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Mecklenburg-strelitz (District)Mecklenburg-Strelitz is a Kreis (district) in the southern part of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise) Demmin, Ostvorpommern Uecker-Randow, the districts Uckermark, Oberhavel and Ostprignitz-Ruppin in Brandenburg, and the district Mritz. The district-free city Neubrandenburg is nearly completely surrounded by the district. Geography The district of Mecklenburg-Strelitz occupies the eastern parts of the Mritz lakeland and the Mritz National Park. There are numerous tiny lakes and swamps in the southern and western portions of the district. History The name of this district traces back to the duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. This duchy was established in 1701 after the former duchy of Mecklenburg-Gstrow ceased to exist. The area of the district is roughly identical with the old duchy's main territory, the Stargarder Land. The old duchy included an exclave around Ratzeburg, which is today situated in Schleswig-Holstein. Southern parts of the older Mecklenburg-Strelitz, including the town of Frstenberg, today belong to Brandenburg's Oberhavel district. The capital of the duchy was the town of Strelitz, which was completely destroyed in a fire in 1712. After this disaster the duke ordered to build a new town at the shore of a small lake called the Zierker See. This town became Neustrelitz (= "New Strelitz"). The district was created by merging the three previous districts Neubrandenburg, Neustrelitz and Strasburg in 1994. Coat of arms | Coat of arms | |The coat of arms of the district is nearly identical with the coat of arms of the duchy Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The tower stands for the castle of Stargard, which was the seat of the dukes of Mecklenburg for many times since its construction in the 13th century and remains the northermost mountain-top castle in present-day Germany. The bull head in the topleft is also a symbol of the dukes of Mecklenburg. The cross in the right-bottom was changed from the old coat of arms—instead of a Christian cross, it is now a Maltese Cross, symbolizing the possessions of the Order of St. John of Malta in the territory before 1648. | Towns and municipalities External links
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