Map of Germany showing Anklam

Anklam is a town in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany, situated on the banks of the Peene river. It is the capital of the district of Ostvorpommern. Population: 16,500 (2001).

The town was founded in the 13th century and was first mentioned in 1243. In 1283 it became a member of the Hanseatic League. Although the town was a rather small and uninfluential town compared with other hanseatic cities, the membership brought wealth and prosperity to Anklam.

The decline of Anklam began with the Thirty Years' War, when Swedish and Imperial troops battled almost twenty years for Anklam. After the war the town became a part of Sweden. In 1720 Prussian troops occupied the southern parts of the town, while the parts north of the Peene river remained Swedish. Anklam was a divided town until 1815, when the rest became Prussian as well.

See also: Swedish Pomerania