Vorpommern (Polish: Pomorze Przednie) - in English sometimes also called West, Upper, or Hither Pomerania - is a region of Pomerania west of the River Oder in north-eastern Germany, including the island of Rügen but excluding the city of Szczecin (former Stettin).
Vorpommern was in the middle ages populated by the Slavic Obodrits people, who were related to the Pomeranians.
At the end of the Second World War in 1945Vorpommern became as only part of the former Pomerania part of the East German state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, later of the Bezirk Rostock and the Bezirk Neubrandenburg in the GDR.
Vorpommern extends eastwards across a pedestrian border crossing into what is now Poland.
While Mecklenburg, historically an independent German state until 1871, became the official name of the region in the German Democratic Republic, Vorpommern, with its associations to the Prussian state and with regions now well within the borders of Poland, was banned from all official and unofficial use.
As generational change passes ownership and control of resources to those with perhaps less connection to the local community, it is not yet clear what changes can be expected in the years to come.
In 1181 it became a duchy of the German Empire, then in 1637 it became part of the Prussian Empire, although the western part (Vorpommern) was under the control of Sweden until 1815.
To help those of you with ancestors from Hinterpommern, that part of Pomerania which was east of the Oder River and is now in Poland, please go to Regions of Poland or you can try Genealogy and Poland.
The State is made up of large parts of the former Duchy of Mecklenburg and the old territory of Vorpommern.
The Dukes of Pommern and the Markgraves of Brandenburg signed in 1529 a treaty in which was stated that when the dynasty of the Dukes of Pommern would became extinct, the Markgraves were the appointed successors.
The status quo was finally accepted in the treaty of Münster and Osnabrück in 1648, thereby dividing Pommern in Vorpommern and Hinterpommern (the Swedish part).
www.ngw.nl /int/dld/mecklenv.htm (225 words)
The History of Pomerania(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-26)
These World GenWeb pages include only West Pomerania-that part known as Vorpommern-that is west of the Oder-Neisse Rivers (shown on the map as East Germany 1945 and separated from Poland 1945 by a line along the Oder River).
At the end of World War II in 1945, the two sections of Pomerania, Vorpommern west of the Oder-Neisse Rivers, and Hinterpommern, the lands east of the Oder-Neisse Rivers, were divided by the powers who won the 2nd World War.
Vorpommern became part of East Germany at the end of World War II and then, in 1990, part of the combined Germany.
It is an artificial state: after World War II the state Mecklenburg - Vorpommern was created from Mecklenburg and the western part of the former Prussian province Pomerania.
In 1952 it was dissolved and reorganized into the districts Schwerin, Rostock and Neubrandenburg.
In 1990, with Germany's unification, the state Mecklenburg - Vorpommern was established again.
Finding Aid Index for the Church Records of Vorpommern (Western Pomerania)(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-26)
Although many church records for Vorpommern are available for viewing via microfilm loan at your local Family History Center (FHC), the majority of Vorpommern church records have not been microfilmed.
Many are still to be found at the Vorpommern church in the parish where your ancestors originated.
Kirchenbuecher duplikaten (duplicate church books) are found in some archives in Vorpommern, but these often only include a portion of the records available at the local church and are only available for certain churches.
As soon as the section from the Rostock junction to Sanitz has been completed (scheduled for summer 2002) drivers should be able to reach the peninsula chain of Fischland-Darß-Zingst (via Ribnitz-Damgarten) even more swiftly than before.
In Vorpommern the 31.5 km long section from the Uckermark triangle (on the A 11 Berlin-Szczecin) to Pasewalk/West has been completed.
This triangle now provides the coastal motorway, the A20, with a second direct connection to the Berliner Ring and thus to the national motorway network.
IGS Searches- Early German Marriage Abstracts: Vorpommern Marriage Abstracts--up to 1704(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-26)
The Immigrant Genealogical Society has received several books of abstracts and indexes to all the readable marriage records prior to 1800 in Vorpommern (the part of Pomerania west of the Oder River that was formerly part of East Germany).
We'll count the marriages in each area and provide up to 3 copies of abstracts.
If your surname is very common, you should limit us to one or two areas.
feefhs.org /igs/egma/egma-4.html (220 words)
Genealogies~B~(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-26)
September 16, 1908, Grimmen, Grimmen County, VorPommern, Germany; m.
September 06, 1850, Grimmen County, VorPommern, Germany; d.
March 27, 1857, VorPommern, Grimmen County, Germany; d.
www.iltrails.org /mchenry/genb.html (289 words)
County and Municipal Flags (Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Germany)(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-26)
The griffin is holding the symbol of Stralsund (a bundle of three straight horns, musical instruments).
[On an actual flag I saw] above the shield was the word Anklam in white, underneath it the word Vorpommern [Hither Pomerania] in fl.
I tried asking the people representing the town whether the words were officially a part of the flag or just put there for convenience, but I did not get a clear answer.
Mecklenburg Vorpommern - Landesinitiative Neue Kommunikationswege e.V. EU Project References
ADAPT-Project CHALLENGE, 1997-1999: Development of a learning module TESFA (Telematics application for Effectiveness, Specialisation and Flexibility of Work) with an integrated Online-Coaching concept.
LEONARDO DA VINCI - Pilot Project TRET, 2003-2005: Training in Renewable Energy Technologies
