Grimmen | |
|---|---|
 Church of Saint Mary | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Grimmen within Vorpommern-Rügen district  | |
  Grimmen  Grimmen | |
| Coordinates:54°06′36″N13°02′29″E / 54.11000°N 13.04139°E /54.11000; 13.04139 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern |
| District | Vorpommern-Rügen |
| Subdivisions | 12 Ortsteile |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Benno Rüster (CDU) |
| Area | |
• Total | 50.29 km2 (19.42 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 9 m (30 ft) |
| Population (2023-12-31)[1] | |
• Total | 9,649 |
| • Density | 190/km2 (500/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 18507 |
| Dialling codes | 038326 |
| Vehicle registration | GMN, NVP |
| Website | www.grimmen.de |
Grimmen (German pronunciation:[ˈɡʁɪmən];Kashubian:Grzëmié) is a town inVorpommern-Rügen, a district in theBundeslandMecklenburg-Vorpommern,Germany. Prior to 2011, when district reforms were made inMecklenburg-Vorpommern, it was the capital of the now bygoneNordvorpommern district, which was abolished and merged to create the district ofVorpommern-Rügen.
Grimmen is located in southeastern Nordvorpommern on the banks of the riverTrebel, about 30 km south ofStralsund and 30 km west ofGreifswald. The town is connected to theStralsund-Neustrelitz-Berlin railways, and toAutobahnA 20. Adjacent to the city limits areAmtFranzburg-Richtenberg in the West,Amt Miltzow in the North, and theSüderholzmunicipality in the Southeast.
In addition to the town of Grimmen, the following villages are also within Grimmen's city limits:
Neighbouring municipalities, listed clockwise beginning in the North, areWittenhagen,Wilmshagen,Süderholz,Wendisch Baggendorf,Splietsdorf,Papenhagen.
Grimmen was founded during theOstsiedlung, when about 1250 merchants and craftsman fromLower Saxony,Westphalia and the LowerRhine settled the site which then was part of thePrincipality of Rügen. The first document mentioning Grimmens is of 1267. In 1287, a report mentionsVogt Berthold taking office in the town, and further mentions that Grimmen had already been grantedLübeck law before. The actual charter is lost, thus the exact date when the town received Lübeck law remains uncertain. Accordingly, the 700th anniversary was celebrated in 1987. Since 1325, Grimmen belonged to theDuchy of Pomerania.
During theThirty Years' War, the town was looted several times. After the war, Grimmen became part ofSwedish Pomerania, adominion of theSwedish Empire. From 1695 to 1697, mayor Johannes Flittner cruelly pursued allegedwitches; at least seven were executed. In 1797, a large fire destroyed almost the entire town. In 1800,Swedish kingGustav IV Adolph visited Grimmen and resided in the so-calledking's house. Following theCongress of Vienna in 1815, Swedish Pomerania with Grimmen became part of thePrussianProvince of Pomerania. An administrative reform of 1816 made the town capital of aKreis. In 1853,cholera broke out.
At the endSecond World War, Grimmen surrendered to theRed Army without fighting in April 1945. In the 1960s, numerous new factories and agricultural enterprises were set up, resulting in prosperity and physical growth of the city. AfterEast Germany's Communist regime collapsed followingDie Wende movement of 1989, the town's old buildings were reconstructed. After a reorganization of theKreis districts in 1994, Grimmen became capital of newly createdVorpommern-Rügen.
Châteaulin, France
Czaplinek, Poland
Osterholz-Scharmbeck, Germany
Staffanstorp, SwedenThe oldest building of the town is St. Mary's church, built in 1267. Of the old fortifications, threeBrick Gothic gates are still intact:
Further sights are the city hall, built inBrick Gothic style around the year 1400, and the water tower, built in 1933.
Grimmen'szoo holds more than 250 animals of 50 different kinds. The zoo opened in 1957 and also has a large variety in plants and green areas.
The first chapters ofDennis Wheatley's WWII spy thriller "They used dark forces" are set in 1944 Grimmen, where Wheatley's British agent Gregory Sallust arrives on a secret mission in Nazi Germany.
Media related toGrimmen at Wikimedia Commons
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