Mühlberg Place Names

The most frequently mentioned is found on the River Elbe, 120 kms south of Berlin near Dresden. Mühlberg was also spelt Milbvrgvm latin (written as Milburgum) around time of the Battle of Mühlberg, 1547. In 1882 the Gazetteer of the World made the following mention:

The city of Mühlberg on the Elbe was first authentically documented in 1228; when the ‘Marienstern’ monastic church; was built by Otto and Bodo von Ileburg. The evidence of a donation to the two brothers by count Heinrich von Meißen confirms the instruction to transform the parish church in Mühlberg into a Monastic church. Mühlberg was settled on an island within a valley under the protection of a medieval water castle. The city is a rare example of a former medieval double city, which was combined by union in 1346. The barriers and ditches that separated the old and new parts of the city are still visible today. Archaeological excavations have since found graves belonging to Slavic Settlements dating back to 600 AD. Slav is an abbreviation for Schlavene, however the Slavic Tribes originate from two separate groups the ‘Schlavenes’ and the ‘Antes.’ Whilst both shared a common language they were often at war with each other. There were many Slavic Settlements in the lower ‘Donau’ (Danube) region between 500-700 AD. The Danube River runs between Munich and Stuttgart in Southern Germany. The Castle (Castrum Moleberg) dates back to the 8th/9th century when it was a Slavic reinforcement protecting the settlement. It is thought that the Mühlberger settlement must have begun around this time. 

By 1272, the Mühlberger lock is documented to have been constructed making the Castrum Moleberg a rare water castle with stone tower, residential and economy buildings. The Mühlberger lock though was not completed until after the city fire of 1545, during which the original castle was destroyed. In 1350 and 1354, the plague twice devastated the city almost decimating the inhabitants of the monastery. The monastery had difficulty raising capital at times giving rise to unorthodox methods such as monastery home-brew for the citizens around the year 1499. Town councillors fined offending citizens. Earlier in 1494, the monastery was accused of running a brothel to raise capital. Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV lent his coat of arms to Mühlberg when he acquired Brandenburg in 1373 as an inheritance from the House of Luxembourg. It is from his coat of arms that the current design for the Mühlberg crest originates. In 1643, fire damaged large parts of the ‘Klosterkirche’ (Church). A thunderbolt later struck the church in 1806 severely damaging the church again. It was rebuilt between 1808 and 1810. 

In 1815, Mühlberg came under Prussian rule. The population in 1882 was 3317. Dutch windmills are located just north of Mühlberg at Koßdorf. Trade today is considerable in timber and corn, which is exported by river. In 1905, the population of Mühlberg was 3,380. By 2006, the population was 4,757. The city is serviced by the Mühlberg ferry which was due to be replaced by a bridge in 2005. The city is represented by the ‘SV Empor Mühlberg soccer team,’ which competes in the Brandenburg South country league. Lufthansa Airlines founder, Baron Carl August von Gablenz fatally crashed his Siebel Si 204 airplane due to mechanical failure at Mühlberg on the Elbe on the 21st of August 1942. Recently the Elbe-Elster-Express was re-opened after a 46-year absence of rail transport through Mühlberg. Flooding of the River Elbe featured Mühlberg making world news during the summer of 2002 as mentioned in this article:

Following the Dresden Floods a book was published titled ‘We remained spared - Mühlberg says thanks,’ providing a photographic record of the floods as well as a history of the Elbe river itself. In September 2006, the dykes protecting the old part of Mühlberg were again threatened by heavy snow in the Czech mountains.