Editing Neustrelitz (section)

==History==

The village of Strelitz was first mentioned in 1278. It grew to a small town in the following centuries. In the 17th century Strelitz was a part of the duchy of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, which ceased to exist after the death of the last duke in 1695. Afterwards the new [[Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]] was established (1701). This small duchy contained the present-day district and an exclave around [[Ratzeburg]], which is today situated in [[Schleswig-Holstein]].

In 1712 the castle and the town of Strelitz burnt down. After this disaster the duke and his family lived on their hunting lodge at the lake called ''Zierker See'' (Lake Zierke) to the northwest of Strelitz. Around this place the new town of ''Neustrelitz'' (New Strelitz) was constructed. It became the official capital of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in 1736.

Neustrelitz remained the ducal seat until 1918 and was the capital of the [[Free State of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]] from 1918 to 1933. In 1934 it was merged with Mecklenburg-Schwerin to the ''Gau'' of [[Mecklenburg]].

The ancient town of Strelitz continued to exist after the fire of 1712; it was a small village, which was suburbanised by Neustrelitz in 1931.

When the [[Red Army]] troops of the [[2nd Belorussian Front]] entered the town on 30 April 1945, 681 people committed suicide.<ref name=lakotta>{{cite web |url=http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/spiegelspecial/d-39863564.html |title=Tief vergraben, nicht dran rühren |last=Lakotta |first=Beate |publisher=[[Der Spiegel|SPON]] |date=5 March 2005 |access-date=16 August 2010|language=de}}</ref>