Place Information
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Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (German: Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) is a state in northern Germany. It is comprised of two parts, Mecklenburg and Vorpommern, and its capital is Schwerin. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is among the least densely populated and least industrial German states, being the 6th largest in size, but only 14th in population. The Baltic Sea coastline and its islands (e.g. Rügen), the cities, as well as the Mecklenburg Lake District are very popular with tourists, making the state Germany's number one tourist location. Moreover, the universities of Greifswald (est. 1456) and Rostock (est. 1419) are amongst the oldest in Germany and, indeed, northern Europe. Major cities include Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Stralsund, Greifswald and Wismar. The state's name is frequently abbreviated as MV.
History
MecklenburgMecklenburg, 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 Western Slavic peoples, who remained rulers of the area until the 12th century. In the late 12th century, Henry the Lion, Duke of the Saxons, conquered the region, subjugated its local lords 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-partioned 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 following abdication of the German Kaiser, the monarchy was abolished throughout the country and a republican government of Mecklenburg was established. Western PomeraniaWestern Pomerania (German: Vorpommern) is the smaller, western part of the formerly German region Pomerania; the other eastern part has been part of Poland since the Second World War. Western Pomerania was also under Swedish rule after the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. It was annexed by Prussia in 1815. GDR and reunificationThe two component parts of the state were briefly combined between 1947 and 1952 by the Communist authorities of the German Democratic Republic. In 1952, the GDR government abandoned "states" in favour of districts (German: Bezirke). As a result of this, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern was split into three districts (Bezirk Rostock, Bezirk Schwerin and Bezirk Neubrandenburg) under the highly-centralised government of the GDR. Following the German reunification of 1989/1990, the districts of Mecklenburg and Vorpommern were united to form the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Research Tips
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