Mecklenburg-West Pomerania

Basic data:

Universities:

Greifswald: Ernst Moritz Arndt University of Greifswald
Rostock: Private Hanseatic University of Rostock, University of Rostock

Geography:

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is located entirely in the North German lowlands, the total length of the coast is 1,470 km. Of these, 340 km are the outer coast of the Baltic Sea, 1,130 km are the Bodden or inland coast.

Of the 794 islands in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the most important are Poel in the Wismark Bay, Hiddensee and Ummanz, as well as Rügen and Usedom. Steep banks alternate with sandy alluvial deposits on the Baltic Sea coast of Mecklenburg. The coast of Western Pomerania, which begins with the Fischland-Darss-Zingst peninsula, gets its character from numerous lagoons, the small lagoon, cliffs, the chalk cliffs in the north and east of Rügen and the dunes.

The surface forms include gently undulating ground moraines, the terminal moraines of the Mecklenburg Lake District, sandy areas as well as coastal and wet valley lowlands. Numerous short rivers and streams drain mainly to the Baltic Sea. About a fifth of the area is forested, 13% is covered by moors. There are 3 national parks in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

Climate:

The wind in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania often blows from the west, the winters in the state are cool and damp, and the summers are very mild. The light sea breeze on the coastal strip sometimes provides a pleasant cooling down even on hot summer days. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is adjacent to the Baltic Sea and thus has a natural regulator, the temperatures in autumn are milder than in southern Germany. Even at the end of September, very pleasant temperatures of 25 °C can still be reached. The island of Usedom in particular has the highest number of annual sunny days in Germany.

history:

The area of ??Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania was already inhabited in the historical periods of prehistory and early history, as evidenced by archaeological finds and archaeological monuments. In the High Middle Ages, the geographic regions developed into independent territories. From that time until 1945 there was a history of Mecklenburg and a history of Western Pomerania.

For a short time after World War II there was a state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, which was formed in May 1945 as part of the Soviet-occupied zone of Germany. In February 1945, the "Vorpommern" part of the name disappeared again, after which the state was given the official name "Mecklenburg". In the course of an administrative reform in July 1952, it already ceased to exist and the districts of Rostock, Schwerin and Neubrandenburg were formed.

The oldest evidence of human settlement comes from the last phase of the Palaeolithic Age. In the Neolithic Age that followed, the population settled down, and a large number of archaeological finds tell of the farmers and cattle breeders of this time. Impressive monuments of this culture are the megalithic tombs. The Bronze Age lasted about 1200 years in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and the population included farmers, cattle breeders and craftsmen. A special feature of this period are the Bronze Age settlements near Basedow and Kratzeburg, which are fortified like castles. In the Iron Age, Germanic tribes settled in the territory.One of the few visible legacies from Germanic times is the famous Boitiner Steintanz.

In the 7th century, Slavic tribes populated the area, and 200 ramparts in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are visible evidence today. During this time, the Via Regia (the oldest verifiable trade route in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) was mentioned for the first time. The 13th century brought extensive changes, the immigration of German farmers from the western Elbe region led to fundamental changes. Most of today's villages and towns in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania arose as a result of this German eastward expansion, and most of the church buildings still in existence today date from this period of the late Middle Ages.

In 1348, Emperor Charles IV elevated the princes to dukes, and the second division of the state in 1621 led to the formation of the duchies of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Güstrow. In the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, Wismar came to Sweden, after the Güstrower line died out (1695), the duchies of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz were created after the Hamburg settlement in 1701. In 1803 Wismar returned to Mecklenburg, and both duchies joined the Confederation of the Rhine in 1808. At the Congress of Vienna, the two Mecklenburg duchies became grand duchies. In 1849, as a result of the bourgeois revolution, a basic state law was introduced, which was repealed the following year and the old estate constitution was reinstated. In 1871 it joined the German Empire.

In the course of the November Revolution, the medieval constitution was abolished. In 1933, the free state of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was merged with Mecklenburg-Strelitz to form the state of Mecklenburg, and Schwerin became the capital. In 1945 Mecklenburg became a Soviet zone of occupation under the name Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, from 1947 only as Mecklenburg. The political reorganization took place in 1952 into the districts of Rohstock, Schwerin and Neubrandenburg, the reestablishment of the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania was completed in 1990, and Schwerin became the state capital.

After the state elections on October 14, 1990, the CDU and FDP parties formed a coalition government, initially under Alfred Gomolka, and from March 1992 under Berndt Seite (both CDU, from 1994 in a grand coalition with the SPD). After the 1998 election, the SPD and PDS formed a coalition government under Harald Ringstorff, which was confirmed in 2002. After the 2006 elections, a grand coalition was formed between the SPD and the CDU, again under Harald Ringstorff.

Economy:

The most important economic sectors in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are agriculture, the food industry and tourism. The main areas of agriculture are in the area of ??the fertile ground moraines that run through the country from north-west to south-east. Wheat, oilseeds, field fodder and sugar beets are mainly cultivated, and pig breeding is also widespread.

Mainly rye and potatoes are grown on the terminal moraine areas and sander areas to the south, the pine forests are used for forestry purposes. In the river valleys in the north and north-east as well as the Elbe in the south-west and in the coastal area, cattle are mainly raised. The numerous lakes in the country favor inland fishing.

In the course of the development of the shipbuilding industry and the port economy, industrialization in the coastal area began after 1950. The metalworking industry and the electrical industry, machine and vehicle construction and fish processing are also important.

The Baltic Sea coast with its Fischland-Darss-Zingst peninsula and the islands of Rügen and Usedom is an important holiday area. Recreation areas are also in the Mecklenburg Lake District. The construction of the Berlin-Rostock motorway in the 1970s and the Berlin-Hamburg motorway in the 1980s brought about an improvement in the transport network.Added to this is the construction of the Baltic Sea autobahn from Lübeck to the Polish border. Ferry ports are located in Rostock-Warnemünde and in Sassnitz