Grabow

Grabow
Town hall
Coat of arms
Grabow
Location of Grabow within Ludwigslust-Parchim district
Coordinates: 53°16′N 11°34′E / 53.267°N 11.567°E / 53.267; 11.567Coordinates: 53°16′N 11°34′E / 53.267°N 11.567°E / 53.267; 11.567
Country	Germany
State	Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
District	Ludwigslust-Parchim
Municipal assoc.	Grabow
Government
• Mayor	Stefan Sternberg
Area
• Total	72.08 km2 (27.83 sq mi)
Population (2015-12-31)
• Total	5,556
• Density	77/km2 (200/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	19300
Dialling codes	038756
Vehicle registration	LWL
Website	www.grabow.de

Grabow (German pronunciation: [ˈɡʁaːbo]) is a town in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated on the river Elde, 7 km (4.35 mi) southeast of Ludwigslust, and 34 km (21.12 mi) northwest of Wittenberge. It is twinned with Whitstable, in Kent.

The name Grabow is of Slavic Polabian origin, grab means "hornbeam". Names with this root occur often in Mecklenburg. It was only slightly changed as Grabowe (1186, 1252, 1275) and Grabow (1189, 1298). Pope Urban III. mentions castle Grabow for the first time in a letter from February 23, 1186. The city received city law in 1252 from the Count of Dannenberg. On 3 June 1725 the city was destroyed by a great fire. The palace was never rebuilt. At least since the 18th century there were Jews in the city, who left behind a synagogue and a cemetery. Both of them were damaged during the Kristallnacht.

The historical center of Grabow is distinguished by its close core of timber-framed houses of the 18th century.

From 1815 to 1918, Grabow was part of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Otto Plath, the father of Sylvia Plath, emigrated from Grabow to America. On 1 January 2016, the former municipality Steesow became part of Grabow.

Pferdemarkt 5