What is Demmin?
{{Infobox German location |image_photo = Demmin-Ansicht-ueber-das-Trebeltal-26-07-2008-226.jpg |type = Stadt |image_flag = Flagge Demmin.svg |image_coa = DEU Demmin COA.svg |coordinates = {{coord|53|54|18|N|13|02|38|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}} |state = Mecklenburg-Vorpommern |district = Mecklenburgische Seenplatte |image_plan = Demmin in MBS.svg |elevation = 8 |area = 80.653 |population = 12633 |Stand = 2006-12-31 |postal_code = 17109 |area_code = 03998 |licence = DM |Gemeindeschlüssel = 13 0 71 029 |divisions = 11 districts |website = {{url|http://www.demmin.de/}} |mayor = Thomas Witkowski |party = CDU }} '''Demmin''' ({{IPA2|dɛˈmiːn}}) is a [[town]] in [[Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania]], [[Germany]]. It was the capital of the former [[Demmin Rural District]]. == World War II == [[Wehrmacht|German troops]] destroyed the bridges over the [[Peene]] while retreating from Demmin during [[World War II]]. This way, the advance of the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Red Army]] was slowed down when they arrived in Demmin on April 30, 1945. During that night and the following morning, Demmin was handed over to the Red Army largely without fighting, similar to other cities like [[Greifswald]]. Although there were only a few pockets of resistance, nearly 900 people committed [[suicide|mass suicides]] in fear of the Red Army. Coroner lists show that most drowned in the nearby River [[Tollense]] and River [[Peene]], where others poisoned themselves.<ref>[http://www.mdr.de/fakt/aktuell/949223.html MDR ''Fakt''] from September 22, 2003 (mostly German, English in parts)</ref> This was fuelled by atrocities and rapes committed by Red Army soldiers until the city commander had the access to the rivers blocked on May 3. == Famous residents == * [[Joachim Lütkemann]] (1608-1655), preacher and author * [[Heinrich Carl von Schimmelmann]] (1724-1782), merchant and politician * [[Julius Friedrich Cohnheim]] (1839-1884), pathologist * [[Will