Kreis Meseritz

Kreis Meseritz (Landkreis Meseritz as of 1939; Polish: Powiat międzyrzecki) was a district in Prussia, first in the southern administrative Region of Posen within the Prussian Province of Posen (till 1920), then within the Province of the Frontier March of Posen-West Prussia (till 1 October 1938) and at last as part of the administrative Region of Frankfurt within the Province of Brandenburg (till 1945). Its former territory presently lies in the eastern part of the Lubuskie Voivodeship, a region of Poland, roughly resembling the extent of the present county Powiat międzyrzecki.

History

When the area later forming the territory of the Kreis Meseritz was first annexed to Prussia from 1793 to 1807 it formed the Meseritzer Kreis (Meseritz district) within the Province of South Prussia, then governed by the Departement der Kriegs- und Domainen-Kammer zu Posen (Department of the chamber of war and demesnes at Posen).

After being part of the Duchy of Warsaw the area returned to Prussia as a result of the Congress of Vienna. The Kreis Meseritz came into existence on 1 January 1818 after separation from Kreis Birnbaum. In 1837 it measured 21.78 Prussian square miles (1,292.5 square kilometres (499.0 sq mi)). It consisted mostly of the rural territories around the town of Meseritz. It became part of the North German Confederation in 1867 and of the German Empire when it was founded in 1871.