Karlshagen is a

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 from ...

resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term ''resort ...

Western Pomerania Historical Western Pomerania, also called Cispomerania, Fore Pomerania, Front Pomerania or Hither Pomerania (german: Vorpommern), is the western extremity of the historic region of Pomerania forming the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, West ...

in the north of the island

Usedom Usedom (german: Usedom , pl, Uznam ) is a Baltic Sea island in Pomerania, divided between Germany and Poland. It is the second largest Pomeranian island after Rügen, and the most populous island in the Baltic Sea. It is north of the Szczeci ...

. Karlshagen has 3400 inhabitants and lies between Zinnowitz and

Peenemünde Peenemünde (, en, " Peene iverMouth") is a municipality on the Baltic Sea island of Usedom in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is part of the ''Amt'' (collective municipality) of Usedom-Nord. The commu ...

. In 1885, a pier was developed in Karlshagen. Today it is the most important

yachting Yachting is the use of recreational boats and ships called ''yachts'' for racing or cruising. Yachts are distinguished from working ships mainly by their leisure purpose. "Yacht" derives from the Dutch word '' jacht'' ("hunt"). With sailboats, ...

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

of Usedom. Between 1939 and 1945, Karlshagen lay in the restricted area of the army laboratory

Peenemünde Army Research Center The Peenemünde Army Research Center (german: Heeresversuchsanstalt Peenemünde, HVP) was founded in 1937 as one of five military proving grounds under the German Army Weapons Office (''Heereswaffenamt''). Several German guided missiles an ...

. Karlshagen also was the location of the housing development for high-level personnel and scientists working in the nearby laboratory. Although the buildings were largely destroyed in the air raids of 1943/44, some parts are preserved. From 1949 to 1989, Karlshagen belonged to 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 ...

. During this period, the area north of Karlshagen, including the village Peenemuende, was a restricted-access area. The 75-metre-high

pylons Pylon may refer to: Structures and boundaries * Pylon (architecture), the gateway to the inner part of an Ancient Egyptian temple or Christian cathedral * Pylon, a support tower structure for suspension bridges or highways * Pylon, an orange mar ...

of a three-phase 110 kV alternating current overhead line running between Peenemuende and Karlshagen are visible for a considerable distance. This line was built in the early 1950s, in order to transport the electrical power generated on the island to the mainland, as it was no longer needed in Usedom after the laboratory was shut down. Later, a branch line was established to the transformer station in Karlshagen. After the Peenemuende power plant was shut down in 1990, the branch of the overhead line to the plant was dismantled, so now only the Karlshagen transformer station is fed by the line running across the Peene.

References

External links

Official website of Ostseebad Karlshagen (German)
* Seaside resorts in Germany Populated coastal places in Germany (Baltic Sea) Vorpommern-Greifswald {{VorpommernGreifswald-geo-stub