Prenzlau

Prenzlau
Prenzlau
Town
	Medieval town gate Mitteltor and St Mary Church
	Coat of arms
	Location of Prenzlau within Uckermark district
	Prenzlau Prenzlau
	Coordinates: 53°19′N 13°52′E / 53.317°N 13.867°E
Country	Germany
State	Brandenburg
District	Uckermark
Subdivisions	24 Ortsteile
Government
• Mayor	Hendrik Sommer
Area
• Total	142.18 km2 (54.90 sq mi)
Elevation	30 m (100 ft)
Population (2022-12-31)
• Total	18,909
• Density	130/km2 (340/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	17291
Dialling codes	03984
Vehicle registration	UM
Website	www.prenzlau.info

Prenzlau (formerly also Prenzlow) is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, the administrative seat of Uckermark District. It is also the centre of the historic Uckermark region.

Geography

The town is located on the Ucker river, about 100 km (62 mi) north of Berlin. Prenzlau station -- which opened in 1863 -- is a stop on the Angermünde–Stralsund railway line.

History

Settled since Neolithic times, the Prenzlau area from the 7th century AD was the site of several gords erected by the Polabian Slavs. In the late 12th century, the Dukes of Pomerania had the region colonized by Low German settlers.

Prenzlau itself, named after Slavic Premyslaw was first mentioned in 1187. It received town privileges by Duke Barnim I of Pomerania in 1234. When Duke Barnim signed the Treaty of Landin with the Ascanian margraves of Brandenburg in 1250, Prenzlau was already a fortified town with walls and moats, four parish churches and a monastery. Together with Berlin-Cölln, Frankfurt and Stendal, it ranked among the largest towns in the margraviate.

The Prenzlau and the Uckermark region were devastated during the Thirty Years' War. From the late 17th century onwards French Huguenot refugees settled here and an economic recovery started. Also a garrison town, Prenzlau was again ravaged by passing troops during the Seven Years' War and the Napoleonic Wars. In the mid 19th century, several citizens emigrated to Australia, where they founded the town of Prenzlau, Queensland west of Brisbane.

In World War II the town centre was largely destroyed. The East German authorities had it rebuilt with large panel Plattenbau buildings.

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); Projection by the Brandenburg state for 2005-2030 (yellow line); Projection by the Brandenburg state for 2014-2030 (red line); Projection by the Bertelsmann Foundation for 2012-2030 (green line)

Prenzlau: Population development
within the current boundaries (2017)^[2]

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1875	18,512	—
1890	20,823	+0.79%
1910	24,327	+0.78%
1925	24,572	+0.07%
1933	25,118	+0.28%
1939	27,697	+1.64%
1946	21,532	−3.53%
1950	22,960	+1.62%
1964	23,267	+0.09%
1971	24,890	+0.97%
1981	26,020	+0.44%
1985	26,326	+0.29%
1989	26,211	−0.11%
1990	25,900	−1.19%

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1991	25,167	−2.83%
1992	24,743	−1.68%
1993	24,451	−1.18%
1994	24,120	−1.35%
1995	23,847	−1.13%
1996	23,630	−0.91%
1997	23,501	−0.55%
1998	23,133	−1.57%
1999	22,946	−0.81%
2000	22,737	−0.91%
2001	22,225	−2.25%
2002	21,785	−1.98%
2003	21,341	−2.04%
2004	21,039	−1.42%

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2005	20,904	−0.64%
2006	20,735	−0.81%
2007	20,461	−1.32%
2008	20,285	−0.86%
2009	20,173	−0.55%
2010	20,078	−0.47%
2011	19,139	−4.68%
2012	19,045	−0.49%
2013	19,023	−0.12%
2014	19,070	+0.25%
2015	19,275	+1.07%
2016	19,279	+0.02%
2017	19,110	−0.88%