Neuruppin

Neuruppin is a town in Brandenburg, Germany. Located on the shore of the Ruppiner See (a lake), it is the capital of the district of Ostprignitz-Ruppin. Population: 32,800 (1999).

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Neuruppin has the reputation of being the most Prussian of all Prussian towns, due to its former status as a Prussian garrison town. The novelist Theodor Fontane, the general Hermann Hoth, and the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel were born in Neuruppin. Frederick the Great lived in Neuruppin in his years as crown prince of Prussia.

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The name Neuruppin means "New Ruppin"; the original settlement of Ruppin (later Altruppin, "Old Ruppin") was located on the tiny island of Poggenwerder in the middle a lake. It was founded about 1150. Some hundred years later, when the island became too small for the growing population, the settlement of Neuruppin on the shore of the lake was established. The first settlers built the church of St. Trinitatis (1246), which still stands today.

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In 1688 Neuruppin became a Prussian garrison town. After a disastrous fire in 1787 the Classicism of the rebuilt town's buildings characterise its townscape to the present day. It remained a garrison town until the late 20th century, since Soviet (resp. Russian) troops were stationed here until 1993; during this time there were as many Soviet soldiers as inhabitants in Neuruppin.

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Brandenburg: Surrounding but excluding the national capital Berlin, Brandenburg is one of Germany's sixteen Bundesl?nder (federal states)....

Ostprignitz-Ruppin: Ostprignitz-Ruppin is a Kreis (district) in the northwestern part of Brandenburg, Germany. Neighboring are (from north clockwise) the districts M?ritz and Mecklenburg-Strelitz in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the districts...

Prussia: The word Prussia (German: Preu?en, Polish: Prusy, Lithuanian: Pr?sai, Latin: Borussia) has had various (often contradictory) meanings:...