The term Prignitz originally meant the region north of the confluence of the Elbe and Havel rivers. This region is larger than the district. It also includes the town of Havelberg in Saxony-Anhalt and large portions of the neighbouring district of Ostprignitz-Ruppin.
The Elbe river forms the southwestern border of the district.
The present district of Prignitz was created in 1993 by merging the previous districts of 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 became part of Brandenburg on August 1, 1992.
The earlier district of 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 robber barons, especially the Gans zu Putlitz 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 down the revolt 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 to 1422 and of Lenzen from 1420.
Demography
Development of population since 1875 within the current Boundaries (Blue Line: Population; Dotted Line: Comparison to Population development in Brandenburg state; Grey Background: Time of Nazi Germany; Red Background: Time of communist East Germany)
Recent Population Development and Projections (Population Development before Census 2011 (blue line); Recent Population Development according to the Census in Germany in 2011 (blue bordered line); Official projections for 2005-2030 (yellow line); for 2014-2030 (red line); for 2017-2030 (scarlet line)
Landkreis Prignitz: Population development within the current boundaries (2017)[2]
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1875
89,625
—
1890
92,023
+0.18%
1910
104,107
+0.62%
1925
113,250
+0.56%
1933
112,411
−0.09%
1939
115,354
+0.43%
1946
156,782
+4.48%
1950
153,728
−0.49%
1964
129,143
−1.24%
1971
128,537
−0.07%
1981
117,182
−0.92%
1985
114,812
−0.51%
1989
112,443
−0.52%
1990
109,435
−2.68%
1991
105,987
−3.15%
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1992
104,690
−1.22%
1993
103,740
−0.91%
1994
102,650
−1.05%
1995
101,421
−1.20%
1996
100,422
−0.99%
1997
99,024
−1.39%
1998
98,205
−0.83%
1999
97,076
−1.15%
2000
95,701
−1.42%
2001
94,015
−1.76%
2002
92,646
−1.46%
2003
91,214
−1.55%
2004
89,792
−1.56%
2005
88,340
−1.62%
2006
87,221
−1.27%
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
2007
85,705
−1.74%
2008
84,284
−1.66%
2009
83,086
−1.42%
2010
82,023
−1.28%
2011
79,574
−2.99%
2012
78,799
−0.97%
2013
77,993
−1.02%
2014
77,550
−0.57%
2015
77,573
+0.03%
2016
77,813
+0.31%
2017
77,263
−0.71%
2018
76,508
−0.98%
2019
76,158
−0.46%
Coat of arms
District banner of Prignitz
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 Pearl Mountain). The wolf at bottom stands for the former administrative seat, Pritzwalk, as walk derives from the Slavonicwolk meaning wolf. The wavy separation between the top and bottom symbolizes the river Elbe; the colors red and white are those of Brandenburg.
Towns and municipalities
Clickable map of towns and municipalities in the district
