Penzlin - Home of the Maltzahns

The small town of Penzlin is situated in the South of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in the centre of the Mecklenburg lake district, just at the borders of the Müritz national park. The city developed from a Slavonic settlement, which is still visible in the ruins of a weir system stemming from the period between the 7th to the 13th century. In 1263, Penzlin received its charter from Prince Nikolas of Werle. Upon the town hills, the Slavonic weir system was rebuilt into the Old Castle and the gothic St. Mary's Church, in the 13th century. From 1501 onwards, the Old Castle was the home of the house of Maltzahn. Before the Thirty Years´ War, about 4.000 witch trials took place, here. Mostly women were persecuted, tortured in the witch dungeons and murdered. Nowadays, a museum including an old witch cellar and a medieval kitchen recall this era.