It’s trivia time! If I asked you to name Germany’s four largest towns do you think you could do it? Um, let’s try…
Berlin? Munich? Stuttgart? Düsseldorf? One out of three ain’t bad — Berlin is on the list. So are Hamburg and Gardelegen, and the town of Möckern.
I wasn’t talking about population, though; I was talking about land area. Sorry, I guess I should have been more specific right off the bat.
It’s not surprising you’ll find Möckern on this Top list; its sixty-five (!) villages encompass more than 500 square kilometers, with a population of less than 13,000 people — it’s not all that crowded.
I like that in a place, room to stretch out.
Regardless if Möckern was crowded or not, there’s a lot of history spread throughout all these villages. A large battle (the Battle of Möckern) of the Napoleonic War in 1813 took place here.
The outcome? Prussia beat Napoleon’s French troops.
To see another side of Möckern’s history look no further than Palace Möckern. You might not guess from its present state that is was once a medieval castle. No, I’m not saying its in ruins or anything; it’s just that the castle has gotten some major overhauls over the centuries — the last one being in 1840.
No, I’m sorry, the castle was originally a moated Slavic castle.
If you think that’s old, the Heimchensteine would be downright ancient. And I don’t mean ancient as in Roman or Bronze Age. I mean Ice Age ancient. These humongous boulders came from as far as Scandinavia around 20,000 years ago. Some historians believe the stones might have once been an altar or gravesite.
Wandering around the countryside pondering this question might be a good idea. However, there are other ways to engage yourself. Möckern has quite a few bicycle routes, including one called the Lord Day Tour; which is a 30km route that’ll take you to or from the nearby city of Magdeburg.
Wish to stay a bit more local? Go see the steel of the City Goddess, which you’ll find right outside the Rathaus. It’s not old or anything, it’s just pretty.
The designation of “old” falls to the St. Lawrence Church (that’s also near the Rathaus). Its tower of stone can be dated back to the 9th century, though the church has seen improvements in the 13th, 15th, and 16th centuries. Hey, if I was that old I’d have gotten a few facelifts too. ;-)
St. Lawrence might be the oldest church in town, but by no means is it the only beautiful one. Again, there are sixty-five villages, so you’re bound to find more that strike your fancy. I like the ones in the villages of Stresow, Rietzel, Zeddenick, Ziepeh, and Drewitz.
You’ll probably have to send me an email, because Möckern’s so large — we might never run into each other. LOL
