Mecklenburg-West Pomerania

I

Introduction

Mecklenburg-West Pomerania (German, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern), state in north-east Germany, bounded on the north by the Baltic Sea, on the west by Schleswig-Holstein, on the south-west by Lower Saxony, on the south by Brandenburg, and on the east by Poland. The state covers an area of 23,171 sq km (8,946 sq mi).

II

Physical Geography

Mecklenburg-West Pomerania is a predominantly lowland state, situated in the North European Plain. Its landscape varies from pine forests and marshlands in the south-west and lakes in the south-east to a hilly and forested central area with more than 1,500 lakes, and beaches, sand dunes, and cliffs in the north. More than 20 per cent of the territory is forested. The state is intersected by many rivers, of which the Barthe, Elde, Peene, Recknitz, Trebel, and Warnow are the most important. Lake Müritz, in the south-east, is the largest inland body of water in northern Germany, and covers an area of 117 sq km (45 sq mi). Also in the south-east, Helpter Berg, at 179 m (587 ft), is the highest elevation in the state. The Baltic coast stretches from Lübecker Bay in the west to Usedom island and the Fischland-Darss-Zingst Peninsula in the east, where it forms the Bodden—an area of shallow waters and lagoons between the peninsula and the mainland. Off the north-east coast is the island of Rügen. The total length of the state’s coastline, including the islands and the inner and outer Bodden coasts, is approximately 1,500 km (932 mi).

More than 25 per cent of the state’s area is protected. Three national parks are situated there: the Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft National Park, established in 1990 and covering about 80,500 hectares (198,916 acres), on the Baltic Sea coast; the Jasmund National Park on Rügen, founded in 1990, with an area of 3,003 hectares (7,420 acres); and the Müritz National Park, designated in 1990, measuring some 32,200 hectares (79,566 acres) and situated east of the Müritz Lake, between the cities of Feldberg, Neustrelitz, and Waren. There are also three biosphere reserves: the Schaalsee (1990) in western Mecklenburg (30,260 hectares/74,772 acres); the Mecklenburgisches Elbetal in the south (1990, recognized by UNESCO in 1997, covering 39,200 hectares/96,863 acres); and the South-East Rügen Biosphere Reserve (1990; 23,500 hectares/58,069 acres). In addition, the state has also 5 nature parks; 4 protected marshland areas; more than 280 nature reserves; and more than 100 landscape reserves.

III

Population

Mecklenburg-West Pomerania has a population of 1,732,000 (2004 estimate). The state is sparsely populated, with a population density of 75 people per sq km (194 per sq mi) in 2004. The capital is Schwerin (population, 2005 estimate, 97,100), and Rostock is the largest city (2004 estimate, 198,993). Other important towns and cities include Greifswald (2005 estimate, 52,700), Neubrandenburg (2005 estimate, 68,500), Neustrelitz (2005 estimate, 22,500), Stralsund (2005 estimate, 58,800), and Wismar (2005 estimate, 45,400). Low Saxon (Plattdeutsch) is widely spoken.

IV

Education and Culture

Rostock has the oldest university in northern Europe (established in 1419); there is also a university in Greifswald (founded in 1456), an Academy for Music and Theatre in Rostock, colleges in Neubrandenburg, Stralsund, and Wismar, and the North European Academy for Art and Architecture in Schwerin. The State Library, State Museum, and the State Theatre are also located in the capital, while the Archaeological State Museum is situated in Lübstorf. Other notable museums include the Cultural and Historical Museum in Stralsund, the open-air archaeological museum at Gross Raden, and the Maritime Museum in Rostock.

Mecklenburg-West Pomerania is renowned for the exquisite architecture of the old Hanseatic cities of Rostock, Wismar, Stralsund, Greifswald, and Neustrelitz. The historic centres of Stralsund and Wismar were designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2002. Neubrandenburg’s medieval fortifications and Schwerin’s ducal palace, built in the 19th century, and cathedral (1210-1416) are also noteworthy, as is the Willigrad castle near Lübstorf. People born in or associated with the state include painter Caspar David Friedrich, archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, composer Friedrich von Flotow, aviation pioneer Otto Lilienthal, Expressionist artist Ernst Barlach, novelist Uwe Johnson, and mathematician and philosopher Gottlob Frege.