Plau am See

Plau am See (German: [plaʊ̯ am ˈzeː] ⓘ) is a town in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in north-eastern Germany. It is situated 28 kilometres (17 mi) east of Parchim, and 29 kilometres (18 mi) west of Waren.

Plau am See
Town
Lock and former mill
Lock and former mill
Coat of arms of Plau am See
Coat of arms
Location of Plau am See within Ludwigslust-Parchim district
Plau am See is located in Germany
Plau am See
Plau am See
Plau am See is located in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Plau am See
Plau am See
Coordinates: 53°27′29″N 12°15′45″E
CountryGermany
StateMecklenburg-Vorpommern
DistrictLudwigslust-Parchim
Municipal assoc.Plau am See
Subdivisions9
Government
 • MayorNorbert Reier (Left)
Area
 • Total115.99 km2 (44.78 sq mi)
Elevation
70 m (230 ft)
Population
 (2022-12-31)[1]
 • Total6,231
 • Density54/km2 (140/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
19395
Dialling codes038735
Vehicle registrationPCH
Websitewww.stadt-plau-am-see.de

Etymology

Around 1235 the town was called Plawe, that being the Polabian field name for the place where rafting is practiced. The name lasted until the 16th century and was then written according to its German phonetic form Plau. On 11 January 1994, the name of the city was modified by the addition of am See (on Lake) to remove confusion with the similarly named towns of Plaue, Plauen and Plaue.

History

During World War II, in February 1945, a German-perpetrated death march of Allied prisoners-of-war from the Stalag XX-B POW camp passed through the town.[2]

Sights

At the edge of town, there is a protected forest habitat named Plauer Stadtwald (literally: Plau city forest). Among the sights in town are a historic church building, the ruins of the Burg Plau castle and a bridge that may be vertically lifted to allow boats on the channel below to pass through.[3]

Notable people
  • Anna of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1484-1525), Landgravine of Hesse by marriage.
  • Friedrich Lange (1834-1875), history painter and member of the Nazarene movement
  • Friedrich Bohndorff (1848-after 1894), German researcher and ornithologist
  • Alfred Brunswig (1877-1927), German philosopher
  • Rudolf Elvers (1924–2011), musicologist and librarian, particularly of the work of Felix Mendelssohn
  • Peter Paetzold (born 1935), German chemist
  • Horst-Ulrich Hänel (born 1957), field hockey player. team silver medallist at the 1984 & 1988 Summer Olympics
  • Town hall
    Town hall
  • Tower of former castle
    Tower of former castle
  • Lift bridge
    Lift bridge

References
  1. "Bevölkerungsstand der Kreise, Ämter und Gemeinden 2022" (XLS) (in German). Statistisches Amt Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. 2023.
  2. Kaszuba, Sylwia. "Marsz 1945". In Grudziecka, Beata (ed.). Stalag XX B: historia nieopowiedziana (in Polish). Malbork: Muzeum Miasta Malborka. p. 108. ISBN 978-83-950992-2-9.
  3. Experience Germany: Plauer See

Media related to Plau am See at Wikimedia Commons


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