Michendorf lies in a vast wooded area about nine kilometers south of Potsdam. The civil parishes ("Ortsteile") Fresdorf, Stücken and Wildenbruch lie in the Nature-Park Nuthe-Nieplitz. In the south the town adjacent to the Great Seddiner Lake and to the west by the Lienewitzer lakes.
The municipality is composed by Michendorf itself and fivecivil parishes. Population statistics are as of December 31, 2011:
Fresdorf (293)
Langerwisch (1,823)
Michendorf (4,237)
Stücken (492)
Wildenbruch (1,845)
Wilhelmshorst (3,103)
Demography
Development of population since 1875 within the current Boundaries (Blue Line: Population; Dotted Line: Comparison to Population development in Brandenburg state; Grey Background: Time of Nazi Germany; Red Background: Time of communist East Germany)
Recent Population Development and Projections (Population Development before Census 2011 (blue line); Recent Population Development according to the Census in Germany in 2011 (blue bordered line); Official projections for 2005-2030 (yellow line); for 2017-2030 (scarlet line); for 2020-2030 (green line)
Michendorf: Population development within the current boundaries (2020)
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1875
1,766
—
1890
2,039
+0.96%
1910
2,739
+1.49%
1925
3,720
+2.06%
1939
7,104
+4.73%
1950
8,572
+1.72%
1964
8,313
−0.22%
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1971
8,372
+0.10%
1981
7,742
−0.78%
1985
7,598
−0.47%
1990
7,419
−0.48%
1995
7,751
+0.88%
2000
10,233
+5.71%
2005
11,163
+1.75%
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
2010
11,805
+1.12%
2015
12,178
+0.62%
2016
12,271
+0.76%
2017
12,437
+1.35%
2018
12,726
+2.32%
2019
13,134
+3.21%
2020
13,278
+1.10%
History
During the Division of Germany (1945–90), Michendorf was in East Germany, although only a few kilometers from West Berlin. The Michendorf rest stop was the last stop in East Germany for travelers driving into West Berlin, and a popular spot for East and West Germans to meet up with friends and family who lived on the other side of the Berlin Wall. Despite efforts by the Michendorf historical society, the rest stop was demolished in 2008.
Notable residents
Otto Böckel (1859–1923), politician notorious for exploiting anti-Semitism as a political issue, died in Michendorf.
Karin Hübner (1936–2006), actress who grew up in Michendorf.
Gerit Kling (born 1965), actress who grew up in Michendorf.
Kurt Kreuger (1916–2006), actor, was born in Michendorf, although he grew up in Switzerland.
Bernhard Seeger (1927–1999), author, lived and worked in Michendorf.
^"Ortsteil Stücken" [Areas of the Village]. Michendorf official website. Archived from the original on December 31, 2016. Retrieved March 19, 2017. (in German)