Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

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Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Flag

Coat of arms

Details

Location

Time zone

CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)

Administration

Country

Germany

NUTS Region

DE8

Capital

Schwerin

Largest city

Rostock

Minister-President

Harald Ringstorff (SPD)

Governing parties

SPD / CDU

Votes in Bundesrat

3 (of 69)

Basic statistics

Area

23,174 km² (8,948 sq mi)

Population

1,683,400 (09/2007)^[1]

- Density

73 /km² (188 /sq mi)

Other information

GDP/ Nominal

€ 31 billion (2005)

Website

mecklenburg-vorpommern.eu

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, sometimes translated as Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania or Mecklenburg-West Pomerania^[2], is a state in northern Germany comprising two parts, Mecklenburg and Vorpommern and has its capital in Schwerin.

The eastern smaller region in the state (German: Vorpommern— Hither Pomerania in English) was once the western part of the former duchy and greater region of Pomerania which occupied both banks of the Oder river, most of which now is part of Poland with the border along the Oder. The western and larger portion was similarly the historic duchy of Mecklenburg.

The Baltic Sea coastline and its islands (such as Rügen), the cities, as well as the Mecklenburg Lake District are very popular with tourists, making the state one of Germany's leading tourist destinations. Moreover, the universities of Rostock (est. 1419) and Greifswald (est. 1456) are amongst the oldest in Europe.

Major cities include Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Stralsund, Greifswald and Wismar.

The state's name is frequently abbreviated as MV. A common but informal name is Meck-Pomm.

The state was the site of the 2007 G8 summit.

[edit] History

[edit] Mecklenburg

(main article: Mecklenburg)

Late medieval Gothic brick architecture in Wismar

Mecklenburg, comprising two thirds of the present state's territory, has had a long history. Whilst the earliest prehistoric inhabitants may have been of Celtic origin, over two thousand years ago Germanic tribes from Scandinavia began to move southward and settle in Mecklenburg. By the 6th century, the Germanic tribes were driven out or assimilated by Polabian Slavs, who remained rulers of the area until the 12th century. In the late 12th century, Henry the Lion, Duke of the Saxons, conquered the Obotrites, subjugated its Nikloting dynasty, and Christianised its people. In 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 a common history and identity. The states of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz became Grand Duchies in 1815. After the First World War and the abdication of the German Kaiser, the monarchy was abolished and a republican government of Mecklenburg was established.

See also: Obodrites and Ostsiedlung

[edit] Vorpommern

(main articles: History of Vorpommern, History of Pomerania)

Vorpommern (English: Western or Lower Pomerania) is the smaller, western part of the formerly German region of Pomerania; the eastern part has been part of Poland since the Second World War. Vorpommern was also under Swedish rule after the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. It was annexed by Prussia in 1815.

See also: Rugians, Veleti, Rani, Ostsiedlung, Pomerania, Hither Pomerania, and Swedish Pomerania

[edit] GDR and reunification

The state was formed in 1947 under the Soviet occupation forces; the name was soon shortened to "Mecklenburg" (as a concession to the Poles, who feared future German territorial claims over former German areas under post-war "Polish administration", including eastern Pomerania). It was a constituent state of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) upon its formation in 1949. In 1952, the government abandoned "states" in favour of districts (German: Bezirke). As a result of this, Mecklenburg and Vorpommern were replaced by three districts covering roughly the same area (Bezirk Rostock, Bezirk Schwerin and Bezirk Neubrandenburg) under the highly-centralised GDR government. The administrative changes also made the historical border between Mecklenburg and Pomerania vanish from the maps.

Prior to German reunification in 1990, the postwar eastern states were reconstituted, including Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

[edit] Geography

Chalk cliffs (Rügen)

Sixth-largest in area but only fourteenth in population among Germany's sixteen states, it 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 Poland. Its administrative seat is Schwerin. The largest city is Rostock with approximately 200,000 people. Other major cities include Greifswald, Güstrow, Neubrandenburg, Stralsund and Wismar. The state's Baltic Sea coast features several islands, most notably Germany's biggest island Rügen, but also Hiddensee, Usedom and Poel. The southern part of the state is marked by a multitude of lakes, the largest of which is Lake Müritz.

[edit] Districts

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is currently divided into twelve Kreise (districts): These districts are going to change in 2009.

Furthermore there are six independent urban districts:

Rostock (HRO)
Greifswald (HGW)
Neubrandenburg (NB)
Schwerin (SN)
Stralsund (HST)
Wismar (HWI)

[edit] Statistics

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is the least densely populated and least industrial German state, being the sixth largest in size, but only 14th in population, it has an unemployment rate of 15,1 %,^[3] a poverty rate of 14,9%, and a child poverty rate of 27,8%, ranking first in Germany in all these categories.^[4] ^[5]

[edit] Culture

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.

[edit] Architecture

The cities are characterised by a certain "Hanseatic" style also found in other parts of Northern Germany (e.g. Lübeck) as well as in countries like Estonia (e.g. Tallinn) or Latvia (e.g. Riga). A common feature of many towns in Mecklenburg and Vorpommern is Gothic red brick churches dating back to the Middle Ages. 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 reasons of trade.

[edit] Museums, art and theatres

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is home to many cultural events throughout the year. In addition to many regular museums and art galleries, Stralsund offers the very popular Deutsches Meeresmuseum (German Maritime Museum; the most popular museum in Northern Germany), Ribnitz-Damgarten the Deutsches Bernsteinmuseum (German Amber Museum).

During summer, many open air concerts and operas are open to visitors. The Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Music Festival of MV) attract 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.

[edit] Language

Low German dialects

Whereas today the vast majority of people speak Standard German (also called High German), a few centuries ago most people spoke what is called Low German (German: Plattdeutsch or Niederdeutsch). It is not "low" in prestige, however, but rather originates in the geographically lower (northern) part of Germany.

Due to several sound shifts in Standard German which did not occur in Low German, Low German is rather distinct and is considered a separate language by some, a dialect of German by others. At its highpoint, the late Middle Ages, it was the lingua franca of the Hanseatic League, a trade organisation in northern Europe. More than 1500 years ago, "Old Low German" (also known as Old Saxon) was also the language spoken by the Anglo-Saxons, who originally came from northern Germany before leaving for England. That is why, there is often a closer similarity between English and Low German words than between English and Standard/High German words, for instance:

English water = Low German water (High German: Wasser)
English he = Low German hei (High German: er)

Low German is protected by the state's constitution and, similar to Welsh in Wales, taught at school and at university level. There is also a diverse Low German literature by such authors as Fritz Reuter or Rudolf Tarnow. Low German has also been recognised by the Netherlands and by Germany (since 1999) as a regional language according to the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Within the official terminology defined in the charter, this status would not be available to a dialect of an official language. As a result of this, Germany would appear, therefore, to have at least implicitly adopted the stance that Low German is not a dialect of the German language, but rather a separate language.

[edit] Food and drinks

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.

[edit] Religion

Following the Christian Reformation, led in Germany by Martin Luther, the traditional faith in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is Protestantism. There are also a number of Catholics and people of other faiths. As a result of the extremely secular laws of the former communist GDR, more than three quarters of the population are now non-religious or agnostic.

[edit] Education

University of Greifswald

University of Rostock

[edit] Universities & colleges

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has two of the oldest universities of Germany, and indeed Europe:

University of Rostock (est 1419)
University of Greifswald (est. 1456)

Also, there are four colleges / technological universities.

Fachhochschule Stralsund
Hochschule Wismar
Hochschule Neubrandenburg
Hochschule für Musik und Theater Rostock
Baltic College Güstrow
Fachhochschule für öffentliche Verwaltung, Rechtspflege und Polizei in Güstrow

[edit] Schools

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.

[edit] Politics

Schwerin Castle - Seat of the state parliament

[edit] Minister President

The Schwerin-based executive is led by a cabinet, in turn led by a Minister President, who is the official head of government.

Here is a list of minister presidents of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (1945-1952: only Mecklenburg)

1945 - 1951: Wilhelm Höcker (SED)
1951: Kurt Bürger (SED)
1951 - 1952: Bernhard Quandt
1990 - 1992: Alfred Gomolka (CDU)
1992 - 1998: Berndt Seite (CDU)
since 1998: Harald Ringstorff (SPD)

[edit] Parliament

The last election of the state parliament (German: Landtag), located in the capital city Schwerin, took place on 17 September 2006. The five-year term ends in 2011.

Party	Vote percentage	Total Seats
Social Democratic Party (SPD)	30.2%	23
Christian Democratic Union (CDU)	28.8%	22
Left Party	16.8%	13
Free Democratic Party (FDP)	9.6%	7
National Democratic Party (NPD)	7.3%	6
Alliance '90/The Greens	3.4%	0
All Others	3.9%	0
Totals	100.0%	71

[edit] Tourism

A pier in Graal-Müritz

Sellin on the Isle of Rügen

The "state of a thousand lakes" is mainly characterised by its unspoilt nature. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's varied coastline offers peninsulas such as Fischland-Darss-Zingst as well islands like Rügen (Germany's largest island), Hiddensee or Usedom.

A total number of 283 nature reserves, 110 landscape reserves and three of Germany's 14 national parks are scattered all over the state - the most prominent perhaps being Jasmund National Park, Müritz National Park and Western Pomerania Lagoon Area National Park. Many lakes used for fishing and sailing are in the Mecklenburg Lake District.

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern also attracts tourists with its nearly 2,000 castles, palaces and manor houses, which often function as venues for concerts and festivals.

The old towns of Wismar and Stralsund are listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites and feature late Gothic red brick architecture so typical for Hanseatic cities.

Main sporting attractions include Bundesliga football club Hansa Rostock and the international sailing event Hanse Sail. Had the bid for the 2012 summer Olympics in Leipzig been successful, the sailing competitions would have taken place off the coast of Rostock.

[edit] Notable people

Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, Prussian Generalfeldmarschall

arts and film: Caspar David Friedrich, Marianne Hoppe, Philipp Otto Runge
business: Ernst Heinkel, Carl von Siemens, Georg Wertheim
literature: John Brickman, Hans Fallada, Walter Kempowski, Fritz Reuter, Rudolf Tarnow, Ehm Welk
politics: Ernst Moritz Arndt, Egon Krenz, Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, Harald Ringstorff, Angela Merkel
science: Theodor Billroth, Gottlob Frege, Otto Lilienthal, Gustav Mie, Ferdinand von Mueller, Paul Pogge, Heinrich Schliemann, Nobel prize winner in physics Johannes Stark (1919)
sports: Tim Borowski, Thomas Doll, Marita Koch, Jan Ullrich, Jens Voigt

[edit] Miscellaneous

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is Germany's number-one tourist location, the main destinations being the Baltic Sea coastline with islands such as Rügen or Usedom, spa towns like Heiligendamm, and the Mecklenburg Lake District.
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is the least densely populated German state. The largest city is Rostock, followed by the state's capital Schwerin.
During the chancellorship of Angela Merkel, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has hosted the first official public meeting with President George W. Bush in 2006 and the 33rd G8 summit in 2007. Both political events were financed by state and federal budgets.
The historic centres of Stralsund and Wismar are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

[edit] Gallery

Shopping street in Rostock	Neuer Markt (New Market), Rostock	World Heritage Site Stralsund	Schwerin
A church in Neubrandenburg	A site of classical concerts: Granitz Hunting Castle	Schloss Ralswiek - one of the many castles in MV	2007 Binz
Hotel "Ahlbecker Hof" in Ahlbeck	Panorama of Hiddensee	Jasmund National Park	old water mill

[edit] Notes and references

^ State population (German). Portal of the Federal Statistics Office Germany. Retrieved on 2007-04-25.
^ The alternative translation Mecklenburg-Antepomerania is very rarely used in English; Mecklemburgo-Antepomerania is commonly used in Spanish.
^ Bundesagentur für Arbeit Nürnberg (Federal agency of work - Nurmeberg (PDF File
^ ZEFIR-Datapool: Leistungsempfänger/-innen von Arbeitslosengeld II und Sozialgeld nach SGB II Juni 2005
^ ZEFIR-Datapool: Leistungsempfänger/-innen von Sozialgeld nach SGB II im Alter von unter 15 Jahren im Juni 2005

[edit] External links

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