Friedensau celebrates its 120th birthday
30. Sep. 2019
On Saturday 29, 2019, Friedensau celebrated its 120th birthday: with a ceremony at which the municipal representatives and the presidents of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Germany conveyed greetings and wishes. With guided tours through the village, the local history museum and the archaeological museum, but also with coffee and cake, bouncy castle, and children's make-up, there were interesting things for all visitors from near and far. The musical accompaniment was provided by the wind section of the Berlin-Central German Conference, the wind section from Potsdam, and the University Choir. A Kettcar race from the village square to the newly built arena led the visitors to the second highlight of the day: the inauguration of the arena on the Friedensau campgrounds. The winner of the race was the relay team with the Administrative Head of the District Dr. Steffen Burchhardt, theology student Lara Isecke, and pupil Joel Cervantes.
Friedensau, a district of the town Möckern and village in the Jerichower Land, was founded in 1899. The founding fathers gave the village the name "Friedens-au" (peaceful meadow), which until then had been known as the "Klappermühle" (rattling mill) of the owner Otto Knochenmuß. Much earlier the village "Wusten" existed here. That village was first mentioned in documents in 1306, when the Magdeburg Cathedral Chapter sold the castle of Grabow and "accessories", including the "Molendinum" in Wusten, to the bishop of Brandenburg. The "Molendinum" (lat. for mill) referred to the watermill, which was given the name "Klappermühle" later.
In late autumn of 1899, representatives of the Seventh-day Adventist Church bought the site and built a school for the training of pastors and nurses here. The predecessor institution of today's Friedensau Adventist University (FAU) began teaching seven students under simple conditions already on November 19, 1899. Within a few years, residential and school buildings as well as a sanatorium and a retirement home in the Wilhelminian style were built on the site. Today, the complex is listed as a historic site.