There are many reminders of Heinrich Rantzau in Bad Segeberg: the epitaph for his grandfather in St. Mary’s Church (Marienkirche), the picture panel depicting the murder of Count Adolf, and a commemorative plaque for one of his charitable foundations. From here, it is only a few hundred metres to the obelisk and chapel on Hamburger Straße. Heinrich Rantzau is the namesake of the primary school on Schillerstraße and a street in the immediate vicinity of the school. The city has donated a Heinrich Rantzau medal, which is awarded to deserving citizens.

Heinrich Rantzau also challenged artists: the Segeberg sculptor and painter Otto Flath created a bust of him that shows an expressive character head. The wooden sculpture is on display in the Museum Segeberger Bürgerhaus.

Almost ten years ago, a small group of volunteer enthusiasts from Segeberg founded the 500 Years of Heinrich Rantzau (www.heinrich-rantzau.de) research centre. Its aim is to gather knowledge about Heinrich Rantzau and to encourage representatives and institutions from the worlds of science and culture to engage with Heinrich Rantzau. Since 2016 the centre has organised an annual celebratory event on 11 March with lectures focussing on one of the many fields of activity of the humanist and politician.

Not least thanks to their commitment, a series of initiatives have been launched which, with their projects for the 500th Heinrich Rantzau’s 500th birthday, enrich the culture of remembrance in Schleswig-Holstein in many different ways.