Rügen

Interesting places on Rügen

Bergen –  Main town of the large island.
Bergen is the administrative capital of the island and lies in the geographical centre of the island. Bergen received town ordinances and privileges in the year 1613. Centre of interest in Bergen is the Mareinkirche – (dating from that 12th Century), which was established following the model of the Lübecker cathedral. From the 118m high Ernst Moritz Arndt tower, one has a fantastic view over the entire island. The city museum exhibits illustrative material of the history of Rügen and also particularly of Bergen.
 
The Baltic resort of Sellin and its pier (Seebrücke).
The landmark of Baltic resort Sellin, (with 2.500 inhabitants), is the 394 m long pier (Seebrücke). In the six year period from 1992 to 1998, the pier was again developed using historical guidelines, after being destroyed as a consequence of a storm tide in 1971.
In addition there are also two restaurants, which are particularly suitable for celebrations of all kinds. Meanwhile Sellin has developed into a fine address as one of the Rügen Baltic seaside resorts. Most of the ‘Bäderarchitektur’ villas are renovated and guest houses, hotels and other holiday accommodation line the main street. Boat tours around the chalk cliffs etc. can also be taken from Sellin. Also a station of the narrow-gauge railway ‘Rasender Roland’ can be found in Sellin.

The Baltic resort of Göhren
The Baltic seaside resort of Göhren is last stop or starting point for the trip with the ‘Rasender Roland’ and, with its 1,300 inhabitants, the largest place on the Mönchsgut peninsula.
Göhren is also known for its pier, its kilometre-long sandy beach and a marvellous beach front promenade with ‘Kurplatz’. If visitors are interested in the way of life of the island inhabitants, then a visit to the local history museum is worthwhile. There is also the agricultural museum as well as the museum ship LUISE (an iron flat bottom ship of 1906) and three further museums: the shoe museum in Middelhagen, the Pfarrwitwenhaus in Groß Zicker and the coastal fishing museum in Baabe, which all impart information about the life and habits of the population of Rügen.

The Baltic resort of Baabe
The Mönchsgut peninsula begins with the Baltic resort of Baabe (with approx. 850 inhabitants). Like all Baltic seaside resorts, Baabe also has a marvellous sandy beach, a beautiful beach route and a newly laid beach walkway. Boats trips around the island of Vilm set off from the landing bulwark. The trip to Moritzdorf, where the ferry man rows the boat for the visitors, is also a wonderful experience.

Sassnitz
On the southern border of the Jasmund National Park, you will find the small harbour town of Sassnitz (with 12.000 inhabitants). Ships set off from here to Sweden. The former customs clearance hall from the time before the fall of the wall is today an interesting oceanography museum. Sassnitz is also starting point for boat trips to the chalk cliffs or for guided walks through the Beech forests of the National Park.

Putbus – pure classicism
Putbus is the last Royal town of residence built according to plan in Europe.
The buildings and grounds built in the founding phase were all built in the classic style. The most well-known landmark is definitely the Circus which can be seen in the picture.  Also important are: the theatre, the landscaped park with the Orangerie and the royal stables (Marstall). In Lauterbach, 2 km away from Putbus, Prince Wilhelm von Malte I zu Putbus created the first seaside resort on Rügen. Impressive testimony of this is the House Goor with its numerous columns.

What you shouldn’t miss in Putbus:

  • Historical theatre
  • Classical Marstall (royal stables) built in 1824.
  • 19m high Obelisk which marks the founding of Putbus.
  • Wonderful landscaped park with the remains of the former castle (Schloss).
  • The Orangerie dating from the year 1824, where today numerous exhibitions can be visited.
  • The so-called Circus, a circular-formed ‘square’ surrounded by two or three-storey free standing buildings. From the Circus roads lead off in star formation, one leading to the Lauterbach Marina with generous berthing facilities and to the station of the narrow-gauge railway ‘Rasender Roland’.
  • Rügen Doll and Toy Museum located in the former Ape house, dated from the year 1830
  • Historical Clock and Musical instrument museum
  • Ceramic studio
  • Skittle alley
  • Bicycle hire
Putgarten
The small town just before the Cape is the last stop for cars. Visitors to Kap Arkona transfer here into the Kap Arkona small train or go by foot on the last section of the journey. In Putgarten there is a restored estate farm yard with ceramic studio and Rügenshop to view. And in the summer there are even mediaeval festivals.

Pugarten/Kap Arkona sights at a glance:

  • Schinkelturm (tower) -Museum
  • Peilturm (tower): Exhibition centre and viewing platform
  • New lighthouse
  • Beacon Ranzow
  • Gallery and creative workshop ‘Mehrsehen’
  • Arkona weather station: Rügen’s most northerly building.
  • Naval guidance shelter and bunker.
  • Slavic castle embankment: Foundations of a temple.    
  • The large boulder ‚Siebenschneiderstein’ at Gellort
  • ‘Riesenberg’, large stone mountain at Nobbin
Lohme
The former fishing village with today approx. 600 inhabitants is situated on an approximately 70m high coastal Bluff on the Jasmund peninsula. Here, as recently as 2005, an approximately 100m long section of the high coast line fell into the harbour. A stairway with 213 steps leads into the harbour. A breath-taking view from above and an idyllic view at sunset attracts many nature lovers as well as sailors into the small harbour village. Also, the chalk cliffs can be explored from here.

The Baltic resort of Thiessow – Klein Zicker
The seaside resort of Thiessow, with its 449 inhabitants, is situated at the most southerly point of the Mönchsgut peninsula. With views of Usedom and the Greifswalder Bodden as well as direct entrance to the Baltic Sea, Thiessow was the perfect location for the construction of a pilot station (1859) as well as a customs station. Both are now abandoned.
Today, Thiessow is seen as an insider’s tip among surfers, particularly with its easterly wind

Gingst
Gingst lies approx. 15 km to the west of Bergen auf Rügen on the Koselower See bay. The community situated just off the coast is the island of Ummanz. Gingst borders the Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft Nationalpark.
The meadow village ‘Ghynxt’ was documented for the first time in 1232. It belonged to the most important small market towns on Rügen along with Garz and Bergen and was an important centre for craftsmen of the island, in particular the Damask weaving mill.

Places of interest in Gingst:

  • Late Gothic Saint-Jacob-Kirche (ca. 1300), after several fires (latest 1726) transformed into the baroque style.
  • Memorial stone from Gingst behind the church
  • Master builder Kindt’s organ (dated 1790) in the Jacobikirche    
  • Amusement Park - Rügenpark; Miniature Park, in which one can visit reproductions of the most well-known buildings of the world. As well as this, there is a stroking zoo, a wild water roundabout, a giant slide, a horse ride, a trampoline and lots of other play possibilities.
  • Craft museum
  • Parsonage, half timbered house of 1738 set on field stone bases with mansard roof and ‘Bat’dormer windows (Fledermausgauben) and two frontispieces on the back. The original   internal room layout is still preserved.
Rügen highlights

The Rasender Roland –something’s steaming!
The Rasender Roland has already ‘wheezed’ for over one hundred years from Putbus to Göhren. The steam cloud from the narrow-gauge railway can be seen from far away and belongs to the well known landmarks of the island of Rügen. The narrow-gauge railway became commonly known as the ‘Rasender Roland’, because of its unhurried speed, with which one can allegedly still pick flowers! Rasender Roland was, by the way, the only narrow-gauge railway in Germany on which warm meals were served. Today, the steam old timer attracts numerous railway friends, who record almost every movement of the train with camera and video camera. On special occasions the salon car from 1910 is also used for the holiday-makers.

Rügen’s chalk cliffs – the crumbling landmark
The Rügen chalk cliffs of the Stubbenkammer can be found in the Jasmund National Park on the peninsula of the same name. The chalk cliffs are probably one of the most well-known landmarks of Rügen. The most well-known the chalk cliffs are the Königsstuhl and the Wissower Klinken, where in February 2005 a piece of this well known jagged point broke off.
Up to 117 metres of high chalk cliff extends from Sassnitz to Lohme and can be explored on the high bank (approx. 8 km) or along the beach. However, boat trips which set off from the pier at Binz offer a completely different view along the chalk cliffs.

The Bäderarchitektur (Baltic resort architecture) – like a magnificent, white pearl necklace!
‘Bäderarchitektur’ is uniquely reflected in Binz, as in no other seaside resort of the island.
No other seaside resort on the Baltic coast has a similarly preserved centre as Binz.
The playful ornamentation and rosettes on the mansions as well as the turrets and oriels have become the synonym for Binz. And from many of the splendid houses built in the ‘Bäderarchitektur’ style, hotels and pensions have been developed, which combine the flair of the turn of the century (19th/20th) with today’s comfortable rooms. Lined up like a pearl necklace, they adorn the 3.2 km long beach front promenade where you are invited to linger or take a leisurely walk. The Kurhaus, the concert plaza with the pavilion, the Pergolas and galleries as well as the pier form the centre of the promenade.

Störtebeker Festspiele –there’s lots happening in summer in Ralswiek!
... in fact whenever the Störtebeker festival is performed on the open air stage at the Jasmunder Bodden between June and September.
Otherwise the place is rather contemplative with it’s:

  • New Renaissance Schloss and the extensive park.   
  • The former manor Kartzitz
  • The cosy sailing harbour with sailing school and boat rental.
  • Find out more on the Ralswiek website
Rügens Landscape

Mönchsgut – well protected
The Biosphere Reserve of South East Rügen is a component of the UNESCO research program: ‘Humans and the biosphere’. The protected area on Rügen, with an area of 235km²   contains the Mönchsgut peninsula, Granitz, the environment of Putbus, the Rügischen Bodden and the island of Vilm.  South East Rügen contains some of the most peculiar landscapes in Germany. Nowhere else are country and sea so closely interlocked. Rarely does one find such a harmonious, pre industrially shaped landscape, enriched by an abundance of beautiful old houses and buildings.

Lancken Granitz – little gem on the way to Mönchsgut
The interesting dwelling place of Lancken-Granitz lining the way to Mönchsgut, has only 390 inhabitants. Some historical treasures are hidden here, which make a visit really worthwhile: e.g. the Andreas church from the year 1443, the framework construction from the year 1770, today's parsonage building and in the immediate vicinity: the 4000 year old large stone graves with very well preserved burial chambers. Then from Lancken Granitz a beautiful horse chestnut avenue leads up to the hunting castle (Jagdschloss) Granitz.

Jagdschloss (Hunting Castle) Granitz – Impressive!
The Jagdschloss Granitz was built for Fürst Wilhelm von Malte I. zu Putbus in the year 1836 on the107 m high Tempelberg, in Granitz. From the observation tower, constructed following the plans of Carl Friedrich Schinkel, one has, in good weather, the most beautiful view over Rügen. Following the mode of the time, the Schloss was accordingly built in a mixture of historically representative styles. The spiral staircase with 154 steps which leads internally to the pinnacle of the central tower is extremely impressive. Today the Schloss serves as place for events and exhibitions.

Kap Arkona – reach the top!
At the northernmost cape of Germany many sights worth seeing await you. Two lighthouses decorate the cape. The oldest of them, with its considerable 19 meters carries Schinkel´s signature and was built in the year 1827. It accommodates a museum today. The true lighthouse is 36 m high and switched on its beacon in the year 1902. Directly at the former castle embankment there is yet another tower, the Peilturm: established in 1927 by the German navy. It is used today as an observation tower and as a small museum.
The castle embankment is a reminder of the temple castle (Templeberg), once the main holy sanctuary of the Rane (The early inhabitants of Rügen). However today only the ramparts remain, which offer up to 14m high lookout points over the cape. Also interesting are the old Slavic castle embankment and the small fishing village of Vitt.

Hiddensee – the small sister island in the west
Hedins-oe – that’s how the Norwegian king Hedin named the island.  Nowadays Hiddensee, a true pearl in the Baltic Sea, has become an easily accessible and worthwhile day (or better still, longer) excursion from Rügen, enabling one to experience the flair of the island.

Kloster, Vitte and Neuendorf, these three locations couldn’t be more different!

The 1,200 island inhabitants are distributed in these three locations which cover a total area of
18, 6 km². Transport consists of bicycles, horse and cart and an island bus! Besides the broad natural sandy borders, the island offers also much for enthusiastic ramblers and nature lovers: a beautiful heath landscape, meadows, steep banks and a hilly shrub landscape are characteristic of Hiddensee. From the lighthouse: Dornbusch (70 m above sea level), one has a marvellous view over the island.

Kloster
What today is called Kloster, was in former times also a real monastery. From 1296 to1536 a Cistercian Monastery defined the local area.
From the hills of the Hiddensee high country one has a marvellous view of the most northerly of the three Hiddensee settlements. A must for visitors to Hiddensee is the Gerhard-Hauptmann-Haus. In the former captain’s summer residence, a small museum can be found in the beautifully laid out garden. A visit to his burial place in the island church’s cemetery in Kloster is also worthwhile. So idyllic one would like to settle down and stay for a while. Kloster is also the starting point for most daily trippers. The ferries and day trip boats set off from Schaprode, Stralsund or Binz and arrive at the idyllic harbour in Kloster.

Vitte
.. the secret capital of the island on the one hand, artist’s meeting place on the other!
The fact is, the once idyllic village has transformed itself to a place where the tourist’s heart beats faster: versatile possibilities for shopping, in the summer an open air cinema, cafés, restaurants, guest houses, holiday apartments and a newly developed sports harbour with turn-and pivot for the ferries, have torn Vitte from its former contemplativeness.

Neuendorf
What do you notice in Neuendorf? It has an air of space about it. In Neuendorf there are no fences and the fishing village harbour is so well preserved - it is just as it used to be. The cleverly thought out development of thatched houses runs from east to west. The living areas therefore lay in a south facing position, so there is plenty of space for solar panels to the south side. Fishing doesn’t take place here any more. Neuendorf lives increasingly off tourism, in particular, the small harbour of Plogshagen.

Ummanz –another island!
Ummanz is a 20 km² large island, and lies on the west coast of Rügen. Approximately 710 inhabitants live on the island, which since 1901, has been connected to Rügen by a small bridge.
Cranes rest here and so, due also to the many plant varieties and rare birds which can be found here, Ummanz belongs to the Nature Park Vorpommern Boddenlandschaft.

A small treasure is also the village church in Waase. In the late gothic church a five-sided folding altar dating from the year 1520 can be seen. It was made originally in Antwerp and after many detours, ended up in Waase..

Furthermore Ummanz has the Ostseecamp Suhrendorf to offer, one of the largest camping sites of Rügen. Amongst surfers: a popular Surf stomping ground!

The isle of Vilm – an island in front of the island!
The island of Vilm has been under nature protection since the 1930's. In GDR times from 1959 to 1989, the holiday settlement of the GDR Council of Ministers was situated here and could not be entered. In order to further protect nature, only 30 persons may visit the island daily e.g. from the harbour of Lauterbach to the island, or boat trips around Vilm are possible without restrictions.

These things can all be found on Rügen:

Bernstein (Amber)
Amber is the gold of the sea. It is nothing other than the hardened resin of ancient coniferous trees. Amber is released through the rinsing effect of many storms off Rügen’s coastline. And if you’re lucky and have an expert eye, then maybe you can also find a few pieces of this beautiful stone in colours ranging from wine-yellow to a deep red. More about amber and its meaning for the region can also be found in the amber museum in Sellin.
The range of amber jewellery businesses is particularly large in Binz and Sellin.

Feuerstein (Fire stone or flint)
‘The steel of the stone-age’ was so called because the stones, which consist of up to to 99% crystalline silicic acid, were extremely hard and served during the stone-age as the main material for tool production. The flint occurs in many different forms. The ‚Hühnergott’ or ‚chicken god’ stones with one or more holes, are held to be lucky charms. The legend says that these stones increased chickens health and happiness to lay eggs. Thus they are still happily carried today on leather strings or in a chain, as lucky talismans.

Feuersteinfelder (flint fields)
One finds this geological rarity in the narrow "Schmalen Heide". Storm tides approximately 3000 - 4000 years ago rinsed these stones ashore and formed 14 flint rubble embankments. One can cross these flint fields, which run along the coast for about 2 km, on foot. You will be surrounded by oak, pine, juniper, dog rose, brooms and heather.
Neu Murkan is the starting point for walking tours and numerous walk ways.