13. März 2010
History
Historical Facts about the District of Greiz
The settlement of the area came relatively late. During the prehistoric times, many settlers passed through the area once known as the 
Woodlands. During the Bronze Age, as well as the Early Iron Age (between 1500 and 1300 BC), only one large settlement located on the Eselsberg Mountains between Berga and Wünschendorf in the District Gera-Land was known to exist. At the beginning of the 9th and 10th centuries AD, the Slavic Sorbs settled in the region. Place names ending with "-itz" along with their Slavic origins still exist to this day. In the 1200s, the Germanic tribes took over the region, as well as the Vogtland, as part of their Eastward Expansion. Place names ending with "-grün", "-dorf", and "-reuth" are characteristic of the Germanic origins.
In the 12th century, the settlers hired Reeves (Vögte) to protect their highly wooded kingdom from intruders. This is where the name "Vogtland" originated. The Armies of Weida belonged to this group, and from 1209 onwards, were called the Reeves of Weida. They later became the Reeves of Weida, Gera and Plauen in 1244. The size of the Vogtland region was larger than the region that exists today.
Of the family of Reeves that existed during that time, only the Reuß dynasty managed to survive all the way up to the early 20th century. While the older family bloodline originated from the region Greiz (which included Zeulenroda), the younger bloodline originated from the regions of Gera and Schleiz. The two principalities merged to form the state of Reuß in 1919. Along with other neighboring principalities and duchies, it was integrated into the newly formed state of Thuringia on 1 May, 1920.
In April 1945, in connection with World War II, the American troops arrived in Thuringia, and liberated the region. In accordance to the agreement made by the Allies, the troops cleared the region on 3 July, 1945 and Thuringia became part of the Soviet occupied zone.
The federal state of Thuringia came into existence on 7 November, 1990. The word Vogtland, which existed since the 1200s, is still being used today. The region consists of the District of Greiz, as well as other small neighboring parts of Thuringia.
In connection to the land reform, the district borders were drawn on 1 July, 1994, and consist of the former District Gera-Land, Zeulenroda, and the (old) District of Greiz. These borders still exist today. The district today consists of 117,000 inhabitants living on 843 km² of land.