Havelberg has a homogeneous population
Visitors to Havelberg often feel as if they’ve discovered a little piece of a perfect world — at least if you measure it by this standard: “the way things used to be.”
Drone photos of your home? Contact Havelberg-Immobilien.
The historic city island is lined with buildings mainly from the Imperial era. The editorial office building was completed in 1871. About 600 people live on the island.
Most residents live in the Upper Town, in buildings constructed during the GDR period. Most of the apartments, façades, and outdoor areas are in good condition.
This over-1,000-year-old town is privileged to be nestled in the natural landscape east of the Elbe. The Havel River, which rises in Mecklenburg, flows south to Berlin and then westward from Potsdam through the Mittelmark and Havelland, wrapping around our old town before merging with the Elbe and ultimately the North Sea.
Brochure for the town’s 1,000-year anniversary celebration in 1948. This copy is held in the editorial archive of Havelberg.
In the Havelberg Forest, there are numerous bat species that have long been extinct elsewhere. This benefits us: we can enjoy our waterside location without being plagued by mosquitoes, since bats feast on them during summer nights. And if you do get bitten, it’s rarely as bad as elsewhere — thanks to the widespread protected natural areas and comparatively low pesticide use in agriculture.
Aside from the wolf, which left tracks near the village of Vehlgast-Kümmernitz, there are no dangerous wild animals in Havelberg. The wolf hasn’t harmed a human in over 200 years.
People in Havelberg are just as safe from human threats — the kind you often hear about in the news, usually stemming from cultural clashes.
The second large island in the Havel is popular with campers. You can rent different types of boats for water sports. The island is home to Café “Lieblingsplatz”. Restaurants in town are just a short walk across a small bridge.
Havelberg’s Population
As of December 31, 2024, 6,496 people live in Havelberg. Of these, 6,088 hold German passports, resulting in a foreign national share of 6.28%.
Without the war in Ukraine, it would be just 1.92%!
With 287 residents, Ukrainians are by far the largest foreign group. They’re followed by Poles (17) and Romanians (15). The town hall only lists 12 Turks, likely because the next generation already holds German citizenship.
That covers all groups with double or triple-digit numbers.
The longest journey was made by a man from Australia. He now lives in the village of Kuhlhausen. Also in Kuhlhausen: a man from the Netherlands and a woman from Russia.
That’s it.
In the villages of Garz and Vehlgast-Kümmernitz, all residents hold German citizenship.
All in all, there are 35 nationalities in Havelberg. This isn’t very visible in daily life, as the German share — excluding temporary war refugees from Ukraine — stands at 98.08%.
Havelberg consists demographically of the main town, the Hanseatic city, with 5,174 residents, and the districts of Garz (136), Jederitz (126), Kuhlhausen (145), Nitzow (472), Vehlgast-Kümmernitz (235), and Warnau (231). Total: 6,496 residents. The urban-rural split is a classic 80/20.
Between the cathedral and the Havel River you’ll find historic residential houses about 125 years old, in various states of modernization. Every year, 1–3 are up for sale.
Source: Nationality statistics, Hanseatic City of Havelberg as of December 31, 2024.
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