Grimmen

Grimmen (ˈɡʁɪmən; Grzëmié) is a town in Vorpommern-Rügen, a district in the Bundesland Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Prior to 2011, when district reforms were made in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, it was the capital of the now bygone Nordvorpommern district, which was abolished and merged to create the district of Vorpommern-Rügen. Grimmen is located in southeastern Nordvorpommern on the banks of the river Trebel, about 30 km south of Stralsund and 30 km west of Greifswald. The town is connected to the Stralsund- Neustrelitz-Berlin railways, and to Autobahn A 20. Adjacent to the city limits are Amt Franzburg-Richtenberg in the West, Amt Miltzow in the North, and the Süderholz municipality in the Southeast. In addition to the town of Grimmen, the following villages are also within Grimmen's city limits: Appelshof Gerlachsruh Grellenberg Groß Lehmhagen Heidebrink Hohenwarth Hohenwieden Jessin Klein Lehmhagen Stoltenhagen Vietlipp Neighbouring municipalities, listed clockwise beginning in the North, are Wittenhagen, Wilmshagen, Süderholz, Wendisch Baggendorf, Splietsdorf, Papenhagen. Grimmen was founded during the Ostsiedlung, when about 1250 merchants and craftsman from Lower Saxony, Westphalia and the Lower Rhine settled the site which then was part of the Principality of Rügen. The first document mentioning Grimmens is of 1267. In 1287, a report mentions Vogt Berthold taking office in the town, and further mentions that Grimmen had already been granted Lübeck law before. The actual charter is lost, thus the exact date when the town received Lübeck law remains uncertain. Accordingly, the 700th anniversary was celebrated in 1987. Since 1325, Grimmen belonged to the Duchy of Pomerania. During the Thirty Years' War, the town was looted several times. After the war, Grimmen became part of Swedish Pomerania, a dominion of the Swedish Empire. From 1695 to 1697, mayor Johannes Flittner cruelly pursued alleged witches; at least seven were executed. In 1797, a large fire destroyed almost the entire town.