▁White ▁El ster . ▁ ▁As ▁with ▁other ▁nearby ▁settlement s , ▁the ▁place ▁name ▁( origin ally ▁Gr outs ) ▁is ▁of ▁S lav ic ▁origin ▁and ▁means ▁Gra dec . ▁It ▁was ▁first ▁mentioned ▁in ▁ 1 2 0 9 . ▁The ▁prime ▁location ▁of ▁Gre iz ▁at ▁the ▁river ▁White ▁El ster ▁and ▁the ▁stream ▁Gö lt z sch ▁made ▁it ▁a ▁fast - g row ing ▁town . ▁It ▁kept ▁expand ing ▁during ▁the ▁last ▁ 1 0 0 0 ▁years . ▁It ▁has ▁been ▁recognized ▁as ▁town ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 3 th ▁century ▁for ▁the ▁first ▁time . ▁Later ▁the ▁House ▁of ▁Re uss , ▁a ▁r uling ▁German ▁dynast y , ▁built ▁ 2 ▁cast les ▁in ▁Gre iz : ▁the ▁" O ber es ▁Schloss " ▁( Upper ▁castle ) ▁and ▁the ▁" Un ter es ▁Schloss " ▁( Lower ▁castle ). ▁Both ▁were ▁built ▁by ▁famous ▁architect s ▁and ▁are ▁still ▁considered ▁unique . ▁Gre iz ▁became ▁the ▁capital ▁of ▁the ▁Princi p ality ▁of ▁Re uss - Gre iz ▁( until ▁ 1 9 1 8 ). ▁ ▁Gre iz ▁has ▁a ▁large ▁park ▁in ▁its ▁center ▁( F ür st lich ▁Gre izer ▁Park ) ▁which ▁is ▁class ified ▁as ▁an ▁English ▁garden . ▁Thomas straße , ▁Burg straße , ▁Mark t straße , ▁Wald straße , ▁and ▁Leon hardt straße ▁with ▁their ▁Jugend st il ▁houses ▁are ▁well ▁known ▁examples ▁of ▁that ▁architect ural ▁style . ▁In ▁Prof .- Dr .-