Preetz is located only 15 kilometres to the south-east of the provincial capital Kiel. With round about 16.000 inhabitants Preetz is the biggest city within the administrative district of Plön. 

Lakes and rivers shape the typical character of the landscape of Schleswig-Holstein. It is this charming scenery that Preetz is surrounded by. Offering a multitude of leisure time facilities Preetz is a holiday resort that guarantees full recreation. 

The name "Preetz" stems from the slavic expression "Porez" which means "at the river". It refers to the river "Schwentine" which is one of the longest rivers of Schleswig-Holstein, measuring 62 kilometres. It springs up at the highest point of the state - the Bungsberg - and flows through the complete "Holsteinische Schweiz" with its many big lakes. The Schwentine River flows through the cities Eutin, Bad Malente, Plön, Preetz, Schwentinental and ends in Kiel-Wellingdorf and respectively in the "Kieler Förde" (fjord of Kiel). Along the stretch between Preetz and Kiel the Schwentine is a ruggedly picturesque river that meanders past meadows, forrests and even a natural riverside woodland. The river valley between the two hydroelectric power plants in Raisdorf is regarded as one of the most beautiful landscapes of Schleswig-Holstein.

The growth of Preetz is closely connected to the history of the Benedictine convent of Preetz that was founded by Graf Albrecht von Orlamünde in 1211. For many centuries the monasterial authorities were in charge of the jurisprudence and administration. This liaison had an end in 1867 when Schleswig-Holstein became a prussian province and Preetz received its town charter in 1870.