The administrative seat and the main town was Neubrandenburg.

The district was established, with the other 13, on 25 July 1952, substituting the old German states.

After 3 October 1990 it was disestablished following German reunification, becoming again mostly part of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Also rural districts of Prenzlau and Templin (on 3 October 1990), municipalities of Nechlin, Wollschow, Woddow, Bagemühl and Grünberg with city of Brüssow in Pasewalk district and municipalities of Fahrenholz, Güterberg, Jagow, Lemmersdorf, Lübbenow, Milow, Trebenow, Wilsickow, Wismar (Uckerland) and Wolfshagen in Strasburg one part of the one of Brandenburg on 9 May 1992.

It bordered also with Poland and a little part of it was located by the Stettin Bay, a lagoon separated from the Baltic Sea.