Ludwigslust-Parchim

Ludwigslust-Parchim
District
Flag of Ludwigslust-Parchim
Flag
Coat of arms of Ludwigslust-Parchim
Coat of arms
CountryGermany
StateMecklenburg-Western Pomerania
CapitalParchim
Government
 • District admin.Stefan Sternberg (SPD)
Area
 • Total
4,750 km2 (1,830 sq mi)
Population
 (31 December 2023)[1]
 • Total
209,372
 • Density44/km2 (110/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Vehicle registrationLUP, HGN, LBZ, LWL, PCH, STB
Websitewww.kreis-lup.de

Ludwigslust-Parchim, commonly abbreviated as LUP, is a rural district in the southwest of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. At 4,750 km2 (1,830 sq mi) it is the second largest district in all of Germany by area, only being surpassed by neighboring Mecklenburgische Seenplatte,[2] while also having the lowest population density of the districts in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the sixth-lowest in Germany overall. Its territory comprises of comprises 145 municipalities, 16 thereof towns, most of which are administered by one of the 15 constituent Ämter in the district.[3] The seat of the district administration is Parchim.[4] It is a member of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region.[2]

Geography

The district lies in the southwest of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern within the historical region of Mecklenburg. About half of the district is part of the Griese Gegend region, while the northwestern portions of the district, particularly near the town of Sternberg, are part of the Sternberger Seenlandschaft. The Elde river, originating from Altenhof in neighboring Mecklenburgische Seenplatte, flows through the whole southern length of the district, including through the towns Plau am See, Lübz, Parchim, Neustadt-Glewe, Grabow, and Dömitz. An outflow of the Lake Schwerin, the Stör, bisects the district and connects to the Elde by Neustadt-Glewe.

Within Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the district only borders three other districts, Nordwestmecklenburg to the north, Rostock district to the northeast, and Mecklenburgische Seenplatte to the east; as well as the district-free city Schwerin to the north. The other borders of the district are shared with other states: Schleswig-Holstein (Duchy of Lauenburg district) to the west, Lower Saxony (Lüchow-Dannenberg district) to the southwest, and Brandenburg (Prignitz district) to the southeast.

Lakes

Main article: List of lakes in Ludwigslust-Parchim

There are a number of lakes within the boundaries of Ludwigslust-Parchim district. The biggest lake in the district is the Plauer See, at 38.4 km2 (14.8 sq mi), on the western shore of which the town Plau am See lies, while the eastern shore constitutes the border between Ludwigslust-Parchim and the neighboring Mecklenburgische Seenplatte. Other notable lakes in the district include the Großer Sternberger See, Goldberger See, and the Barniner See as well as the Schaalsee shared with Schleswig-Holstein. The The district is also the home of multiple quarry lakes.

History

Ludwigslust-Parchim District was established by merging the former districts of Ludwigslust and Parchim as part of the local government reform of September 2011.[4] The name of the district was decided by referendum on September 4, 2011.[5] The project name for the district was Südwestmecklenburg.

Towns and municipalities

The district is made-up of 15 Ämter, as well as five Amt-free towns. In total, it comprises 145 municipalities, of which 16 are towns.[3]

Map of municipalities in Ludwigslust-Parchim with colors corresponding to the Amt they are a member of.
Amt-free towns Ämter
  1. Boizenburg
  2. Hagenow
  3. Lübtheen
  4. Ludwigslust
  5. Parchim
  1. Bengerstorf
  2. Besitz
  3. Brahlstorf
  4. Dersenow
  5. Gresse
  6. Greven
  7. Neu Gülze
  8. Nostorf
  9. Schwanheide
  10. Teldau
  11. Tessin bei Boizenburg
  1. Banzkow
  2. Barnin
  3. Bülow
  4. Cambs
  5. Crivitz1, 2
  6. Demen
  7. Dobin am See
  8. Friedrichsruhe
  9. Gneven
  10. Langen Brütz
  11. Leezen
  12. Pinnow
  13. Plate
  14. Raben Steinfeld
  15. Sukow
  16. Tramm
  17. Zapel
  1. Dömitz1, 2
  2. Grebs-Niendorf
  3. Karenz
  4. Malk Göhren
  5. Malliß
  6. Neu Kaliß
  7. Vielank
  1. Gallin-Kuppentin
  2. Gehlsbach
  3. Granzin
  4. Kreien
  5. Kritzow
  6. Lübz1, 2
  7. Passow
  8. Ruhner Berge
  9. Siggelkow
  10. Werder
  1. Dobbertin
  2. Goldberg1, 2
  3. Mestlin
  4. Neu Poserin
  5. Techentin
  1. Balow
  2. Brunow
  3. Dambeck
  4. Eldena
  5. Gorlosen
  6. Grabow1, 2
  7. Karstädt
  8. Kremmin
  9. Milow
  10. Möllenbeck
  11. Muchow
  12. Prislich
  13. Zierzow
  1. Alt Zachun
  2. Bandenitz
  3. Belsch
  4. Bobzin
  5. Bresegard bei Picher
  6. Gammelin
  7. Groß Krams
  8. Hoort
  9. Hülseburg
  10. Kirch Jesar
  11. Kuhstorf
  12. Moraas
  13. Pätow-Steegen
  14. Picher
  15. Pritzier
  16. Redefin
  17. Strohkirchen
  18. Toddin
  19. Warlitz
  1. Alt Krenzlin
  2. Bresegard bei Eldena
  3. Göhlen
  4. Groß Laasch
  5. Lübesse
  6. Lüblow
  7. Rastow
  8. Sülstorf
  9. Uelitz
  10. Warlow
  11. Wöbbelin
  1. Blievenstorf
  2. Brenz
  3. Neustadt-Glewe1, 2
  1. Domsühl
  2. Groß Godems
  3. Karrenzin
  4. Lewitzrand
  5. Obere Warnow
  6. Rom
  7. Spornitz
  8. Stolpe
  9. Ziegendorf
  10. Zölkow
  1. Barkhagen
  2. Ganzlin
  3. Plau am See1, 2
  1. Blankenberg
  2. Borkow
  3. Brüel2
  4. Dabel
  5. Hohen Pritz
  6. Kloster Tempzin
  7. Kobrow
  8. Kuhlen-Wendorf
  9. Mustin
  10. Sternberg1, 2
  11. Weitendorf
  12. Witzin
  1. Dümmer
  2. Holthusen
  3. Klein Rogahn
  4. Pampow
  5. Schossin
  6. Stralendorf1
  7. Warsow
  8. Wittenförden
  9. Zülow
  1. Wittenburg1, 2
  2. Wittendörp
  1. Gallin
  2. Kogel
  3. Lüttow-Valluhn
  4. Vellahn
  5. Zarrentin am Schaalsee1, 2
1 - seat of the Amt; 2 - town

Politics

District council

Total 76 seats
Total 76 seats
  • BSW-FH: 7
  • ZLP: 20
  • FDP/ABLR/AfL: 5
  • Non-attatched: 6
  • CDU: 20
  • AfD: 18

Although the regular size of the district council is 77 members, the current council consists of only 76 due to the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) winning seven seats but only having six candidates, one seat thus remains vacant. The last district council election was held during the 2024 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern local elections and yielded the following results:[6][7]

Party Votes % Seats
Awarded Filled +/–
Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) 87,813 26.1 20 20 Steady 0
Alternative for Germany (AfD) 80,464 23.9 19 19 Increase 9
Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) 52,440 15.6 12 12 Decrease 5
Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) 30,684 9.1 7 6 New
The Left (LINKE) 25,950 7.7 6 6 Decrease 6
Alliance 90/The Greens (GRÜNE) 10,580 3.1 3 3 Decrease 2
Free Democratic Party (FDP) 9,222 2.7 2 2 Decrease 2
Alliance Farmers Rural Regions (ABLR) 8,935 2.7 2 2 Steady 0
Free Voters 5,895 1.8 1 1 Decrease 1
Alternative for Ludwigslust (AfL) 5,179 1.5 1 1 Steady 0
Free Horizon LUP 4,238 1.3 1 1 Decrease 1
Home and Identity (HuI) 4,225 1.3 1 1 New[a]
Forward Former District Hagenow (VAH) 2,563 0.8 1 1 New
We Live Democracy (WLD) 2,452 0.7 1 1 Steady 0
Active Voters' Community Dobbertin (AWD) 1,746 0.5 0 0 Steady 0
Alliance Germany (BD) 933 0.3 0 0 New
Voters' Group Municipality Plate (WGP) 674 0.2 0 0 New
Independents 2,581 0.8 0 0 Steady 0
Total 336,574 100.0 76 77 Decrease 1
Valid votes 336,574 98.3
Invalid/blank votes 5,901 1.7
Total votes 342,475 100.0
Turnout 116,604 65.9
Eligable voters 177,941

The following factions were founded after the election: CDU (20 seats), AfD (20 seats), The Future Ludwigslust-Parchim (German: Die Zukunft Ludwigslust-Parchim, ZLP, 19 seats) consisting of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), The Left, Forward Former District Hagenow (German: Vorwärts Altkreis Hagenow, VAH), and We Live Democracy (German: Wir leben Demokratie, WLD); BSW-FH (7 seats), and the FDP/ABLR/AfL (5 seats).The remaining members stayed without a faction.

One member of The Left, Angelika Gramkow, decided against joining the ZLP faction due to "personal reasons" and was thus without a faction until stepping down from her office in March 2025 when she was replaced by Andreas Sturm who did join the faction, thus increasing its number of seats to 20.[10][11] Lorenz Dietrich, former member of the AfD-faction, stepped down from his office in July 2025 and was replaced by Normund Behning. Another former AfD-faction member, Martin Zenker, was excluded from the faction in August 2025, thus decreasing the seats of the AfD faction to 18. Zenker remains a member of the council as a non-attached member.[10]

Previous elections had the following results:

Year
Party
 2024 2019[12] 2014[13] 2011[14]
% Seats % Seats % Seats % Seats
CDU 26.1 20 25.9 20 23.0 25 27.7
AfD 23.9 19 12.5 10 2.9 2 did not exist
SPD 15.6 12 22.0 17 25.5 20 32.3
BSW 9.1 6[b] did not exist did not exist did not exist
The Left 7.7 6 16.2 12 17.8 14 17.8 14
Greens 3.1 3 6.2 5 4.1 3 5.6 4
FDP 2.7 2 4.7 4 3.9 3 4.8 4
ABLR 2.7 2 1.1 1 5.9 4 3.2 3
FW 1.8 1 2.1 2 0.9 1 1.1 1
AfL[c] 1.5 1 1.1 1 1.3 1 0.6 0
FH LUP 1.3 1 2.5 2 did not exist did not exist
HuI/NPD[d] 1.3 1 1.7 1 3.5 3 5.5 4
VAH 0.8 1 did not exist did not exist did not exist
WLD 0.7 1 0.8 1
AWD 0.5 0 0.6 0 0.4 0
BD 0.3 0 did not exist did not exist
WGP 0.2 0
AWGV did not run 0.3 0
Piraten did not run 0.8 1 did not run
WG "Wöbbelin" 0.2 0 did not exist
PARTEI did not run 0.1 0
AUF did not exist did not exist 0.5 0
Independents 0.8 0 0.7 0 0.7 0 0.7 0
Total 100 76 100 77 100 77 100 77

Landrat

The current district administrator (Landrat) is Stefan Sternberg of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).[16]

Culture

Due to its large area the culture of Ludwigslust-Parchim is diverse.

According to the district administration, there are over 300 active artists of various forms in the district. A district-awarded prize, the Ludwig-Reinhard-Kulturpreis, is directed at rewarding 'artistic engagement' in Ludwigslust-Parchim.[17] The Art and Culture Council of Ludwigslust-Parchim (German: KunstKulturRat Ludwigslust-Parchim) aims to support and represent local artists.[18]

A Ludwigslust Carton recreation of La Frileuse in the Ludwigslust Palace

Around the middle of the 18th century, Johann Georg Bachmann invented a special technique to manufacture papier-mâché so as to make the material more robust and, most importantly, weatherproof. This new technique became known as the "Ludwigsluster Carton" as it originated from the city of Ludwigslust, where Bachmann introduced the method to Grand Duke Frederick II who was currently building a palace in the city. Today, many sculptures of the material can still be found across Europe, but particularly in the city of Ludwigslust and its palace.[19][20]

Like most regions of Germany, Ludwigslust-Parchim is rich with local legends. Among the most notable of which is that of Räuber Vieting about a major robber in the areas around Parchim. According to legend, the hideout of this robber was located at a cave in the Sonnenberg nearby, a location that now serves as a tourist attraction.[21][22] Other legends are about the creation of natural features, like the one of Propst Jesar (in Lübtheen) which talks of how the lake was created by a curse Zigeuner put on the village as revenge,[23] or about the names of their settlements like that of Strohkirchen that alleges the village name originates with a feared thief.[24][25] Multiple legends exist around the Schaalsee, including one of a nun outsmarting the devil and one alleging that a tin can used to measure the depth of the lake came back up molten.[26]

Grabower Küßchen

The "Grabower Küßchen" are a well known chocolate-coated marshmallow treat from the town of Grabow.[27]

Multiple annual festivals are held across the districts' territory. These include festivals like the Martinimarkt fairs in towns like Parchim[28][29] and Grabow.[30] The annual castle festival in Neustadt-Glewe has attracted international interest[31] and the light festival in Grabow has been described as a mix of a Volksfest and light show.[32] There are several reoccurring music festivals located in the district, including Airbeat One in Neustadt-Glewe, which is among the biggest music festivals in Germany.[33][34] Weekly markets are common in most towns.

Notable museums in the district include the Ludwigslust Palace, Parchim museum, Neustadt-Glewe castle, the old Synagogue in Hagenow, and the various Wöbbelin concentration camp memorials.[17] The village of Rüterberg, a city district of Dömitz, has several sights relating to its former status as a village enclosed within the Berlin Wall that eventually declared independence as a village-republic.

Artists from the region include the authors Johannes Gillhoff and Leonhard Adelt, the painters Rudolph Suhrlandt, Wilhelm Langschmidt, Hermann Koch, and Heinrich Pommerencke; the lithographer Wilhelmine Suhrlandt, the photographer Louise Abel, the sculptors Wilhelm Wandschneider and Günther Uecker, the architect Erich zu Putlitz, the composers Johann Leopold Abel and Christiane Klonz, as well as the conductors Gustav Hinrichs and Heiko Mathias Förster.

Notes

  1. ^ Although HuI is a legally independent group, its personnel is nearly identical with that of The Homeland which partook in the last election under its old name National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD) where it won one seat (meaning a seat change of 0). However, when the HuI faction in the district council was founded with four former AfD-members, the contiguous organization had 5 seats (meaning a seat change of -4).[8][9]
  2. ^ The BSW was awarded 7 seats but only had 6 candidates.
  3. ^ In 2011: BfL (Bürger für Ludwigslust)[15]
  4. ^ Although legally distinct, the personnel of HuI is nearly identical with that of the The Homeland. Before 2024, results of The Homeland, which was still called National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD) at the time, are shown.

References

  1. ^ "Statistisches Amt M-V – Bevölkerungsstand der Kreise, Ämter und Gemeinden 2023" (XLS) (in German). Statistisches Amt Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
  2. ^ a b "Landkreis Ludwigslust-Parchim, Träger der Metropolregion Hamburg, Mitglied, Norddeutsche Kooperation, Regionalkooperation". metropolregion.hamburg.de. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  3. ^ a b Ludwigslust-Parchim, Landkreis. "Landkreis Portrait". Landkreis Ludwigslust-Parchim (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  4. ^ a b "Mecklenburg-Vorpommern government reform". Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  5. ^ "Referendum results Mittleres Mecklenburg". Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  6. ^ "Ergebnis der Kommunalwahlen in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern am 9. Juni 2024 - Landkreis Ludwigslust-Parchim". wahlen.mvnet.de. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  7. ^ NDR. "Ludwigslust-Parchim: Ergebnis der Kreistagswahl". www.ndr.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2024-06-12. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  8. ^ "Neue Fraktion: Ex-AfD-Landeschef Dennis Augustin holt NPD-Landeschef". Endstation Rechts. (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  9. ^ dpa (2020-10-14). "Kommunen: NPD-Politiker neu in Fraktion von Ex-AfD-Landeschef Augustin". Die Zeit (in German). ISSN 0044-2070. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  10. ^ a b Roß, Silke (2025-08-06). "Personalkarussell dreht sich bei der AfD-Kreistagsfraktion". www.nordkurier.de (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  11. ^ NDR.de. "Kreistag Ludwigslust-Parchim: Angelika Gramkow legt Mandat nieder". ndr.de (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  12. ^ "Ergebnis der Kommunalwahlen 2019 in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - Wahlgebiet: Ludwigslust-Parchim". wahlen.mvnet.de. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  13. ^ "Ergebnis der Kommunalwahlen 2014 in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - Wahlgebiet: Ludwigslust-Parchim". wahlen.mvnet.de. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  14. ^ "Wahl der Kreistage der Landkreise in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern am 4. September 2011". wahlen.mvnet.de. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  15. ^ "Heiko Böhringer - Kommunalwahlen 2024". Heiko Böhringer - Kommunalwahl 2024 (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  16. ^ Ludwigslust-Parchim, Landkreis. "Der Verwaltungsvorstand". Landkreis Ludwigslust-Parchim (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  17. ^ a b Ludwigslust-Parchim, Landkreis. "Das Fachgebiet Kultur". Landkreis Ludwigslust-Parchim (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  18. ^ Design, FARN. "Über uns". Kunst- und Kulturrat Ludwigslust-Parchim (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  19. ^ "Schloss Ludwigslust hat sich ein prachtvolles Denkmal aus Papiermaché gesetzt. | Monumente Online". www.monumente-online.de (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  20. ^ "Ein Schloss aus Papier - Geschichten um den Ludwigsluster Carton". www.mecklenburg-schwerin.de. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  21. ^ cryptadmin. "Räuber Vieting auf dem Sonnenberg". CRYPTONEUM Legenden-Museum (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  22. ^ "Räuber Vieting Höhle - Sonnenberge bei Parchim". www.mecklenburg-schwerin.de. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  23. ^ "Waldbad Probst Jesar". www.luebtheen.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2018-03-20. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  24. ^ Bartsch, Karl (1879). Sagen, Märchen und Gebräuche aus Mecklenburg. Erster Band (in German). Vienna. pp. 441–443. ISBN 978-1482315868. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  25. ^ "Sage - Freiwillige Feuerwehr Strohkirchen - Offizielle Homepage". www.feuerwehr-strohkirchen.de. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  26. ^ "Schaalseestadt: Sagen und Legenden". www.schaalseestadt.de. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  27. ^ Zimmermann, Juana (2024-06-23). "Grabow gewinnt Stadtaufgabe mit Küsschen". www.nordkurier.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2024-06-24. Retrieved 2025-05-17.
  28. ^ "Martinimarkt". Parchim (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  29. ^ Nordmagazin: Martinimarkt in Parchim: 80.000 Besucher erwartet - hier anschauen (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-10 – via www.ardmediathek.de.
  30. ^ "Besondere Events | Amt Grabow". www.grabow.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2025-04-21. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  31. ^ Kretschmer, Dénise (2025-06-01). "Ritterschlachten und Markttreiben beim Burgfest in Neustadt-Glewe". www.nordkurier.de (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  32. ^ Pohle, Mayk (2025-03-25). "Grabow begrüßt mit dem Lichterfest den Frühling". www.nordkurier.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2025-05-17. Retrieved 2025-05-17.
  33. ^ "Airbeat One – Deutschlands größtes Dance-Festival". www.hamburg-tourism.de. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  34. ^ "Elektrofestival „Airbeat One" mit 50.000 Besuchern gestartet". Süddeutsche.de (in German). 2024-07-11. Retrieved 2025-08-10.

Media related to Landkreis Ludwigslust-Parchim at Wikimedia Commons

53°25′N 11°40′E / 53.417°N 11.667°E / 53.417; 11.667

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.