Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; ), also known by its anglicised name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a coastal state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ranks 14th in population; it covers an area of , making it the sixth largest German state in area; and it is 16th in population density. Schwerin is the state capital and Rostock is the largest city. Other major cities include Neubrandenburg, Stralsund, Greifswald, Wismar, and Güstrow. It was named after the two regions of Mecklenburg and Western Pomerania (German: Vorpommern).
The state was established in 1945 after World War II through the merger of the historic regions of Mecklenburg and Prussian Western Pomerania by the Soviet military administration in Allied-occupied Germany. It became part of the German Democratic Republic in 1949, but was dissolved in 1952 during administrative reforms and its territory divided into the districts of Rostock, Schwerin, and Neubrandenburg. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern was re-established in 1990 following German reunification and became one of the new states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has land borders with Poland and the German states of Brandenburg, Lower Saxony, and Schleswig-Holstein.
On the state's coastline on the Baltic Sea are many holiday resorts and much unspoilt nature, including the islands of Rügen, Usedom, and others, as well as the Mecklenburg Lake District, making the state one of Germany's leading tourist destinations. Three of Germany's fourteen national parks, as well as several hundred nature conservation areas, are in the state. The University of Rostock, founded in 1419, and the University of Greifswald, established in 1456, are among the oldest universities in Europe. In 2007, the 33rd G8 summit took place at the Grand Hotel Heiligendamm on the Mecklenburg Baltic coast during the chancellorship of Angela Merkel, who represented various constituencies of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in the national legislature, the Bundestag.
Name
Due to its lengthy name, the state is often abbreviated as MV or (colloquially) shortened to MeckPomm. In English, it is usually called "Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania" or less frequently "Mecklenburg–Cispomerania." Inhabitants are called either Mecklenburger or Pomeranians; the combined form is never used.
The place name Vorpommern derives from West Slavic languages. The prefix "po-" means along or at, and the base word "more" means sea, so that together "po more" means Land at the Sea. The German prefix "vor-" denotes a closer location; from the German point of view, this is the near part of Pomerania.
The full name in German is pronounced . Sometimes, Mecklenburg is pronounced , because the digraph marks a preceding short vowel in High German. However, Mecklenburg is within the historical Low German language area, and the appeared in its name during the period of transition to Standard, High German usage (Low German authors wrote the name Meklenborg or Męklenborg, depicting proper Low German pronunciation, which itself was a syncope of Middle Low German Mekelenborg). The introduction of the is explained as follows: Either the signals the stretched pronunciation of the preceding (Dehnungs-c), or it signals the pronunciation of the subsequent as an occlusive to prevent it from falsely being rendered as a fricative following a Low German trend. Another explanation is that the comes from a mannerism in High German officialese of writing unnecessary letters, a so-called Letternhäufelung (, as was done sometimes in English with words such as "doubt").
History
thumb|One of more than 1000 [[Megaliths in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern|megalith sites in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Lancken-Granitz dolmen]]
In the aftermath of the Second World War and German reunification in 1990, the state was constituted from the historic region of Mecklenburg and Western Pomerania, both of which had long and rich independent histories.
Prehistory
thumb|right|Slavic ring fortress at [[Cape Arkona, Rügen Island]]
Human settlement in the area of modern Mecklenburg and Vorpommern began after the Ice Age, about 10,000 BC. About two thousand years ago, Germanic peoples were recorded in the area. Most of them left during the Migration Period, heading towards Spain, Italy, and France, leaving the area relatively deserted. In the sixth century Polabian Slavs populated the area. While Mecklenburg was settled by the Obotrites, Pomerania was settled by the Veleti (later Liuticians) and the Rani.
Along the coast, Vikings and Slavs established trade posts like Reric, Ralswiek and Menzlin. In the early 12th century, Hither Pomerania passed under Polish suzerainty under Bolesław III Wrymouth, who initiated Christianization, entrusting this task to Otto of Bamberg. In the late 12th century, Mecklenburg and Hither Pomerania were conquered by Henry the Lion and briefly incorporated into the Duchy of Saxony, joining the Holy Roman Empire in the 1180s. Parts of Mecklenburg and Pomerania were settled with Germans in the Ostsiedlung process, starting in the 12th century.
thumb|Division of Pomerania
During the war, the make-up of Mecklenburg and Vorpommern's population changed, due to wartime losses and the influx of evacuees (mainly from the Berlin and Hamburg metropolitan areas that were subject to air raids). After the war, people who fled and were expelled from the former eastern territories of Germany east of the Oder-Neisse line settled in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (and elsewhere in Germany), increasing the population by 40%. Before the war, Mecklenburg and Western Pomerania had a population of 1,278,700, of whom many perished during the war and others moved west in the course of the Red Army's advance. In 1947, some 1,426,000 refugees from the former eastern parts of Germany were counted. Most of them settled in rural communities, but the urban population also increased, most notably in Schwerin from 65,000 (1939) to 99,518 (January 1947), in Wismar from 29,463 to 44,173, and in Greifswald from 29,488 to 43,897. Western Pomerania was additionally stripped of the area around the Pomeranian regional capital Stettin/Szczecin as well as the city itself, despite its location to the west of the river Oder.
German Democratic Republic
thumb|[[Rostock was the major overseas port of East Germany, and is one of the most important Baltic Sea ports today. Pictured is Hanse Sail, one of the world's largest maritime events.]]
On 5 June 1946, a law enacted by the Soviets constituted a provisional German administration (Beratende Versammlung, ) under Soviet supervision on 29 June 1946. After elections on 20 October 1946, a Landtag replaced the Beratende Versammlung and created the constitution of 16 January 1947, for the Land Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. On 18 April 1947, the state's name was shortened to Land Mecklenburg. Mecklenburg became a constituent state ("Land") of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) upon its formation in 1949.
Among the states of the GDR, Mecklenburg absorbed by far the largest share of German expellees from Central and Eastern Europe relative to its population size. The vast majority of expellees from Pomerania who arrived in the GDR settled in Mecklenburg. In October 1949, expellees made up 43.3% of the population.
National parks
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|- class="hintergrundfarbe5"
! Name
! Established
! Size (km<sup>2</sup>)
! class="unsortable" | Map
! class="unsortable" | Illustration
|-
| Jasmund National Park
| style="text-align:center" | 1990
| style="text-align:center" | 30
| style="text-align:center; padding:0" |
| style="text-align:center; padding:0" | 180px
|-
| Müritz National Park
| style="text-align:center" | 1990
| style="text-align:center" | 318
| style="text-align:center; padding:0" |
| style="text-align:center; padding:0" | 180px
|-
| Western Pomeranian Lagoons National Park
| style="text-align:center" | 1990
| style="text-align:center" | 805
| style="text-align:center; padding:0" |
| style="text-align:center; padding:0" | 180px
|}
Culture
Over the centuries, Mecklenburg and Vorpommern have developed and maintained strong regional cultures. It can generally be described as North German and has similar linguistic and historic characteristics to other north German states, such as Schleswig-Holstein. People in Vorpommern, as a result of that territory being a former province of Prussia, tend to look slightly more towards Berlin and Brandenburg than people in Mecklenburg would.
Architecture
The cities are characterised by a certain "Hanseatic" style also found in other parts of northern Germany (e.g. Lübeck) as well as in countries bordering the Baltic Sea like Estonia (e.g. Tallinn) or Latvia (e.g. Riga). A common feature of many towns in Mecklenburg and Vorpommern are red Brick Gothic churches and houses dating back to the Middle Ages. Also stepped and tailed gables are a typical feature of the Hanseatic old towns, such as Stralsund, Wismar and Greifswald.
The old towns are usually built around one or several market places with a church or the town hall. Often towns were founded at the Baltic Sea, one of the many lakes or a river for logistical and trade motives.
Rural areas of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are often characterized by Brick Gothic village churches and agricultural heritage, like brick homesteads, thatched roof houses, windmills, manor houses and castles.
center|thumb|700px|The central market square of [[Greifswald (Marktplatz), showing typical architecture of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]]
Museums, art and theatres
thumb|The [[Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater Schwerin|Mecklenburg State Theatre in Schwerin]]
thumb|The [[Ozeaneum in Stralsund, Europe's museum of the year 2010 and Northern Germany's most popular museum (as part of the German Oceanographic Museum)]]
The largest publicly funded theatres in the state are the Mecklenburg State Theatre, the Rostock People's Theatre, the Theatre of West Pomerania, with venues in Stralsund, Putbus and Greifswald, and the Mecklenburg State Theatre of Neustrelitz with venues in Neubrandenburg and Neustrelitz. All four theatres offer both drama and musical theatre as well as orchestral music.
Other important theatres are the Ernst Barlach Theatre of Güstrow, the Theatre of Parchim, the Anklam Theatre and the Wismar Theatre.
There are also many small theatres on the Baltic coast and in individual artist's villages and resorts (e.g. the popular concert pavilions at the Baltic Sea). Since its growing importance for summer tourism, open-air theatres and festivals become more common again as well, such as the Störtebeker Festival on the island of Rügen, and the Vineta Festival on Usedom.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Theatre !! Visitors<br />2007/2008
|-
| Mecklenburg State Theatre, Schwerin || style="text-align:right"|170,681
|-
| West Pomeranian Theatre and Symphony Orchestra, Greifswald/Stralsund || style="text-align:right"|140,902
|-
| Neustrelitz/Neubrandenburg Theatre and Orchestre || style="text-align:right"|120,042
|-
| Rostock People's Theatre || style="text-align:right"|119,758
|-
| West Pomeranian State Theatre, Anklam || style="text-align:right"|71,825
|-
| Mecklenburg State Theatre, Parchim || style="text-align:right"|14,773
|}
Since 1993, the Störtebeker Festival has taken place in Ralswiek on the island of Rügen. It is Germany's most successful open-air theatre.
Notable museums include, for example, the Schwerin State Museum and the Pomeranian State Museum at Greifswald. The German Oceanographic Museum with its Ozeaneum in Stralsund is the most popular museum in northern Germany. Furthermore, the German Amber Museum in Ribnitz-Damgarten, Rostock's Abbey of the Holy Cross and Rostock Art Gallery are of national importance. The oldest museum in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is Stralsund's Cultural History Museum, the smallest is the Professor Wandschneider Sculpture Museum in Plau am See.
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is home to many cultural events throughout the year. During summer, many open-air concerts and operas are open to visitors. The Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival (Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) attracts a sizeable audience by performing classical concerts in parks, churches and castles.
Caspar David Friedrich, a famous romanticist painter born in Greifswald, immortalised parts of the state in several of his paintings.
Language
thumb|upright|Low German dialects
Today the vast majority of people speak Standard German; a few centuries ago, most people spoke Low German (), a language that is still kept alive within various communities and cultural events.
Food and drinks
Like most German regions, Mecklenburg and Vorpommern have their own traditional dishes, often including fish, beef and pork. Rostock has its own type of bratwurst called Rostocker Bratwurst. A famous dish from Western Pomerania is Bismarck Herring. Rote Grütze is a popular dessert. The largest beer breweries are Mecklenburgische Brauerei Lübz (Lübzer Pils), Hanseatische Brauerei Rostock, Darguner Brauerei and Störtebeker Braumanufaktur (Stralsund, multiple winner of the World Beer Cup). Besides, there are many smaller breweries and craft beer variations, such as the Mellenthin Castle Beer from Usedom Island.
Religion
As of 2020, the majority (82.4%) of the citizens of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are not religious or adhere to other religions. 14.2% are members of the Protestant Church in Germany and 3.4% of the Catholic Church.
Following the Reformation, led in Germany by Martin Luther, as well as a period of Swedish rule, the traditional faith in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is Protestantism, specifically Lutheranism. There are also a number of Catholics and people of other faiths.
In May 2012 the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg merged with North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church and Pomeranian Evangelical Church into the new Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany.
Some parishes of the state belong to Evangelical Church of Berlin and Brandenburg.
There are also Jewish communities, in the state capital of Schwerin (including Wismar) and in the city of Rostock. Historically, there were also synagogues in smaller towns, of which some are still preserved (like Röbel, Krakow am See and Boizenburg). The state's Jewish organisation is part of the Central Council of Jews in Germany.
Immigration
As of 2024, roughly 10.7% of the state's population has a migration background, of whom 124,620 people or 7.92%, do not possess German citizenship. The largest group of non-German residents in the state by citizenship are Ukrainians, followed by Poles, and Syrians.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! rowspan="3" |Nationality
! colspan="4" |31 December 2024
! colspan="4" |31 December 2023
! colspan="2" |31 December 2022
|-
! colspan="2" |Population
! colspan="2" |%|| colspan="2" | Population
! colspan="2" |%|| rowspan="2" | Population
! rowspan="2" |%
|-
!
!+/-
!
!+/-
!
!+/-
!
!+/-
|-
|
|29,360
| align="right" | 1,240
| align="right" |1.87
| align="right" | 0.07
| align="right" |28,120
| align="right" | 2,210
| align="right" |1.80
| align="right" | 0.07|| align="right" | 25,910
| align="right" |1.73
|-
|
|16,975
| align="right" | 450
| align="right" |1.08
| 0.04|| align="right" |17,425
| align="right" | 925
| align="right" |1.04
| align="right" | 0.03|| align="right" | 16,500
| align="right" |1.07
|-
|
|13,685
| align="right" | 95
| align="right" |0.87
| 0.03|| align="right" |13,590
| align="right" | 960
| align="right" |0.84
| 0.01|| align="right" | 12,630
| align="right" |0.83
|-
|
|6,395
| align="right" | 525
| align="right" |0.41
| 0.02|| align="right" |5,870
| align="right" | 840
| align="right" |0.39
| 0.03|| align="right" | 5,030
| align="right" |0.36
|-
|
|5,365
| align="right" | 410
| align="right" |0.34
| 0.01|| align="right" |5,775
| align="right" | 205
| align="right" |0.33
| align="right" | 0.02|| align="right" | 5,570
| align="right" |0.35
|-
|
|4,365
| align="right" | 120
| align="right" |0.28
| 0.01|| align="right" |4,485
| align="right" | 290
| align="right" |0.27
| align="right" | 0.01|| align="right" | 4,195
| align="right" |0.28
|-
|
|3,655
| align="right" | 220
| align="right" |0.23
| 0.01|| align="right" |3,435
| align="right" | 1,055
| align="right" |0.22
| 0.01|| align="right" | 2,380
| align="right" |0.21
|-
|
|2,860
| align="right" | 130
| align="right" |0.18
| 0.00|| align="right" |2,730
| align="right" | 145
| align="right" |0.18
| 0.01|| align="right" | 2,585
| align="right" |0.17
|-
|
|2,500
| align="right" | 245
| align="right" |0.16
| 0.01|| align="right" |2,745
| align="right" | 60
| align="right" |0.15
| align="right" | 0.02|| align="right" | 2,685
| align="right" |0.17
|-
|
|1,910
| align="right" | 265
| align="right" |0.12
| 0.00
| align="right" |1,645
| align="right" | 55
| align="right" |0.12
| 0.02
| align="right" |1,590
| align="right" |0.10
|-
|
|1,875
| align="right" | 125
| align="right" |0.12
| 0.00
| align="right" |1,750
| align="right" | 70
| align="right" |0.12
| 0.01
| align="right" |1,680
| align="right" |0.11
|-
|
|1,570
| align="right" | 50
| align="right" |0.10
| 0.00
| align="right" |1,620
| align="right" | 145
| align="right" |0.10
| 0.00
| align="right" |1,765
| align="right" |0.10
|-
|
|1,555
| align="right" | 120
| align="right" |0.10
| 0.00
| align="right" |1,675
| align="right" | 70
| align="right" |0.10
| 0.00
| align="right" |1,605
| align="right" |0.10
|-
|
|1,375
| align="right" | 60
| align="right" |0.09
| 0.01
| align="right" |1,435
| align="right" | 45
| align="right" |0.08
| align="right" | 0.01
| align="right" |1,390
| align="right" |0.09
|-
|
|1,365
| align="right" | 190
| align="right" |0.09
| 0.01
| align="right" |1,555
| align="right" | 50
| align="right" |0.08
| align="right" | 0.02
| align="right" |1,605
| align="right" |0.10
|-
|
|1,340
| align="right" | 15
| align="right" |0.09
| 0.01
| align="right" |1,355
| align="right" | 40
| align="right" |0.08
| 0.00
| align="right" |1,315
| align="right" |0.08
|-
|
|1,100
| align="right" | 70
| align="right" |0.07
| 0.00
| align="right" |1,170
| align="right" | 15
| align="right" |0.07
| 0.00
| align="right" |1,185
| align="right" |0.07
|-
|
|900
| align="right" | 25
| align="right" |0.06
| 0.00
| align="right" |925
| align="right" | 5
| align="right" |0.06
| 0.00
| align="right" |920
| align="right" |0.06
|-
|
|880
| align="right" | 30
| align="right" |0.06
| 0.01
| align="right" |910
| align="right" | 30
| align="right" |0.05
| align="right" | 0.01
| align="right" |880
| align="right" |0.06
|-
|
|875
| align="right" | 285
| align="right" |0.06
| 0.01
| align="right" |590
| align="right" | 55
| align="right" |0.05
| 0.01
| align="right" |535
| align="right" |0.04
|-
|
|825
| align="right" | 35
| align="right" |0.05
| 0.00
| align="right" |860
| align="right" | 10
| align="right" |0.05
| 0.00
| align="right" |850
| align="right" |0.05
|-
|
|735
| align="right" | 190
| align="right" |0.05
| 0.00
| align="right" |925
| align="right" | 15
| align="right" |0.05
| align="right" | 0.01
| align="right" |940
| align="right" |0.06
|-
|
|725
| align="right" | 35
| align="right" |0.05
| 0.01
| align="right" |760
| align="right" | 35
| align="right" |0.04
| align="right" | 0.01
| align="right" |725
| align="right" |0.05
|-
|
|710
| align="right" | 20
| align="right" |0.05
| 0.01
| align="right" |690
| align="right" | 10
| align="right" |0.04
| 0.00
| align="right" |700
| align="right" |0.04
|-
|
|700
| align="right" | 65
| align="right" |0.04
| 0.00
| align="right" |765
| align="right" | 25
| align="right" |0.04
| align="right" | 0.01
| align="right" |790
| align="right" |0.05
|-
|
|700
| align="right" | 55
| align="right" |0.04
| 0.00
| align="right" |755
| align="right" | 30
| align="right" |0.04
| align="right" | 0.01
| align="right" |725
| align="right" |0.05
|-
| colspan="11" |
|-
|Others
|20,320
| 25
| align="right" |1.29
| 0.04
|20,295
| 1,115
| align="right" |1.25
| 0.07
|19,180
| align="right" |1.18
|-
! colspan="11" |
|-
|Total
|124,620
| 765
|7.92
| 0.27
|123,855
| 7,990
|7.65
| 0.09
|115,865
|7.56
|}
Vital statistics
- Births from January to September 2016 = 10,224
- Births from January to September 2017 = 9,836
- Deaths from January to September 2016 = 15,251
- Deaths from January to September 2017 = 15,532
- Natural growth from January to September 2016 = -5,027
- Natural growth from January to September 2017 = -5,696
Education
Universities and colleges
thumb|The [[University of Rostock]]
thumb|The [[University of Greifswald]]
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has the two oldest universities of the Baltic Sea region, also among the oldest of Germany and all of Europe:
- University of Greifswald (established 1456)
- University of Rostock (established 1419)
Also, there are further colleges / technological universities:
- Fachhochschule des Mittelstands (FHM) in Rostock and Schwerin (private)
- Rostock University of Music and Theatre
- Hochschule Wismar (University of Applied Sciences: Technology, Business and Design)
- Hochschule Stralsund (University of Applied Sciences)
- Hochschule Neubrandenburg (University of Applied Sciences)
- Fachhochschule für öffentliche Verwaltung, Rechtspflege und Polizei Güstrow (University of Administration, Judicature and Police in Güstrow)
- Hochschule der Bundesagentur für Arbeit with its Schwerin campus
- DesignSchule Schwerin with options to study design (private; game/fashion/media/web design)
Schools
The state's school system is centralised. There are two main types of schools, Regionalschule (for the majority of pupils) and Gymnasium (for the top 30% of each year's students, leading to the university entrance qualification "Abitur"). Besides, there are also independent schools, comprehensive schools and trade schools.
Politics
Article 20 of the State Constitution states that the Landtag is the "site of political decision-making". The Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Landtag is elected democratically by the citizens of the state and sits for a 5-year legislative period.
The Landtag has been led by Minister President Manuela Schwesig since 2017.
On 13 October 2021, Schwesig announced the SPD would enter coalition talks with The Left. She stated her motivations for reorienting the coalition as a desire for "a new departure", and described The Left as a "social, pragmatic party" with decisive policy overlap with the SPD. She said that The Left had been a reliable partner to the government even while in opposition, and had assumed "state-political responsibility" during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On 5 November 2021, the SPD and The Left agreed to a coalition government and plan to form a cabinet, which is to be approved by each party-congress by mid-November.
Districts
thumb|[[Schwerin, the state capital of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]]
thumb|[[Rostock, the largest city in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]]
Since 4 September 2011, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is divided into six Kreis (districts):
- Landkreis Rostock
- Ludwigslust-Parchim
- Mecklenburgische Seenplatte
- Nordwestmecklenburg
- Vorpommern-Greifswald
- Vorpommern-Rügen
Also counting two independent urban districts:
- Rostock (HRO)
- Schwerin (SN)
Economy
The gross domestic product (GDP) of the state was 44.5 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 1.3% of German economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 25,400 euros or 84% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 83% of the EU average. The GDP per capita was the lowest of all German states.
Labour market
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is the least densely populated and least industrial German state, being the sixth largest in area, but only the 14th in population. Formerly, unemployment has been negatively affected by the breakdown of non-competitive former GDR industries after the German reunification in the 1990s. As of 2018 unemployment is the lowest in more than 15 years while the economy is growing and the number of jobs is increasing continually. Growing sectors are biotechnology, information technology, life sciences, maritime industry and tourist services.
In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, approximately 732,200 people were gainfully employed in 2008 with 657,100 of them were white and blue collar workers. About 4,200 new jobs were created in 2007. Employees worked an average of 1,455 hours a year. The number of self-employed did not change in 2008. Three out of every four of all workers are employed in the service sector. In October 2018 the unemployment rate stood at 7.1% and was the third highest rate in Germany.
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!2000
!2001
!2002
!2003
!2004
!2005
!2006
!2007
!2008
!2009
!2010
!2011
!2012
!2013
!2014
!2015
!2016
!2017
!2018
|-
|Unemployment rate in %
|17.8
|18.3
|18.6
|20.1
|20.4
|20.3
|19.0
|16.5
|14.1
|13.5
|12.7
|12.5
|12.0
|11.7
|11.2
|10.4
|9.7
|8.6
|7.9
|}
Tourism
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is the top destination for intra-German tourism and is gaining importance for international tourism.
The main tourist regions are:
- Islands: Rugia and Usedom (Germany's two largest islands), Poel and Hiddensee;
- Peninsula: Fischland-Darß-Zingst (with Ahrenshoop and Zingst);
- Seaside resorts: Binz, Boltenhagen, Graal-Müritz, Heringsdorf (including Bansin and Ahlbeck), Heiligendamm, Kühlungsborn, Warnemünde and Zinnowitz;
- Stettin Lagoon: Ueckermünde;
- Hinterland: particularly the Mecklenburg Lakeland;
- Cities: Stralsund and Wismar (both listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites), Schwerin, Güstrow, Rostock and Greifswald, which have a diverse cultural heritage.
- Night sky: Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is home to some of the most pristine night skies in Germany, especially in the area near Nationalpark Müritz. It is a potential site for a Dark Sky Park.
As a reminder of its rich history, nearly 2,000 castles, palaces and manor houses exist in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, many of which are used as venues for public events like concerts and festivals, such as Festspiele MV (a classical music festival).
Medical tourism
Notable people
thumb|180px|[[Angela Merkel's constituency is in Western Pomerania.]]
Notable from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern include:
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- Arts: Ernst Barlach, Friedrich von Flotow, Caspar David Friedrich, Marianne Hoppe, Till Lindemann, Philipp Otto Runge
- Business: Ernst Heinkel, Carl Heinrich von Siemens, Leonhard Tietz, Georg Wertheim
- Literature: Ernst Moritz Arndt, John Brinckman, Hans Fallada, Walter Kempowski, Fritz Reuter, Rudolf Tarnow, Ehm Welk
- Politics: Ernst Moritz Arndt, Dietmar Bartsch, Joachim Gauck, Egon Krenz, Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, Angela Merkel, Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, Harald Ringstorff
- Science: Theodor Billroth, Friedrich Chrysander, Walther Flemming, Gottlob Frege, Otto Lilienthal, Gustav Mie, Ferdinand von Mueller, Paul Pogge, Carl Wilhelm Scheele, Heinrich Schliemann, Johannes Stark
- Sports: Tim Borowski, Andreas Dittmer, Thomas Doll, Carsten Jancker, Marita Koch, Toni Kroos, Sebastian Sylvester, Jan Ullrich, Jens Voigt
Miscellaneous
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is Germany's number-one tourist location, the main destinations being the Baltic Sea coastline with islands such as Rügen or Usedom, spa towns like Heiligendamm, Kühlungsborn, Boltenhagen or Warnemünde and the Mecklenburg Lake District. It also offers important historical cities, such as Stralsund, Wismar, Greifswald and Rostock as former Hanseatic cities − or Schwerin, Güstrow, Ludwigslust and Neustrelitz as former residences.
- The first V2 Rocket which was the first explosive missile was launched in 1944 during World War II in Peenemünde on the present-day territory of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
- During the chancellorship of Angela Merkel, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern hosted the first official public meeting with President George W. Bush in 2006 and the 33rd G8 summit in 2007. Both political events were financed by state and federal budgets.
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is one of four first-level administrative divisions containing the name of region of Pomerania, the other being the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Pomeranian Voivodeship and West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland.
Gallery
<gallery class="center">
Image:Stralsund, Altstadt (2011-05-21) 4.JPG|Stralsund − aerial view of an old town, protected by UNESCO
Image:Baederarchitektur-Binz 1658.jpg|Binz − typical German resort architecture (Bäderarchitektur) at the Baltic Sea
Image:Rostock-Warnemünde, Seepromenade, 489-595.jpg|Beach Promenade of Warnemünde, part of Rostock
Image:Rostock.jpg|Rostock − Shopping street
Image:Kerkhoffhaus.jpg|Rostock − Brick Gothic gable house
Image:Greifswald - Marktplatz 1.jpg|Greifswald − Gable houses at market square
Image:Schwerin 20090410.jpg|Schwerin − capital of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Image:Wismar hafen.jpg|Harbour of Wismar, a historical Hanseatic city sharing its World Heritage Site status with Stralsund
Image:Grabow Rathaus.jpg|Grabow − Half timbered town hall
Image:Marienkirche Neubrandenburg1.jpg|Neubrandenburg − Concert Church St. Marien
Image:Benz Holländer Windmühle Berg Dorf Schmollensee.jpg|Usedom − Benz windmill, one of many windmills in MV
Image:Schloss Ralswiek 2 crop.jpg|Rügen − Ralswiek castle, one of many castles in MV
Image:Jagdschloss Granitz 4.jpg|Rügen − Granitz Hunting Castle near Binz
Image:Ahlbeck hotel ahlbecker hof.jpg|Ahlbeck − Hotel "Ahlbecker Hof" (Usedom Island)
Image:Steilküste bei Ahrenshoop.jpg|Ahrenshoop − steep coast, peninsula of Fischland-Darß-Zingst
Image:Kreidefelsen Ruegen.jpg|Rügen Island − Jasmund National Park
Image:Hiddensee asv2022-08 img39 Leuchtturm Dornbusch.jpg|Hiddensee Island − Dornbusch Lighthouse
Image:Müritz Röbel 1.jpg|Müritz Lake − near Röbel
</gallery>
See also
- History of Pomerania
- List of places in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
- List of towns in Vorpommern
- Mecklenburg
- Pomerania
References
External links
- Official Mecklenburg-Vorpommern portal
;Tourism
- Off to MV - Official tourism website of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
- Germany.Travel - Federal Tourism Association: Mecklenburg-Vorpommern