A Brief Summary with Additional Historical Information
The history of the villages of what is now known as Gemeinde Brunow can be traced back several centuries. Agriculture was the primary trade, with the estate farms cultivating various crops and raising cattle, swine and sheep. For a more detailed description of the histories of each village see the History of the Villages of Gemeinde Brunow by Karl-Heinz Steinbruch.
Because the villages were near the Mecklenburg border, they would have had been in an interesting position. While Mecklenburg remained agrarian and independent, the growing military empire of Prussia was only a few kilometers away, just across the border.
Population in 1819
The table below shows the population of the villages that now form Gemeinde-Brunow as recorded in the 1819 Census of Mecklenburg-Schwerin:
| Village | Population | ||
| Brunow | 387 | ||
| Klüß | 263 | ||
| Bauerkuhl | 61 | ||
Population in 1876The table below shows the population of the villages that now form Gemeinde-Brunow as recorded in the 1876 Census of Mecklenburg-Schwerin: |
| Volkszählung am 3 Dezember 1867 (Census on December 3, 1876) | ||||
| Bevölkerungs - Tabelle (Population Table) | ||||
| Anwesende Personen (Persons Present) | ||||
| Geschlecht (Gender) | Brunow | Klüß | Bauerkuhl | |
| männlich (male) | 195 | 170 | 39 | |
| weiblich (female) | 221 | 180 | 29 | |
| Staats-Angehörigkeit (Nationality) | ||||
| Mecklenburg-Schwerinsche Untertbanen (Belonging to Mecklenburg-Schwerin) |
412 | 343 | 68 | |
| Anderen Staaten angehörig (Belonging to another state) | 4 | 7 | 0 | |
| Art des Aufsenthalts am Zählungstorte (Type of stay at counting location) |
||||
| als Norddeutsche u. Zollvereins See- u. Flußschiffer (as German North Seaman or as river boatman) |
0 | 0 | 0 | |
| als Reisende in Gasthösen (as traveller at Inn) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| als Gäste in Familien (as guest in family) | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Alle übrigen Anwesenden (All others) | 412 | 350 | 68 | |
| Abwesende Personen (Persons Absent) | ||||
| Geschlecht (Gender) | ||||
| männlich (male) | 15 | 18 | 4 | |
| weiblich (female) | 8 | 11 | 6 | |
| Staats-Angehörigkeit (Nationality) | ||||
| Mecklenburg-Schwerinsche Untertbanen (Belonging to Mecklenburg-Schwerin) |
23 | 29 | 10 | |
| Anderen Staaten angehörig (Belonging to another state) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Art der Abwesenheit vom Zählungsorte (Type of absence from counting location) |
||||
| Richt über 1 Jahr abwesend (Over 1 year absent) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| als See- oder Flußschiffer (as seaman or river boatman) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| aus Land- oder Seereisen (as land or sea traveller) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| aus Besuch außserhalb des Orts (visiting outside of the location) |
2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Alle übrigen Abwesenden (all other absences) | 21 | 29 | 10 | |
Post World War II
After World War II the villages became a part of the GDR (German Democratic Republic or East Germany).
Not part of Mecklenburg?
The next change in the fortunes of the villages came in 1989 when the GDR collapsed. In 1990 the reunification of the former states of East Germany with the states of West Germany brought about the re-establishment of the former German states.
When the borders of the new states were redrawn, the villages of Brunow, Klüß, and Bauerkuhl were assigned to Landkreis Perleberg in the state of Brandenburg. But the residents of the villages were proud of their past, and wanted to return to Mecklenburg.
In 1991 Pastor Manfred Fink traveled to the legislature of the state of Brandenburg to provide proof from the church registers that the villages were originally part of Mecklenburg.
An election was held to determine the wishes of the residents. Over 50 percent of the eligible voters of the Gemeinde would need to vote in favor of the measure for it to pass. The residents voted to be returned to Mecklenburg, and in July of 1992 the villages became a part of Landkreis Ludwigslust in Mecklenburg-Vorpommerrn.
The historical information above was compiled from publicly available census information, the Karl-Heinz Steinbruch histories and the articles listed in the following credits
Credits:
- "Goldenes Dorf am Rande", Karin Gustmann, MecklenburgMagazin, 16 November 2001.
- "Goldenes Dorf am Rande", Karin Gustmann, Schweriner Volkseitung vom 16. November 2001.
