The district is roughly situated in a triangle between the towns of Lübeck, Wismar and Schwerin. In the north there is the coast of the Baltic Sea with the small island of Poel; two large lakes are partially situated in Nordwestmecklenburg: the eastern half of the Schaalsee (23 km²) at the western border; and the northern half of the Schweriner See (63 km²) in the south.
History
The district was created in 1994 by merging the previous districts Gadebusch, Grevesmühlen and Wismar, and also smaller parts of the districts Sternberg and Schwerin-Land.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms shows the bull's head of Mecklenburg to the left, and a bishopric staff to the right. The staff symbolizes the diocese of Ratzeburg, which in 1648 became the Principality of Ratzeburg. It also stands for the diocese of Schwerin.
The coat of arms was designed by the designer and heraldic Heinz Kippnick, and was granted on July 1, 1996.
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