Nordwestmecklenburg (''Northwestern

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; nds, label= Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schweri ...

'') is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the north-western part of

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; nds, Mäkelborg-Vörpommern), also known by its anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ranks 14th in po ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

. It is situated on the coast of the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

and borders on

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...

to the west. Neighboring districts are (from east clockwise)

Rostock Rostock (), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (german: link=no, Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock), is the largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the state ...

Ludwigslust-Parchim Ludwigslust-Parchim is a district in the west of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is bordered by (clockwise starting from the west) the state Schleswig-Holstein, the district Nordwestmecklenburg, the district-free city Schwerin, the distri ...

and the district-free city

Schwerin Schwerin (; Mecklenburgian Low German: ''Swerin''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the capital and second-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as well as of the region of Mecklenburg, after Rostock. It ...

, and the district Lauenburg and the district-free city

Lübeck Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the state ...

. The district seat is the town

Wismar Wismar (; Low German: ''Wismer''), officially the Hanseatic City of Wismar (''Hansestadt Wismar'') is, with around 43,000 inhabitants, the sixth-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and the fourth-largest cit ...

Geography

The district is roughly situated in a triangle between the towns of

and

. In the north there is the coast of the Baltic Sea with the small island of Poel.

Lakes

Two large lakes are partially situated in Nordwestmecklenburg: the eastern half of the Schaalsee () at the western border; and the northern half of the Schweriner See () in the south, as well as two smaller lakes, Bibowee () and Mechower See ().

History

Nordwestmecklenburg District was established in 1994 by merging the previous districts of Gadebusch, Grevesmühlen and Wismar; along with smaller parts of the districts of Sternberg and Schwerin-Land. In the 2011 district reform, it was merged with the formerly district-free town Wismar. The name of the district was decided by referendum on 4 September 2011.

Coat of arms

“Party per pale Or and Azure, dexter the half crowned bull's head Sable of Mecklenburg, sinister a bishopric staff Or”. The staff symbolizes the

diocese of Ratzeburg The Diocese of Ratzeburg (german: Bistum Ratzeburg, la, Dioecesis Ratzeburgensis) is a former diocese of the Catholic Church. It was erected from the Diocese of Oldenburg c. 1050 and was suppressed in 1554. The diocese was originally a suffragan ...

, which in 1648 became the Principality of Ratzeburg. It also stands for the diocese of Schwerin. Also the Hanseatic city of

is represented in red-white. The coat of arms was designed by the designer and heraldic Heinz Kippnick, and was granted on July 1, 1996.

Towns and municipalities

Former municipalities

The following municipalities that were independently administrative within the district were (situation August 2011): * Börzow - formerly part of Grevesmühlen-Land Amt; now part of Stepenitztal since 25 May 2014 * Mallentin - formerly part of Grevesmühlen-Land Amt; now part of Stepenitztal since 25 May 2014 * Nesow - formerly part of

Rehna Rehna () is a town in the Nordwestmecklenburg district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated 26 km southeast of Lübeck, and 28 km northwest of Schwerin. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region The Hamburg ...

Amt; now part of

since 25 May 2014 * Papenhusen - formerly part of

Schönberger Land Schönberger Land is an ''Amt'' in the district of Nordwestmecklenburg, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The seat of the ''Amt'' is in Schönberg. In 2013, the Amt had around 18,000 inhabitants. It is close to the cities of Lübeck, Wismar and ...

Amt; now part of Stepenitztal since 25 May 2014 * Vitense - formerly part of

Amt; now part of

since 25 May 2014

References

External links

Official website
(German) {{Authority control Districts of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania