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led extensive excavations into a 52 m (171 ft) section of the southern wall and an area of 1,175 m (12,650 sq ft) near the ruins. The diameter of the oval inner court reached 95 to 140 m (312 to 459 ft), while the ramparts rose 10 metres (33 ft). The street,
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Market traffic was documented at
Mecklenburg in 1168, although most of the trade was passing to Schwerin. In 1265, the castle was torn down to provide building material for the construction of a palace in the growing city of
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led a Slavic rebellion in 1163 against Henry the Lion and the German lords occupying
Obotrite castles. Although Pribislav sacked Mecklenburg in 1164, the rebellion was eventually defeated at the
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later that year. In need of an ally against the Saxon nobility three years later, Henry allowed
Pribislav to receive his father's Niklot's inheritance and became the Prince of Mecklenburg,
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Excavations indicate that the first castle of
Mecklenburg was built in the 7th or 8th century in a lowland at the tip of a lakeland peninsula. It was possibly the Obotrite residence of
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The modern village of
Mecklenburg developed from a mid-14th century settlement near the castle. After the cursory removal of the ruins, the rampart was used for agriculture.
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101:(mikil = large; Burg = castle). The original name of the castle was most likely "Veligrad" or "Wiligrad", which also means "large castle" in the Slavic
326:, and Obotrites, instead of Mecklenburg Castle, which was in the heart of the Obotrite territory. The castle also began to lose its prominence as the
420:. Although the princes in Schwerin rebuilt the castle at Mecklenburg in 1277 for use as a staging point for raids, it was demolished 45 years later.
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later that year, Gottschalk was killed and his family fled from
Mecklenburg Castle. The head of Bishop John was displayed at the pagan center of
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427:, active from 1839 to 1841, was the first to begin surveying the ruins. The wall was established as a memorial in 1854 by Grand Duke
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440:“Am Burgwall”, leads to the still visible remnants of the castle's rampart; the area has been used a cemetery since 1870.
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The castle of
Mecklenburg became a seat of Obotrite princes by the 10th century at the latest. It lay on a route from
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castle are parts of an earthen wall. Some scholars have associated
Mecklenburg with the medieval trading emporium
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placed a bishop named
Emmehard at Mecklenburg in 1149, as the bishopric had been vacant since 1066. In 1160 King
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dialect which was previously spoken in the region. This led to another castle, located in
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Commemorative stone on the top of the castle mound with the inscription "Burg
Meklenburg"
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during the campaign, however, and the Obotrite territory was partitioned between Saxon
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There is an information board at the foot of the mound of the former Mecklenburg Castle
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in order to avoid being pinned down in sieges. Niklot was ultimately killed at
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derives its name from the original, Slavic designation for Mecklenburg Castle
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View of Lake Schwerin from the castle gardens of Wiligrad Castle
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and Henry the Lion campaigned against the Obotrite prince,
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Castle in Dorf Mecklenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
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Simple drawing of how Mecklenburg Castle might have looked
547:(in German). Berlin: Akademie-Verlag GmbH. p. 530.
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Mound of Mecklenburg Castle with the information board
49:. It was located just south of the modern village
23:Castle mound of the former Mecklenburg Castle in
229:Location of Dorf Mecklenburg in the district of
609:Buildings and structures in Nordwestmecklenburg
85:’s Castle” in 965. By 995 it was documented as
276:The castle flourished as the residence of the
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314:in 1093. However, he chose as his residence
53:, seven kilometres (4 miles) south of the
345:’s expansionary goals, the Archbishop of
604:Castles in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
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284:(ruled 1043–1066) and the seat of the
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437:Akademie der Wissenschaften der DDR
133:derives its name from the castle.
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37:and a residential capital of the
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129:. The later duchy and region of
113:and built between 1896-1898 for
425:Georg Christian Friedrich Lisch
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115:Duke John Albert of Mecklenburg
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235:Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
361:, who burned his castles at
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543:Herrmann, Joachim (1970).
81:described Mecklenburg as “
599:Ruined castles in Germany
545:Die Slawen in Deutschland
97:, the ancient version of
387:Bishopric of Mecklenburg
77:The travelling merchant
594:History of Mecklenburg
59:Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
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570:53.83722°N 11.47111°E
391:Bishopric of Schwerin
22:
433:Mecklenburg-Schwerin
389:was replaced by the
383:Heinrich von Schaten
566: /
231:Nordwestmecklenburg
195:de:Schloss Wiligrad
119:de:Schloss Wiligrad
575:53.83722; 11.47111
429:Friedrich Franz II
393:in the same year.
351:Valdemar the Great
332:expanding eastward
328:Kingdom of Germany
125:, it was known as
31:Mecklenburg Castle
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529:Herrmann, p. 180.
520:Herrmann, p. 330.
511:Herrmann, p. 329.
502:Herrmann, p. 258.
493:Herrmann, p. 167.
484:Herrmann, p. 188.
472:Herrmann, p. 113.
463:Herrmann, p. 189.
402:Battle of Verchen
193:Wiligrad Castle (
109:on the shores of
79:Ibrahim Ibn Jacub
45:dynasties of the
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339:Henry the Lion
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294:Mecklenburg
131:Mecklenburg
91:Mikelenburg
588:Categories
561:11°28′16″E
558:53°50′14″N
537:References
282:Gottschalk
127:Magnopolis
99:Low German
444:Footnotes
398:Pribislav
324:Polabians
278:Christian
239:Hanseatic
95:Old Saxon
73:Etymology
47:Obotrites
43:Nikloting
367:Schwerin
320:Wagrians
241:city of
199:LĂĽbstorf
107:LĂĽbstorf
103:Polabian
410:Rostock
355:Denmark
316:Liubice
288:bishop
280:prince
267:Hamburg
254:History
39:Nakonid
418:Wismar
408:, and
406:Kessin
385:. The
369:, and
359:Niklot
347:Bremen
343:Saxony
330:began
302:Rethra
243:Wismar
121:). In
63:ruined
35:castle
375:Werle
371:Dobin
312:Kruto
308:Henry
286:Irish
271:Wolin
260:Reric
197:) in
123:Latin
83:Nakon
67:Reric
363:Ilow
290:John
245:and
41:and
431:of
353:of
341:of
292:of
269:to
233:of
201:on
89:or
57:in
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477:^
452:^
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334:.
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69:.
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