Bad Köstritz
Town in Thuringia, Germany
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bad Köstritz (German pronunciation: [baːt ˈkœstʁɪts] ⓘ) is a town in the district of Greiz, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the White Elster river, 7 km northwest of Gera. Bad Köstritz is known for the Köstritzer brewery and its Schwarzbier (black beer).
Bad Köstritz | |
|---|---|
 Palace | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Bad Köstritz
within Greiz district  | |
 Location of Bad Köstritz | |
  Bad Köstritz Location within Germany  Bad Köstritz Location within Thuringia | |
| Coordinates: 50°55′50″N 12°0′35″E | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Thuringia |
| District | Greiz |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2021–27) | Oliver Voigt[1] (FW) |
| Area | |
• Total | 20.34 km2 (7.85 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 203 m (666 ft) |
| Population (2024-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 3,651 |
| • Density | 179.5/km2 (464.9/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 07586 |
| Dialling codes | 036605 |
| Vehicle registration | GRZ |
| Website | www.stadt-bad-koestritz.de |
History
The settlement was first mentioned in 1364 as Kostricz, a place of Slavic foundation. There has been a castle since the middle of the 13th century. The city has emerged from two medieval manors.
Within the German Empire (1871–1918), Köstritz was part of the Principality of Reuss-Gera. Köstritz Castle, a four-winged building around a courtyard built between 1687 and 1704, was the seat of a side wing of the ruling House of Reuss, named counts and (from 1806) princes Reuss-Köstritz. The castle was demolished in 1972 under the government of East Germany, with only the gatehouse left. Today, a modern hotel has been built on the site. In January 2023 Bad Köstritz absorbed the former municipality Hartmannsdorf.[3]
Local council
Election in May 2014:[4]
- CDU: 9 seats
- The Left: 3 seats
- Free voters (FWG): 4 seats
Sights
- Heinrich Schütz House
- Municipal park
Sons and daughters of the town
- Heinrich Schütz (1585–1672), German composer of the early Baroque
- Heinrich IX, Count Reuss of Köstritz (1711–1780), founder of the middle branch family Reuss-Köstritz
- Julius Sturm (1816–1896), important German poet of late Romanticism, pastor in Köstritz 1856–1885, honorary citizen of Köstritz 1885
- Gustav von Hüfner (1840–1908), German chemist
- Heinrich Sturm (1860–1917), German jurist, politician and from 1908 to 1917 mayor of Chemnitz
