Groß Krams is a municipality in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is part of the collective municipality of Hagenow-Land.
Geography Groß Krams lies in the Griese Gegend, a forested region of southwestern Mecklenburg. It has an area of roughly 10.32 square kilometers, and has the Bundesstraße 5 passing through it.
The municipality borders Alt Krenzlin to the south, Bresegard bei Picher to the northeast, Belsch to the west, and Redefin to the northwest. It is part of the collective municipality of Hagenow-Land, by which it is surrounded on all sides but the south, as Alt Krenzlin is part of the collective municipality of Ludwigslust-Land.
History Groß Krams was integrated into the municipality of Redefin on 1 January 1974. It was again separated into its own municipality on 5 May 1990.
Politics Municipal council The municipal council of Groß Krams has a total of 7 members, six of whom are elected directly from the municipal council's ballot while the seventh is the mayor, who is elected on a separate ballot on the same day. Before 2019, the municipal council only had 5 seats. The most recent municipal council election took place on 7 June 2024, as part of the 2024 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern local elections. It yielded the following results: PartyVotes%SeatsWon+/–Ind. Birgit Schön5917.771 0Ind. Verena Kircher4413.251 0Ind. Ragnar Böhm4212.651 0Ind. 3711.141 0Ind. Claudia Stein3610.841 0Ind. Christiane Bogner339.941 0Ind. Sebastian Schwager278.130NewInd. Anita Jungblut195.720NewInd. Claudia Wetzel185.420NewInd. Nikolaus Nürnberg175.120NewTotal332100.06 0Valid votes33297.08Invalid/blank votes92.63Total votes341100.0Turnout11485.07Eligible voters134 Both voters' associations in the municipality did not run during the 2024 elections, resulting in every candidate running as an independent. All incumbents were reelected.
Previous elections had the following results: colspan="2" rowspan="2" 20242019%Seats%SeatsAktiv GKDid not run56.793AG proNatur22.531Independents100.0620.682Total100.06100.06
Mayor Tobias Alwardt (independent, formerly Aktiv GK) was reelected as mayor of Groß Krams with during the 68.42% (78 votes) 2024 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern local elections; this marks an increase in total votes from his result in the 2019 election, during which he won 69.31% (70 votes). PartyVotes%Ind. Tobias Alwardt7868.42Ind. Wolfgang Gresens2421.05Ind. Nikolaus Nürnberg1210.53Total114100.0Valid votes114100.0Invalid/blank votes00.00Total votes114100.0Turnout11485.07Eligible voters134
Neo-Nazism The NDR published a documentary called Mein Nachbar ist Nazi – Was tun? (English: My neighbor is a Nazi - what should I do?) in March 2021 which was primarily filmed in the municipality and concerned itself with the independent municipal council member , a former NPD politician who claimed adherence to pre-Hitler Nazism. Ragnar Böhm, the other independent municipal council member, who has also been noted as a neo-Nazi, wasn't strongly featured in the documentary due to declining an interview however.
There have been several events and organizations, such as Wage Mut!, in Groß Krams that wish to resist and reverse the influence of the far-right in the municipality.
Seal Groß Krams does not have an official coat of arms or flag, it does however have an official seal described, but never visualized, in the main statute of the municipal council since 1999. According to the statute, the seal shows a bull's head looking ahead with a torn off neck fur and crown, around it the inscription: "GEMEINDE GROß KRAMS • LANDKREIS LUDWIGSLUST-PARCHIM".
Sights
There is a war memorial for the fallen from World War I and World War II in Groß Krams. The village is also home to several historic and protected buildings.
References