DISTANT PLACES
Travel tips for destinations far from the Hanseatic City of Bremen
Rügen by the Baltic Sea
Hiking, cycling & more in the southeast of the island
Page 5 of 8
Through the forest to Jagdschloss (hunting lodge) Granitz
Deadwood keeps the forest alive, even in the protected forest areas of Rügen
It's about 5 kilometers from Sellin through forest paths up to Jagdschloss Granitz. If you're on foot, you can initially take the cliff path through rough terrain at your own risk; by bike, there are additional better-developed paths. All paths eventually converge and lead well-signposted to the hunting lodge and Binz. Depending on the chosen route, you may pass by the "Black Lake" in the Granitz Nature Reserve, which is definitely worth a short detour. The idyllically located, approximately 15-meter-deep nutrient-poor kettle lake is a very rare water body type with intermediate moor and bog formations at the edges, as explained on an information board. Nevertheless, we could see fish swimming in the water and dragonflies flying near the shore. Swimming here is naturally not an option.
The Black Lake in Granitz
The ascent to the Jagdschloss in the final section of the route is by no means trivial, whether on foot or by bike, especially since the ground is uneven and somewhat rocky. Sturdy footwear is therefore not a disadvantage, nor is a proper gear system or/and e-motor support on the bike and well-functioning brakes for the return journey.
Jagdschloss Granitz on Tempelberg
At the highest point of the so-called Tempelberg in the forest area of Granitz, a clearing opens up with the Jagdschloss. As an arrival, you are not greeted by a dark, mysterious medieval structure or an architecturally playful fairy-tale castle, but rather a quadrangular building in Renaissance style made of light stone that is now a museum.
The dining hall in Jagdschloss Granitz
The commissioner for the two-story building was Wilhelm Malte I. zu Putbus, who was elevated from count to prince by Swedish King Gustav IV Adolf in 1807. The two-story hunting lodge built in 1726 by one of his predecessors as lord of Putbus was no longer befitting his status despite extensive modernization in the neogothic style in 1814, so plans for a new building matured from 1830 onwards.
Pedestal relief from the monument to Prince Wilhelm Malte I.: Karl Friedrich Schinkel in conversation with the painter Carl Wilhelm Kolbe and the sculptor Thorvaldsen. The artworks of the conversational partners once adorned the rooms of the castle
The architect and master builder Johann Gottfried Steinmeyer from Berlin was responsible for realizing the castle in its current form with its four round corner towers during the relatively long construction period between 1837 and 1846. The 38-meter-high central tower, however, is by his friend, the Prussian master builder and architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The observation tower replaced a half-timbered belvedere that the counts of Putbus had erected here for the view in the first half of the 18th century and which was dismantled in 1810. After the completion of the Jagdschloss, the old hunting lodge was also demolished.
Furniture made from antlers was first shown at the World Exhibition in London in 1851 and then became fashionable. The main material used in production was the shed antlers that wild animals naturally lose once a year
The building remained in the possession of the princely family until 1945, and over time, many prominent figures and nobles visited the castle, as shown in the museum exhibition. In addition, you can learn a lot about what life was like in the Jagdschloss and how it looked through words and images, as there are still many historical photographs available. Unfortunately, not much of the original furnishings has been preserved, as seen in the once weapon-filled knight's hall, where only a few weapons and a suit of armor remain.
In the knight's hall of Jagdschloss Granitz
Nevertheless, a visit to the extensively restored and heritage-protected Jagdschloss is absolutely recommended and can even become a test of courage. For those who want to enjoy the view from the central tower at 144 meters above sea level must first conquer the unique cantilevered spiral staircase with its 154 cast-iron steps, as well as possibly overcoming their inner pigdog. Even just the sight from the stairwell up the tower is awe-inspiring.
Round and round it goes on the spiral staircase in the observation tower; a museum employee limits access to prevent too many people from being there at the same time
The castle is also located along the route of the Rasender Roland, about one kilometer downhill to the station. In the other direction, it's about 3 kilometers through the forest to Binz. From there, bus line 22 runs towards Göhren, with a transfer to line 20 at Serams Wendeplatz. The RADzfatz busses also take your bike on special trailers between mid-May and mid-October. More information can be found on the notices at the stops.
Art and more in Binz, the largest seaside resort on Rügen
As far as the feet will carry you... If Göhren is the starting point of the hike, Binz is already a challenge as a destination, even for trained hikers, purely in terms of distance, although the route along the beach and through the forested cliff is scenic.
A ship will come …
A good alternative is one of the Adler ships, which, depending on the season, frequently or less often ply between the landing stages of the seaside resorts from Sassnitz (here harbor) via Binz to Göhren in shuttle service. Since the ships are not very large and can rock quite vigorously on the waves with stronger winds, those who are not entirely sure of their own seaworthiness should watch the landing maneuver to make a decision for themselves. Feeding fish over the railing is rather unpleasant, especially with an audience ...
View from the pier onto Binz's promenade with the Kurhaus
If you arrive as a visitor from the sea side, on the one hand, the size of the place in general and the 1890-opened Kurhaus as the unmistakably largest and most impressive building in particular catch your eye. Even in the off-season, Binz is much livelier and busier than the places in its immediate vicinity. Historical houses in the style of spa architecture can also be found here, whether directly on the beach promenade or in the shopping streets of the town. And regardless of whether you arrive by ship or by bus, you are immediately in the midst of the action.
Crafts on Rügen
It is also noticeable here that the offer in the promenade areas is made up of many chain stores, making it identical to and interchangeable with offers elsewhere. However, individual artists still hold their ground, which adds to the charm of the place. This includes the Margarethenstraße, the art mile of the Baltic Sea resort, which branches off directly from the beach promenade a little way away. Here, workshops of local artists, galleries, and shops line up, offering handicrafts made from various materials - from glass and painting to precious metals - produced both locally and elsewhere. Anyone looking for something special as a souvenir or vacation keepsake should find what they're looking for here.
One of the preserved Wolgast houses: Villa Undine
The street is also home to one of the three remaining Wolgast houses on the island: the "Villa Undine." This building, constructed in 1885 and modernized and reconstructed under monument protection in the mid-1990s, now houses holiday apartments. These wooden villas, built in the style of spa architecture, are considered the first individual prefabricated homes. The buildings got their names from their creators, the "Wolgaster Actien-Gesellschaft für Holzbearbeitung," which produced the prefabricated parts in the city of Wolgast near the island of Usedom between 1868 and 1910.
Built of sand and ephemeral
But back to art - even beyond the art mile, Binz has a lot to offer in terms of public art. This is evident along the beach promenade, where bronze sculptures enhance the cityscape, as well as at the Park der Sinne (Park of the Senses). The park, which stretches along the shore of Schmachter See, was established in 2003 and served as an external site for the International Garden Exhibition (IGA). In addition to its partly extraordinary botanical planting, water features, play areas, and seating options, numerous bronze sculptures by various artists can also be found here. Anyone looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the resort, promenade, or undoubtedly beautiful and long stretch of Baltic Sea beach for a short time will find a lovely spot in the park.
Bronze sculptures on the promenade
Göhren, Baabe, Sellin, and Binz do not have harbors with commercial shipping or larger ships. For that, you would need to travel further to Sassnitz. And driving does have its advantages, as the route from Binz is about 16.5 kilometers long. This is no problem with bus line 22; if you catch one of the RADzfatz busses, you can even take your bike along.
Sculptures at Schmachter See
Map
1. Rügen by the Baltic Sea
Start
We are on our way to Göhren, where Nordperd, a forested cape with steep cliffs belonging to the eponymous municipality, marks the easternmost point of the island. The Intercity terminates in Binz, Rügen’s largest seaside resort, and from there you can continue by bus - but it’s more attractive to take the Rasende Roland all the way to Göhren.
Seaside Resort Göhren
The wide “Amber Promenade,” renovated in 2003 for the International Horticultural Exhibition, is one of the resort’s main meeting points with its cafés, restaurants, shops, mini-golf course, themed gardens, and play areas for children. Naturally, this is also because the long north beach, Göhren’s actual bathing beach, lies just behind it.
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2. Rügen by the Baltic Sea
Nordperd: hiking through the forest to the cliff
The mostly forested promontory - this is what the word Perd means in Slavic - is part of the Mönchgut Biosphere Reserve. And indeed, from the air, the area juts out like a green pointed triangle into the sea.
Along the beach to Thiessow and Klein Zicker
After a short museum visit, our path leads us through the sand of the Baltic Sea past the village of Lobbe to the end of the beach in Thiessow - a considerable distance for persistent hikers coming from Göhren, always with a salty breeze in their noses.
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3. Rügen by the Baltic Sea
Cycling from Göhren to Reddevitzer Höft
The farther you cycle along Reddevitzer Höft, the sparser the settlements become. Where no houses or trees obstruct the view, you can see the Rügischer Bodden with Having Bay on one side and Hagensche Wiek Bay on the other. This is especially true when you reach the 33-meter-high elevation at the end of the peninsula. From the cliff, you have a wide view across the water toward Vilm Island or the village of Gager with its small harbor.
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4. Rügen by the Baltic Sea
Seaside resort tour on foot or by bike
From the north beach in Göhren, the next seaside resort in the other direction is already within sight: Baabe. So you can simply stroll barefoot along the water or use the Amber Promenade as an equally direct route, though with a solid surface. Cyclists can also make good use of this and find it well-developed parallel to the promenade. A slightly bumpy and longer option is the combined cycling and hiking trail through the forest, connecting the two seaside resorts over 2.5 kilometers.
A bike trip form Baabe to Seedorf and to the seven megalithic tombs from the Stone Age near Lancken-Granitz
The charm of Seedorf lies primarily in its harbor: docks with moorings for many recreational boats along both shores of the inlet to Neuensiener See. Here, sailboats and motor yachts are safely anchored away from the sometimes rough seas of the Baltic Sea, yet their skippers can quickly reach it if needed.
A seabridge and spa architecture in Sellin
Long before reaching Sellin along the beach, you’ll spot the impressive 394-meter-long pier, which has a turbulent history dating back to the early 20th century.But Sellin has more to offer than just the magnificent structure right on the beach. The so-called "Stairway to Heaven" leads up many steps to the high bluff, connecting the pier with Wilhelmstraße promenade.
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5. Rügen by the Baltic Sea
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6. Rügen by the Baltic Sea
From Binz to Sassnitz
Since 2007, a 250-meter-long suspension bridge has allowed pedestrians to quickly reach the city harbor from the city center - offering a wide view of the harbor and the Baltic Sea. If you use the suspension bridge, you will immediately encounter the most unusual ship in the harbor: the H.M.S. Otus. This 90-meter-long British submarine of the Oberon class, built in 1962, has been decommissioned and is now a walkable museum.
To the chalk cliffs with the 118-meter-high Königsstuhl in Jasmund National Park
From Göhren, Sellin, Bilz, or Sassnitz, you can also book a trip to the chalk cliffs with the ships of Adler-Reederei, offering a view from below of the relics from the Cretaceous period, which began approximately 145 million years ago and ended around 66 million years ago, instead of the panoramic view from above.
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7. Rügen by the Baltic Sea
By water to Lauterbach and Putbus
Sellin. The open Baltic Sea on one side, a lake, a bay, and a "shallow bay-like coastal water body" - the Bodden - on the other. This is where the ships of the White Fleet sail. From Lauterbach, a two-lane main road leads about two kilometers into the center of Putbus - getting lost on the green avenue is practically impossible. Thus, after the described walk, you first encounter the Circus. The model for the facility built between 1828 and ’45 was the Circus constructed a century earlier in the English spa town of Bath.
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8. Rügen by the Baltic Sea
Travel Information
Many hopefully helpful pieces of information for the described part of Rügen. Unfortunately, not all websites are available in English yet. Nevertheless, I am sure you will have a wonderful time on Germany's largest island. Take care.
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Wismar
The Hanseatic City on the Baltic Sea and its UNESCO World Heritage
The World Heritage House is a building with a stone front house and an attached timber-framed Kemladen on a foundation of loose fieldstones from a medieval predecessor building. This beautifully restored small building complex visually illustrates and provides information via text panels about the lives of past generations in the hall houses typical for Wismar, along with their outbuildings. Additionally, there is extensive information about the city’s history and numerous protected buildings in the old town - there are 1,754 in total, with 306 designated as individual monuments. In the old town, one is right in the middle of Wismar’s UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Rostock and Warnemünde by the Baltic Sea
A travel guide
A mini-guide through the Hanseatic city of Rostock and its beautiful beach destination, Warnemünde. Home to one of the oldest universities in the Baltic region, the city boasts a rich history. Join us on a tour of discovery.
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In the Probstei in late summer
Schönberger Strand and sea and more
Can you walk or ride a bike from Brasilien (Brazil) to Kalifornien (California) in just a few minutes, always with a view of the water? No, not with your finger on the globe or map, but in person. You’ll have to forgo Copacabana and the Sunset Strip with the Angels in Los Angeles (Spanish for "The Angels"). Instead, you get Germany’s "True North" with all its bright sides. Of course, there are sometimes shadows here too, but they belong only on the margins of this story.
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Crabs, dikes and the Wadden Sea
The North Sea spa town of Büsum
Once an island, Büsum was repeatedly threatened by the "Blanken Hans". When the greatest flood of the last century struck in 1962, Büsum was already long connected to the mainland - since 1585. Today, this town of around 5,000 residents, part of the Dithmarschen district, is one of the most important holiday destinations along Schleswig-Holstein's North Sea coast. Since 1985, the sea in front of Büsum has been protected as the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park, and since 2009, it has also been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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A stroll through Kiel
Sights in the fjord city and a visit to Laboe
A good starting point for exploring the city today, decades after the end of the war, is the centrally located main train station. On Sophienblatt, the main street running in front of the building, all major bus lines converge, and many sights can also be easily reached on foot during a multi-hour stroll.
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Emden in East Frisia
Where East Frisians make jokes and serious art thrives
What do Henri Nannen, the journalist and founder of the print magazine STERN, director Wolfgang Petersen (e.g., Das Boot), and comedians Karl Dall and Otto Waalkes have in common? They were all born in Emden. "The Men of the Emden" (a film) not necessarily, but that's a different story. And of course, women have also been born in this city of around 50,000 inhabitants, the largest in East Frisia, such as former boxing world champion Heidi Hartmann - naturally mentioned only as a representative of all others.
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A short visit to the historic old town of Heppenheim
Half-timbering, a false dome, and legendary lanterns
The skyline of Frankfurt, Germany's financial capital with its office towers in the banking district, is still within sight when the train to Darmstadt and Bensheim pulls into the small station of Heppenheim. In 2010, the city was on everyone’s lips after native son Sebastian Vettel left all competition behind in his Red Bull car and became the youngest Formula 1 double world champion of all time. In 2011, he added another title to his collection, as did he in 2012 and finally in 2013 for a fourth time. However, we are not following in Vettel’s footsteps but rather those of history in the picturesque old town with its timber-framed houses.
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Norden-Norddeich in East Frisia
At the north Sea
At first glance, one might get the impression that this North Sea resort is merely a transfer station for vacationers heading in droves to the islands. Not only do several ferry docks dominate the harbor, but large parking lots and multi-story garages belonging to the Frisia shipping company right behind the dike offer hundreds of parking spaces for island visitors who don’t want or can’t take their cars with them - Juist is car-free after all. But beyond that, Norddeich reveals itself as a far less hectic and manageably small coastal resort. In this state-recognized North Sea spa, tourism has only been promoted since the second half of the last century, apparently with success, as more than 1 million overnight stays per year show.
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