Wittstock

Wittstock/Dosse is a town in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district, in north-western Brandenburg, Germany.

For Charlene Lynette Wittstock, see Charlene, Princess of Monaco.
Wittstock
Town centre
Coat of arms
Location of Wittstock within Ostprignitz-Ruppin district
Wittstock
Wittstock
Coordinates: 53°9′49″N 12°29′8″E
CountryGermany
StateBrandenburg
DistrictOstprignitz-Ruppin
Subdivisions19
Government
 • MayorJörg Gehrmann (CDU)
Area
 • Total417.20 km2 (161.08 sq mi)
Elevation
65 m (213 ft)
Population
 (2018-12-31)[1]
 • Total14,198
 • Density34/km2 (88/sq mi)
Time zoneCET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes
16909
Dialling codes03394
Vehicle registrationOPR, KY, NP, WK
Websitewww.wittstock.de

Geography

It is located in the eastern Prignitz region on the Dosse River near the confluence with its Glinze tributary, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) east of Pritzwalk and 95 kilometres (59 mi) northwest of Berlin. Wittstock is situated in a terminal moraine landscape south of the Mecklenburg Lake District.

Town structure

After the incorporation of several suburban villages in December 1993 and again in October 2003, Wittstock became the 6th largest town in Germany by area. However, the former independent districts Herzsprung and Königsberg, which were forced to be integrated in 2003, regained their independence in 2004, claiming that the compulsive integration was void because of a clerical error. Both districts were still under the overview of the department of Wittstock. Since 2005, Herzsprung and Königsberg are parts of the commune Heiligengrabe, so the size of the town decreased.

The current districts of Wittstock/Dosse:

  • Babitz
  • Berlinchen
  • Biesen
  • Christdorf
  • Dossow
  • Dranse
  • Fretzdorf
  • Freyenstein with commune part Neu Cölln
  • Gadow
  • Goldbeck
  • Groß Haßlow with commune parts Klein Haßlow and Randow
  • Niemerlang with commune parts Tetschendorf and Ackerfelde
  • Rossow
  • Schweinrich
  • Sewekow
  • Wittstock (Kernstadt)
  • Wulfersdorf
  • Zempow
  • Zootzen

Demography
  • Development of population since 1875 within the current Boundaries (Blue Line: Population; Dotted Line: Comparison to Population development in Brandenburg state; Grey Background: Time of Nazi Germany; Red Background: Time of communist East Germany)
  • Recent Population Development and Projections (Population Development before Census 2011 (blue line); Recent Population Development according to the Census in Germany in 2011 (blue bordered line); Official projections for 2005-2030 (yellow line); for 2014-2030 (red line); for 2017-2030 (scarlet line)
Wittstock/Dosse: Population development
within the current boundaries (2017)[2]
YearPop.±% p.a.
1875 15,434—    
1890 15,366−0.03%
1910 14,873−0.16%
1925 15,045+0.08%
1933 15,802+0.62%
1939 16,538+0.76%
1946 19,901+2.68%
1950 20,700+0.99%
1964 17,717−1.11%
1971 17,912+0.16%
1981 19,022+0.60%
1985 19,903+1.14%
1989 20,447+0.68%
1990 20,056−1.91%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1991 19,275−3.89%
1992 20,561+6.67%
1993 19,977−2.84%
1994 19,885−0.46%
1995 20,164+1.40%
1996 19,750−2.05%
1997 19,759+0.05%
1998 19,464−1.49%
1999 18,584−4.52%
2000 17,985−3.22%
2001 17,674−1.73%
2002 17,305−2.09%
2003 17,039−1.54%
2004 16,687−2.07%
YearPop.±% p.a.
2005 16,363−1.94%
2006 16,108−1.56%
2007 15,892−1.34%
2008 15,650−1.52%
2009 15,407−1.55%
2010 15,235−1.12%
2011 14,801−2.85%
2012 14,708−0.63%
2013 14,631−0.52%
2014 14,427−1.39%
2015 14,380−0.33%
2016 14,291−0.62%
2017 14,283−0.06%
2018 14,198−0.60%

History

Wittstock resulted from a Slavic settlement and was first mentioned in the deed of formation for the Bishopric of Havelberg in 946. The name is possibly derived from vysoka ("high-lying") in the language of the local Polabian tribes, it was later Germanized into Wiztok (1271), Witzstock (1284) and Witstock (1441), adapted folk-etymologically to Low German witt ("white") and stock ("rootstock").

Bishop's Castle

Obtaining the Stendal town charter on 13 September 1248 from the hands of the Havelberg Prince-bishop Henry I, it is one of the oldest towns of Brandenburg. In 1251, Wittstock received an imprint of the town seal, which was one of the oldest in Brandenburg, too. Wittstock Castle, which had been built from 1244 onwards onto a Slavic foundation, served as the residence of the Havelberg Prince-bishops from 1271; it is therefore also designated Old Bishop Castle (Alte Bischofsburg). The Havelberg era ended with the Protestant Reformation and the death of the last Catholic Prince-bishop Busso von Alvensleben at Wittstock Castle in 1548.

Up to the Thirty Years' War, the fortress was a secure stronghold—until it became the site of the 1636 Battle of Wittstock, when the troops of the Swedish Empire under Field Marshals Johan Banér and Alexander Leslie defeated the allied Imperial and Saxon forces under Elector John George I of Saxony. Followed by the outbreak of a plague epidemic two years later, Wittstock remained devastated and lost about the half of its population.

The redevelopment of the town was launched by the "Great Elector" Frederick William in 1658. About 1750, numerous colonists descending from Württemberg and the Palatinate settled the region.

Politics
Town hall

Seats in the town's assembly (Stadtverordnetenversammlung) as of 2008 local elections:

Twin town

Wittstock is twinned with:

Sights
St Mary's Church

The town's main historic monument is the Brick Gothic St Mary's Church, dating back to c. 1240. Significantly enlarged as a hall church in the late 13th century and repleted with a carved altar by Claus Berg, it was used as a cathedral by the Havelberg bishops.

The Bishop's Castle was greatly restored in the 1990s and today houses a Thirty Years' War museum. Much of the elaborate late medieval defences still surround the old centre, including a 13th-century gate tower, the Daberburg bergfried north of the town, and a 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) long city wall. The wall's height, originally 11 metres (36 ft), today is about 4 to 7 metres.

Personality

Freemen
  • Kurt Zellmer, Superintendent: December 12, 2009
  • Wolfgang Dost, historian, in honor of his contributions to the cultural life of the city: September 24, 2011

Sons and daughters of the town
  • Ellen Streidt (born 1952), sprinter, medalist at the 1976 Summer Olympics
  • Ina Muhss (born 1957), politician (SPD), since 2010 a member of the Brandenburg Landtag
  • Thomas Skulski (born 1959), journalist and television presenter
  • Egmont Hamelow (born 1963), local politician (CDU)

Personalities who were active in
  • Friedrich Hermann Lütkemüller (1815-1897), organ builder, lived from 1844 until his death in Wittstock
Plate on organ
  • Melli Beese (1886-1925), Germany's first female pilot, was here during First World War interned along with her husband Charles Boutard

Medal

The Medal of Honor Wittstock was awarded to:

  • 2010 Regina Melzer for services within the People's Solidarity and Wolfgang Wilcke for his involvement in the turnaround time

References
  1. "Bevölkerung im Land Brandenburg nach amtsfreien Gemeinden, Ämtern und Gemeinden 31. Dezember 2018". Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg (in German). July 2019.
  2. Detailed data sources are to be found in the Wikimedia Commons.Population Projection Brandenburg at Wikimedia Commons
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