Parchim

Parchim
Town
Town hall
Coat of arms
Location of Parchim within Ludwigslust-Parchim district
Parchim Show map of Germany Parchim Show map of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Coordinates: 53°25′N 11°50′E / 53.417°N 11.833°E / 53.417; 11.833
Country	Germany
State	Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
District	Ludwigslust-Parchim
Government
• Mayor	Dirk Flörke (CDU)
Area
• Total	124.49 km2 (48.07 sq mi)
Elevation	50 m (160 ft)
Population  (2023-12-31)[1]
• Total	18,270
• Density	150/km2 (380/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	19370
Dialling codes	03871
Vehicle registration	PCH
Website	www.parchim.de

Parchim (German: [ˈpaʁçɪm] ^ⓘ; Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch: Parchen) is a town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is the capital of the Ludwigslust-Parchim district. It was the birthplace of Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, to whom a monument was erected in 1876.

Founded about 1210, it was the seat of the short-lived Lordship of Parchim-Richenberg, a partition of the Duchy of Mecklenburg, from 1226 until 1248 when the lord relocated to Richenberg. Parchim was absorbed into the Lordship of Werle in 1255. In 1277 Werle was partitioned and Parchim became the seat of Werle-Parchim until it was reunited with Werle-Güstrow in 1307. One branch of the family of the duke of Mecklenburg resided in Parchim during part of the 14th century. It became a prosperous industrial town during the 16th century, but this prosperity was destroyed by the Thirty Years' War.