Bad Wilsnack
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| Bad Wilsnack | |
| Coat of arms | Location |
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| Administration | |
| Country |  Germany |
|---|---|
| State | Brandenburg |
| District | Prignitz |
| Municipal assoc. | Bad Wilsnack/Weisen |
| Town subdivisions | 8 Stadtteile |
| Mayor | Dietrich Gappa (CDU) |
| Basic statistics | |
| Area | 79.21 km² (30.6 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 27 m (89 ft) |
| Population | 2,803 (31/12/2006) |
| - Density | 35 /km² (92 /sq mi) |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Licence plate | PR |
| Postal code | 19336 |
| Area code | 038791 |
| Website | www.bad-wilsnack.de |
| Location of the town of Bad Wilsnack within Prignitz district | |
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Bad Wilsnack is a town in the Prignitz district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated approximately halfway between Berlin and Hamburg. Since 1928 its has been officially recognised as a spa town, before which time its name was simply Wilsnack since then. Bad Wilsnack is pronounced "But Vilsnuck".
It has a very important history as a pilgrimage destination after the town and church were burnt down in the 14th century. It was believed that in 1383 some hosts were found to be bleeding on the altar after a raid by Heinrich von Bülow. The Holy Blood of Wilsnack was authenticated when Bishop Dietrich Man of Havelberg went to consecrate the hosts as a precaution, and the central one overflowed with blood, according to later accounts. The resultant pilgrimages to see the miraculous hosts went on until the Reformation, when its proximity to Wittenberge quickly caused pilgrimages to cease. The story of the bleeding hosts was depicted in a series of woodcuts in the Middle Ages which were used on the emergency money issued by the town in the 1920's (Notgeld).
To this day, the city sports a huge church that is much larger than would be expected for the size of the town.
The pilgrims that came to Wilsnack bought pewter trinkets to indicate that they had reached Wilsnack. These emblems were often in the form of 3 hosts connected together. These turn up in Archaeological digs from around and can also be seen in numerous paintings from medieval times.
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