Wittstock
| Wittstock | |
 |
|
 |
|
 Wittstock
|
|
|
Location of the town of Wittstock within Ostprignitz-Ruppin district
 |
|
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 53°9′49″N 12°29′8″E / 53.16361°N 12.48556°ECoordinates: 53°9′49″N 12°29′8″E / 53.16361°N 12.48556°E |
| Administration | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Brandenburg |
| District | Ostprignitz-Ruppin |
| Town subdivisions | 19 |
| Mayor | Jörg Gehrmann (CDU) |
| Basic statistics | |
| Area | 417.20 km2 (161.08 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 65 m (213 ft) |
| Population | 15,050 (31 December 2011)[1] |
| - Density | 36 /km2 (93 /sq mi) |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Licence plate | OPR |
| Postal code | 16909 |
| Area code | 03394 |
| Website | www.wittstock.de |
- For Wittstock as in Charlene Lynette Wittstock, see Charlene, Princess of Monaco
Wittstock is a town in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district, in north-western Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the river Dosse, 20 km east of Pritzwalk, and 95 km northwest of Berlin. It was the location of the 1636 Battle of Wittstock between Sweden and an alliance of the Holy Roman Empire and Saxony.
The town's main historic monument is its medieval cathedral. Much of the elaborate late medieval defences still surround the old centre, including a 2500 metres long city wall. Originally 11 metres high, the size today is about 4 to 7 metres.
Contents |
Town structure [edit]
After the integration of several villages surrounding the town in October 2003, Wittstock became the 6th largest city in Germany. However, the former freelance districts Herzsprung and Königsberg, which were forced to be integrated in 2003, achieved their independence in 2004 again, claiming that the compulsive integration was void because of a form error. Both districts were still under the overview of the department of Wittstock/Dosse. Since 2005, Herzsprung and Königsberg are parts of the commune Heiligengrabe, so the size of Wittstock decreased.
These are the current districts of Wittstock/Dosse:
|
|
History [edit]
Wittstock resulted from a Slavonic settlement and was first mentioned in the deed of formation for the Bishopric of Havelberg in 946. Obtaining the municipal law of Stendal on the 13th September 1248 from prince-bishop Heinrich 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. The "Wittstocker Castle", which has been built onto a Slavonic foundation, was the residence of Havelberg's prince-bishops from 1271 to 1548. Because of that it is often also designated as the "Old Bishop Castle".
The name "Wittstock" (1271 Wiztok, 1284 Witzstock, 1441 Witstock) has been adapted folk-etymologically to the Low German "witt" (white) and "stock" (rootstock).
Demography [edit]
-
Development of Population since 1875 within the Actual Boundaries (Blue Line: Population; Dotted Line: Comparison to Population Development of Brandenburg state; Grey Background: Time of Nazi rule; Red Background: Time of Communist rule)
-
Recent Population Development (Blue Line) and Forecasts
References [edit]
External links [edit]
|
|||||||
