Prignitz
Encyclopedia
Prignitz (ˈpʁiːɡnɪts) is a Kreis (district) in the northwestern part of Brandenburg
, Germany
. Neighboring are (from the north clockwise) the district Ludwigslust-Parchim
in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
, the district Ostprignitz-Ruppin
in Brandenburg, the district Stendal
in Saxony-Anhalt
and the district Lüchow-Dannenberg
in Lower Saxony
.
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.
, Lenzen
, Perleberg, Putlitz
, Kyritz
, Nitzow, Wittstock
, Pritzwalk
, Havelberg
, Wusterhausen
and Grabow
.
The present district Prignitz was created in 1993 by merging the previous districts 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 changed to be part of Brandenburg on August 1, 1992.
The earlier district of the 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 the robber barons, especially the Gans zu Putlitz family and their vassals, the von Quitzow
s. 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 the revolt down 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 1415–1422 and of Lenzen
from 1420.
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Neighboring are (from the north clockwise) the district Ludwigslust-Parchim
Ludwigslust-Parchim
Ludwigslust-Parchim is a district in the west of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is bounded by the state Schleswig-Holstein, the district Nordwestmecklenburg, the district-free city Schwerin, the districts Rostock and Mecklenburgische Seenplatte and the states Brandenburg and Lower Saxony...
in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is a federal state in northern Germany. The capital city is Schwerin...
, the district Ostprignitz-Ruppin
Ostprignitz-Ruppin
Ostprignitz-Ruppin is a Kreis in the northwestern part of Brandenburg, Germany. Neighboring are the districts Müritz and Mecklenburg-Strelitz in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the districts...
in Brandenburg, the district Stendal
Stendal (district)
Stendal is a district in the north-east of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Neighboring districts are Jerichower Land, Börde, Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, the district Lüchow-Dannenberg in Lower Saxony, and the districts Prignitz, Ostprignitz-Ruppin and Havelland in Brandenburg.- History :In the...
in Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...
and the district Lüchow-Dannenberg
Lüchow-Dannenberg
Lüchow-Dannenberg is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany which is usually referred to as Hannoversches Wendland or Wendland. It is bounded by the districts of Uelzen and Lüneburg and the states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania , Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt Lüchow-Dannenberg is a district in...
in Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
.
Geography
The term Prignitz originally means the region north of the confluence of the ElbeElbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
and Havel
Havel
The Havel is a river in north-eastern Germany, flowing through the German states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Berlin and Saxony-Anhalt. It is a right tributary of the Elbe river and in length...
rivers. This region is larger than the district. It also includes the town of Havelberg
Havelberg
Havelberg is a town in the district of Stendal, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the Havel, and part of the town is built on an island in the centre of the river. The two parts were incorporated as a town in 1875...
in Saxony-Anhalt and large portions of the neighbouring district of Ostprignitz-Ruppin
Ostprignitz-Ruppin
Ostprignitz-Ruppin is a Kreis in the northwestern part of Brandenburg, Germany. Neighboring are the districts Müritz and Mecklenburg-Strelitz in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the districts...
.
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: WittenbergeWittenberge
Wittenberge is a town of twenty thousand people on the lower Elbe in the district of Prignitz , Brandenburg, Germany.-History:...
, Lenzen
Lenzen
Lenzen is a small town in the district of Prignitz, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is part of the Amt Lenzen-Elbtalaue.-Overview:Lenzen is situated near the Elbe, approx. 20 km northwest of Wittenberge. It was the scene of an early victory by the Germans over the Wends in 929...
, Perleberg, Putlitz
Putlitz
Putlitz is a town in the district of Prignitz, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 15 km northwest of Pritzwalk, and 35 km northeast of Wittenberge.-International relations:Putlitz is twinned with: Kaltenkirchen, Germany...
, Kyritz
Kyritz
Kyritz is a town in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 28 km west of Neuruppin and 28 km southeast of Pritzwalk.There are 9,900 inhabitants .-Overview:...
, Nitzow, Wittstock
Wittstock
Wittstock is a town in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district, in north-western Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the river Dosse, 20 km east of Pritzwalk, and 95 km northwest of Berlin. It was the location of the 1636 Battle of Wittstock between Sweden and an alliance of the Holy Roman...
, Pritzwalk
Pritzwalk
Pritzwalk is a town in the district of Prignitz, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 20 km west of Wittstock, and 33 km northeast of Wittenberge....
, Havelberg
Havelberg
Havelberg is a town in the district of Stendal, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the Havel, and part of the town is built on an island in the centre of the river. The two parts were incorporated as a town in 1875...
, Wusterhausen
Wusterhausen
Wusterhausen is a municipality in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district, in northwestern Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the river Dosse, 7 km southeast of Kyritz, and 75 km northwest of Berlin....
and Grabow
Grabow
Grabow is a town in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated on the river Elde, 7 km southeast of Ludwigslust, and 34 km northwest of Wittenberge.-History:...
.
The present district Prignitz was created in 1993 by merging the previous districts 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 changed to be part of Brandenburg on August 1, 1992.
The earlier district of the Prignitz was the buffer between Brandenburg and Mecklenburg. It was resettled by Germans, especially from the Bremen area, following the First Wendish Crusade
Wendish Crusade
The Wendish Crusade was an 1147 campaign, one of the Northern Crusades and also a part of the Second Crusade, led primarily by the Kingdom of Germany inside the Holy Roman Empire and directed against the Polabian Slavs ....
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
Von Blumenthal
The von Blumenthal family are German nobility from Brandenburg-Prussia. Other, unrelated, families of this name exist in Switzerland and formerly in Russia, and many unrelated families called "Blumenthal" without "von" are to be found worldwide.The family was already noble from earliest times ,...
and von Grabow families with them. The western half was dominated by the robber barons, especially the Gans zu Putlitz family and their vassals, the von Quitzow
Von Quitzow
The von Quitzow family is a noble family of Brandenburg, whose power in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth century was so great that this period of Brandenburg history is sometimes called the "Age of the von Quitzows." Its most famous sons were the robber barons, the brothers Dietrich and...
s. When Frederick Count of Zollern was appointed Margrave in 1411, he faced an uprising of the Wendish
Wends
Wends is a historic name for West Slavs living near Germanic settlement areas. It does not refer to a homogeneous people, but to various peoples, tribes or groups depending on where and when it is used...
nobility, supported by the Wendish Duke of Mecklenburg. However, he was able to put the revolt down at the battle of the Cremmer Dam, with the support of the German nobility. Families who had stayed loyal were rewarded. Otto von Blumenthal
Von Blumenthal
The von Blumenthal family are German nobility from Brandenburg-Prussia. Other, unrelated, families of this name exist in Switzerland and formerly in Russia, and many unrelated families called "Blumenthal" without "von" are to be found worldwide.The family was already noble from earliest times ,...
, for example, was made Captain of the Prignitz from 1415–1422 and of Lenzen
Lenzen
Lenzen is a small town in the district of Prignitz, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is part of the Amt Lenzen-Elbtalaue.-Overview:Lenzen is situated near the Elbe, approx. 20 km northwest of Wittenberge. It was the scene of an early victory by the Germans over the Wends in 929...
from 1420.
Coat of arms
 |
The coat of arms shows a goose preparing for flight, the symbol of the Gans zu Putlitz family (Gans is German German language German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union.... for goose), who in the 12th century were one of a number of families (such as the von Plotho Von Plotho The von Plotho family are a German noble family traditionally believed to be of Wendish origin, particularly associated with the Prignitz region in Brandenburg.-History:... , von Blumenthal Von Blumenthal The von Blumenthal family are German nobility from Brandenburg-Prussia. Other, unrelated, families of this name exist in Switzerland and formerly in Russia, and many unrelated families called "Blumenthal" without "von" are to be found worldwide.The family was already noble from earliest times ,... and von Arnim Von Arnim Von Arnim may refer to:* Adolf Heinrich von Arnim-Boitzenburg , German statesman* Arnulf von Arnim , German classical pianist and teacher* Bernd von Arnim , German naval officer... families) who introduced Christianity and German culture to Prignitz. The pearls around the goose symbolize Perleberg (which translates to Mountain of Pearl). The wolf in bottom stands for the former administrative seat Pritzwalk, as walk derives from the slavonic Slavic languages The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic... wolk meaning wolf. The wavy separation between the top and bottom symbolizes the river Elbe, the colors red and white are the same as those of Brandenburg. |
Towns and municipalities
| Amt-free towns | Ämter | |
|---|---|---|
Amt-free municipalities
|
1. Bad Wilsnack/Weisen Bad Wilsnack/Weisen Bad Wilsnack/Weisen is an Amt in the district of Prignitz, in Brandenburg, Germany. Its seat is in Bad Wilsnack.The Amt Bad Wilsnack/Weisen consists of the following municipalities:#Bad Wilsnack#Breese#Legde/Quitzöbel...
2. Lenzen-Elbtalaue Lenzen-Elbtalaue Lenzen-Elbtalaue is an Amt in the district of Prignitz, in Brandenburg, Germany. Its seat is in Lenzen.The Amt Lenzen-Elbtalaue consists of the following municipalities:#Cumlosen#Lanz#Lenzen#Lenzerwische...
|
3. Meyenburg Meyenburg (Amt) Meyenburg is an Amt in the district of Prignitz, in Brandenburg, Germany. Its seat is in Meyenburg.The Amt Meyenburg consists of the following municipalities:#Gerdshagen#Halenbeck-Rohlsdorf#Kümmernitztal#Marienfließ...
4. Putlitz-Berge Putlitz-Berge Putlitz-Berge is an Amt in the district of Prignitz, in Brandenburg, Germany. Its seat is in Putlitz.The Amt Putlitz-Berge consists of the following municipalities:#Berge#Gülitz-Reetz#Pirow#Putlitz#Triglitz...
|
| 1seat of the Amt; 2town | ||