Prignitz ( ) is a
Kreis (district) in the northwestern part of Brandenburg
, Germany
.
Neighboring are (from the north clockwise)
the districts Ludwigslust
and Parchim
in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
, the district Ostprignitz-Ruppin
, the district Stendal
in Saxony-Anhalt
and the district Lüchow-Dannenberg
in Lower
Saxony
.
Geography
The term
Prignitz originally means the region north of the confluence of the
Elbe and Havel
rivers. This region is larger than the district and
also includes large portions of the neighbouring district of
Ostprignitz-Ruppin.
The Elbe river forms the western border of the district.
History
The
historical region Prignitz consisted of the following eleven
districts, established in the 13th century: Wittenberge
, Lenzen
, Perleberg
, Putlitz
, Kyritz
, Nitzow, Wittstock
, Pritzwalk
, Havelberg
, Wusterhausen
and Grabow
.
The present district Prignitz was created in 1993 by merging the
previous districts Pritzwalk and Perleberg and a few municipalities
from the district Kyritz. The westernmost part of the district was
previously part of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and changed to be
part of Brandenburg on
August 1,
1992.
The earlier district of the Prignitz was the buffer between
Brandenburg and Mecklenburg. It was resettled by Germans,
especially from the Bremen area, following the First Wendish
Crusade of 1147. The rate of German settlement increased over the
following decades. The eastern half was dominated by the pro-German
Counts von Plotho who brought their own vassals such as the
von Blumenthal and
von Grabow families with them. The western half
was dominated by the robber barons, especially the
Gans zu Puttlitz family and their vassals,
the
von Quitzows. When Frederick Count
of Zollern was appointed Margrave in 1411, he faced an uprising of
the Wendish nobility, supported by the Wendish Duke of Mecklenburg.
However, he was able to put the revolt down at the battle of the
Cremmer Dam, with the support of the
German nobility. Families who had stayed loyal were rewarded.
Otto
von Blumenthal, for example, was made
Captain of the Prignitz from 1415-1422 and of Lenzen from
1420.
Coat of arms
 |
The coat of arms shows a goose preparing for flight, the symbol
of the Gans zu Putlitz family
(Gans is German for goose),
who in the 12th century were one of a number of families (such as
the von Plotho, von Blumenthal and von
Arnim families) who introduced Christianity and German culture
to Prignitz. The pearls around the goose symbolize Perleberg (which
translates to Mountain of Pearl). The wolf in bottom
stands for the former administrative seat Pritzwalk, as
walk derives from the slavonic wolk meaning wolf. The
wavy separation between the top and bottom symbolizes the river
Elbe, the colors red and white are the same as those of
Brandenburg. |
Towns and municipalities
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