Pritzwalk
Town
Town hall
Town hall
Coat of arms of Pritzwalk
Coat of arms
Location of Pritzwalk within Prignitz district
Pritzwalk is located in Germany
Pritzwalk
Pritzwalk
Pritzwalk is located in Brandenburg
Pritzwalk
Pritzwalk
Coordinates: 53°09′N 12°11′E / 53.150°N 12.183°E / 53.150; 12.183
CountryGermany
StateBrandenburg
DistrictPrignitz
Government
 • Mayor (2017–25) Dr. Ronald Thiel[1]
Area
 • Total165.57 km2 (63.93 sq mi)
Elevation
63 m (207 ft)
Population
 (2021-12-31)[2]
 • Total11,741
 • Density71/km2 (180/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
16928
Dialling codes03395
Vehicle registrationPR (old: PK)
Websitewww.pritzwalk.de

Pritzwalk (German: [ˈpʁɪt͡sˌvalk] ⓘ) is a town in the district of Prignitz, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 20 km west of Wittstock, and 33 km northeast of Wittenberge. The river Dömnitz flows through Pritzwalk.

History

Pritzwalk obtained municipal status in 1256.[3] From 1815 to 1945, Pritzwalk was part of the Prussian Province of Brandenburg. Nearly all the buildings in the town centre were destroyed by a fire in 1821.[4] The Town Hall was built in a classicist style 1829. On 15 March 1945 many houses around the railway station were destroyed by a heavy explosion during an air raid when a munition train exploded after it had been hit by bombs. From 1952 to 1990, Pritzwalk was part of the Bezirk Potsdam of East Germany. In the fifties many new residential buildings were erected.

Sights

Saint Nikolai Church was founded around 1250. In 1451 it was enlarged and transformed into a large gothic hall church.[5] During the fire which destroyed most of the town in 1821 the church was heavily damaged. It was rebuilt in built in a neogothic style at the end of the 19th century. Its tower dating from 1882 has a height of 72 metres. The Town Hall was built in a classicist style 1829.

After the fire many houses were rebuilt in a traditional style. Several streets are worth a visit, e.g. Schützenstraße with its half-timbered houses. Many houses built in Art nouveau or Gründerzeit style as well as buildings dating from the fifties were renovated after the reunification of Germany, e.g. in Hagenstraße. The Railway Station dates from 1955. The former railway station had been destroyed by a heavy explosion following an air raid in 1945.

The old town centre is surrounded by parks and meadows which are remnants of a medieval defense system of moats and mounds. A part of the medieval wall is left with a shottower in the northeast of the centre.

Many villages which were incorporated into Pritzwalk have old village churches worth a visit, e.g. Sarnow.

Demography

Pritzwalk: Population development
within the current boundaries (2020)[6]
YearPop.±% p.a.
1875 10,354—    
1890 10,949+0.37%
1910 12,569+0.69%
1925 13,085+0.27%
1939 13,130+0.02%
1950 16,766+2.25%
1964 14,894−0.84%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1971 15,623+0.68%
1981 16,236+0.39%
1985 16,315+0.12%
1990 15,995−0.40%
1995 14,874−1.44%
2000 14,309−0.77%
2005 13,336−1.40%
YearPop.±% p.a.
2010 12,598−1.13%
2015 11,922−1.10%
2016 12,050+1.07%
2017 12,009−0.34%
2018 11,924−0.71%
2019 11,879−0.38%
2020 11,870−0.08%

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Pritzwalk is twinned with:

Sons and daughters of the town

Heinrich Gaetke 1895
Günther Quandt, 1941 Wehrwirtschaftsführer

References

  1. ↑ Landkreis Prignitz Wahl der Bürgermeisterin / des Bürgermeisters, accessed 2 July 2021.
  2. ↑ "Bevölkerungsentwicklung und Flächen der kreisfreien Städte, Landkreise und Gemeinden im Land Brandenburg 2021" (PDF). Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg (in German). June 2022.
  3. ↑ "Pritzwalk - Wie Pritzwalk das Stadtrecht bekam".
  4. ↑ "Pritzwalk - Pritzwalks Mitte - die Altstadt".
  5. ↑ "Pritzwalk - Kirchen".
  6. ↑ Detailed data sources are to be found in the Wikimedia Commons.Population Projection Brandenburg at Wikimedia Commons

Media related to Pritzwalk at Wikimedia Commons


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