The historical region Prignitz consisted of the following eleven districts, established in the 13th century:
Wittenberge,
Lenzen,
Perleberg,
Putlitz,
Kyritz,
Nitzow,
Wittstock,
Pritzwalk,
Havelberg,
Wusterhausen and
Grabow. The present district of Prignitz was created in 1993 by merging the previous districts of Pritzwalk and Perleberg and a few municipalities from the district Kyritz. The westernmost part of the district was previously part of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and became part of Brandenburg on August 1, 1992. The earlier district of Prignitz was the buffer between Brandenburg and Mecklenburg. It was resettled by Germans, especially from the Bremen area, following the First
Wendish Crusade of 1147. The rate of German settlement increased over the following decades. The eastern half was dominated by the pro-German counts
von Plotho who brought their own vassals such as the
von Blumenthal and
von Grabow families with them. The western half was dominated by robber barons, especially the
Gans zu Putlitz family and their vassals, the
von Quitzows. In 1319 the territory was briefly controlled by
Mecklenburg. When Frederick, Count of Zollern was appointed Margrave in 1411, he faced an uprising of the
Wendish nobility, supported by the Wendish Duke of Mecklenburg. However, he was able to put down the revolt at the battle of the
Cremmer Dam, with the support of the German nobility. Families who had stayed loyal were rewarded. Otto
von Blumenthal, for example, was made Captain of the Prignitz from 1415 to 1422 and of
Lenzen from 1420. == Demography ==