Germany: All about Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Quiz

Answer: Schwerin Castle

Schwerin Castle was constructed under the orders of Grand Duke of Mecklenburg, Frederick Franz II, between 1843-1847.

The building is of Neo-Renaissance style, and since 1990 has been the residence of the Parliament of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The palace is known for its beauty, seemingly floating on the lake.

Around a third of the castle was destroyed in a fire in 1913, and it has since undergone several renovations. Schwerin Castle now features a museum that exhibits seventeenth century Dutch and Flemish paintings.

Answer: Western Pomerania

Western Pomerania is the western region of Pomerania, which is the historical region on the southern bank of the Baltic Sea, situated between Germany and Poland. Germany's jurisdiction of Pomerania extends to the western portion of the area, whereas Poland owns the central and eastern regions.

The entire land area of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern makes up just under 7% of Germany's total land area.

Answer: Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony and Brandenburg

Poland lies east of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The Baltic Sea lies north.

Brandenberg lies south of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Lower Saxony lies southwest and Schleswig-Holstein lies west.

Answer: Fire

Mecklenburg State Theatre is located opposite Schwerin Castle, and was the first building of Schwerin to have electricity, as well as one of the first theatres in Germany to feature electric lights.

The theatre is extravagant inside with a huge chandelier, gold statues and red, plush sofas. A painted stage curtain from the 19th century is in the theatre, one of the only surviving types of stage curtain from that era in Germany. The main theatre can accommodate 650 people. The original building was built between 1832-1836 and after the fire in 1882, it was decided to completely rebuild the theatre rather than reconstruct it from its remnants.

For the theatre's inauguration in 1886, a performance of Christoph Willibald Gluck's "Iphigénie en Aulide ("Iphigeneia in Aulis"), starring German opera soprano, Marie Wittich (1868-1931) was presented. The building was used for the Parliament of the Free State of Mecklenburg-Schwerin between 1919-1934.

Answer: Bad Doberan

Bad Doberan is a spa town located only around 9 miles (15 km) west of the city of Rostock. It is known for the Doberan Minster, the main Lutheran Church of the town, which was dedicated in 1368.

Zappanale was established in 1990, and has occurred yearly ever since. A large portion of the original festival's organisers were from East Germany, whose communist government at the time strongly disapproved of Frank Zappa's music. Wolfhard Kutz, one of the festival's original organisers, was persecuted by the communist police for being a fan of his music.

Answer: St. Nicholas Church

St. Nicholas Church is located in the city of Stralsund, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Stralsund is situated on the south of the Strelasund or Strela Sound, a lagoon on the Baltic Sea, between mainland Germany and the island of Rügen.

In 2002, Stralsund's old town, (including St.Nicholas Church) was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its abundance of brick gothic architecture.

Dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra, the patron saint of sailors, in 1279, St. Nicholas Church is a large, imposing building, the oldest of the main large churches in Stralsund. German sculptor and artist, Johann-Peter Hinz (1941-2007), created a crucifix for the church, which was installed in 1997. The church has practiced Evangelical Lutheranism on its premises since 1524.

The astronomical clock of St.Nicholas Church is recorded as being present in the church since 1394. It was damaged at some point during history, and although does not work, is incredibly well preserved, one of the few of its kind to be in this condition. German engineer, Nikolaus Lilienfeld, built the clock as well as many other clocks in his career at the Doberan Minster in Bad Doberan, and Lund Cathedral in Sweden.

The clocks case depicts four men: Persian mathematician Abu Ma'shar al-Balkhi; Greek mathmetician Claudius Ptolemy; Alfonso X the Wise King of Castile, Léon and Galicia; and Arabic astronomer Ali ibn Ridwan.

Answer: Greifswald

Eldena Abbey was founded in 1199, and originally named Hilda Abbey or "Kloster Hilda" in German. In 1204, the abbey was confirmed by Pope Innocent III. The site of the new abbey was surrounded by lucrative salt pans, bringing wealth to the monastery.

The ruins of Eldena Abbey have often been the subject of Caspar David Friedrich's paintings.

The city of Greifswald is located on the River Ryck. The University of Greifswald was officially established in 1456; however, teaching had been going on in the establishment since at least 1436. The university has been under different empires and jurisdictions throughout history; it was the oldest university of the Kingdoms of Sweden (1648-1815) and Prussia (1815-1945) when they existed.

In 1604, Greifswald University Library became Germany's first centralised university library.

Answer: Müritz

Müritz is fed and drained by the River Elde and has an area of around 45 square miles (just under 120 Square km). The maximum depth of Müritz reaches just over 100 feet (30 m) however the average depth is around 20 feet (5 m).

Müritz National Park surrounds Müritz Lake, lying between Berlin and Rostock.

Answer: Ostseestadion

Trabslating to "Baltic Sea Stadium" due to its location, Ostseestadion is the home ground of FC Hansa Rostock. The original building was opened to spectators in 1954, but the building was rebuilt and refurbished in 2001.

Rostock was the most important port city of East Germany, and is located on both the Warnow River and the Bay of Mecklenburg in the Baltic Sea. The majority of the natives of Rostock reside west of the Warnow River, with east of the river being used more as a port and industrial area, as well as the northeast being dominated by the Rostock Heath woodland area.

The Port of Rostock is the largest German port on the Baltic coast, and the fourth largest German port.

Established in 1419, the University of Rostock is the third-oldest university of Germany, the fifth university to be established by the Holy Roman Empire, and the oldest in the Baltic Sea area.

Answer: Usedom

Usedom is the second-largest Pomeranian island after the island of Rügen. Although 80% of the island is in Germany's jurisdiction, in the east of Usedom is the West Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland. Usedom's total area is just under 170 square miles (445 square km).

Usedom is nicknamed "Sun Island" as it receives more sun than anywhere else in both Germany and Poland. It is situated north of the Szczecin lagoon's Oder River estuary.

The largest city on Usedom is the Polish city of Świnoujście, on the Eastern end of the island. The Polish island of Wolin lies east of Usedom, with the Strait of Świna connecting the islands.

Answer: St. Mary's Church

St. Mary's Church is located in the city of Stralsund, Western Pomerania. The Lutheran church is first mentioned in recorded history in 1298, with the church featuring a baroque Friedrich Stellwagen organ. The large Baroque spire was added in 1708. The church is just under 500 feet (150 m) tall. In 2002, St. Mary's Church was assigned as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stralsund is connected to the island of Rügen (Germany's largest island) by a bridge running over Strelasund, a sound of the Baltic Sea.

Answer: Kulturfinger

Neubrandenburg is capital of the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte District, and is known for its well-preserved medieval city wall. The city is also known for being the birthplace of several athletes, including Olympic canoeists Andreas Dittmer and Martin Hollstein, as well as Olympic runner Katrin Krabbe, and Astrid Kumbernuss, Ralf Bartels and Franka Dietzsch, all shot putters and discus throwers. Like many cities of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Neubrandenburg has much Brick gothic architecture.

Neubrandenburg is located on Lake Tollensesee, a lake in the Mecklenburg Lake Plateau region which has a maximum depth of just over 150 feet (45 m). The island of Fischerinsel is located around the south of the lake.

Kulturfinger is the colloquial name for the steel tower. It is around 180 feet (55 m) high and has 16 storeys. Built during the time of East Germany, Kulturfinger is an example of socialist realism architecture.

Answer: Ludwigslust Palace

Ludwigslust Palace is a baroque stately home located in Ludwigslust, which is a small town south of Schwerin that was made capital of Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin's government in 1765. The palace started as a hunting lodge in 1724, under the orders of the prince who would become Christian Ludwig II, who was Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin between 1747-1756.

Ludwigslust Palace is situated in a picturesque park, surrounded by canals and water spots. The palace features a museum, and there is now a cafe in the hunting lodge overlooking the park, which stretches for over 127 hectares.

Ludwigslust is known for its unusual church, the Ludwigslust City Church, which features six doric columns which give the appearance of a Greek temple as opposed to a church. The church was constructed by 1770.

Answer: Anklam

Aviation pioneer Otto Lilienthal was born in Anklam in 1848. He became the first person to successfully and safely fly gliders, therefore paving the way for the possibility of heavier aircraft accomplishing the same. He created the Lilienthal Normalsegelapparat ("Normal soaring apparatus") which is generally considered to be the first aeroplane to be commercially produced, with nine recorded examples of the plane existing. Lilienthal died in 1896 after falling 50 feet in a gliding accident.

Anklam is located on the Peene River. As well as Otto Lilienthal, Anklam is known for being the birthplace of Gustav Lilienthal (1849-1933), renowned architect and Otto's brother, as well as German philosopher Johann Franz Buddeus (1667-1729), German opera singer Johanna Gadski (1870-1932), and Ulrich von Hassell (1881-1944), a member of the German Resistance who was executed for his part in a failed assassination attempt of Hitler.

Answer: Kühlungsborn

Kühlungsborn is a sea town in Rostock District and features a tower that was once operated by East Germany's Coastal Brigade or GBK border patrols. Constructed in 1972, the tower was built for observing sea traffic and thwarting attempts at escape. Using telescopes, they could observe their surroundings for 12 nautical miles. The tower was meant to be demolished upon the fall of the Berlin Wall. However, it was kept for historical purposes.

Kühlungsborn is located around 5 miles (10 km) northwest of Bad Doberan. It is purported to be the largest seaside spa resort in the entirety of Mecklenburg.

Kühlungsborn is also known for the Seebrücke Kühlungsborn pier, located along the longest beach promenade in the German area of the Baltic Sea, the first large jetties being implemented as early as 1901, being renovated in 1991. The pier is around 815 feet (240 m) long.

Answer: Helpt Hills

Located in the district of Mecklenburgische Seenplatte in the east of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Helpt Hills is around 590 feet (180 m) high.

There is a book to sign by the cross at the summit of Helpt Hills.

Answer: Woldegk

The 29 June 1764 Woldegk tornado rated F5 on the Fujita scale, and receiving a T11 (the highest) rating on the TORRO tornado intensity scale. Winds raged at around 300 miles (480 km) per hour.

Most knowledge regarding the tornado comes from the work of German scientist Gottlob Burchard Genzmer (1716-1771) who compiled a 77-page study of the event. Several buildings were destroyed, with one fatality recorded. The tornado dissipated after hitting the village of Helpt, which has been part of Woldegk since 2014.

Woldegk has been subject to misfortune throughout history, including complete destruction during the Thirty Years Wat in 1647 during which only 14 survivors emerged. At least 70% of Woldegk was destroyed during World War Two.

Answer: Parchim

Parchim is one of the oldest towns in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and is the capital of the Ludwigslust-Parchim District. Situated on the Müritz-Elde waterway, Parchim's surrounding forests are said to possess the highest Douglas firs in Europe.

Described as a tactical genius and one of the greatest military minds of his time, Helmuth von Moltke the Elder (1800-1891) led the Prussian Army for 30 years. He oversaw the Prussian Army during the German Danish War (also known as the Second Schleswig War), the subsequent Austro-Prussian War (also known as the Seven Weeks' War and the German Civil War) and Franco-Prussian War (often referred to as the "War of 1870" in France).

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder also holds the honour of being the earliest-born human to have ever been recorded on audio, having been included in four recordings that have been preserved. The first two recordings took place on 21 October 1889 when he was 88 years old. His nephew was Helmuth von Moltke the Younger who led the German Army during the First World War.

Answer: Güstrow Cathedral

Güstrow Cathedral is both the largest and oldest extant building of Güstrow, which is capital of the Rostock District. It is a Lutheran Church and has stood since around 1335. It also features figures of apostles by Claus Berg.

"The Floating One" is a war memorial sculpture created by Ernst Barlach (1870-1938) who is known for his many sculptors protesting war and memorialising victims of war. One of his sculptures sold for $938,500 in 2012. "The Floating One" is a bust of a man hanging from the ceiling, who has his hands crossed over his chest.

Answer: Golm War Cemetery

Golm War Cemetery is located in Kamminke, a town on the island of Usedom, close to the border of Germany and Poland.

The cemetery was established in 1944, and was created for the soldiers of the nearby Garz air base (which is now Heringsdorf Airport) and the bases of Świnoujście.