Editing Neuruppin (section)

==== Neuruppin as a socialist district town 1970-1989 ====

Plans for the development of a modern district town with up to 100,000 inhabitants were made from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s. The basis for this was the planned industrial and administrative development of the district town of Neuruppin. Beginning in the 1970s, VEB Elektrophysikalische Werke Neuruppin was established to handle all printed circuit board production for the GDR's microelectronics and entertainment technology industries. The VEB Feuerlöschgerätewerke Neuruppin, as the main producer of hand-held fire extinguishers for the Eastern Bloc countries united in the [[Comecon|CMEA]], and the Volkseigene Backwarenkombinat, as the main producer of all kinds of baked goods for the district town and the district of Neuruppin, were expanded considerably.

All this required the influx of highly qualified management, research, and development personnel as well as many thousands of workers. The resident core population of Neuruppin until the end of the 1960s was not sufficient for this. Planning also took into account Neuruppin's convenient location at the intersection of four important branch lines of the Deutsche Reichsbahn with favorable north–south connections for freight and passenger traffic and the Berlin-Rostock/Hamburg highway (now the [[Bundesautobahn 24|A24]] and [[Bundesautobahn 19|A19]]), which was in planning and later under construction. The plans for a socialist district town included the construction of several residential complexes outside the town's settlement area, which existed until 1968, and the transformation of the old town, which was located outside the medieval city walls. Due to the dwindling economic power of the socialist planned economy of the GDR, only the following urban development projects were implemented from the 1970s onwards:

* Construction of the "VEB Elektrophysikalische Werke Neuruppin".
* Construction of the "Volkseigene Kombinat Backwaren Neuruppin" (People's Own Bakery Combine Neuruppin)
* Expansion of the "VEB Feuerlöschgerätewerk Neuruppin" (VEB fire extinguisher plant)
* 1961: Construction of the polyclinic (Neustädter Straße) for medical care
* 1970-1974: Construction of the housing complex (WK) I Junckerstraße / Thomas-Mann-Straße / Franz-Maecker-Straße (GDR housing construction series IW 64 type Brandenburg / Markkleeberg)
* 1970-1972: Construction of the road axes E-Strasse (initially without a name E-Strasse = relief road around the city center, since 1973 Heinrich-Rau-Strasse) and the feeder roads north and south to the highway (today A 24),
* 1972: Establishment of a public transport system that still operates according to a regular timetable through the Neuruppin city bus line.
* 1972-1974: Construction of the housing complex (WK) II Hermann-Matern-Straße / Erich-Schulz-Straße / August-Fischer-Straße / Anna-Hausen-Straße (GDR housing series IW 64 type Brandenburg / Markkleeberg)
* 1970-1974: construction and opening of children's combinations (crèche and kindergarten) in housing complexes I and II, construction and opening of [[Polytechnic Secondary School]] Theodor Fontane / Karl-Liebknecht and [[Extended Secondary School]] Karl-Friedrich Schinkel, opening of department stores in housing complexes I and II
* 1978-1980: Expansion of residential complex I through gap construction (GDR housing construction series [[WBS 70]]) between WK I (Junckerstraße) and WK II (Hermann-Matern-Straße), as of 1982, the addition of delicatessen, fruit and vegetable store and residential area restaurant in combination with [[Free German Youth|FDJ]] youth club 019 (today club disco and night bar "Club 019"), construction of the community center in residential complex II as a residential area restaurant, event hall and student dining hall of the POS Theodor Fontane / Karl Liebknecht
* 1980-1991: Construction of the residential complex III (GDR housing construction series WBS 70) Heinrich-Rau-Straße / Bruno-Salvat-Straße / Otto-Grotewohl-Straße / Otto-Winzer-Straße / Rudolf-Wendt-Straße, partly with apartments for senior citizens.

[[File:Rathaus in Neuruppin 3.jpg|thumb|right|Neuruppin city hall]]The historic old town of Neuruppin was spared further redesigns during GDR times for reasons of cost. The construction of a four-lane expressway following the model of an [[automotive city]] - leading from Fehrbelliner Strasse along the present Regattastrasse via Bollwerk, crossing Seedamm / Steinstrasse, in the direction of Wittstocker Allee<ref>Büro für Städtebau beim Rat des Bezirkes Potsdam: [http://digipeer.de/index.php?id=888782226 ''Generalbebauungsplan-Neuruppin, Präzisierung 1980, Leitlinienplanung Wohnkomplex III, Plan der Einordnung in die Gesamtstadt, Plannummer 218/255'']: rot gestrichelte Linie</ref> - was opposed by financial constraints in the GDR. The relocation of the VEB Feuerlöschgerätewerk Neuruppin and the compensation for the areas and buildings between Bollwerk and the VEB Feuerlöschgerätewerk which had been taken up by the Soviet Army, did not help the economic power of the GDR in the mid-1970s.