The Achterwasser ( Low German ''achtern'' = "rear, behind") is a

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') ...

forming a bay on the

Peenestrom The Peenestrom is a river in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is 20 kilometres long and is the westernmost connection of the Szczecin Lagoon (together with the Świna and the Dziwna) with the Baltic Sea. It is therefore also one of the ...

river, which flows into the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...

. This lagoon extends so far into the island of Usedom, that it is only separated from the Baltic Sea by a narrow barrier spit between

Ückeritz Ückeritz is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. A small coastal bathing resort, Ückeritz lies on the island of Usedom on the Baltic Sea. It is located within the Usedom Nature Park and is one ...

and

Zinnowitz Zinnowitz is a semi-urban Spa (resort) municipality in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on the northern German island of Usedom on the Baltic Sea. The municipality has rail connections to Wolgast and Ahlbeck. Climate Zinnowitz has an oceanic climate t ...

. It is bordered to the north by the peninsula of Gnitz and to the south by the Lieper Winkel. The reed-lined south-eastern bay is called the Balmer See, and the one to the southwest, which can only be accessed with difficulty on its western shore, is the Krienker See. In past centuries the barrier protecting the lagoon was sometimes breached by the Baltic Sea during storm surges that flooded across the island of Usedom, when the narrowest part of the land bridge between

Zempin Zempin is a German municipality and the smallest seaside resort on Usedom island. It lies between Zinnowitz and Koserow on the narrowest part of the island, between the Baltic Sea and the ''Achterwasser'', a bay of the Oder Lagoon. Zempin lies on ...

and

Koserow Koserow is a municipality on Usedom Island, in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. A small coastal bathing resort, Koserow lies on an isthmus on the island of Usedom on the Baltic Sea, near the border with Pola ...

at ''Rieckgraben'' (near ''Lüttenort'') was flooded. This land bridge between the Achterwasser and the Baltic Sea is only 300 metres wide. The Achterwasser is not very deep, and is a popular surfing and sailing area. The beach sand on the Achterwasser on the peninsula of Gnitz is not as fine-grained as that on the Baltic Sea beach of Usedom. The bottom of the Achterwasser is very stony. On some maps from medieval and early modern times, the lagoon is named as "Lassansches Water" or as plural "Lassansche Waters“. The description is related to the town of Lassan, which as the only town on the Achterwasser possessed the fishing rights for the waters.Hannelore Deya, Edwin Kuna: ''Neues historisches Lexikon.'' Haff-Verlag, 2011.

Villages and geographical features on the Achterwasser

* Lieper Winkel * Krienker See (bay) and former Dewicho Manor House (''Rittergut Dewichow'') on its eastern shore * Balmer See - bay *

- southern edge *

Loddin Loddin is a municipality on Usedom Island, in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. A small coastal bathing resort, Loddin lies on an isthmus on the island of Usedom on the Baltic Sea. It is located within the U ...

and ''Loddiner Höft'' *

- southern edge *

- southern edge * Peninsula of Gnitz / Lütow

Gallery

File:Achterwasser_Sonnenaufgang.JPG, Sunrise on the Balmer See File:Achterwasser_Sturm.JPG, On the Achterwasser off

after rain and storm File:LieperWinkel_Seeadler.gif,

White-tailed eagle The white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla'') is a very large species of sea eagle widely distributed across temperate Eurasia. Like all eagles, it is a member of the family Accipitridae (or accipitrids) which includes other diurnal raptors ...

s resting on dead trees by the shore in the Lieper Winkel

References

External links

{{Authority control Bays of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Bays of the Baltic Sea Usedom Vorpommern-Greifswald Peenestrom Lagoons of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania