Grabow

Grabow (German pronunciation: [ˈɡʁaːbo]) is a town in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated on the river Elde, 7 km (4.35 mi) southeast of Ludwigslust, and 34 km (21.12 mi) northwest of Wittenberge. It is twinned with Whitstable, in Kent.

For other uses, see Grabow (disambiguation).

Grabow
Town hall
Coat of arms
Location of Grabow within Ludwigslust-Parchim district
Grabow
Grabow
Coordinates: 53°16′N 11°34′E
CountryGermany
StateMecklenburg-Vorpommern
DistrictLudwigslust-Parchim
Municipal assoc.Grabow
Government
 • MayorKathleen Bartels (SPD)
Area
 • Total72.08 km2 (27.83 sq mi)
Elevation
26 m (85 ft)
Population
 (2018-12-31)[1]
 • Total5,633
 • Density78/km2 (200/sq mi)
Time zoneCET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes
19300
Dialling codes038756
Vehicle registrationLWL
Websitewww.grabow.de

History

The name Grabow is of Slavic Polabian origin, grab means "hornbeam". Names with this root occur often in Mecklenburg. It was only slightly changed as Grabowe (1186, 1252, 1275) and Grabow (1189, 1298). Pope Urban III. mentions castle Grabow for the first time in a letter from February 23, 1186. The city received city law in 1252 from the Count of Dannenberg. On 3 June 1725 the city was destroyed by a great fire. The palace was never rebuilt. At least since the 18th century there were Jews in the city, who left behind a synagogue and a cemetery. Both of them were damaged during the Kristallnacht. The Jews were murdered during the German occupation of the town that began in 1939. Most were sent to nearby Chelmno and gassed there.

The historical center of Grabow is distinguished by its close core of timber-framed houses of the 18th century.

From 1815 to 1918, Grabow was part of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Otto Plath, the father of Sylvia Plath, emigrated from Grabow to America. On 1 January 2016, the former municipality Steesow became part of Grabow.

The painter Wilhelm Langschmidt was born in Grabow. He settled in the Elgin valley in South Africa. The town which grew around his trading store there still bears the name Grabouw, after his hometown.[2]

Number of inhabitants
  • 1877: 4,200
  • 1910: 5,500
  • 1939: 5,900
  • 1946: 8,900
  • 1970: 8,500
  • 1984: 8,600
  • 1990: 8,098
  • 1995: 7,240
  • 1997: 6,934
  • 2000: 6,741
  • 2005: 6,231

Pictures
  • Timber-framed houses
  • Pferdemarkt 5
  • Große Straße
  • Grabow Town hall
  • Grabow

Sons and Daughters of Grabow
Karl Leopold, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Duke Louis of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Personalities who lived and worked in Grabow
gollark: Wait, how would that work?
gollark: Good enough, then.
gollark: It would be nice to be entirely FOSS, but I'd be happy with just Linux-with-minimal-blobs.
gollark: It's "DisplayPort Alternate Mode", right?
gollark: I can't, actually, as there appears to be no sign up option.

References
  1. "Statistisches Amt M-V – Bevölkerungsstand der Kreise, Ämter und Gemeinden 2018". Statistisches Amt Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (in German). July 2019.
  2. G. de Beer, A. Paterson, H. Olivier: 160 Years of Export. PPECB. Plattekloof, South Africa. 2003. ISBN 0-620-30967-9

Media related to Grabow at Wikimedia Commons

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