideal prerequisite for creating ponds. Of the once 26 ponds in the Groß Mehßower district, there are still 10 today. The largest of these is the large pond with an area of ​​around 8 hectares. All ponds are artificially created and were created at different times from dammed and flooded low areas (e.g. as a result of the copper waterworks), but not from lakes.  

history

Local history

Interpretation of the place name

The old Sorbian basic form of the name can no longer be secured, since both the German and the Sorbian name form vary in tradition. However, it can be assumed that the basic form is Směš and is derived from a personal name. The name Mehßow can also be derived from the Sorbian word zmesow , which means possession of Zemeslaw . The sound group Sm- or Zm-, which is not very common in German , was incorporated by omitting the S sound.

Another interpretation would be the derivation of the names from masajsch and smasajsch (smear, cover with something liquid; mas = car grease , tar ). Groß-Mehßow may have got its name after the swamp bush in the Feldmark, which was once rich in springs.

Prehistory and early history

Aerial view of Groß-Mehßow.

People have been living in Niederlausitz for around 130,000 years. It can be assumed that the Neanderthal man of that time was already hunting and collecting in our forests, but this cannot yet be proven. Different soils and the availability of water are likely to have lured the people of that time to our area in the younger Paleolithic , around 10,000 years ago. However, it was not until much later, over 3000 years ago, that the first clear signs of settlement for our villages can be found in the form of urn cemeteries . It is the Bronze Age referred to by the science of history , a period from 2200 - 800 BC. For example, an urn grave field was found near the vineyard in Klein Mehßow, the oldest urns of which date from around 1200 - 1000 BC (B.C.E.). Some of these urns are now in the Calau Local History Museum . So one can say that Klein Mehßow was definitely settled over 3000 years ago.

The same applies to Groß Mehßow. There are three settlements from different time periods.

West of Groß Mehßow, at today's Drehnaer Teich (Luttkenberge), there was an urn grave field from the same period as in Klein Mehßow. And in the Babbener Mountains, on the Groß-Mehßow district boundary, was the next urn field. The fact that people settled here in the plateau suggests that there were water sources in the Babben Mountains, which actually still existed in the 20th century. The third Groß Mehßower urn field, from a little more recent times, is located relatively close to Mehßower Castle. An urn grave field at Craupsche Teiche was also found in Radensdorf .

The Groß-Mehßower Castle

People's endeavors to protect themselves and their property from predators and hostile attacks by others led to the construction of fences and fortifications . The oldest castles in our area belong to the time around 900 BCE. What remains are mostly the so-called castle walls, an elevation in the landscape. These castles include B. the Old Castle near Senftenberg , the Borchelt near Goßmar , Schönewalde near Doberlug-Kirchhain , Zützen near Golßen , Lieberose , Babow and Burg in the Spreewald , the Holy Land near Niemitzsch and the Baalshebbel (Starzeddel) near Guben , the Schlossberg in Witzen and the circular wall in the Sorau Forest near Sorau . The Schlossberg von Burg (Spreewald) is one of the largest castles, with a length of 320 m and a width of 220 m. The total area is over 5 hectares, and the highest point protrudes 8 m from the lowland.

Remains of the castle wall in Groß Mehßow, on which the cemetery is located today. Here, on its south side, the wall can still be seen very well.

Such a castle once existed in Groß-Mehßow as well, built on a natural hilltop in the spur of the northern lowland of the Rietzke stream (early Iron Age, around 600 - 400 B.C.E.). It is the hill on which the cemetery is located today and which bears the name Groschkenberg . The castle "wall" consisted of a wall that was filled with earth in a kind of box or palisade construction. The wood rotted over time and what remained was an earth wall, which was later largely leveled to make arable land. The wood-earth "wall" surrounded a moat, the excavation of which was used to fill the wall. On the southern side of the cemetery, the castle wall can still be seen very well.

The castle received additional, natural protection on its east and north sides through its construction in the immediate vicinity of the marshy, boggy Mehßow lowland with the rivers Rietzke, Schrake and Schuche. So strategically a well-chosen location. Various large houses lay within the castle walls, some in rows. A ring road remained free inside along the wall . The size and plan of the facilities indicate strong and stable social forces that were necessary for the construction. The reason for the castle building can be assumed to be strong differences between the tribes, which led to frequent armed conflicts. Another factor can be the division of labor into craftsmen and merchants , which began during this period. The craftsman with his workshop and the merchant with the necessary trading center were an important economic power of the tribes. They had to be protected effectively. In addition, there was certainly also the protection of the herds .

The steeple.

Mostly there were one or two outer bailey settlements that could not yet be detected here in Groß Mehßow, but were probably located on the southern or eastern slope of the fields. And about 800 m away in a south-westerly direction is the Weißberg with a former burial ground (urn cemetery) from the same time. It was probably related to the castle.

Extensive remains of fire, which were found when excavating the earth for the graves of the newly laid out cemetery on the castle grounds, indicate destruction by a large fire. There could have been armed conflicts during this time. What was left of this castle, the castle wall , is oval and almost completely sanded. It belongs to the so-called Billendorfer Group (600 - 400 B.C.E.) and can be seen as a light, oval ring color (light sand ring in the dark soil) in the field. Its dimensions could be determined to be 130 m × 160 m, and an area of ​​1.5 ha. The culture layer in the cemetery is 1.80 m and there were some fire horizons in it. Numerous finds of pottery shards prove the dating to the early Iron Age. On January 16, 1975, the Groschkenberg was placed under soil monument protection . The later Slavs, themselves builders of innumerable castles, gave this old, now dilapidated fortification the name Groschkenberg , which is still valid today .

The Germanic and Slavic Era (400 B.C.E. - 1200)

From around 500 BC u. Currently, the settlement is declining, finally breaking off and is only sporadically detectable (in the old district of Luckau and westward). The causes are thought to be from around 800 BC. u. Currently onset of climate deterioration with increasing precipitation and falling temperatures, as well as other factors. In the first centuries after the turn of the times, the Germanic tribes (Semnones) also lived in Lausitz, but they cannot be detected in the Mehßow region. Due to the great migration of peoples , especially in the 4th century, the Germanic peoples then withdrew towards Thuringia. Slavic tribes from the east and southeast followed, with us the Lusizers (around 700). There are no traces of them in Mehßow either, with one exception, the Groschkenberg. The few Slavic finds indicate a sparse settlement or other use of the old castle square.

First documentary mention

A written mention of Groß Mehßow, in 1291, appears in the Luckauer Chronik, which Professor Dr. Vetter published in 1871: The Dominican monastery in Luckau was founded in 1291 by Wolffart von Drauschwitz, or Drauschkowitz, owner of Drehnau and Gr. Mehso, and his brothers Burghart and Caspar, ... was founded. (Which is not yet fully proven.)

Church at night

The first secure documentary mention can be found in the Meißen diocese register from 1346, of which a copy from 1495 exists. It shows the structural division in the ecclesiastical area, i.e. it lists the individual archdeaconates and archpriesthoods (lat. Sedes) in the diocese of Meißen from 1346 and earlier. It was a tax list in which the parish offices and churches belonging to the diocese of Meissen were listed. And those who had an income, because they had to pay four groschen of every mark to the bishop in Meissen. The 19 mother churches of the Calau parish were named in the following spelling and order in this register:

Calo - Jhezer - Mesaw - Drehnaw - Czynnitz - Tornaw - Schönfeldt - Beichow - Lobenaw - Kolkewitz - Saßlem - Feczschow - Missen - Laß - Ogrose - Redern - Dober - Pritzschen

In 1429 Hans Katewicz zcu Meso (Hans von Kottwitz ) was named as present when a judgment was reached before the Lübben council. The reason was the verdict on a murder that Berntt Druskwicz (Bernd von Drauschwitz) had committed. In a vassal register of January 4, 1447, Bernhard Druschwicz zu Meissaw is named as being under Saxon protection. The aforementioned Bernhard von Drauschwitz also owned the neighboring Drehna. The parish office "Mesaw" is listed in the Meißner diocese register from 1495. The place is mentioned in the fiefdom register on October 17, 1527 as Gross-Messo . The brothers Hans, Georg and Nickel von Drauschwitz are named as the owners of Groß Mehßow. This is the first distinction between the towns of Groß and Klein Mehßow.

After the von Drauschwitz family reported the discovery of alum and copper water near Groß Mehßow to Bailiff Albrecht von Schlick on September 2, 1544 and a contract for prospecting was concluded, a mine was built behind the Kohlhöfen in 1546. This was an alum mine. On February 8, 1565, Samuel von Drauschwitz became the sole owner of the place. The estate remained in the possession of the von Drauschwitz family until 1639 when Wilhelm von Minckwitz , Caspar von Drauschwitz's son-in-law, acquired it. The Groß Mehßower pastor Andreas Ruben started with church records in 1599, this is the first time the names of the inhabitants are known.

Groß Mehßow manor house

During the Thirty Years' War , births in the Groß Mehßow church district fell from 15 to 20 to 4 to 5. In 1634 there were some plague victims in the village . In the following years the owners of the place changed frequently, in 1675 Cuno Christoph von Bredow, 1691 Friedrich Christoph Truchseß von Reinfelden, 1750 Karl Siegmund von Walther and Croneck and in 1790 Erasmus Gottfried Bernhard Freiherr von Patow, who passed it to his son Richard von Inherited from Patow. The estate remains in the possession of the von Patow family until 1945.

In 1800 the mill burned down on January 7th. It was rebuilt the following year. After the old cemetery became too small, a new one was built and inaugurated in 1820. Bernhard von Patow left the Groschkenberg to the community free of charge. In February 1813, during the Napoleonic Wars , Bavarian troops were quartered in Groß Mehßow, Klein Mehßow and Radensdorf. In 1814 a Russian Bashkir division was billeted in the village.

In the years 1816 to 1826 the Sorbian linguist Christian Wilhelm Bronisch was pastor in Groß Mehßow, whereby the place was already outside the Sorbian language area at that time. From 1821 to 1836 the agrarian reform and separation took place in Groß and Klein Mehßow . The manor house was rebuilt in 1838. Richard von Patow bought the estate in 1897, which his brother-in-law lived in. He had the old leased ponds expanded to their old size. At the request of Richard von Patow, a cemetery was built on the Schlossberg in 1908.

In 1922, Groß Mehßow was connected to the electrical power grid. When the property ran into financial difficulties, Bernhard von Patow sells parts of the property as settlement land. These shape today's townscape. The volunteer fire brigade was founded in Groß Mehßow in 1932. During the Second World War , prisoners of war were used as labor on the farms. On April 19, 1945, Russian tanks passed the place in the direction of Luckau. A grenade struck the parish property. The Red Army occupied Groß Mehßow on April 20, 1945. 26 Groß Mehßow men died in the war. The Soviet commandant moved into his quarters in the manor house. On May 1, 1945, Walter Haberland was appointed mayor of the municipalities of Groß Mehßow, Klein Mehßow, Craupe, Radensdorf and Schrackau by Soviet decree. In 1946 Johannes Arndt became mayor of Groß Mehßow.

Groß Mehßow, eastern district

Classes began on October 1, 1945 in the parsonage and later in the castle because the school burned down when the Red Army marched in. The school building was rebuilt between 1948 and 1949. The LPG Groß Mehßow Kühler Grund was founded on April 27, 1960. On January 1, 1960, the neighboring Klein Mehßow was incorporated. In 1973 the school in Groß Mehßow was closed and classes are held in neighboring Crinitz. The school building was still used as a consumer and cultural center.

On October 26, 2003, Groß Mehßow with Saßleben , Kemmen , Mlode , Bolschwitz and Werchow was incorporated into Calau by law.

Population development

Population development in Groß Mehßow from 1875 to 2002
year Residents year Residents year Residents year Residents year Residents year Residents year Residents
1875 257 1933 223 1964 351 1989 228 1993 214 1997 225 2001 228
1890 236 1939 227 1971 316 1990 221 1994 215 1998 225 2002 232
1910 213 1946 312 1981 239 1991 218 1995 219 1999 232
1925 223 1950 283 1985 232 1992 220 1996 228 2000 229

Culture and sights

Village church

The village church of Groß Mehßow is one of the architectural monuments in Calau . At the entrance there is a stone face and four figures that are said to come from the Slavic period. After the original church became dilapidated, the current church was built in 1864.

There is a memorial at the entrance to the church for those who fell in the First World War . It was inaugurated on June 18, 1922. The monument was created from a large, heavy boulder. For the victims of the Second World War, Pastor Gerhard Schröder had a wooden plaque made in the church.

Economy and Infrastructure

The federal motorway 13 runs east of the Klein Mehßow part of the municipality .

literature

  • Rainer Kamenz: The Groß-Mehßower parish - the Groß- and Klein-Mehßower village chronicle . Self-published, Plessa 2016.
  • Rainer Kamenz: Mehßower Chronik - the large and small Mehßower village chronicle. Short version . Self-published, Plessa 2018.
  • Ernst Eichler : The place names of Niederlausitz . VEB Domowina-Verlag, Bautzen 1975.

Web links

Commons : Groß Mehßow  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Information from the residents' registration office of the city of Calau from June 18, 2020. Excluding Klein Mehßow (64 inhabitants).
  2. ↑ Municipalities 1994 and their changes since January 1, 1948 in the new federal states , Metzler-Poeschel publishing house, Stuttgart, 1995, ISBN 3-8246-0321-7 , publisher: Federal Statistical Office
  3. ^ StBA: Changes in the municipalities in Germany, see 2003
  4. ↑ Brandenburg Statistics (PDF)