Bad Wilsnack

The town is situated within the Prignitz historical region in the northwest of Brandenburg, roughly halfway between Berlin and Hamburg.

The townscape is marked by the large St Nicholas Church of the Holy Blood and several timber framed houses.

The town became a pilgrimage destination after being burned down on 15 August 1383 during a raid by the Mecklenburg captain and robber baron Heinrich von Bülow against the Bishopric of Havelberg.

Reformers like Jan Hus and Nicholas of Cusa later discouraged pilgrimage to Wilsnack, questioning the nature of these wonder hosts and suspecting fraud.

Numerous pilgrims, among them Elector Frederick II of Brandenburg went to the rebuilt town to see the miraculous hosts; their revenues enabled the citizens to construct the large St Nicholas Church for their worship, a larger building than otherwise needed in the parish.

Lenzerwische Lenzen (Elbe) Lanz Cumlosen Groß Pankow Pritzwalk Gumtow Plattenburg Legde/Quitzöbel Rühstädt Bad Wilsnack Breese Weisen Wittenberge Perleberg Karstädt Gülitz-Reetz Pirow Berge Putlitz Kümmernitztal Gerdshagen Halenbeck-Rohlsdorf Meyenburg Marienfließ Triglitz Ostprignitz-Ruppin Putlitz Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt
St Nicholas Church
Development of Population since 1875 within the Current Boundaries (Blue Line: Population; Dotted Line: Comparison to Population Development of Brandenburg state; Grey Background: Time of Nazi rule; Red Background: Time of Communist rule)
Coat of Arms of Prignitz district
Coat of Arms of Prignitz district