Oranienburg

Oranienburg is a town in Brandenburg, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Oberhavel. Originally named Botzow, the metropolis of Oranienburg dates from the 12th century and became first cited in 1216. Margrave Albert the Bear allegedly ordered the development of a fort at the banks of the Havel. Around the fortress stood a settlement of investors and craftsmen. In 1646 Friedrich Wilhelm I of Brandenburg married Louise Henriette of Orange-Nassau. She became so attracted by using the town of Botzow that her husband presented the whole place to her.

The princess ordered the development of a brand new castle in the Dutch style and referred to as it Oranienburg or Schloss Oranienburg. In 1653 the city of Botzow changed into renamed Oranienburg. Silvio Gesell, the founding father of Freiwirtschaft, lived in Oranienburg among 1911 and 1915, publishing his magazine, Der Physiocrat. He returned to the city in 1927 and lived there till his dying in 1930.