Gänseburg Castle

The first documented mention of a Slavic castle was already in 946, when King Otto I endowed the diocese of Havelberg, which he founded, with, among other things, the castle and castle district "Pochlustin". In the course of the land acquisition after the victory over the Wends, in 1179 the knight Johannes Gans from the Altmark was enfeoffed with the castle and the lands, since then Putlitz has been considered the ancestral seat of the most powerful branch of the Gans family. The family is also considered the founder of the town of Putlitz, which initially existed more as a village settlement next to the castle. Until the Reformation, the Bishop of Havelberg was the territorial and overlord of the Lordship (Terra) Putlitz, which, in contrast to other Prignitz towns, was thus a mediate town. In 1259, Putlitz is mentioned as a parish. In 1543, the town received market rights. After several town fires, the castle was abandoned and demolished, except for the castle tower.