95-706: The Zare is a river in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern , Germany . It flows into the Sude near Walsmühlen . This article related to a river in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ( MV ; German: [ˌmeːklənbʊʁkˈfoːɐ̯pɔmɐn] or [ˌmɛk-] ; Low German : Mäkelborg-Vörpommern ), also known by its anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania ,
190-840: A Landtag replaced the Beratende Versammlung and created the constitution of 16 January 1947, for the Land Mecklenburg-Vorpommern . On 18 April 1947, the state's name was shortened to Land Mecklenburg . Mecklenburg became a constituent state (" Land ") of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) upon its formation in 1949. In 1952, the East German government abandoned the term Land in this context and redesignated its administrative territorial divisions as "districts" (German: Bezirke ). The territory of Mecklenburg and Vorpommern
285-561: A "social, pragmatic party" with decisive policy overlap with the SPD. She said that The Left had been a reliable partner to the government even while in opposition, and had assumed "state-political responsibility" during the COVID-19 pandemic . On 5 November 2021, the SPD and The Left agreed to a coalition government and plan to form a cabinet, which is to be approved by each party-congress by mid-November. The gross domestic product (GDP) of
380-464: A Danish fleet led by Roskilde archbishop Absalon sacked Rügen . The Arkona temple was sieged and destroyed. After this main temple's fall, Rügen's capitol Charenza ( Venzer Burgwall ) capitulated, all other temples were given to the Danes for destruction and Jaromar I, Prince of Rügen became a Danish vassal. The Rani then converted to Christianity. From Rügen, which still had a strong navy and army,
475-591: A Low German trend. Another explanation is that the ⟨c⟩ comes from a mannerism in High German officialese of writing unnecessary letters, a so-called Letternhäufelung ( lit. ' letter accumulation ' , as was done sometimes in English with words such as "doubt"). In the aftermath of the Second World War and German reunification in 1990, the state was constituted from
570-576: A certain " Hanseatic " style also found in other parts of northern Germany (e.g. Lübeck ) as well as in countries bordering the Baltic Sea like Estonia (e.g. Tallinn ) or Latvia (e.g. Riga ). A common feature of many towns in Mecklenburg and Vorpommern are red Brick Gothic churches and houses dating back to the Middle Ages . Also stepped and tailed gables are a typical feature of
665-555: A common history and identity. The states of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz became Grand Duchies in 1815, and in 1870 they voluntarily joined the new German Empire , while retaining their own internal autonomy. After the First World War and the abdication of the German Kaiser , the monarchies of the duchies were abolished and republican governments of both Mecklenburg states were established, until
760-404: A further complication, the borders of the eponymous administrative units have been drawn disregarding mostly the historical ones. The Polish unit called województwo zachodniopomorskie ( West Pomeranian Voivodeship ) includes the whole Polish part of Hither Pomerania, but only the western two-thirds of Farther Pomerania, with the remaining easternmost one-third ( Słupsk , Ustka , Miastko ) forming
855-588: A notable tourism sector in the region. Over the centuries, Mecklenburg and Vorpommern have developed and maintained strong regional cultures. It can generally be described as North German and has similar linguistic and historic characteristics to other north German states, such as Schleswig-Holstein . People in Vorpommern, as a result of that territory being a former province of Prussia , tend to look slightly more towards Berlin and Brandenburg than people in Mecklenburg would. The cities are characterised by
950-480: A part of the neighbouring województwo pomorskie ( Pomeranian Voivodeship ). On the other hand, it stretches far more south than the historical region, to include the northern part of the historical Neumark ( Dębno , Chojna , Trzcińsko-Zdrój , Myślibórz , Nowogródek Pomorski , Lipiany , Barlinek , Pełczyce , Suchań , Choszczno , Recz , Drawno ), as well as a strip the historical Greater Poland ( Tuczno , Człopa , Mirosławiec , Wałcz , Czaplinek ), or even
1045-648: A period of Swedish rule, the traditional faith in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is Protestantism , specifically Lutheranism . There are also a number of Catholics and people of other faiths. In May 2012 the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg merged with North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church and Pomeranian Evangelical Church into the new Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany . Some parishes of
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#17327840117941140-459: A sizeable audience by performing classical concerts in parks, churches and castles. Caspar David Friedrich , a famous romanticist painter born in Greifswald , immortalised parts of the state in several of his paintings. Today the vast majority of people speak Standard German ; a few centuries ago most people spoke Low German (German: Plattdeutsch or Niederdeutsch ), a language that
1235-563: A small area of Hither Pomerania including Szczecin – the region's principal city – and Świnoujście was transferred along with Farther Pomerania to Poland, and formed part of the Szczecin Voivodeship . The bulk of Vorpommern became part of the newly constituted Land (state) of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern . The word "Vorpommern" was deleted from the state's name at the insistence of the Soviet military administration in 1947 and
1330-533: A small part of Pomerelia ( Biały Bór ). As a consequence, the common understanding of the term West Pomerania has recently started to shift towards this current administrative extent. Similarly, borders of the German districts Vorpommern-Rügen and Vorpommern-Greifswald deviate from the historical ones in numerous locations. The name Pomorze Przednie , Przedpomorze – corresponding to Hither/Fore Pomerania German: Vorpommern –
1425-448: Is a state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's sixteen states , Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ranks 14th in population; it covers an area of 23,300 km (9,000 sq mi), making it the sixth largest German state in area; and it is 16th in population density. Schwerin is the state capital and Rostock is the largest city. Other major cities include Neubrandenburg , Stralsund , Greifswald , Wismar , and Güstrow . It
1520-408: Is an administrative entity subordinate only to the state level. Consideration was given during an unsuccessful district reform project in 1994 to restoring the old boundary, but this was not implemented. The Ribnitz, Marlow and Fischland area of Vorpommern-Rügen were historically part of Mecklenburg. The old western boundary line was preserved in the division between the two Protestant church bodies of
1615-635: Is bounded to the north by the Baltic Sea , to the west by Schleswig-Holstein , to the southwest by Lower Saxony , to the south by Brandenburg , and to the east by the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's state capital is Schwerin . The largest city is Rostock with approximately 205,000 people, followed by Schwerin . Other major cities include Neubrandenburg , Stralsund , Greifswald , Wismar and Güstrow . Since 4 September 2011, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
1710-509: Is convened. The last election of the Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern took place on 26 September 2021. The SPD won a landslide plurality of almost 40% of votes, a nine percentage point increase from 2016. The opposition Alternative for Germany (AfD) remained the second largest party but declined to under 17%. The CDU recorded its worst ever result in the state with 13.3%, while The Left also declined to 10%. Alliance 90/The Greens and
1805-617: Is divided into six Kreise (districts): Also counting two independent urban districts: The state's Baltic Sea coast is about 2,000 km (1,200 mi) long and features several islands, most notably Germany's two biggest islands Rügen and Usedom , but also a number of smaller islands such as Hiddensee and Poel . Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's varied coastline also has many peninsulas such as Fischland-Darß-Zingst and various lagoons (also known as Bodden or Haff ). A total of 283 nature reserves, 110 landscape reserves and three of Germany's fourteen national parks are scattered all over
1900-477: Is increasingly driven by the service , tourism , and high-tech sectors. The old towns , hundreds of castles and manors , resort buildings , windmills , churches, and various other cultural monuments of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern have been renovated in recent years. Since 2013, net migration into the state has been positive again. Sixth-largest in area and fourteenth in overall population among Germany's sixteen Bundesländer (federal states), Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
1995-571: Is nowadays used in Polish almost exclusively when referring to the part located in Germany, while its usage in the full (historical German) meaning is limited to exact translations of German texts. It is also referred to as Pomorze Wołogoskie (Wolgast Pomerania). The major feature of Western Pomerania is its long Baltic Sea and lagoons coastline. Typical is a distinct "double coast", whereby offshore islands separate lagoons (so-called bodden ) from
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#17327840117942090-497: Is pronounced [ˈmɛklənbʊʁk] , because the digraph ⟨ck⟩ marks a preceding short vowel in High German . However, Mecklenburg is within the historical Low German language area, and the ⟨c⟩ appeared in its name during the period of transition to Standard , High German usage (Low German authors wrote the name Meklenborg or Męklenborg , depicting proper Low German pronunciation, which itself
2185-570: Is still kept alive within various communities and cultural events. Like most German regions, Mecklenburg and Vorpommern have their own traditional dishes, often including fish, beef and pork. Rostock has its own type of bratwurst called Rostocker Bratwurst . A famous dish from Western Pomerania is Bismarck Herring . Rote Grütze is a popular dessert. The largest beer breweries are Mecklenburgische Brauerei Lübz ( Lübzer Pils), Hanseatische Brauerei Rostock , Darguner Brauerei and Störtebeker Braumanufaktur ( Stralsund , multiple winner of
2280-556: Is the western extremity of the historic region of Pomerania , located mostly in north-eastern Germany , with a small portion in north-western Poland , at the southern coast of the Baltic Sea . Western Pomerania's boundaries have changed through the centuries as it belonged to various countries such as the Duchy of Pomerania (later part of the Holy Roman Empire ), Denmark, Sweden, as well as Prussia which incorporated it as
2375-763: The Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Mecklenburg and the Pomeranian Evangelical Church prior to their absorption into the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany . The Polish part encompasses the cities with powiat rights of Szczecin and Świnoujscie, the entire Police County , Gmina Goleniów in Goleniów County , as well as the part of Kamień County located on the island of Wolin ( Gmina Międzyzdroje , western part of Gmina Wolin and western part of Gmina Dziwnów ). There are four cities in
2470-733: The Fischland-Darß-Zingst peninsula and the islands of Hiddensee , Rügen , Usedom and Wolin . The old Hanseatic towns are also popular tourist destinations due to their brick gothic medieval architecture , downtown Stralsund is a UNESCO World Heritage Site . Stralsund, Greifswald and Wolgast also have a shipyard industry, the Volkswerft in Stralsund and the Peenewerft in Wolgast produce large ships, while
2565-565: The Free Democratic Party (FDP) both won around 6% of votes and re-entered the Landtag after previously falling out in 2016 and 2011, respectively. The Landtag has been led by Minister President Manuela Schwesig since 2017. On 13 October 2021, Schwesig announced the SPD would enter coalition talks with The Left. She stated her motivations for reorienting the coalition as a desire for "a new departure", and described The Left as
2660-972: The German Amber Museum in Ribnitz-Damgarten , Rostock's Abbey of the Holy Cross and Rostock Art Gallery are of national importance. The oldest museum in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is Stralsund's Cultural History Museum , the smallest is the Professor Wandschneider Sculpture Museum in Plau am See. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is home to many cultural events throughout the year. During summer, many open-air concerts and operas are open to visitors. The Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival ( Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ) attracts
2755-552: The Greifswald Nuclear Power Plant in Lubmin near Greifswald . At the time of German reunification in 1990, the eastern states were reconstituted along their postwar boundaries (with minor adjustments) as they had existed until 1952, and the historic name Mecklenburg-Vorpommern was restored. Since 1990, the state has undergone dramatic changes. What had been largely an industrial and agricultural economy
2850-635: The HanseYachts shipyard in Greifswald is specialized in building yachts . In Mukran near Sassnitz on Rügen, there is an international ferry terminal linking Western Pomerania to Sweden, Denmark, Lithuania and other oversee countries. An industrial complex northeast of Lubmin near Greifswald includes a shut-down nuclear power plant which is being deconstructed, and the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline which come ashore at this site. In Greifswald,
2945-607: The Hanseatic old towns, such as Stralsund , Wismar and Greifswald . The old towns are usually built around one or several market places with a church or the town hall. Often towns were founded at the Baltic Sea , one of the many lakes or a river for logistical and trade motives. Rural areas of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are often characterized by Brick Gothic village churches and agricultural heritage, like brick homesteads , thatched roof houses, windmills , manor houses and castles . The largest publicly funded theatres in
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3040-895: The Pane (Peene) River, the Redarians around the temple of Rethra , the Wollinians on the isle of Wolin , the Tollensians around the Tollense River and the Ukrainians around the Uecker River in the Uckermark . The collective term Liutizians also covers some of these tribes, as they allied in the late 10th century to secure their sovereignty. The Lutician alliances headquarters were at Rethra, where delegates from
3135-761: The Potsdam Agreement , the Western allies handed over Mecklenburg to the Soviets. Mecklenburg-West Pomerania was established on 9 July 1945, by order No. 5 of Red Army Marshal Georgy Zhukov , head of the Soviet Military Administration in Germany (SMAD), as the Province of Mecklenburg and West Pomerania (zapadnoi Pomeranii) . During the war, the make-up of Mecklenburg and Vorpommern's population changed, due to wartime losses and
3230-784: The Province of Pomerania . Today, the region embraces the whole area of Pomerania west of the Oder River , small bridgeheads east of the river, as well as the islands in the Szczecin Lagoon . Its majority forms part of Germany and has been divided between the states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg , with the cities of Stralsund and Greifswald , as well as towns such as Ribnitz-Damgarten (Damgarten only), Bergen auf Rügen ( Rügen Island), Anklam , Wolgast , Demmin , Pasewalk , Grimmen , Sassnitz (Rügen Island), Ueckermünde , Torgelow , Barth , and Gartz . The cities of Szczecin and Świnoujście , as well as
3325-618: The University of Greifswald runs several institutions and the major hospitals of the region. Also, Greifswald is the site of innovative scientific research, like the Wendelstein physics research center and biotechnology enterprises, most notably the federal Friedrich Loeffler Institute for animal diseases like BSE . Away from the coastal tourist resorts, the rural areas of Western Pomerania have often maintained an agricultural character. A study published on 18 May 2009 revealed that
3420-761: The Vineta Festival on Usedom . Since 1993, the Störtebeker Festival has taken place in Ralswiek on the island of Rügen. It is Germany's most successful open-air theatre. Notable museums include, for example, the Schwerin State Museum and the Pomeranian State Museum at Greifswald. The German Oceanographic Museum with its Ozeaneum in Stralsund is the most popular museum in northern Germany. Furthermore,
3515-834: The World Beer Cup ). Besides, there are many smaller breweries and craft beer variations, such as the Mellenthin Castle Beer from Usedom Island. As of 2020, the majority (82.4%) of the citizens of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are not religious or adhere to other religions. 14.2% are members of the Protestant Church in Germany and 3.4% of the Catholic Church . Following the Reformation , led in Germany by Martin Luther , as well as
3610-467: The 12th century and 13th century, Western Pomerania changed from a pagan and Slavic to a Christian and German country ( Ostsiedlung ). The Slavs ( Wends ) were first excluded from the villages and privileges of the German settlers. They later merged with the German majority. Western Pomerania then was part of the Duchy of Pomerania , the areas north of the Peene River ( Principality of Rugia ) joined
3705-707: The 14th in population. Formerly, unemployment has been negatively affected by the breakdown of non-competitive former GDR industries after the German reunification in the 1990s. As of 2018 unemployment is the lowest in more than 15 years while the economy is growing and the number of jobs is increasing continually. Growing sectors are biotechnology , information technology , life sciences , maritime industry and tourist services. Western Pomerania Historical Western Pomerania , also called Cispomerania, Fore Pomerania , Front Pomerania or Hither Pomerania ( German : Vorpommern ; Polish : Pomorze Przednie ),
3800-590: The 5th century. By the 6th and 7th century, West Slavic people populated the region. If they met a substantial Rugian population and whether and/or how these were assimilated by the Slavs is not known. The Slavic inhabitants, also referred to as part of the Wilzen/ Veleti , diverged into several small tribes, listed from Northwest to Southeast: The Rujanes or Rani around Rügen , the Circipanes around
3895-701: The Consulate of Poland, arrested by the Gestapo . During the war, Germany operated the Stalag II-C, Stalag 322, Stalag Luft I and Stalag Luft II prisoner-of-war camps for British, American, French , Belgian, Serbian and Soviet POWs with numerous forced labour subcamps in the region. The Polish resistance movement was active in Szczecin and conducted espionage of the Kriegsmarine , infiltrated
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3990-714: The Danish put pressure on Pomerania. Bogislaw I duke of Pomerania made his duchy a part of the Holy Roman Empire (HRE) in 1181, after he had allied with Henry the Lion since 1164. But the new alliance did not prevent the Danes from successfully raiding and in 1186 conquering all of Pomerania. Danish rule ended when in 1227 the Danish navy was defeated in Bornhöved by the Germans, Pomerania except for Rügen (until 1345 with
4085-600: The Mecklenburg Baltic coast during the chancellorship of Angela Merkel , who represented various constituencies of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in the national legislature, the Bundestag . Due to its lengthy name, the state is often abbreviated as MV or (colloquially) shortened to MeckPomm . In English, it is usually called "Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania" or less frequently "Mecklenburg–Cispomerania." Inhabitants are called either Mecklenburger or Pomeranians ;
4180-402: The Nazi government merged the two states into a unified state of Mecklenburg [ de ] , a virtually meaningless administrative decision under the centralised regime. Vorpommern , literally Fore-Pomerania, is the smaller, western part of the former Prussian Province of Pomerania ; the eastern part became part of Poland after the end of World War II . Since the Middle Ages ,
4275-414: The Peene River and Wolin , which is assumed to be identical with Vineta and Jomsborg . Important pagan temple sites were Arkona and Rethra. Other local strongholds were Dimin ( Demmin ) in the Circipan and Stetin ( Szczecin ) in the Pomeranian area. At the beginning of the second millennium, western Pomeranian tribes were surrounded by the expanding states of Denmark in the North, Piast Poland in
4370-422: The Polish districts of the region had a population of about 520,000 in 2012 (cities of Szczecin , Świnoujście and Police County combined). So overall, about 1 million people live in the historical region of Western Pomerania today. The German prefix Vor- denotes a location closer to the speaker, and is the equivalent of " Fore "/" Front "/" Hither " in English and Anterior / Citerior / Cis- in Latin (with
4465-472: The Pomeranian duke, who appointed the castellans . These castellanies were converted from their pagan to Christian religion in Usedom , 1128. Except for the Rani living North of the Ryck River and Demmin , all western Pomeranian territories had become united and Christian. Wartislaw's dependency on Poland loosened in the following years and, in 1135 with the death of Polish king Boleslaw III , Wartislaw's duchy regained independence. About ten years later, he
4560-434: The Southeast and the German Holy Roman Empire in the Southwest. While the eastward expansion of the latter could be halted for some time by a Slavic uprising of the Southern ( Heveller ) and Western ( Obotrites ) neighbors of the western Pomeranian tribes, which even was supported by the Liutizian alliance, the Pomeranians East of the Oder River were conquered by the Polish state in the late 10th century and remained vassals of
4655-447: The State Constitution states that the Landtag is the "site of political decision-making". The Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Landtag is elected democratically by the citizens of the state and sits for a 5-year legislative period. The seat of the Landtag is located at Schwerin Palace in Schwerin . The essential functions of the Landtag are to elect the Minister-President of the state; to discuss and decide on laws which have been proposed by
4750-415: The Theatre of Parchim , the Anklam Theatre and the Wismar Theatre . There are also many small theatres on the Baltic coast and in individual artist's villages and resorts (e.g. the popular concert pavilions at the Baltic Sea ). Since its growing importance for summer tourism, open-air theatres and festivals become more common again as well, such as the Störtebeker Festival on the island of Rügen , and
4845-505: The area relatively deserted. In the sixth century Polabian Slavs populated the area. While Mecklenburg was settled by the Obotrites , Pomerania was settled by the Veleti (later Liuticians ) and the Rani . Along the coast, Vikings and Slavs established trade posts like Reric , Ralswiek and Menzlin . In the early 12th century, Hither Pomerania passed under Polish suzerainty under Bolesław III Wrymouth , who initiated Christianization , entrusting this task to Otto of Bamberg . In
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#17327840117944940-448: The area was ruled by the Pomeranian dukes as part of the Duchy of Pomerania , at various times under Polish, Danish and Imperial suzerainty. Fore Pomerania was under Swedish rule after the Peace of Westphalia from 1648 until 1815 as Swedish Pomerania . Fore Pomerania became a province of Prussia in 1815 and remained so until 1945. In May 1945, the armies of the Soviet Union and the Western allies met east of Schwerin . Following
5035-417: The city of Szczecin , consisting mostly of large housing estates , thus having along with the resort locality of Trzebież a semi-urban character, in spite of neither holding town rights nor being seats of a municipality, and despite being several-fold more populated than the seats of the respective municipalities that they are parts of. You can sort this complete table of cities and towns by clicking one of
5130-455: The combined form is never used. The place name Vorpommern derives from West Slavic languages . The prefix "po-" means along or at , and the base word "more" means sea , so that together "po more" means Land at the Sea . The German prefix "vor-" denotes a closer location; from the German point of view, this is the near part of Pomerania. The full name in German is pronounced [ˈmeːklənbʊʁk ˈfoːɐ̯pɔmɐn] . Sometimes, Mecklenburg
5225-474: The corresponding antonyms in German, English and Latin being Hinter- , " Hinder "/" Rear "/" Farther " and Posterior / Ulterior / Trans- , respectively). Historically the name "Hither Pomerania" has been used, but in modern English the German region is more commonly called "Western Pomerania" or by its native name. The formerly widespread local dialect term is Low German : Vörpommern . The name Pomerania comes from Slavic po more , which means "land by
5320-412: The course of time, German monks, nobility, peasants and traders arrived to settle here. After the 12th century, the territory remained stable and relatively independent of its neighbours; one of the few German territories for which this is true. Mecklenburg first became a duchy of the Holy Roman Empire in 1348. Though later partitioned and re-partitioned within the same dynasty, Mecklenburg always shared
5415-421: The districts of Rostock , Schwerin , and Neubrandenburg . Mecklenburg-Vorpommern was re-established in 1990 following German reunification and became one of the new states of the Federal Republic of Germany. On the state's coastline on the Baltic Sea are many holiday resorts and much unspoilt nature, including the islands of Rügen , Usedom , and others, as well as the Mecklenburg Lake District , making
5510-505: The duchy in 1325. From that time onwards, the region shares a common history with Farther Pomerania . Pomerania came under Swedish military control in 1630 during the Thirty Years' War . Swedish sovereignty over Vorpommern, including Stettin, was confirmed by the Peace of Westphalia (1648) and the Treaty of Stettin (1653) , and from that time onwards much of the region formed Swedish Pomerania . Possession of this region remained an issue of conflict in European politics and Swedish rule
5605-426: The dynasty of Piasts until 1007, had to pay tribute to the Poles after 1042, and were conquered again in 1121. In spite of his surrender or even with military help from the succeeding Poles, the Pomeranian duke Wartislaw I of the House of Griffins successfully started conquering the areas west of his burgh in Szczecin the years after 1121. These lands were considerably weakened by previous warfare: The coast
5700-404: The entire state of Mecklenburg was abolished by East Germany (German Democratic Republic, GDR) in 1952. The Pomeranian districts were made part of the GDR's Bezirk Rostock (coastal region) and Bezirk Neubrandenburg , with a small area around Gartz becoming part of Bezirk Frankfurt/Oder . The 1945–1952 state was reconstituted, with minor border adjustments, as Mecklenburg-Vorpommern at
5795-415: The government, by any four members of the Landtag, or a people's initiative or petition for a referendum initiated directly by the people; and to control the state government. The executive is led by a cabinet, in turn led by a Minister-President, who is the official head of state and government. The election to determine the Minister-President is held no later than four weeks after the newly elected Landtag
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#17327840117945890-404: The historic region of Mecklenburg and Western Pomerania , both of which had long and rich independent histories. Human settlement in the area of modern Mecklenburg and Vorpommern began after the Ice Age , about 10,000 BC. About two thousand years ago, Germanic peoples were recorded in the area. Most of them left during the Migration Period , heading towards Spain, Italy, and France, leaving
5985-414: The independent allied tribes held their meetings. Whether or not the Rani were part of the Veleti or later the Lutizians is disputed. The Slavic tribes referred to as Pomeranians settled east of the Oder River. In this era, large mixed Slavic and Scandinavian settlements were built at the natural havens of the bay-rich coast, the most important of which were Ralswiek (Rügen), Altes Lager Menzlin at
6080-451: The influx of evacuees (mainly from the Berlin and Hamburg metropolitan areas that were subject to air raids). After the war, people who fled and were expelled from the former eastern territories of Germany east of the Oder-Neisse line settled in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (and elsewhere in Germany), increasing the population by 40%. Before the war, Mecklenburg and Western Pomerania had a population of 1,278,700, of whom many perished during
6175-419: The last Rugian duke's death) fell to the HRE. The Rügen and Pomerania dukes called in many German settlers and aristocrats to resettle parts of their duchies devastated in the wars before and to settle new areas by turning woodland into fields. Settlers came from North German Lower Saxony. Some settlers from the Harz mountains in central Germany settled near Stettin. Cities and monasteries were founded. Between
6270-477: The late 12th century, Mecklenburg and Hither Pomerania were conquered by Henry the Lion and briefly incorporated into the Duchy of Saxony , joining the Holy Roman Empire in the 1180s. Parts of Mecklenburg and Pomerania were settled with Germans in the Ostsiedlung process, starting in the 12th century. In the late 12th century, Henry the Lion , Duke of the Saxons, conquered the Obotrites , subjugated its Nikloting dynasty, and Christianized its people. In
6365-445: The latter of them covering the area known as Dreikaiserbäder (three emperors baths) consisting of the former municipalities of Ahlbeck , Bansin and Heringsdorf. Towns in the Polish part include Police , Goleniów , Wolin , Międzyzdroje , Nowe Warpno , and the left-bank part of Dziwnów . In addition, the highly populated villages of Mierzyn , Przecław , Warzymice and Bezrzecze constitute in fact direct residential extensions of
6460-433: The local German industry, distributed underground Polish press, and facilitated escapes of Polish and British POWs who fled from German POW camps via the city's port to neutral Sweden (see also: Poland–Sweden relations ). In the final stages of the war, in 1945, German-perpetrated death marches of Allied POWs from Stalag XX-B and Stalag Luft IV passed through the region. At the end of World War II in 1945,
6555-472: The narrower sense, the designation may also refer to the western part of the area only, alternatively called for precision Pomorze Szczecińskie ( Szczecin Pomerania), encompassing the entire German Pomerania combined with the Polish part of the historical Middle Pomerania up to Rega . In such case, the remainder of Farther Pomerania is called Pomorze Środkowe ( contemporary Middle Pomerania ) or Pomorze Koszalińsko-Słupskie (Koszalin-Słupsk Pomerania). As
6650-410: The nearby mainland, roughly matching the administrative districts of Vorpommern-Rügen and Vorpommern-Greifswald , though those districts' boundaries with Mecklenburg proper do not match the pre-1945 demarcation. The region is mentioned in the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state constitution as one of the two constituting regions of the state with the right to form a Landschaftsverband , which
6745-491: The open sea, forming a unique landscape. The islands Kirr , Hiddensee , Ummanz , Dänholm , Rügen , Öhe , Riems , Vilm , Greifswalder Oie , Usedom , Karsibór and Wolin , as well as the islands of the city of Szczecin are located in Western Pomerania. The largest city in Western Pomerania is Szczecin on the Polish side and Stralsund on the German side. Today it is still an important town economically. The towns of Stralsund and Greifswald together, after Rostock, are
6840-399: The region, namely Szczecin and Świnoujście on the Polish side, as well as Stralsund and Greifswald on the German side of the border. Major towns in the German part of the region include Bergen auf Rügen , Demmin , Anklam , Wolgast and Pasewalk . The municipalities of Binz , Zingst , Zinnowitz and Heringsdorf do not have town rights, but are in fact semi-urban localities, with
6935-462: The sea". The adjective for the region is (Western) Pomeranian (German: pommersch , Polish : pomorski ), inhabitants are called (Western) Pomeranians (German: Pommern , Polish: Pomorzanie ). The Polish names for the historical region, Pomorze Zachodnie (Western Pomerania) or Pomorze Nadodrzańskie ( Oder Pomerania), have usually been applied to the entire narrower Pomerania, including Farther Pomerania , but excluding Pomerelia . In
7030-535: The second largest centres of population in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In addition the region has the highest population density of the four planning regions in the state. Western Pomerania has several national parks: Another region in Western Pomerania under extensive conservation protection is the Peene Valley . German Vorpommern is understood today as comprising the islands of Rügen and Usedom and
7125-595: The southernmost fragment ( Amt Gartz (Oder) ) remains part of the Uckermark district within Brandenburg . In 2012, the Pomeranian Evangelical Church merged with the Mecklenburgian and Northalbingian Evangelical Churches. Since the administrative reform of 1999, the Polish part is located within the West Pomeranian Voivodeship and encompasses the cities with powiat rights Szczecin and Świnoujście ,
7220-590: The spread of the Christian faith. In 1124, he invited Otto von Bamberg to mission in his duchy east of the Oder River. By 1128, Wartislaw I had expanded his duchy west to the County of Gützkow and Circipania and south to the Uckermark . He invited Otto von Bamberg again to mission in these pagan areas West of the Oder River, too. The former Liutizian principalities were turned into castellanies subordinate to
7315-885: The state are the Mecklenburg State Theatre , the Rostock People's Theatre , the Theatre of West Pomerania , with venues in Stralsund , Putbus and Greifswald , and the Mecklenburg State Theatre of Neustrelitz with venues in Neubrandenburg and Neustrelitz . All four theatres offer both drama and musical theatre as well as orchestral music. Other important theatres are the Ernst Barlach Theatre of Güstrow ,
7410-573: The state belong to Evangelical Church of Berlin and Brandenburg . There are also Jewish communities, in the state capital of Schwerin (including Wismar ) and in the city of Rostock . Historically, there were also synagogues in smaller towns, of which some are still preserved (like Röbel , Krakow am See and Boizenburg ). The state's Jewish organisation is part of the Central Council of Jews in Germany . Largest groups of foreign residents by 31 December 2023 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has
7505-537: The state one of Germany's leading tourist destinations . Three of Germany's fourteen national parks , as well as several hundred nature conservation areas , are in the state. The University of Rostock , founded in 1419, and the University of Greifswald , established in 1456, are among the oldest universities in Europe. In 2007, the 33rd G8 summit took place at the Grand Hotel Heiligendamm on
7600-533: The state was 44.5 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 1.3% of German economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 25,400 euros or 84% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 83% of the EU average. The GDP per capita was the lowest of all German states. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is the least densely populated and least industrial German state , being the sixth largest in area, but only
7695-499: The state. The southern part of the state is characterized by a multitude of lakes within the Mecklenburg Lakeland , the largest of which is Lake Müritz (also the largest German lake ), followed by Lake Schwerin , Plauer See and Lake Kummerow . The "land of a thousand lakes" (German: Land der tausend Seen ) is hallmarked by its unspoilt nature. Due to its clean air and idyllic setting, medical tourism has become
7790-501: The time of German reunification in 1990. Vorpommern is a constitutional region of the state, yet not an administrative entity. After the administrative reforms of September 2011, the bulk of Western Pomerania is within the districts of Vorpommern-Rügen and Vorpommern-Greifswald ; however, some west central areas including Demmin and Altentreptow are within Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, while
7885-496: The towns of Police , Goleniów , Wolin , Międzyzdroje , Nowe Warpno , and (the left-bank part of) Dziwnów are part of Poland. The German part forms about one-third of the present-day north-eastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania , while the Polish part constitutes the westernmost border areas of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship . German Western Pomerania had a population of about 470,000 in 2012 (districts of Vorpommern-Rügen and Vorpommern-Greifswald combined) – while
7980-580: The two oldest universities of the Baltic Sea region, also among the oldest of Germany and all of Europe: Also, there are further colleges / technological universities: The state's school system is centralised. There are two main types of schools, Regionalschule (for the majority of pupils) and Gymnasium (for the top 30% of each year's students, leading to the university entrance qualification " Abitur "). Besides, there are also independent schools, comprehensive schools and trade schools. Article 20 of
8075-576: The upper columns. The list does not include the former town of Dąbie , which currently is a neighbourhood of Szczecin; it also does not include the Brandenburgian city of Schwedt whose parts located north of Wesel , acquired in contemporary times, belong to historic Western Pomerania. Popular tourist resorts can be found all along the Baltic beaches of the Pomeranian part (Darß-Zingst) of
8170-574: The war and others moved west in the course of the Red Army's advance. In 1947, some 1,426,000 refugees from the former eastern parts of Germany were counted. Most of them settled in rural communities, but the urban population also increased, most notably in Schwerin from 65,000 (1939) to 99,518 (January 1947), in Wismar from 29,463 to 44,173, and in Greifswald from 29,488 to 43,897. Western Pomerania
8265-550: The wealth situation of people in Vorpommern is on a mean range in Germany, with 27% of the population regarded as indigent – that is living with below 60% of an average German income. In prehistoric times, the area was inhabited by megalith cultures. In the first half of the first millennium, the East Germanic Rugians are reported in the area, who are known to later set up a kingdom far South in Pannonia in
8360-432: Was a syncope of Middle Low German Mekelenborg ). The introduction of the ⟨c⟩ is explained as follows: Either the ⟨c⟩ signals the stretched pronunciation of the preceding ⟨e⟩ ( Dehnungs-c ), or it signals the pronunciation of the subsequent ⟨k⟩ as an occlusive [ k ] to prevent it from falsely being rendered as a fricative [ χ ] following
8455-594: Was a period marked by the ravages of warfare. A part of the region south of the Peene river ( Old Western Pomerania ) came under Prussian sovereignty after the Stockholm peace treaty in 1720 . Under the Treaty of Kiel , the remnants of Swedish Pomerania ( New Western Pomerania ) were briefly transferred to Denmark in 1814, but the 1815 Congress of Vienna ceded the territory to Prussia. From 1815, all of Western Pomerania
8550-408: Was additionally stripped of the area around the Pomeranian regional capital Stettin/Szczecin as well as the city itself, despite its location to the west of the river Oder. On 5 June 1946, a law enacted by the Soviets constituted a provisional German administration ( Beratende Versammlung , English: "Consulting assembly" ) under Soviet supervision on 29 June 1946. After elections on 20 October 1946,
8645-518: Was divided into three districts that covered roughly the same area: Bezirk Rostock , Bezirk Schwerin and Bezirk Neubrandenburg . These were commonly known as the Nordbezirke (northern districts) under the highly centralised GDR government. The East German government developed the shipyards in the old Hanseatic ports (the largest being in Rostock and Stralsund ), and also established
8740-654: Was integrated into the Prussian Province of Pomerania , administered as the Region of Stralsund (New Western Pomerania) and Region of Stettin (the old Western Pomeranian region). Stralsund was fused into Stettin in 1932. From May to September 1939, before and during the German invasion of Poland , which started World War II , Polish people in the region, particularly in Szczecin, were targeted by Nazi repressions, with Polish organizations attacked and Polish leaders, activists, entrepreneurs, and even some staff of
8835-564: Was named after the two regions of Mecklenburg and Fore Pomerania . The state was established in 1945 after World War II through the merger of the historic regions of Mecklenburg and Prussian Western Pomerania by the Soviet military administration in Allied-occupied Germany . It became part of the German Democratic Republic in 1949, but was dissolved in 1952 during administrative reforms and its territory divided into
8930-578: Was raided by the Danes , which destroyed Jomsborg in 1043, shifting the power in the Oder delta South to Pomeranian Stettin. Rethra was raided and devastated by the Germans in winter 1068/69, the Lutizian alliance fell apart, and instead the Lutizian tribes started fighting against each other (" Liutizischer Bruderkrieg ", Liutizian civil war). Wartislaw's aim was not only the expansion of his duchy, but also
9025-605: Was slain by pagans near Stolpe . Stolpe Abbey was erected at this site by Wartislaw's successor, Ratibor I . The 1147 Wendish Crusade initiated by the Holy Roman Empire ended when the Demmin and Stettin citizens persuaded the crusaders that they were already Christians. By the middle of the 12th century, the Principality of Rügen in northwestern Pomerania remained the last pagan state in Central Europe. In 1168,
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