Demmin | |
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 Flag  Coat of arms | |
Location of Demmin within Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district  | |
  Demmin  Demmin | |
| Coordinates:53°54′18″N13°02′38″E / 53.90500°N 13.04389°E /53.90500; 13.04389 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern |
| District | Mecklenburgische Seenplatte |
| Subdivisions | 12 districts |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2021–30) | Thomas Witkowski (CDU) |
| Area | |
• Total | 80.653 km2 (31.140 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 8 m (26 ft) |
| Population (2023-12-31)[1] | |
• Total | 10,293 |
| • Density | 130/km2 (330/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 17109 |
| Dialling codes | 03998 |
| Vehicle registration | DM |
| Website | www.demmin.de |
Demmin (German pronunciation:[dɛˈmiːn]) is a town in theMecklenburgische Seenplatte district,Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in north-eastern Germany. It was the capital of the formerdistrict of Demmin.
Demmin lies on the West Pomeranian plain at the confluence of the riversPeene,Tollense andTrebel.Lake Kummerow and theSzczecin Lagoon may be reached by boat on the Peene, Neubrandenburg via Altentreptow on by-roads and cycleways. The area of the confluences of the Tollense and Trebel with the Peene are called the Three Streams Land (Dreistromland) for tourist purposes and borrowing from the ancient land ofZweistromland.[2]
North of Demmin is the Drosedow Forest and woods of Woldeforst (c. 174 ha.). Here is also the Kronwald Nature Reserv (103 ha.). To the west on the left bank of the Peene is the woodland area of Devener Holz and, on the left bank, Vorwerk Switzerland (Vorwerker Schweiz). To the east of the town are the Sandberg Pines and, to the southeast, the Vorwerk Forest.
To the north of the borough areNossendorf andLoitz, to the east,Kletzin,Siedenbrünzow andUtzedel, to the south,Beggerow,Borrentin andSchönfeld and to the west,Warrenzin.
The following villages also belong to Demmin: Deven, Drönnewitz, Erdmannshöhe, Karlshof, Lindenfelde, Randow, Seedorf (incorporated on 1 April 1942), Siebeneichen, Vorwerk, Waldberg, Woldeforst andWotenick (incorporated on 1 June 2004).
Villages and populations
| Village | 12/2012[3] | 6/2013[3] |
|---|---|---|
| Deven | 38 | 38 |
| Drönnewitz | 218 | 215 |
| Erdmannshöhe | 13 | 13 |
| Karlshof | 14 | 11 |
| Lindenfelde | 65 | 66 |
| Randow | 104 | 98 |
| Seedorf | 93 | 91 |
| Siebeneichen | 12 | 13 |
| Vorwerk | 417 | 414 |
| Waldberg | 22 | 19 |
| Woldeforst | 1 | 2 |
| Wotenick | 210 | 211 |
| Demmin (total) | 11,650 | 11,574 |
The name may originate from theSlavic termtimänie 'swampy area'. Another possible origin for the nameDemmin could be fromOld Polabiandym (plural:dyminy) 'smoke', referring to clearing land through burning to make settlement possible. In 1075,Adam of Bremen reported[4] a fight over the castle atDimine. In the course of history, the name changed, and sources refer toDymine andDimin,Latinized toDyminium, finallyDemmyn, and since 1320 the town has been known under its present spellingDemmin.
A popular explanation of the name, but without any historical basis, is as follows: two princesses built a castle calledHaus Demmin and promised each other (in theLow German language spoken in Demmin)Dat Hus is din und min ('That house is thine [din] and mine [min]'). Thus the name of the castle and of the city is said to have developed.[5][6][7][8][9][10]
As early as 5500 - 4900 BC, the NeolithicLinear Pottery culture spread from the East, and from the Oder river into the area east[11] of Demmin. The great dolmen near Upost[12] is classified as the easternmost great dolmen.[13] As an evidence of theFunnelbeaker culture, 119Megalith constructions bear witness around the county of Demmin.[14] Of these, 56 are partially preserved. The majority of these constructions are 37Dolmen The fact that there are also six simple dolmen preserved, makes Demmin and its surrounding area one of those regions in which the construction of such facilities had its roots. The later period is characterized by 12 preserved in the district of DemminTumulus and basin stones. From about 1800 BC on, the settlement of the area byGermanic peoples began.
Slavic settlements of theVeleti in the forests surrounding Demmin can be traced back to the 8th century. In 789,[15] during theSaxon wars,Charlemagne led his troops to the Peene river, against the Veleti who were allies of theSaxons.Dragovit, king of the Veleti, whose castle,civitas Dragowiti[16][17] was said to most likely have been located at Vorwerk (Demmin), submitted to Charlemagne and swore fealty. The region was very suitable for a settlement and was important due to its location at the crossing of rivers and trade roads. During the struggle between the Veleti and theFranks, a border castle was erected byLuticiCircipanians at the dawn of the 10th century.[18] That castle was later called "Haus Demmin". It controlled the Eastern parts of Circipania, a territory that stretched toGüstrow in the west. Its main castle wasTeterow.
Demmin was a stronghold of theWest SlavCircipanes during theMiddle Ages. Due to its strategical importance,strongholds were erected (and often attacked and destroyed) at theVorwerk andHaus Demmin sites, namedDimin orDymin. In the early 12th century Polish monarchBolesław III Wrymouth, who established sovereignty over Pomerania, initiatedChristianization, entrusting this task toOtto of Bamberg,[19] who visited Dymin in 1127.[20] The inhabitants accepted Christianity,[21] and a church was founded in 1140.[22] A Saxon army unsuccessfully besieged the settlement during the 1147Wendish Crusade. In 1160, Dymin became the capital of a smalleponymous duchy. In 1164, it was captured byHenry the Lion.[23] It was soon rebuilt, and in 1177 it was successfully defended during another siege by Henry the Lion.[24] In 1211 it was captured by KingValdemar II of Denmark,[24] who retained it until 1227.[23] In 1264, it was reunited with theDuchy of Pomerania.
It was granted municipal rights in the 13th century, confirmed by DukesBogislaw IV,Barnim II andOtto I in 1292, along with its oldprivileges.[25] It wascolonized by Germans andFlemings by the 13th to 14th centuries.[citation needed] Following the division of the Duchy of Pomerania in 1295, the town passed to theWolgast dukes and the castle passed to theSzczecin dukes.[26] In 1326 Duke Otto I granted all merchants coming to the town exemption from customs duties and taxes in the area.[27] In 1327 it was unsuccessfully besieged by Mecklenburg during theWars of the Rügen Succession.[27] From 1478 Demmin was part of the reunited Duchy of Pomerania.
Like most of Pomeranian areas aside the larger coastalHanse cities, the character of Demmin and its surrounding areas remained rural and dominated by agriculture until today, even though Demmin had been a member of the Hanseatic League because of the rivers (e.g. thePeene River) connecting this area to the Baltic coast.
During theThirty Years' War, Demmin wasoccupied by imperial forces from 1627 to 1630,[28] andthereafter by Swedish forces.[29] From 1648, Demmin was part ofSwedish Pomerania. From 1720, it was part ofPrussia,[23] within which it was administratively located in theProvince of Pomerania. In 1807 it was briefly occupied byFrance.[23] In the late 19th-century the inhabitants were mainly employed in weaving, tanning, fishing and trade.[23]
In the Weimar Republic Demmin was a stronghold of the nationalistic organisationsDNVP and theStahlhelm. Even before 1933 there were boycotts of Jewish businesses, which drove away most of the Jews and the synagogue was sold in June 1938 to a furniture company, which is why it survives as a building today. In the last free national elections to the Reichstag on 5 March 1933 the National Socialist Party won 53.7 percent of votes in Demmin.[30] On 11 November 1938, thousands gathered in the square in an anti-Semitic demonstration[31] as part ofKristallnacht.
During World War II, Poles, Russians, as well as POWs from France and Belgium were used asforced labour in the town.
German troops destroyed the bridges over thePeene while retreating from Demmin during World War II. This way, the advance of the SovietRed Army was slowed down when they arrived in Demmin on 30 April 1945. During that night and the following morning, Demmin was handed over to the Red Army largely without fighting, similar to other cities likeGreifswald. Rapes, pillage and executions committed by Red Army soldierstriggered a mass suicide of hundreds of people and nearly all of the Old Town was burned down by the Red Army.[32][33] From 1945 to 1952, Demmin was part of the State ofMecklenburg-Vorpommern, from 1952 to 1990 of theBezirk Neubrandenburg ofEast Germany and since 1990 again of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Thecoat of arms of Demmin displays:
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