Malchow

Malchow developed on an island in the Mecklenburg lake district, connected to the southern shore by a long bridge. Across the lake, a convent moved to Alt-Malchow in 1298 and accumulated estates in the following century. It survived the Reformation as a foundation for noblewomen from 1572. Clothmaking became a major trade: a report of 1515 counted Malchow's guild among the strongest in the region. Fires devastated the island town in 1697 and again in 1721. After the second fire the duke permitted rebuilding and settlement on the lakeshore beyond the island, extending the town's inhabited area.