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Welcome to Eutin
   
 

Welcome to Eutin

Eutin Information

Contact us

Geographical location

History

General information about Eutin

                                                                                   

 

 

       

Sights in Eutin

Castle and castle garden

Castle place

Eutiner Festspiele

Historic city centre

Watertower

Hunting lodge at the Ukleisee  

Bride-groom oak tree                                                       

 

Geographical location

Eutin is located in the most northern federal state of Germany, Schleswig-Holstein, close to the Baltic Sea between Schleswig-Holstein’s capital Kiel and the historic town of Lübeck. The landscape around Eutin is called Holstein Switzerland with a patchwork of numerous lakes, little hills and mixed forests and its highest point the Bungsberg (168 m) near the village of Schönwalde.

Altogether there are about 200 lakes originated from the last ice-age about 10.000 years ago. Especially in summer the wonderful landscape with its meadows and cheerful market towns attracts guests and local. Very famous are the yellow shining rape fields during May and June all over Schleswig-Holstein.

Eutin can be easily reached by car, bus, train and even by plane to Hamburg or Lübeck airport.

 

History

Around 900 AD Slaws settled on the so called “Isle of Pheasants” in the Lake Eutin and as Dutch settlers came to the town in 1143 the Slaws have been subjugated by them.

In 1156 Eutin became a market place and was extended. Almost 100 years later the town got the so called “Lübsche Stadtrecht” that means that they were allowed to have markets etc. and to use the rights a town had in those times. Three years later, in 1260, the bishops from Lübeck settled down in Eutin, too.

Since the reformation in 1535 the title of the sovereign is “prince-bishop” and the name of the town changed into Eutin. The former name Utin went back to the slavish settlers some hundred years ago.

The famous Eutiner Castle war founded in the 13th century and became residence of the sovereigns. After a fire the castle was re-established and Eutin became residential town. In the 18th century the castle as well as the castle garden were changed into the baroque style following the intentions of Versailles in France. Later on the garden has been transformed into an English landscape garden which still exists today.

From 1770 on Eutin developed as one of the intellectual centres of northern Europe and still has the epithet “Weimar of the North”. During this period of history famous intellectuals visited Eutin or lived there like Johann Heinrich Voss who translated Homer’s “Ilias” and “Odyssey” into German, the painter Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein who painted Goethe and the well-known composer Carl Maria von Weber who was born in Eutin.

Since 1800 as the Prince of Oldenburg moved to Oldenburg, Eutin became summer residence of the dynasty of Oldenburg.

After World War II the number of inhabitants has been nearly doubled due to the numerous refugees from the East.

In 1970 Eutin became the district town of Ostholstein.

General information about Eutin

According to its location in the middle of Holstein Switzerland one of Eutins synonyms is “The heart of Holstein Switzerland”. Another one is “Rosenstadt” which goes back to a legend and can be easily seen even today because of the many rose trees in the city centre and Eutins own rose called “Eutin Floribunda”.

Eutin has 18.000 inhabitants at all with the municipal districts Fissau, Neudorf and Sielbeck. Lake Eutin and Small Lake Eutin are situated directly in the city centre whereas the districts Fissau and Sielbeck boarder the Kellersee. On Lake Eutin and on the Kellersee boat tours and boat hire are offered. Besides there are footpaths and cycle tracks around the lakes and people have the possibility to go swimming in all the lakes because the water quality is very good. At Lake Eutin there is a historic public bath aged over 100 years.

The small town has a cheerful market place in the centre and half-timbered houses in the historical streets around the castle. At the market place the weekly market takes place with fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, bread, cakes and pastries etc. You can also find different single traders and offices in the city centre. The big supermarkets, car dealers, larger firms etc. are located in the commercial district out of the city centre. Eutin has no industry and the main branches are tourism and single trade.

Sights

Castle and castle garden

Next to Lake Eutin lies the castle of Eutin with its English landscape garden.

The four-wing castle is one of the oldest and most impressive buildings in Eutin. It has been built over several centuries what can be seen by different architectural styles.

Today it is a museum because the dynasty of Oldenburg doesn’t use it anymore. After a ten-year lasting restoration it opened its doors again in 1997 for visitors to view the historical rooms, furniture, paintings and even weapons.

Adjoining to the castle lies the English landscape garden that has originally been a baroque garden in former times.

In the garden you can find exotic plants you will not really expect in our region of the world.

 

Castle place

The Ostholstein Museum is located in the former stables of the duke at the historical place in front of the castle. Inside the museum there are manifold certificates of the flowering time of Eutin with exposés of the famous Eutiner’s like Voß, Tischbein and Weber. Moreover there is a collection of old furniture and handicraft products. Furthermore the Ostholstein Museum has changing expositions during the year.

The library of the district is located in the former coach-house of the duke and in the former cavalier building there is the library of the region. In both libraries there are more than 48.000 books from the middle age up to now.

 

Eutiner Festspiele

In the castle garden the Eutiner Festspiele take place every July and August for several weeks in an open-air theatre direct above Lake Eutin in honour of the famous composer Carl Maria von Weber who was born in Eutin.

This kind of open-air theatre with different operas every year direct above the lake is the only one in this way in Germany.

 

Historic city centre

The cheerful market place is the heart of Eutin’s old town with historic buildings around it.

Some of the most interesting buildings around the market place are the widow palais which has been restored for many years and opened again in 2003 with a restaurant an several shops, the brewery and of course the St. Michaelis Cathedral.

 

 

Water-tower

The water-tower was built in 1909 and serves still today for the water supply for the inhabitants with its capacity of 250.000 l. This tower is the highest point of Eutin where you can enjoy a wonderful view over the city and at sunny days you can look until the Baltic Sea and the surroundings of Holstein Switzerland. As you can see, the water-tower is not only in use for the water supply of Eutin, it is an observation tower and houses even expositions from time to time.

 

 

Hunting lodge at the Ukleisee

The hunting lodge is situated directly at Lake Uklei about 5 km out of Eutin in the district Sielbeck at the highest point between Lake Uklei and Kellersee. It has been built in 1776 as a location for tea-parties of the duchess, but soon it was rather used for hunting parties, boating or other excursions.

After a renovation the hunting lodge can be visited during the summer season since 1997 and also concerts and cultural arrangements take place there.

 

Bride-groom oak-tree

This exceptional tree with many legends around it is located in the Dodauer Forst a few kilometres out of Eutin.

When one of the boughs broke off a whole four metres high in the tree emerged. This whole has been used for decades as a letter-box. Since 1927 the bride-groom oak-tree even has its own address and letters and postcards are regularly delivered by the postman.

People who are interested in a pen-friendship have the opportunity to send their letters directly to the oak-tree or if you are there you can read the letters or postcards and take one of them with you if you would like to. Send your Letter to: Bräutigamseiche, Dodauer Forst, 23701 Eutin, Germany. Maybe somewhere will answer you.

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