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Binz is the largest
seaside resort A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, such as in the Germa ...
on the
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
island of
Rügen Rügen (; la, Rugia, ) is Germany's largest island. It is located off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic Sea and belongs to the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The "gateway" to Rügen island is the Hanseatic city of Stralsund, where ...
. It is situated between the bay of Prorer Wiek and the ''Schmachter See'' (a lake) in the southeast of the island. To the north of Binz stretches the
Schmale Heide The Schmale Heide (literally "Narrow Heath") is a 9.5-kilometre-long and roughly 2-kilometre-wide bar between the Baltic seaside resort of Binz and the village of Neu Mukran near Sassnitz on the German island of Rügen. It lies in the municipali ...
(the "narrow heath"), a tongue of land which joins the
Muttland Muttland comprises the main section of the German island of Rügen, excluding the Rugian peninsulae and small surrounding islands. The predominant land use is agriculture. Grasslands are found in very small proportions. There are nature conservat ...
region of Rügen to the
Jasmund Jasmund is a peninsula of the island of Rügen in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is connected to the Wittow peninsula and to the Muttland main section of Rügen by the narrow land bridges Schaabe and Schmale Heide, respectively. Sassnitz, S ...
peninsula. The land to the south and east of Binz is hilly, reaching a height of over 100 metres above sea level. Binz is known for its well-kept historical
resort architecture Resort architecture (german: Bäderarchitektur) is an architectural style that is especially characteristic of spas and seaside resorts on the German Baltic coast. The style evolved since the foundation of Heiligendamm in 1793, and flourished esp ...
and natural scenery, close to the Jasmund National Park and its chalk cliffs.


Geography


Location

Binz lies on the eastern coast of the island of
Rügen Rügen (; la, Rugia, ) is Germany's largest island. It is located off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic Sea and belongs to the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The "gateway" to Rügen island is the Hanseatic city of Stralsund, where ...
between the bay of Prorer Wiek and the lake of Schmachter See. North of Binz is the
Schmale Heide The Schmale Heide (literally "Narrow Heath") is a 9.5-kilometre-long and roughly 2-kilometre-wide bar between the Baltic seaside resort of Binz and the village of Neu Mukran near Sassnitz on the German island of Rügen. It lies in the municipali ...
, a neck of land that links the
Muttland Muttland comprises the main section of the German island of Rügen, excluding the Rugian peninsulae and small surrounding islands. The predominant land use is agriculture. Grasslands are found in very small proportions. There are nature conservat ...
– Rügen's central region – with the peninsula of
Jasmund Jasmund is a peninsula of the island of Rügen in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is connected to the Wittow peninsula and to the Muttland main section of Rügen by the narrow land bridges Schaabe and Schmale Heide, respectively. Sassnitz, S ...
. East and south of the municipality, the land is rolling, in the southeast, in the Granitz, the land climbs to just over . The resort of
Prora The Colossus of Prora, commonly known as simply "Prora", is a building complex in the municipality of Binz on the island of Rügen, Germany. It was built by Nazi Germany between 1936 and 1939 as part of the Strength Through Joy (Kraft durc ...
belongs to Binz.


Climate

The annual
precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...
is 611 mm and is relatively low, falling within the lowest quarter of values within Germany. At 23% of the weather stations of the German Met Office lower values are recorded. The driest month is February, the most rain falls in July. In July 1.9 times as much precipitation falls as in February. Precipitation varies very little and is very evenly spread throughout the year. At only 10% of weather stations are lower seasonal variations recorded.


History


Fishing and farming village

In 1318 the places was mentioned for the first time, as ''Byntze '', in a tax collection document for the County of Streu (''Grafschaft Streu''). The heart of the 250pxsettlement was the middle of the present ''Bahnhofstraße'' and ''Rabenstraße''. In addition there were the farmsteads of Granitz-Hof and Aalbeck. The church village and centre of the
parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...
was
Zirkow Zirkow is a municipality on the German Baltic Sea island of Rügen in the county of Vorpommern-Rügen in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Geography Zirkow lies in the Southeast Rügen Biosphere Reserve between the small town of Putbu ...
. A first sign of its subsequent importance as a Baltic Sea resort arose as early as around 1830, when guests of the Prince of
Putbus Putbus () is a town on the southeastern coast of the island of Rügen, in the county of Vorpommern-Rügen in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, close to the Baltic Sea. The town has 4,741 inhabitants and is a significant tourist destina ...
bathed at the mouth of the ''Ahlbeck'' (the outflow of the Schmachter See). In 1835 a one-classroom school was established. Around 1850 Binz farmers purchased the land hitherto rented to them by the Prince of Putbus. Until 1326 the village was part of the
Principality of Rügen The Principality of Rügen; da, Fyrstendømmet Rygien; pl, Księstwo rugijskie; la, Rugia was a Danish principality, formerly a duchy, consisting of the island of Rügen and the adjacent mainland from 1168 until 1325. It was governed by a loc ...
and thereafter of the
Duchy of Pomerania The Duchy of Pomerania (german: Herzogtum Pommern; pl, Księstwo Pomorskie; Latin: ''Ducatus Pomeraniae'') was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania (''Griffins''). The country ha ...
. With the
Treaty of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia (german: Westfälischer Friede, ) is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought ...
of 1648 Rügen, and hence Binz, became part of
Swedish Pomerania Swedish Pomerania ( sv, Svenska Pommern; german: Schwedisch-Pommern) was a dominion under the Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815 on what is now the Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish War and the Thirty Years' War, Sweden held ...
. In 1815 Binz became part of New Western Pomerania within the Prussian Province of Pomerania. From 1818 to 4 September 2011 Binz belonged, apart from a short interruption (1952–1955 Kreis Putbus) to the county of
Rügen Rügen (; la, Rugia, ) is Germany's largest island. It is located off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic Sea and belongs to the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The "gateway" to Rügen island is the Hanseatic city of Stralsund, where ...
.


Development as a Baltic Sea resort

Around 1875, bathing in the sea came into vogue. The first guests arrived in the small town of Binz, took a liking to it, and recommended it to others. That same year the first road was built connecting the village to the beach (''Putbuser Straße''). Ten years later, Binz officially became a bathing resort, which meant that building took off: the beach promenade, the pier, the spa house (''Kurhaus''), a new network of paths and a narrow-gauge railway connection were built. Around 1870, 80 bathers were counted in one year. No large hotels were built in Binz and other resorts on the Baltic coast in the late 19th century; instead lodging houses in a villa style were built in a style known as
resort architecture Resort architecture (german: Bäderarchitektur) is an architectural style that is especially characteristic of spas and seaside resorts on the German Baltic coast. The style evolved since the foundation of Heiligendamm in 1793, and flourished esp ...
. They were given names associated with the ''
Zeitgeist In 18th- and 19th-century German philosophy, a ''Zeitgeist'' () ("spirit of the age") is an invisible agent, force or Daemon dominating the characteristics of a given epoch in world history. Now, the term is usually associated with Georg W. ...
'': nationalistic names like "Germania" or names of family members – often the first name of the wife of the builder. In 1876, the first hotel was built. In 1880, Wilhelm Klünder had the first hotel near the beach built: the appropriately named ''Strandhotel''. In 1888, the Binz Baltic Sea Resort Company (''Aktiengesellschaft Ostseebad Binz'') was founded, which in 1890 opened the first spa house, the '' Kurhaus Binz'' and went bust in 1891. In 1892 Binz was elevated to the status of an independent rural municipality. Around 1896, the ''Bräunlich'' shipping company linked the settlements of Stettin, Binz and Sassnitz. This was followed by a building boom. In 1893 the first spa house and the ''Kaiserhof'' were built. In 1895, the construction of the Rügen Light Railway from Putbus to Binz followed, as well as the opening of the beach promenade. In 1898, the first post office was built (''Haus Kliesow, Hauptstraße''). On the beach separate swimming pools were created for men and women. In 1902, a 600-metre-long
pier Seaside pleasure pier in Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th century.">England.html" ;"title="Brighton, England">Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th ...
was built. Other infrastructure projects included the construction of a drinking water supply and sanitation (1903) and the a power station (''Jasmunder Straße''). Two setbacks were the destruction of the pier by a storm on New Year's Eve in 1905 and the burning down of the spa house in 1906. After the reconstruction of the pier in 1908, a new spa house was built. At the same time a family swimming pool was created. In 1912 a section of the pier collapsed, killing 17 people. Then in 1913 in Leipzig, the German Lifeguard Association was established. In 1913 the Protestant church was consecrated and, in 1928, the new post office building opened (''Zeppelinstraße''). Gradually the bathing areas on the beach were closed. In 1922 the men's swimming pool was demolished and finally, in 1932, the family swimming pool followed suit.


National Socialist era

In 1937 the construction of the KdF ("Strength Through Joy") resort at
Prora The Colossus of Prora, commonly known as simply "Prora", is a building complex in the municipality of Binz on the island of Rügen, Germany. It was built by Nazi Germany between 1936 and 1939 as part of the Strength Through Joy (Kraft durc ...
began. It was planned to be Europe's largest seaside resort. The
standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in E ...
Ostseebad Binz railway station Ostseebad Binz (german: Bahnhof Ostseebad Binz) is a Terminal train station, terminus railway station in the town of Binz, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The station lies at the end of the Lietzow-Binz railway and was opened in 1939. The train se ...
was constructed in 1938, and the line from Binz to the junction at
Lietzow Lietzow is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. References External links Official website of Lietzow Towns and villages on Rügen {{VorpommernRügen-geo-stub ...
was opened in 1939. During the winter of 1942 the pier was again destroyed, this time by ice.


GDR era

In 1950, the construction of the Prora complex was completed, and the buildings were used as barracks for the
Volkspolizei The ''Deutsche Volkspolizei'' (DVP, German for "German People's Police"), commonly known as the ''Volkspolizei'' or VoPo, was the national police force of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1945 to 1990. The Volkspolizei was a h ...
(People's Police). Later, they were used to house the
Nationale Volksarmee The National People's Army (german: Nationale Volksarmee, ; NVA ) were the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990. The NVA was organized into four branches: the (Ground Forces), the (Navy), the (Air Force) an ...
(National People's Army). The railway line between Binz and Lietzow was re-opened in 1952. In 1953, the government of the
German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **G ...
(GDR), in which Binz was then situated, initiated "Action Rose". This was the name of the programme under which privately owned hotels, and guest houses were taken into social ownership. These businesses were transferred to the
FDGB The Free German Trade Union Federation (german: Freier Deutsche Gewerkschaftsbund or ''FDGB'') was the sole national trade union centre of the German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) which existed from 1946 and 1990. As a mass organis ...
(the federal body of the
East German East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...
s), and included in their program of cheap holidays for union members. After 1972, more holiday centres were built for the FDGB. Between the 1950s and 1985 estates of flats typical of the GDR ('' Plattenbau'') were built both to the north and west of the town.


Post-1990

Following the
reunification of Germany German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...
, Binz underwent substantial change. Many of the villas were returned to their previous owners, and the town was restored and modernised. The former FDGB holiday centres were privatised and renovated. In 1994, a new pier, 370 metres long, was opened.


Points of interest

Apart from the numerous early 20th-century hotels and villas in the town centre and along the seaside promenade, its main attractions are its 370-metre-long pier, the mid-19th-century
Granitz Hunting Lodge Granitz Hunting Lodge (german: Jagdschloss Granitz) is located on the German island of Rügen in the vicinity of the seaside resort of Binz. With over 200,000 visitors per year it is the most popular castle or ''schloss'' in Mecklenburg-Vorpomm ...
and the enormous
Prora The Colossus of Prora, commonly known as simply "Prora", is a building complex in the municipality of Binz on the island of Rügen, Germany. It was built by Nazi Germany between 1936 and 1939 as part of the Strength Through Joy (Kraft durc ...
complex just north of the town.


Economy and infrastructure

Ostseebad Binz railway station Ostseebad Binz (german: Bahnhof Ostseebad Binz) is a Terminal train station, terminus railway station in the town of Binz, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The station lies at the end of the Lietzow-Binz railway and was opened in 1939. The train se ...
stands at the end of the standard gauge
Deutsche Bahn The (; abbreviated as DB or DB AG) is the national railway company of Germany. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). The Federal Republic of Germany is its single shareholder. describes itself as the ...
railway line from
Stralsund Stralsund (; Swedish: ''Strålsund''), officially the Hanseatic City of Stralsund (German: ''Hansestadt Stralsund''), is the fifth-largest city in the northeastern German federal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania after Rostock, Schwerin, N ...
via
Bergen auf Rügen Bergen auf Rügen is the capital of the former district of Rügen in the middle of the island of Rügen in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. Since 1 January 2005, Bergen has moreover been the administrative seat of the '' Amt'' of Bergen a ...
. Binz is also linked to the nearby towns of Putbus,
Sellin Sellin is a municipality on the Island of Rügen, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. History First mentions of Sellin date to 1295. From 1880 on, the town gained importance as a Baltic Sea spa town. After the '' Wende'' in 1989, the buildin ...
, Baabe and Göhren by the narrow gauge
steam railway This tabulation is for periodicals which do not have their own articles. Magazines ''Australian Railway'' * * Published Trade News Corporation * Feb-Mar 1988 is Vol. 2 No. 1. * Last issue about #23 in approximately Aug 1992. * Size = ~A4 ''A ...
the Rügensche Bäderbahn, known locally as Rasender Roland.


Notable people


Sons and daughters of the town

* Monika Nelson-Schaal (born 1945), politician (SPD) * Gudrun Nelson-Schnirch (born 1945), Member of the Landtag (CDU) * Peter-Michael Diestel (born 1952), lawyer and politician (DSU, CDU)


Personalities who have worked in Binz

* Wolfgang Schnur (1944-2016), German politician, worked as a lawyer in Binz between 1973 and 1978 with Alex Nelson.


Gallery

Image:Baederarchitektur-Binz 1658.jpg, Typical
Resort architecture Resort architecture (german: Bäderarchitektur) is an architectural style that is especially characteristic of spas and seaside resorts on the German Baltic coast. The style evolved since the foundation of Heiligendamm in 1793, and flourished esp ...
of Binz Image:Seebruecke-Binz 2886.jpg, View from the Binz pier Image:Hauptstrasse in Binz.JPG, Shopping street Image:Evangelische Kirche in Binz.JPG, Protestant church Image:Ruegen 038.jpg, Rasender Roland Image:Binz-Rettungsstation-2004.jpg, Rescue tower Image:Hauptstraße Binz auf Rügen.jpg, Main street


References


External links

* * {{Authority control Seaside resorts in Germany Towns and villages on Rügen Populated coastal places in Germany (Baltic Sea)