Mirow () is a town in the
district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
of
in southern
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 betwe ...
.
Name (Etymology)
"Mir" in Slavonic languages means "peace" or "glory". The name "Mirow" was derived from "villa mirowe", translating as "location of peace".
Geography
Mirow lies in the middle of the
(''Mecklenburgische Seenplatte'') on the southern shore of
Lake Mirow
Mirower See is a lake in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Euro ...
, which is connected to the
Müritz
The Müritz (; from Slavic "little sea") is a lake in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, northern Germany. Its area is , which makes it the second largest lake in Germany (after Lake Constance) and the largest lake located entirely within German territory ...
and the
Havel
The Havel () is a river in northeastern Germany, flowing through the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Berlin and Saxony-Anhalt. It is a right tributary of the Elbe and long. However, the direct distance from its source to its mo ...
by a system of
lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
s,
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
s, and
canal
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...
s. There are several more lakes on the territory of this municipality. The neighboring towns of Diemitz, Fleeth, Granzow, Peetsch, and Starsow were incorporated into the town in 2004 and are now part of the municipality.
Town division
The following districts belong to the town of Mirow:
In addition, the residential areas of Mirowdorf, Blankenfelde, Hohenfelde, Birkenhof, Holm, Forsthof, Weinberg, Niemannslust, Diemitzer Schleuse, Fleether Mühle, Kakeldütt, Schillersdorfer Teerofen and Hohe Brücke are parts of the town of Mirow.
History
In 1227, the
Order of Saint John
The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...
founded a
commandry
In the Middle Ages, a commandery (rarely commandry) was the smallest administrative division of the European landed properties of a military order. It was also the name of the house where the knights of the commandery lived.Anthony Luttrell and G ...
on the shore of Lake Mirow after Lord
Borwin II had given them land there; the first quarter of the
coat-of-arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its w ...
of the town still displays the cross of
the ''Johanniterorden'' (the Order of Saint John) in commemoration of that gift. In 1701, the town became part of the
duchy
A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a Middle Ages, medieval country, territory, fiefdom, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or Queen regnant, queen in Western European tradition.
There once exis ...
of
Mecklenburg-Strelitz
The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a duchy in northern Germany consisting of the eastern fifth of the historic Mecklenburg region, roughly corresponding with the present-day Mecklenburg-Strelitz district (the former Lordship of Stargard), ...
. In 1919, it gained
town privileges
Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the tradition ...
. Mirow is the birthplace of
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and of Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until the union of the two kingdoms ...
,
Queen consort of
George III of the United Kingdom
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until Acts of Union 1800, the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was ...
.
The baroque palace, under construction from 1749 to 1760, was designed by Christoph Julius Löwe. It is notable for a ballroom with stucco decoration, and for the Red Salon lined with silk Chinese-style wallpaper. The English-style park of the palace includes the burial place of the last reigning Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, who died in 1918. The grand-ducal tomb is situated in the Gothic Church of Saint John, which was rebuilt after its complete destruction in 1945.
Gallery
File:Mirow Schloss.jpg, Baroque and early Classicist ''Mirow Castle'', standing on the ''Castle Island'' inside the lake Mirower See
File:Mirow Schloss Liebesinsel Brücke 2010-04-07 057.jpg, Bridge connecting Mirow's ''Castle Island'' to ''Love Island''
File:Mirow Kirche1.jpg, Castle Church of Mirow
File:Mirowersee.jpg, Boat houses at Mirower See
File:Diemitz Vilzsee 2010-04-07 116.jpg, Vilzsee
File:Mirow Schleuse Jul 2010 a.jpg, Watergate at Müritz
The Müritz (; from Slavic "little sea") is a lake in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, northern Germany. Its area is , which makes it the second largest lake in Germany (after Lake Constance) and the largest lake located entirely within German territory ...
-Elde
The Elde () is a river in northern Germany (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and a few km in Brandenburg), a right tributary of the Elbe. Its total length is . The Elde originates near Altenhof, south of Malchow. It first flows southeast towards the southe ...
waterway
References
External links
Website of Mirow(German)
Cities and towns in Mecklenburg
1226 establishments in Europe
Populated places established in the 1220s
Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
{{MecklenburgischeSeenplatte-geo-stub