Wittenberge

Coordinates: 53°00′N 11°45′E / 53.000°N 11.750°E / 53.000; 11.750
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Wittenberg.

Wittenberge
Town
Flag of Wittenberge
Flag
Coat of arms of Wittenberge
Coat of arms
Location of Wittenberge within Prignitz district
LenzerwischeLenzen (Elbe)LanzCumlosenGroß PankowPritzwalkGumtowPlattenburgLegde/QuitzöbelRühstädtBad WilsnackBreeseWeisenWittenbergePerlebergKarstädtGülitz-ReetzPirowBergePutlitzKümmernitztalGerdshagenHalenbeck-RohlsdorfMeyenburgMarienfließTriglitzOstprignitz-RuppinPutlitzMecklenburg-VorpommernSaxony-AnhaltSaxony-Anhalt
Prignitz
Subdivisions7 Stadtteile/Stadtbezirke
Government
 • Mayor (2016–24) Oliver Hermann[1] (SPD)
Area
 • Total50.44 km2 (19.47 sq mi)
Elevation
25 m (82 ft)
Population
 (2022-12-31)[2]
 • Total16,837
 • Density330/km2 (860/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
19322
Dialling codes03877
Vehicle registrationPR
Websitewww.wittenberge.de

Wittenberge (German: [ˌvɪtənˈbɛɐ̯ɡə] ⓘ) is a town of eighteen thousand people on the middle Elbe in the district of Prignitz, Brandenburg, Germany.

Geography

Wittenberge is situated at the right (north-eastern) bank of the middle

Bad Wilsnack/Weisen as well as the district capital Perleberg. The Verbandsgemeinde Seehausen (Altmark) in the district of Stendal, Saxony-Anhalt
, lies on the opposite side of the Elbe.

History

The site was marked out in 1239 at Wendischwalde and in 1300 the

Rathaus
was built.

From 15 August 1942 until 17 February 1945 a

concentration camp was established near Wittenberge. The camp was a subcamp to the Neuengamme concentration camp.[3] During WW II Wittenberge suffered severe destruction by five air raids and 216 civilians died.[4]

Between the wars much architecture characteristic of the period was built in the form of workers' housing for the rapidly increased population. Only the railway workshops remain as significant employers of the old industries but the large, skilled workforce remains for the newer industries of precision engineering and applied chemistry.

Sights

The oldest building in Wittenberge is Steintor (stone Gate) dating from 1450, an ancient gate of the medieval city wall.[5] Only a small part of Wittenberge's old town centre with half-timbered houses is left as many old houses were torn down before 1989. The railway station was built in a classicist style in 1846 and rebuilt after considerable bomb damage in World War II.[6] The Town Hall (Rathaus) with its tower measuring 51 metres was inaugurated in 1914.[7] It represents the style of Gründerzeit.

The Kultur- und Festspielhaus, a cultural centre, was built in 1959 in a typical style of Socialist realism. After the German reunification it was renovated in reinaugurated in 1999.[8] It is situated at Paul-Lincke-Platz, a place which is named after the composer Paul Lincke who lived in Wittenberge from 1881 to 1884.[9] In Bahnstraße, Wittenberge's main street, several residential buildings representing Stalinist architecture on a provincial level can be seen close to the Cultural Centre. They were renovated after the German reunification.

A factory for producing sewing-machines was founded in Wittenberge in 1903. Its clock tower measuring 49 metres which was built in 1928 is one of the symbols of Wittenberge.[10]

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)
    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 2017-2030 (scarlet line); for 2020-2030 (green line)
    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 2017-2030 (scarlet line); for 2020-2030 (green line)
Wittenberge: Population development
within the current boundaries (2020)[11]
YearPop.±% p.a.
1875 8,407—    
1890 13,294+3.10%
1910 21,262+2.38%
1925 26,310+1.43%
1939 28,496+0.57%
1950 32,166+1.11%
1964 33,021+0.19%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1971 33,704+0.29%
1981 31,765−0.59%
1985 30,757−0.80%
1990 28,378−1.60%
1995 24,890−2.59%
2000 22,163−2.29%
2005 19,767−2.26%
YearPop.±% p.a.
2010 18,571−1.24%
2015 17,206−1.52%
2016 17,318+0.65%
2017 17,201−0.68%
2018 17,015−1.08%
2019 16,925−0.53%
2020 16,862−0.37%
  • Railway Station
    Railway Station
  • Steintor (Stone Gate)
    Steintor (Stone Gate)
  • Old town centre
    Old town centre
  • Town Hall
    Town Hall
  • Cultural Centre
    Cultural Centre
  • Socialist architecture in Bahnstraße after its renovation
    Socialist architecture in Bahnstraße after its renovation
  • Socialist architecture in Bahnstraße after its renovation
    Socialist architecture in Bahnstraße after its renovation
  • Wittenberge's main street: Bahnstraße
    Wittenberge's main street: Bahnstraße
  • Railway bridge over the Elbe near Wittenberge
    Railway bridge over the Elbe near Wittenberge

Mayor

  • 1993–2008: Klaus Petry (SPD)
  • since 2008: Oliver Hermann (independent)

Oliver Hermann was reelected in 2016 with 94,8% of the vote.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Twin towns – Sister cities

Wittenberge is

twinned
with:

Notable people

References

  1. ^ Landkreis Prignitz Wahl der Bürgermeisterin / des Bürgermeisters, accessed 2 July 2021.
  2. Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg
    (in German). June 2023.
  3. ^ The camp is listed as No. 1587 Wittenberge, Kreis Wittenberge in the official German list of concentration camps Verzeichnis der Konzentrationslager und ihrer Außenkommandos Archived 23 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine (in German)
  4. ^ "So lief der Luftangriff auf Wittenberge | SVZ". 11 May 2022.
  5. ^ "Wittenberge - Steintor Wittenberge".
  6. ^ Stadt Wittenberge: Touristenführer 2022, p. 13. Wittenberge 2022
  7. ^ "Wittenberge - Rathaus Wittenberge".
  8. ^ Stadt Wittenberge: Wittenberger Stadtspaziergang, p. 12. Wittenberge 2022
  9. ^ Stadt Wittenberge: Wittenberger Stadtspaziergang, p. 19. Wittenberge 2022
  10. ^ Stadt Wittenberge: Wittenberger Stadtspaziergang, p. 21. Wittenberge 2022
  11. ^ Detailed data sources are to be found in the Wikimedia Commons.Population Projection Brandenburg at Wikimedia Commons

External links

Media related to Wittenberge at Wikimedia Commons

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