Prignitz

Prignitz (German: [ˈpʁiːɡnɪts] ^ⓘ) is a Kreis (district) in northwestern Brandenburg, in northeastern Germany. Neighboring districts, clockwise from the north, are Ludwigslust-Parchim (in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), Ostprignitz-Ruppin (Brandenburg), Stendal (Saxony-Anhalt), and Lüchow-Dannenberg (Lower Saxony).

Prignitz
District
Flag Coat of arms
Country	Germany
State	Brandenburg
Founded	1993
Capital	Perleberg
Government
• District admin.	Christian Müller (SPD)
Area
• Total	2,123 km2 (820 sq mi)
Population  (31 December 2022)[1]
• Total	76,045
• Density	36/km2 (93/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Vehicle registration	PR
Website	landkreis-prignitz.de

Geography

The term Prignitz originally meant the region north of the confluence of the Elbe and Havel rivers. This region is larger than the district. It also includes the town of Havelberg in Saxony-Anhalt and large portions of the neighbouring district of Ostprignitz-Ruppin.

The Elbe river forms the southwestern border of the district.

History

The historical region Prignitz consisted of the following eleven districts, established in the 13th century: Wittenberge, Lenzen, Perleberg, Putlitz, Kyritz, Nitzow, Wittstock, Pritzwalk, Havelberg, Wusterhausen and Grabow.

The present district of Prignitz was created in 1993 by merging the previous districts of Pritzwalk and Perleberg and a few municipalities from the district Kyritz. The westernmost part of the district was previously part of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and became part of Brandenburg on August 1, 1992.

The earlier district of Prignitz was the buffer between Brandenburg and Mecklenburg. It was resettled by Germans, especially from the Bremen area, following the First Wendish Crusade of 1147. The rate of German settlement increased over the following decades. The eastern half was dominated by the pro-German counts von Plotho who brought their own vassals such as the von Blumenthal and von Grabow families with them. The western half was dominated by robber barons, especially the Gans zu Putlitz family and their vassals, the von Quitzows. In 1319 the territory was briefly controlled by Mecklenburg.^[2] When Frederick, Count of Zollern was appointed Margrave in 1411, he faced an uprising of the Wendish nobility, supported by the Wendish Duke of Mecklenburg. However, he was able to put down the revolt at the battle of the Cremmer Dam, with the support of the German nobility. Families who had stayed loyal were rewarded. Otto von Blumenthal, for example, was made Captain of the Prignitz from 1415 to 1422 and of Lenzen from 1420.

Demography

• 
  Development of population since 1875 within the current Boundaries (Blue Line: Population; Dotted Line: Comparison to Population development in Brandenburg state; Grey Background: Time of Nazi Germany; Red Background: Time of communist East Germany)
• 
  Recent Population Development and Projections (Population Development before Census 2011 (blue line); Recent Population Development according to the Census in Germany in 2011 (blue bordered line); Official projections for 2005-2030 (yellow line); for 2014-2030 (red line); for 2017-2030 (scarlet line)

Landkreis Prignitz: Population development
within the current boundaries (2017)^[3]

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1875 89,625 —     1890 92,023 +0.18% 1910 104,107 +0.62% 1925 113,250 +0.56% 1933 112,411 −0.09% 1939 115,354 +0.43% 1946 156,782 +4.48% 1950 153,728 −0.49% 1964 129,143 −1.24% 1971 128,537 −0.07% 1981 117,182 −0.92% 1985 114,812 −0.51% 1989 112,443 −0.52% 1990 109,435 −2.68% 1991 105,987 −3.15%

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1992 104,690 −1.22% 1993 103,740 −0.91% 1994 102,650 −1.05% 1995 101,421 −1.20% 1996 100,422 −0.99% 1997 99,024 −1.39% 1998 98,205 −0.83% 1999 97,076 −1.15% 2000 95,701 −1.42% 2001 94,015 −1.76% 2002 92,646 −1.46% 2003 91,214 −1.55% 2004 89,792 −1.56% 2005 88,340 −1.62% 2006 87,221 −1.27%

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 2007 85,705 −1.74% 2008 84,284 −1.66% 2009 83,086 −1.42% 2010 82,023 −1.28% 2011 79,574 −2.99% 2012 78,799 −0.97% 2013 77,993 −1.02% 2014 77,550 −0.57% 2015 77,573 +0.03% 2016 77,813 +0.31% 2017 77,263 −0.71% 2018 76,508 −0.98% 2019 76,158 −0.46%

Coat of arms

District banner of Prignitz

The coat of arms shows a goose preparing for flight, the symbol of the Gans zu Putlitz family (Gans is German for goose), who in the 12th century were one of a number of families (such as the von Plotho, von Blumenthal and von Arnim families) who introduced Christianity and German culture to Prignitz. The pearls around the goose symbolize Perleberg (which translates to Pearl Mountain). The wolf at bottom stands for the former administrative seat, Pritzwalk, as walk derives from the Slavonic wolk meaning wolf. The wavy separation between the top and bottom symbolizes the river Elbe; the colors red and white are those of Brandenburg.

Towns and municipalities

Clickable map of towns and municipalities in the district

Amt-free towns	Ämter
Perleberg Pritzwalk Wittenberge Amt-free municipalities Groß Pankow (Prignitz) Gumtow Karstädt Plattenburg	1. Amt Bad Wilsnack/Weisen Bad Wilsnack1, 2 Breese Legde/Quitzöbel Rühstädt Weisen 2. Amt Lenzen-Elbtalaue Cumlosen Lanz Lenzen (Elbe)1, 2 Lenzerwische	3. Amt Meyenburg Gerdshagen Halenbeck-Rohlsdorf Kümmernitztal Marienfließ Meyenburg1, 2 4. Amt Putlitz-Berge Berge Gülitz-Reetz Pirow Putlitz1, 2 Triglitz
1seat of the Amt; 2town

References

1. "Bevölkerungsentwicklung und Bevölkerungsstandim Land Brandenburg Dezember 2022" (PDF). Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg (in German). June 2023.
2. Rymar, Edward (1979). "Rywalizacja o ziemię lubuską i kasztelanię międzyrzecką w latach 1319–1326, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem stosunków pomorsko-śląskch". Śląski Kwartalnik Historyczny Sobótka (in Polish). XXXIV (4). Wrocław: Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich, Wydawnictwo Polskiej Akademii Nauk: 477.
3. Detailed data sources are to be found in the Wikimedia Commons.Population Projection Brandenburg at Wikimedia Commons

External links

• Official website
• Portal site for Prignitz
• Prignitz images

53°00′N 12°00′E