Demmin
Demmin (IPA: [dɛˈmiːn]) is a town in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It was the capital of the former Demmin Rural District.
Demmin | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
Location of Demmin within Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district  | |
  Demmin  Demmin | |
| Coordinates: 53°54′18″N 13°02′38″E | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern |
| District | Mecklenburgische Seenplatte |
| Subdivisions | 11 districts |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Thomas Witkowski (CDU) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 80.653 km2 (31.140 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 8 m (26 ft) |
| Population (2022-12-31)[1] | |
| • Total | 10,395 |
| • Density | 130/km2 (330/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 17109 |
| Dialling codes | 03998 |
| Vehicle registration | DM |
| Website | www |
World War II
German troops destroyed the bridges over the Peene while retreating from Demmin during World War II. This way, the advance of the Soviet Red Army was slowed down when they arrived in Demmin on April 30, 1945. During that night and the following morning, Demmin was handed over to the Red Army largely without fighting, similar to other cities like Greifswald.
Although there were only a few pockets of resistance, nearly 900 people committed mass suicides in fear of the Red Army. Coroner lists show that most drowned in the nearby River Tollense and River Peene, where others poisoned themselves.[2] This was fuelled by atrocities and rapes committed by Red Army soldiers until the city commander had the access to the rivers blocked on May 3.
Famous residents
- Joachim Lütkemann (1608-1655), preacher and author
- Heinrich Carl von Schimmelmann (1724-1782), merchant and politician
- Julius Friedrich Cohnheim (1839-1884), pathologist
- Willy Schulz-Demmin (1892-1974), painter
- Hans-Adolf Asbach (1904-1976), politician
- Willi Laatsch (1905-1997), pedologist
- Paul von Maltzahn (born 1945), diplomat
- Andy Glandt, banjo player
Literature
- Norbert Buske, Das Kriegsende in Demmin 1945 (German) - The End of the War in Demmin 1945
References
- "Bevölkerungsstand der Kreise, Ämter und Gemeinden 2022" (XLS) (in German). Statistisches Amt Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. 2023.
- MDR Fakt from September 22, 2003 (mostly German, English in parts)
Other websites
Media related to Demmin at Wikimedia Commons
Works related to EB1911:Demmin at Wikisource
- Official website (in German)