Parchim

Parchim
Town hall
Coat of arms
Parchim
Location of Parchim within Ludwigslust-Parchim district
Coordinates: 53°25′N 11°50′E / 53.417°N 11.833°E / 53.417; 11.833Coordinates: 53°25′N 11°50′E / 53.417°N 11.833°E / 53.417; 11.833
Country	Germany
State	Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
District	Ludwigslust-Parchim
Government
• Mayor	Bernd Rolly (SPD)
Area
• Total	124.49 km2 (48.07 sq mi)
Population (2015-12-31)
• Total	17,918
• Density	140/km2 (370/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	19370
Dialling codes	03871
Vehicle registration	PCH
Website	www.parchim.de

Parchim (German pronunciation: [ˈpaʁçɪm]) is a town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is the capital of the Ludwigslust-Parchim district. It was the birthplace of Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, to whom a monument was erected in 1876.

Founded about 1210, it was the seat of the short-lived Lordship of Parchim-Richenberg, a partition of the Duchy of Mecklenburg, from 1226 until 1248 when the lord relocated to Richenberg. Parchim was absorbed into the Lordship of Werle in 1255. In 1277 Werle was partitioned and Parchim became the seat of Werle-Parchim until it was reunited with Werle-Güstrow in 1307. One branch of the family of the duke of Mecklenburg resided in Parchim during part of the 14th century. It became a prosperous industrial town during the 16th century, but this prosperity was destroyed by the Thirty Years' War.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.