German town law (German: Deutsches Stadtrecht) or German municipal concerns (Deutsches Städtewesen) refers to town privileges used by many cities, towns, and villages throughout Central and Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages. Town privileges was an important feature of European towns during most of the 2nd millenium. ... Regions of Europe Central Europe is the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. ... Current division of Europe into five (or more) regions: one definition of Eastern Europe is marked in orange Eastern Europe as a region has several alternative definitions, whereby it can denote: the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Central Europe and Russia. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ...

Town law in Germany

As Germans began establishing towns throughout northern Europe as early as the 10th century, they often received town privileges granting them autonomy from local secular or religious rulers. Such privileges often included the right to self-governance, economic autonomy, criminal courts, and militia. Town laws were more or less entirely copied from neighboring towns, such as the Westphalian towns of Soest, Dortmund, Minden, and Münster. As Germans began settling eastward, the colonists modelled their town laws on the pre-existing 12th century laws of Cologne, Lübeck in the north (Lübeck law), Magdeburg roughly in the center (Magdeburg rights), and either Nuremberg or Vienna in the south (South German law). As a means of recording the passage of time, the 10th century was that century which lasted from 901 to 1000. ... Town privileges was an important feature of European towns during most of the 2nd millenium. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Westphalia (German: Westfalen) is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen, Münster, Bielefeld, and Osnabrück and included in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony. ... Soest is the name of two localities, one in the Netherlands and one in Germany: Soest, Netherlands Soest, Germany and the district around Soest, Germany is also called Soest: Soest (district) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Dortmund is a city in Germany, located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. ... Minden is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... Town Hall in the Prinzipalmarkt Münster: the Prinzipalmarkt St Pauls Cathedral, Münster Münster is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... Cologne (German: ; Kölsch: Kölle) is Germanys fourth-largest city after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich and is the largest city both in the German Federal District of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the largest European metropolitan areas with over 12 million... Lübeck ( pronunc. ... Lübecks law was from the 13th century in the Middle Ages the foundation for municipal laws in many neighbouring cities on the Baltic Sea. ... View of Magdeburg with the cathedral, from the tower of the Johanniskirche. ... The Magdeburg Rights (or Magdeburg law) were a set of city laws regulating the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages granted with it by a local ruler. ... Nuremberg (German: Nürnberg) is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. ... Vienna (German: Wien [viːn]; Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian: Beč, Czech: Vídeň, Hungarian: Bécs, Romanian: Viena, Romani: Bech or Vidnya, Russian: Вена, Slovak: Viedeň, Slovenian: Dunaj) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ...

Because many larger cities such as Braunschweig and Hildesheim grew through the agglomeration of neighboring towns, some previously self-contained settlements were split between regions utilizing differing town rights variants. Braunschweig (English Brunswick, Low Saxon Brunswiek) is a city of 245,500 people (as of December 31, 2004), located in Lower Saxony, Germany. ... ▶ (help· info) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. ... In the study of human settlements, an agglomeration is an extended city or town area comprising the built-up area of a central place (usually a municipality) and any suburbs or adjacent satellite towns. ...

The granting of German city rights modelled after an established town to a new town regarded the original model as a Rechtsvorort, or roughly a legal sponsor of the newly-chartered town. For instance, Magdeburg became the sponsor of towns using Magdeburg Rights, and its lay judges could rule in ambiguous legal cases in towns using such rights. Certain city rights became known under different names, although they originally came from the same source; the name of some city variants designates the Rechtsvorort they became famous from, not necessarily that that specific style of rights originated from the Rechtsvorort.

As territorial borders changed through the passage of time, changes to German city rights were inevitable. During the course of the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, the town laws of many places were modified with aspects of Roman law by legal experts. Ultimately, the older towns laws, along with local autonomy and jurisdiction, gave way to landed territorial rulers. With the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of 1803, almost all of the 51 reichsfrei cities of the Holy Roman Empire were mediatised by the territorial princes; the remaining imperial free cities of Frankfurt, Bremen, Hamburg, and Lübeck became sovereign states. The only remnants of medieval town rights (statutes) included in the Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch of 1 January 1900 were single articles concerning family and inheritance laws. The cities of Hamburg, Bremen, and Berlin are currently administered under Landesrechte, or laws of the federal states of Germany. (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... Roman law is the legal system of ancient Rome. ... The Reichsdeputationshauptschluss conclusion was a resolution of the last meeting of the Immerwaehrenden realm tags on 25 February 1803 in Regensburg. ... 1803 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The Reichsfreiheit or Reichsunmittelbarkeit (adjectives reichsfrei, reichsunmittelbar) was a special, privileged status a city or region could attain in the Holy Roman Empire. ... The Holy Roman Empire and from the 16th century on also The Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation was a political conglomeration of lands in Central Europe in the Middle Ages and the early modern period. ... // Background The German Mediatisation is a name applied to the series of mediatisations and secularisations which occurred in Germany during the Napoleonic Era (occurring 1795 - 1814AD). ... In the Holy Roman Empire, an Imperial Free City (in German: Freie Reichsstadt) was a city formally responsible to the Emperor only — as opposed to the majority of cities in the Empire, which belonged to a territory and were thus governed by one of the many princes and dukes of... Skyline of Frankfurt at night is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany. ... Bremen may mean: Bremen (city), the city in Germany itself Bremen Airport Bremen (state), which comprises the cities of Bremen and Bremerhaven Archbishopric of Bremen, a historical state to the north of the city Duchy of Bremen, a historical state created on the secularization of the archbishopric in 1648 Bremen... The smaller Alster lake at dusk Hamburg (Low German: Hamborg, [haË‘mbɔːχ]) is the second largest city in Germany and with Hamburg Harbour, its principal port, Hamburg is also the second largest port city in the European Union. ... Publication in the Reich Law Gazette on August 24, 1896 The Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (or BGB) is the civil code of Germany. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1900 (MCM) was an exceptional common year starting on Monday. ... This article is about the capital city of Germany. ... Germany is a Federal Republic made up of 16 States, known in German as Länder (transliterated as Laender in English, singular Land). ...

Town layout

Many towns granted German city rights had already existed for some time, but the granting of town law codified the legal status of the settlement. Many European localities date their foundation to their reception of a town charter, even though they had existed as a settlement beforehand.

Cities with German city rights often had similar layouts. Somewhat isolated was part of the city contained the residence and castle of the regional ruler, along with a cathedral. The city proper was centered around a market square or ring which featured a church for wealthy merchants and artisans. Streets led out from the market in a planned grid system or concentric circles in which less wealthy citizens lived; riverfront sections of a city were designed with semicircles. The perimeter of the city was guarded by defensive walls, gates, and moats. If the city had already existed as a settlement, pre-existing defenses were sometimes incorporated into the fortifications. Cities whose layouts depict this type of urban planning include Wrocław, Kraków, Vienna, Brno, Prague. A cathedral is a Christian church building, specifically of a denomination with an episcopal hierarchy, such as the Anglican, Catholic and some Lutheran churches, which serves as the central church of a diocese, and thus as a bishops seat. ... The Market square (or sometimes the market place) is a feature of many British and other European towns. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Separation barrier. ... [For alternate meanings see Gate (disambiguation) A gate is a point of entry to a space enclosed by walls, or an opening in a fence. ... The moated manor house of Baddesley Clinton in Warwickshire, England Moats (also known as a Fosse) were deep and wide water-filled trenches, excavated to provide a barrier against attack upon castle ramparts or other fortifications. ... Fortifications (Latin fortis, strong, and facere, to make) are military constructions designed for defensive warfare. ... Urban planning is concerned with the ordering and design of settlements, from the smallest towns to the worlds largest cities. ... WrocÅ‚aw, (Polish pronunciation: (?), Czech: , German: ( (help· info)), Latin: Wratislavia or Vratislavia) is the capital of Lower Silesia in southwestern Poland, situated on the Oder River (Odra). ... Tomb of Kazimierz the Great St. ... Vienna (German: Wien [viːn]; Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian: Beč, Czech: Vídeň, Hungarian: Bécs, Romanian: Viena, Romani: Bech or Vidnya, Russian: Вена, Slovak: Viedeň, Slovenian: Dunaj) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... // Geography Brno (help· info) (-Czech, German: Brünn) is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, located in the southeast part of the country, at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers. ... Prague (Czech: Praha (IPA: ), see also other names) is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. ...

Towns with German law developed in differing density depending on their locations. In much of northern Europe, the regular positioning of many smaller cities was planned. In the middle region, towns were compactly located near another as a continuation of the dense cities of middle Germany. In the south the town density was meager, although there existed many markets which lacked town charters. Middle Germany is not central Germany. ... A physical marketplace in Portugal enables buyers and sellers of produce to do business with each other. ...

Eastward colonization

German town law was frequently applied during the East Colonisation of Central and Eastern Europe by German colonists beginning in the early 13th century. Because many areas were underpopulated or underdeveloped, local rulers offered urban privileges to peasants from western Germany to induce them to immigrate eastward. Some towns which received a German law charter were based on pre-existing settlements, while others were constructed anew by colonists. Many towns were formed in conjunction with the settlement of nearby rural communities, but the towns' urban rights were jealously guarded. Initially German town law was applied only to ethnic Germans, but gradually in most localities all town-dwellers were regarded as citizens, regardless of ethnic origin. East Colonisation (German: Ostsiedlung), also known as German eastward expansion, refers to the eastward expansion of Germans into regions inhabitated by Slavs, Balts, Romanians, and Hungarians beginning in the 12th century. ... This article refers to a colony in politics and history. ... (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ...

Lübeck law spread rapidly among the maritime settlements along the southern shore of the Baltic Sea and was used in northern Mecklenburg, Western Pomerania, and parts of Eastern Pomerania and Warmia. It formed the basis of Riga law in Riga, used in the lands of the Livonian Order in Livonia, Estonia, and Courland. Lübecks law was from the 13th century in the Middle Ages the foundation for municipal laws in many neighbouring cities on the Baltic Sea. ... The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. ... Mecklenburg is a geographical area located in Northern Germany. ... Historic Western Pomerania (outlined in yellow) Western Pomerania (also West Pomerania, Polish: , German: ), is a geographical and historical region in the west of Pomerania in northern Poland and Germany. ... Eastern Pomerania (also Pomerelia, East Pomerania, GdaÅ„sk Pomerania, Vistula Pomerania, Polish: , German: ), is a geographical and historical region in the east of Pomerania in northern Poland. ... Warmia in 1547 Warmia (Polish: , German: , Latin: Varmia, also historically known as Ermeland) is a region between Pomerania and Masuria in northeastern Poland. ... Riga (Latvian: RÄ«ga), the capital of Latvia, is situated on the Baltic Sea coast on the mouth of the River Daugava, at . ... The Livonian Brothers of the Sword (Latin Fratres militiae Christi, literally the brothers of the army of Christ), also known as the Christ Knights, Sword Brethren or The Militia of Christ of Livonia, was a military order started in 1202 by Albert von Buxhövden, bishop of Riga (or Prince-Bishop... Estonia, Livonia and Courland from a 1740 map Livonia (Latvian: Livonija; Estonian: Liivimaa; German: Livland; Polish: Inflanty; Russian: Лифляндия or Liflandiya) once was the land of the Finnic Livonians, but came in the Middle Ages to designate a much broader territory controlled by the Livonian Order on the eastern coasts of... coat of arms of Courland Courland (Latvian: Kurzeme, German: Kurland, Polish: Kurlandia, Latin: Curonia / Couronia) is a historical Baltic province now part of Latvia. ...

Magdeburg law was popular around the March of Meißen and Upper Saxony and was the source of several variants, including Środa Śląska law, used extensively in Upper Silesia, and Chełmno law, used in the territory of the Teutonic Knights in Prussia and along the lower Vistula in Eastern Pomerania. Other variants included Brandenburg, Litoměřice, and Olomouc law. The Magdeburg Rights (or Magdeburg law) were the laws of the Imperial Free City of Magdeburg during many centuries of the Holy Roman Empire, and possibly the most important set of Germanic medieval city laws. ... The Free State of Saxony (German: Freistaat Sachsen; Sorbian: Swobodny Stata Sakska) is at a land area of 18,413 km² and a population of 4. ... Map of Upper Silesia, 1746 Upper Silesia (Polish: Górny ÅšlÄ…sk, German: Oberschlesien, Czech: Horní Slezsko) is the south-eastern part of Silesia, a historical and geographical region of Poland (Opole Voivodship and Silesian Voivodship) and of the Czech Republic (Silesian-Moravian Region). ... CheÅ‚mno law was one of many modifications of Magdeburg rights. ... The Teutonic Order (German: Deutscher Orden, German Order; Latin: Ordo domus Sanctæ Mariæ Theutonicorum Ierosolimitanorum, Order of the Teutonic House of Mary in Jerusalem; Hungarian: Német Lovagrend, German Knighthood; Polish: Zakon Krzyżacki, Order of the Crossbearers; Lithuanian: Kryžiuočių Ordinas, Order of Crusaders) was a German crusading... The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 Prussia (German: ; Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Lithuanian: ; Old Prussian: PrÅ«sa; Polish: ) was, most recently, a historic state originating in East Prussia, an area which for centuries had a substantial influence on German and European history. ... The Vistula (Polish: WisÅ‚a) is the longest river in Poland. ...

Litoměřice law and codes based on that of Nuremberg, such as Old Prague and Cheb law, were introduced into Bohemia during the reign of King Wenceslaus I, while German colonists introduced Brno and Olomouc law in Moravia. South German law, broadly referring to the codes of Nuremberg and Vienna, was used in Bavaria, Austria, and Slovenia, and was introduced into the Kingdom of Hungary during the rule of King Béla IV. Jihlava law was a variant used frequently by mining communities in Bohemia, Moravia, the mountains of Slovakia, and Transylvania. Other town laws were only suitable for or were modified to fit local conditions, such as Głubczyce, Görlitz, Goslar, Lüneburg, Lwówek Śląski, Nysa, Spiš, and Székesfehérvár laws. Nuremberg (German: Nürnberg) is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. ... Bohemia. ... Wenceslaus I Premyslid (Czech Václav) (c. ... Moravia in relation to the current kraje of the Czech Republic Moravia (Czech and Slovak: Morava, German: ( ), Hungarian: Morvaország, Polish: Morawy) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic. ... Vienna (German: Wien [viːn]; Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian: Beč, Czech: Vídeň, Hungarian: Bécs, Romanian: Viena, Romani: Bech or Vidnya, Russian: Вена, Slovak: Viedeň, Slovenian: Dunaj) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... The Free State of Bavaria  (German: Freistaat Bayern), with an area of 70,553 km² (27,241 square miles) and 12. ... The Kingdom of Hungary (Hungarian: Magyar Királyság) is the name of a multiethnic kingdom that existed in Central Europe from 1000 to 1918. ... Béla IV c. ... The El Chino Mine located near Silver City, New Mexico is an open-pit copper mine This article is about mineral extraction. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

Resulting from the reign of King Kazimierz III the Great, numerous towns were chartered with Środa Śląska law throughout the Kingdom of Poland in the 14th century, especially in Masovia, Galicia, and Volhynia. Many Transylvanian Saxon settlements in Transylvania, especially in the regions of Altland, Burzenland, and Nösnerland, received South German law in the 14th century. Kazimierz III the Great by Jan Matejko Kazimierz III the Great (Polish: Kazimierz Wielki; 1310 – 1370), King of Poland (1333-70), was the son of King WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw I the Elbow-high and Jadwiga of Gniezno and Greater Poland. ... The Kingdom of Poland of the later Piasts was the Polish state in the years between the coronation of WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw I the Elbow-high in 1320 and the death of Kazimierz III the Great in 1370. ... This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right). ... Historical division of Masovia Masovia (Polish: Mazowsze) is a geographical and historical region situated in central Poland with its capital at Warsaw. ... Coat-of-arms of Galicia Galicia is an historical region currently split between Poland and Ukraine. ... Pochayiv Lavra, the spiritual heart of Volhynia Volhynia (Ukrainian: , Polish: , Russian: ; also called Volynia) comprises the historic region in western Ukraine located between the rivers Pripyat and Western Bug -- to the north of Galicia and of Podolia. ... The Transylvanian Saxons (German: Siebenbürger Sachsen; Romanian: SaÅŸi, Hungarian: Szászok) are a people of German origin who settled in Transylvania from the 12th century onwards. ... The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ... The Nösnerland (-German, Romanian: Å¢ara Năsăudului, Hungarian: Naszód) is a historic region of northeastern Transylvania in present-day Romania centered between the BistriÅ£a and MureÅŸ rivers. ...

In the 15th century, many towns in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were chartered with the Środa Śląska law used in much of Poland, although this was done through the duplication of Polish administrative methods instead of German colonization. In the 16th century Muscovy granted or reaffirmed Magdeburg rights to various towns along the Dnieper acquired from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. After the Partitions of Poland, Magdeburg Law continued to be used in western Imperial Russia until the 1830s. The presumable banner of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with the coat of arms, called Пагоня in Belarusian, Vytis in Lithuanian and PogoÅ„ in Polish Another version of the Lithuanian banner The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuvos Didžioji KunigaikÅ¡tystÄ—, Belarusian: Вялі́кае Кня́ства Літо́ўскае (ВКЛ), Ukrainian: Велике Князівство Литовське (ВКЛ), Polish: Wielkie KsiÄ™stwo Litewskie) was an... Muscovy (Moscow principality (княжество Московское) to Grand Duchy of Moscow (Великое Княжество Московское) to Russian Tsardom (Царство Русское)) is a traditional Western name for the Russian state that existed from the 14th century to the late 17th century. ... This article is about the river. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The Partitions of Poland (Polish: Rozbiór Polski or Rozbiory Polski; Lithuanian: Padalijimas) took place in the 18th century and ended the existence of the sovereign Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. ... Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start...

It is important to keep in mind that although many towns outside of the Holy Roman Empire had significant German populations, in some cases a town being a "German city" referred to its legal system based on German law, not necessarily meaning it had a German population. Especially in Eastern Europe, most towns had minimal German populations, if any at all. The Holy Roman Empire and from the 16th century on also The Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation was a political conglomeration of lands in Central Europe in the Middle Ages and the early modern period. ...

See also

• Chełmno law
• East Colonisation
• List of towns with German town law
• Lübeck law
• Magdeburg rights
• Town privileges

Chełmno law was one of many modifications of Magdeburg rights. ... East Colonisation (German: Ostsiedlung), also known as German eastward expansion, refers to the eastward expansion of Germans into regions inhabitated by Slavs, Balts, Romanians, and Hungarians beginning in the 12th century. ... Lübecks law was from the 13th century in the Middle Ages the foundation for municipal laws in many neighbouring cities on the Baltic Sea. ... The Magdeburg Rights (or Magdeburg law) were a set of city laws regulating the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages granted with it by a local ruler. ... Town privileges was an important feature of European towns during most of the 2nd millenium. ...

References

• Christiansen, Eric. The Northern Crusades. Penguin Books. London, 1997. ISBN 0140266534
• Krallert, Wilfried. Atlas zur Geschichte der deutschen Ostsiedlung. Velhagen & Klasing. Bielefeld. 1958.
• Magocsi, Paul Robert. Historical Atlas of Central Europe: Revised and Expanded Edition. University of Washington Press. Seattle. 2002. ISBN 0295981938
• Westermanns Atlas zur Weltgeschichte. Georg Westermann Verlag Braunschweig. Berlin. 1963.
• This article also incorporates information from the German Wikipedia's Stadtrecht article, retrieved 6 May 2006.

May 6 is the 126th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (127th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• (German) History of city rights in Schleswig-Holstein
• (German) Map showing the spread of German town laws throughout Westphalia