Grabow

Grabow
Town hall

Coat of arms
Grabow
Location of Grabow within Ludwigslust-Parchim district
Coordinates: 53°16′N 11°34′E / 53.267°N 11.567°E / 53.267; 11.567Coordinates: 53°16′N 11°34′E / 53.267°N 11.567°E / 53.267; 11.567
Country Germany
State Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
District Ludwigslust-Parchim
Municipal assoc. Grabow
Government
 • Mayor Stefan Sternberg
Area
 • Total 72.08 km2 (27.83 sq mi)
Elevation 26 m (85 ft)
Population (2017-12-31)[1]
 • Total 5,701
 • Density 79/km2 (200/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 19300
Dialling codes 038756
Vehicle registration LWL
Website www.grabow.de

Grabow (German pronunciation: [ˈɡʁaːbo]) is a town in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated on the river Elde, 7 km (4.35 mi) southeast of Ludwigslust, and 34 km (21.12 mi) northwest of Wittenberge. It is twinned with Whitstable, in Kent.

History

The name Grabow is of Slavic Polabian origin, grab means "hornbeam". Names with this root occur often in Mecklenburg. It was only slightly changed as Grabowe (1186, 1252, 1275) and Grabow (1189, 1298). Pope Urban III. mentions castle Grabow for the first time in a letter from February 23, 1186. The city received city law in 1252 from the Count of Dannenberg. On 3 June 1725 the city was destroyed by a great fire. The palace was never rebuilt. At least since the 18th century there were Jews in the city, who left behind a synagogue and a cemetery. Both of them were damaged during the Kristallnacht.

The historical center of Grabow is distinguished by its close core of timber-framed houses of the 18th century.

From 1815 to 1918, Grabow was part of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Otto Plath, the father of Sylvia Plath, emigrated from Grabow to America. On 1 January 2016, the former municipality Steesow became part of Grabow.

The painter Wilhelm Langschmidt was born in Grabow. He settled in the Elgin valley in South Africa. The town which grew around his trading store there still bears the name Grabouw, after his hometown.[2]

Number of inhabitants

  • 1877: 4,200
  • 1910: 5,500
  • 1939: 5,900
  • 1946: 8,900
  • 1970: 8,500
  • 1984: 8,600
  • 1990: 8,098
  • 1995: 7,240
  • 1997: 6,934
  • 2000: 6,741
  • 2005: 6,231

Pictures

Sons and Daughters of Grabow

Karl Leopold, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Duke Louis of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Personalities who lived and worked in Grabow

Media related to Grabow at Wikimedia Commons

References

  1. ↑ "Bevölkerungsstand der Kreise, Ämter und Gemeinden in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 31.12.2017". Statistisches Amt Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (in German). October 2018.
  2. ↑ G. de Beer, A. Paterson, H. Olivier: 160 Years of Export. PPECB. Plattekloof, South Africa. 2003. ISBN 0-620-30967-9
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