Stadt and Amt Ratzeburg

The city of Ratzeburg was founded in the 11th century by Slavs. A diocese was placed there in 1158, a cathedral was built in 1170, and the bishop and cathedral chapter began exercising secular control (as the Bishopric of Ratzeburg) over some of the diocese territory in 1230. Within the city itself, however, secular control of the Bishopric was limited to the cathedral yard. The bulk of the Bishopric’s territories were located to the northeast of the city, although there were two small exclaves to the south and southwest of the city that were surrounded by Lauenburg territory. All territory controlled by the Bishopric was secularized as the Principality of Ratzeburg in 1648 and awarded to the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. (Villages in those territories are not listed below and will be processed as part of the Strelitz region.)

 

Ratzeburg (excluding the cathedral yard) became part of the Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg in 1296. It also served as the seat of an Amt of the same name, although it was not actually part of that Amt. In 1747, the Amt was split into two Amtsvogteien. The villages of Bälau, Borstorf and Breitenfelde were placed in Amtsvogtei Mölln, where they were joined by several villages that had previously belonged to the city of Lübeck. The remaining villages were placed in Amtsvogtei Ratzeburg.