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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
The chalk cliffs of the
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
The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German tow ...
of 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, Neub ...
, where it is linked to the mainland by road and railway via the Rügen Bridge and Causeway, two routes crossing the two-kilometre-wide Strelasund, a sound of the Baltic Sea.
Rügen has a maximum length of (from north to south), a maximum width of in the south and an area of . The coast is characterized by numerous sandy beaches, lagoons () and open bays (), as well as projecting peninsula
A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...
s and headlands
A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, Joh ...
. In June 2011, UNESCO awarded the status of a World Heritage Site to the Jasmund National Park, famous for its vast stands of beeches and chalk cliffs like King's Chair, the main landmark of Rügen island.
The island of Rügen is part of the district of Vorpommern-Rügen, with its county seat in 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, Neub ...
.
The towns on Rügen are: Bergen, Sassnitz, Putbus and Garz. In addition, there are the Baltic seaside resorts of Binz, Baabe, Göhren, 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 building ...
and Thiessow
Thiessow is a village and a former municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Since January 2018, it is part of the new municipality Mönchgut
Mönchgut (''Monk's Estates'' in German) is a peninsula of ...
.
Rügen is very popular as a tourist destination because of its resort architecture, the diverse landscape and its long, sandy beaches.
Geology
The chalk cliffs of 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, Saga ...
peninsula belong to the Rügen Chalk
Rügen chalk (German: ''Rügener Kreide'' or ''Rügener Schreibkreide'') is the common name for a very pure, very fine-grained, white, crumbly and highly porous chalk that forms the highest member of the German Upper Cretaceous, and is of Maastric ...
unit and were formed during the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous, around 70 million years ago.
Geography
The main body of the island, known asMuttland
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 conservati ...
, is surrounded by several peninsulas. To the north lie the peninsulas of Wittow and 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, Saga ...
, connected to each other by the Schaabe
The Schaabe is a bar, almost twelve kilometres long, on the German Baltic Sea island of Rügen. It joins the peninsulas of Jasmund and Wittow.
Washed up and shaped by the sea, it forms a sickle-shaped shoreline on the bay of Tromper Wiek and ...
sandbar and to Muttland by 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 ...
, an embankment at Lietzow
Lietzow is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe af ...
and the Wittow Ferry
The Wittow Ferry (german: Wittower Fähre) is a ferry service for foot passengers and vehicles (up to a total weight of 30 t each) from the heart of the German Baltic Sea island of Rügen, the Muttland, to the peninsula of Wittow to the no ...
. The northern peninsulas are separated from Muttland by several lagoons or , the largest of which are the Großer Jasmunder Bodden and Kleiner Jasmunder Bodden
The Kleiner Jasmunder Bodden belongs to the North Rügen Bodden and is a water body on the southern edge of the Baltic Sea in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It is a ''bodden'', a type of lagoon that occurs in northern Europe especia ...
. Major peninsulas in the south are Zudar
The Zudar is a peninsula on the German Baltic Sea island of Rügen. It is about 18 square kilometres in area and sharply divided.
Location
The peninsula lies between the bay of Schoritzer Wiek, the lagoon of Rügischer Bodden (the northe ...
and Mönchgut which both face the Bay of Greifswald
The Bay of Greifswald
Rügen has a total area of , or if the adjacent small islands are included. The maximum diameter is from north to south, and from east to west. Of an overall coastline, are sandy Baltic Sea beaches, and sandy beaches. The highest elevations are on 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, Saga ...
peninsula: Piekberg
At , the Piekberg is the highest point on the island of Rügen and in the region of West Pomerania. It is also the fifth highest point in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It barely rises above the surrounding area, though, as the heigh ...
() and Königsstuhl ().
The northern part of the Bay of Greifswald
The Bay of GreifswaldRügischer Bodden, is a large bay in the south of Rügen island, with the island of 
In the north-east of the island of Rügen is formed by the peninsula of 
The northwestern and western sides of Rügen are also highly indented, but a little flatter. Offshore are the larger islands of Hiddensee and Ummanz as well as the smaller islands
Discoveries in the indicate that there has been settlement here since the
The basis of their great military strength was a combination of the Ranian navy and a favourable location. Denmark, which was at that time very successful in Great Britain and Scandinavia, was neither able to match its Ranian rivals in the Baltic Sea region nor protect its coastline from Ranian armies until well into the 12th century. Meanwhile, the Ranians built numerous castles and temples in the Barth-
After the death of the last Slav prince of the ''Wizlawiden'' (''House of Wizlaw'') dynasty, Wizlaw III, in 1325, the principality was acquired by the duchy of Pomerania-Wolgast as a consequence of the 1321 inheritance agreement (), and from 1368/72–1451 was part of the estate of a branch line, the dukes of 
In 1816 the first bathing resort was founded at Putbus. Later more resorts were established, and Rügen remained the most famous holiday resort of Germany until World War II.
The Nazis added a large resort: Prora, planned by the Strength through Joy organisation, which aimed to occupy people's free time. However, Prora was never completed.
In 1936 the first bridge connecting Rügen with the mainland was constructed (
In 1990, Rügen became part of the new state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and, together with the neighbouring islands of Hiddensee and Ummanz, formed the district of Rügen. Since the 2011 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern district reforms Rügen has been part of Vorpommern-Rügen.
In 2007 a second bridge, the
Today the most popular seaside resorts are the
The railway network consists of the electrified
Until October 2007, individual traffic from the mainland to the island of Rügen was mainly routed along the two-lane Rügendamm causeway, running between
Two car ferries belonging to the operate every half-an-hour between the Zudar peninsula on Rügen and Stahlbrode on the mainland, halfway between Stralsund and Greifswald .
Another car ferry, the
*
* Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher Prince Wahlstatt (1742–1819), Prussian Field Marshal, spent his youth on the Venz estate.
*
Official site
Map of Rygensko by Ján Kollár
(English) {{DEFAULTSORT:Rugen German islands in the Baltic Biosphere reserves of Germany Geography of Pomerania Islands of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
Vilm
The Baltic Sea island of Vilm lies in the bay south of the much larger island of Rügen, and is one of Germany's most remote and tranquil spots. Covering less than , Vilm is the remnant of a moraine left as the glaciers retreated about 6000 yea ...
lying just offshore. At the western end of the bay, the peninsula of Zudar
The Zudar is a peninsula on the German Baltic Sea island of Rügen. It is about 18 square kilometres in area and sharply divided.
Location
The peninsula lies between the bay of Schoritzer Wiek, the lagoon of Rügischer Bodden (the northe ...
runs out to the southernmost point of Rügen (Palmer Ort
The Palmer Ort is the southernmost point of the German Baltic Sea island of Rügen and its peninsula of Zudar. The cape lies on the territory of the municipality Garz/Rügen.
Location
Palmer Ort marks the boundary between the Bay of Greifswa ...
), at the eastern end the highly indented peninsula of Mönchgut projects into the sea. This peninsula ends in the east at the cape of Nordperd
The Nordperd ''(Perd = Slavic for protrusion or prominence)'' is a cape on the German Baltic Sea island of Rügen. It is part of the Southeast Rügen Biosphere Reserve and the Mönchgut Nature Reserve.
The cape forms the eastern point of the is ...
near Göhren and in the south at the cape of ''Südperd'' by Thiessow. In the west of the peninsula of Mönchgut a narrow, bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (u ...
, the Reddevitz Höft
The Reddevitz Höft or Reddevitzer Höft is a peninsular forming part of the Germany, German Baltic Sea island of Rügen. It is part of the Mönchgut peninsula, with which it is linked in the southeast by a good 130 metre wide isthmus. The Reddevi ...
, separates the two bays of Having and Hagensche Wiek
Hagensche Wiek is a cove in the east of the Rügischer Bodden that cuts deeply into the Mönchgut peninsula, the southeast tip of the German island of Rügen.
It is about 5 kilometres long, 2.5 kilometres wide and opens towards the sout ...
.
In the north-east of the island of Rügen is formed by 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, Saga ...
, which is joined to the heart of the island, ''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 conservati ...
'', by the bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (u ...
of 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 ...
between Binz- Prora and Sassnitz-Mukran and by a rail and road embankment at Lietzow
Lietzow is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe af ...
. The Schmale Heide separates the outer bay of Prorer Wiek from the lagoon of the Kleiner Jasmunder Bodden
The Kleiner Jasmunder Bodden belongs to the North Rügen Bodden and is a water body on the southern edge of the Baltic Sea in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It is a ''bodden'', a type of lagoon that occurs in northern Europe especia ...
. On the peninsula of Jasmund are the Piekberg
At , the Piekberg is the highest point on the island of Rügen and in the region of West Pomerania. It is also the fifth highest point in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It barely rises above the surrounding area, though, as the heigh ...
(), the highest point on Rügen, and the Königsstuhl, a chalk cliff in Stubbenkammer
The Jasmund National Park (German: ''Nationalpark Jasmund'') is a nature reserve on the Jasmund peninsula, in the northeast of Rügen island in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is famous for containing the largest chalk cliffs in Germany, th ...
, which forms the most striking landmark on the island. Another bar, the Schaabe
The Schaabe is a bar, almost twelve kilometres long, on the German Baltic Sea island of Rügen. It joins the peninsulas of Jasmund and Wittow.
Washed up and shaped by the sea, it forms a sickle-shaped shoreline on the bay of Tromper Wiek and ...
, links Jasmund to the peninsula of Wittow in the north of Rügen. The Schaabe, in turn, separates the outer bay of Tromper Wiek from the lagoon of the Großer Jasmunder Bodden. The peninsula of Wittow and the long, narrow peninsula of Bug to the west are separated from the main body of Rügen by the Rassower Strom
The Rassower Strom is a waterway that lies at the tip of the tongue of land between the lagoons of the Wieker Bodden and Breetzer Bodden and is part of the North Rügen Bodden Chain. On its southern shore is the ferry boat landing stage between ...
, the Breetzer Bodden and the ''Breeger Bodden''. The Wittow peninsula is adjoined in the north by Cape Arkona. Just under a kilometre to the northwest, located at 54°41' N, is the northernmost point of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Below this cliff () on the shoreline is the Siebenschneiderstein
The Siebenschneiderstein (''Söbenschniedersteen''glacial erratic">''Findling Söbenschniederst.'' at www.umweltkarten.mv-regierung.de. Retrieved 20 Jun 2019.) is a glacial erratic on the island of Rügen. It lies about 22 metres away from t ...
the fourth largest glacial erratic boulder on Rügen.
The northwestern and western sides of Rügen are also highly indented, but a little flatter. Offshore are the larger islands of Hiddensee and Ummanz as well as the smaller islands Öhe
Öhe is an island in the Baltic Sea off the ferry port of Schaprode on 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 Pomer ...
Liebitz
The German island of Liebitz lies in the lagoon of Kubitzer Bodden about 700 metres west of Germany's largest island, Rügen, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It belongs to the municipality of Dreschvitz.
The island is about 1,000 × 700 ...
and Heuwiese
Heuwiese is an uninhabited German Baltic Sea island that lies about two kilometres south of Ummanz and west of Germany's largest island, Rügen.
It has a maximum extend of 900 metres (from northwest to southeast) and is about 40 hectares in area ...
. Sand removal and deposition by the Baltic Sea has to be constantly countered by dredging operations to the north and south of Hiddensee, otherwise Hiddensee would merge with Rügen within a few years. Rügen is dotted with many glacial erratic boulders, of which the 22 largest belong to legally-protected geotope
A geotope is the geological component of the abiotic matrix present in an ecotope. Example geotopes might be an exposed outcrop of rocks, an erratic boulder, a grotto or ravine, a cave, an old stone wall marking a property boundary, and so forth. ...
s (''see also: Erratics on and around Rügen
Erratic may refer to:
* Erratic, a project of music artist Jan Robbe
* Glacial erratic, a piece of rock that differs from the size and type of rock native to the area in which it rests
* Erratic ant
The erratic ant (''Tapinoma erraticum'') is a ...
).
Land use
The heartland of Rügen is gently rolling, and the area is characterized primarily by agriculture. East of the town of Bergen auf Rügen the land climbs to (at Rugard where there is an observation tower) and to in the southeastern hill country of theGranitz
The Granitz is a wooded ridge in the southeast of Germany's largest island, Rügen, between the Baltic Sea resorts of Binz and Sellin. The woods cover an area of 982 hectares and are designated as a nature reserve. Since 1991 they have been ...
. The soil on Rügen is very fertile and productive, particularly in Wittow, the breadbasket of the island. There are major cabbage-producing regions.
Two German national parks are situated on Rügen: the Western Pomerania Lagoon Area National Park, in the west (including Hiddensee), and the Jasmund National Park, a smaller park including the famous chalk cliffs ( Königsstuhl). There is also a nature reserve, the Southeast Rügen Biosphere Reserve, consisting of the peninsulas in the southeast.
Climate
The climate is in the temperate zone. The winters are not particularly cold, with mean temperatures in January and February of ; and summers are mild and temperate, with a mean temperature in August of . There is an average rainfall of and approximately 1800–1870 hours of sunshine annually.Administration
Administratively, Rügen is part of the district Vorpommern-Rügen. Its subdivisions are theBergen 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 auf ...
(municipalities 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 auf ...
, Buschvitz
Buschvitz is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe ...
, Garz, Gustow
Gustow is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.
History
The place name comes from the Slavic ''Gostov'' and means "place of Gost". Until the 18th century the farm and v ...
, Lietzow
Lietzow is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe af ...
, Parchtitz
Parchtitz is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.
Geography and transport
Parchtitz is about 3 kilometres northwest of Bergen auf Rügen and lies on the Duwenbeek, the only large stream on Rüge ...
, Patzig
Patzig is a municipality, located on the island of Rügen, in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second ...
, Poseritz
Poseritz is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; nds, Mäkelborg-Vörpommern), also known by its anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a state in the north-ea ...
, Ralswiek
Ralswiek is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe ...
, Rappin
Rappin is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe af ...
, Sehlen
Sehlen is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe aft ...
and Thesenvitz
Thesenvitz is a village and a former municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most popul ...
), West-Rügen West-Rügen is an '' Amt'' in the district of Vorpommern-Rügen, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The seat of the ''Amt'' is in Samtens.
The ''Amt'' West-Rügen consists of the following municipalities:
#Altefähr
#Dreschvitz
#Gingst
#Insel Hidd ...
(municipalities Altefähr, Dreschvitz
Dreschvitz is a municipality in southwest Vorpommern-Rügen, a district on the island of Rügen in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is managed from the '' Amt'' of West-Rügen with its head offices in the village of Samtens.
Geography
The v ...
, Gingst
Gingst is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe aft ...
, Hiddensee, Kluis, Neuenkirchen, Rambin
Rambin is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe ...
, Samtens
Samtens is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe af ...
, Schaprode, Trent
Trent may refer to:
Places Italy
* Trento in northern Italy, site of the Council of Trent United Kingdom
* Trent, Dorset, England, United Kingdom Germany
* Trent, Germany, a municipality on the island of Rügen United States
* Trent, California, ...
and Ummanz), Nord-Rügen
Nord-Rügen is an ''Amt'' in the district of Vorpommern-Rügen, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The seat of the ''Amt'' is in Sagard.
The ''Amt'' Nord-Rügen consists of the following municipalities:
#Altenkirchen
#Breege
#Dranske
#Glowe
#Lohm ...
(municipalities Altenkirchen, Breege
Breege is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The municipality consists of the villages Breege, Juliusruh
Juliusruh is a village on the northern coast of the island of Rügen in northeastern Germa ...
, Dranske
Dranske is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe af ...
, Glowe, Lohme, Putgarten
Putgarten is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.
The municipality is managed by the '' Amt'' of Nord-Rügen with its seat in Sagard.
Putgarten is the northernmost municipality in the state of Mec ...
, Sagard
Sagard is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.
History
Sagard is first mentioned in 1250 as ''Zagard''. The name of the municipality of Sagard comes from the Slavic and means something like '' ...
, Wiek) and Mönchgut-Granitz Mönchgut-Granitz is an ''Amt'' in the district of Vorpommern-Rügen, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The seat of the ''Amt'' is in Baabe.
The ''Amt'' Mönchgut-Granitz consists of the following municipalities:
#Baabe
# Göhren
# Lancken-Gr ...
(municipalities Baabe, Göhren, Lancken-Granitz
Lancken-Granitz is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Near the villages of Lancken and Burtevitz are several megalith tombs from the Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Ol ...
, Middelhagen, 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 building ...
, Thiessow
Thiessow is a village and a former municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Since January 2018, it is part of the new municipality Mönchgut
Mönchgut (''Monk's Estates'' in German) is a peninsula of ...
and 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 Putbus ...
) and the Amt-free municipalities of Binz, Putbus and Sassnitz. Overall, there are 45 municipalities on Rügen, four of which have town status (Bergen, Garz, Putbus and Sassnitz).
History
Pre-history and the Germani
Discoveries in the indicate that there has been settlement here since the Stone Age
The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with t ...
. All over Rügen are numerous stone monuments, such as megalithic tombs and altar stones that have survived to the present day. By the 1st century, the inhabitants of Rügen were part of the East Germanic tribe of Rugii, who occupied roughly the region that was later to become Western Pomerania and who gave the island its name. The Rugii may have originated from Scandinavia or evolved from autochthonous tribes. In the Migration Period
The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman ...
, many Rugii moved south and founded an empire in Pannonia
Pannonia (, ) was a province of the Roman Empire bounded on the north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia. Pannonia was located in the territory that is now wes ...
.
Slavic Rani
From the 7th century the West SlavicRani
''Rani'' in Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, sometimes spelled ''Ranee'', is a Hindu/Sanskrit feminine given name. The term is the female form of the term for princely rulers in South and Southeast Asia and applies equally to the wife of a ...
(or Rujani) built an empire on Rügen and the neighbouring coast between Recknitz and Ryck. It decidedly affected the history of the Baltic Sea area and the surrounding Obodritic (in the west) and Liutici
The Lutici or Liutizi (known by various spelling variants) were a federation of West Slavic Polabian tribes, who between the 10th and 12th centuries lived in what is now northeastern Germany. Four tribes made up the core of the federation: th ...
an (in the south) occupied mainland for the next few centuries. Many traces of their life can be found today.
The basis of their great military strength was a combination of the Ranian navy and a favourable location. Denmark, which was at that time very successful in Great Britain and Scandinavia, was neither able to match its Ranian rivals in the Baltic Sea region nor protect its coastline from Ranian armies until well into the 12th century. Meanwhile, the Ranians built numerous castles and temples in the Barth-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, Saga ...
- Gristow triangle.
The temple hill of Jaromarsburg
The Jaromarsburg was a cult site for the Slavs, Slavic tribe of Rani (Slavic tribe), Rani dedicated to the god Svantovit and used from the 9th to the 12th century. It was located on the northeastern tip of the Baltic Sea island of Rügen at Cape ...
, at the northern tip of Rügen and dedicated to the god Svetovid
Svetovit, Sventovit, Svantovit is the god of abundance and war, and the chief god of the Slavic tribe of the Rani, and later of all the Polabian Slavs. His organized cult was located on the island of Rügen, at Cape Arkona, where his main temp ...
, was significant well beyond the boundaries of the Ranian empire. After the fall of Radgosc it became the chief shrine for the pagan northwestern Slavs. The administrative centre of the empire was Charenza
Charenza, also Karentia or Karenz, later also Gharense, was a medieval ''Slavic burgwall'' on the island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea. It was the administrative centre of the Rani tribe and of the Principality of Rugia. Today, the remnants are cal ...
, possibly on the site of the present-day hillfort known as Garz or Venz. The main trading centre of the empire was Ralswiek
Ralswiek is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe ...
at the southernmost point of the Großer Jasmunder Bodden.
Principality under Danish suzerainty
In 1168, theDanish
Danish may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark
People
* A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark
* Culture of Denmark
* Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...
king, Valdemar I, and his army commander and advisor, Bishop Absalon of Roskilde destroyed the Svetovid
Svetovit, Sventovit, Svantovit is the god of abundance and war, and the chief god of the Slavic tribe of the Rani, and later of all the Polabian Slavs. His organized cult was located on the island of Rügen, at Cape Arkona, where his main temp ...
temple in the hillfort at Cape Arkona, ending both the territorial and religious autonomy of the Rani; their former monarchs became Danish princes of Rügen
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
. The Rani prince Jaromar I (died 1218) was a vassal of the Danish king and Christianized the island's inhabitants. In 1184, the Pomeranians, whose rule had previously extended as far as the land of Gützkow and to Demmin and thus made them the immediate neighbours of the now Danish Principality of Rugia
A principality (or sometimes princedom) can either be a monarchical feudatory or a sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a regnant-monarch with the title of prince and/or princess, or by a monarch with another title considered to fall under ...
, were commissioned by their overlord, the Holy Roman Emperor, to seize Rügen for the empire, but were defeated in the Bay of Greifswald
The Bay of GreifswaldHilda Abbey
Eldena Abbey (german: Kloster Eldena), originally Hilda Abbey (german: Kloster Hilda) is a former Cistercian monastery near the present town of Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Only ruins survive, which are well known as a frequent ...
, today Eldena Abbey, in 1199). German colonists were introduced into the land and soon they became the largest and most culturally influential group within the population. The Slavic cultural element disappeared, mostly due to the lack of their own Slavic church structures, so that the Rani were absorbed in the period that followed into the now German-influenced people of Rügen. In addition to the colonization of the country and the building of new monasteries and churches, towns were also re-established. In 1234 the Rügen Prince Wizlaw I founded the town of 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, Neub ...
and granted Greifswald market rights in 1241. The power of the towns grew rapidly, forcing Rügen's rulers to make concessions—for example, the prince's castle at Barth was slighted and Schadegast, the princely "twin" of the municipally-controlled Stralsund, was ousted in favour of the latter.
In 1304 a storm surge
A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the n ...
, known as the All Saints' Flood, devastated the island and flooded the peninsula between Mönchgut and Ruden.
Part of Pomerania
After the death of the last Slav prince of the ''Wizlawiden'' (''House of Wizlaw'') dynasty, Wizlaw III, in 1325, the principality was acquired by the duchy of Pomerania-Wolgast as a consequence of the 1321 inheritance agreement (), and from 1368/72–1451 was part of the estate of a branch line, the dukes of Pomerania-Barth
Duchy of Pomerania-Barth was a feudal duchy of the Holy Roman Empire located in Western Pomerania that existed in the Middle Ages between 1376 and 1478, and between 1569 and 1625.
The state consisted of its capital, Barth, and nearby areas. Duch ...
. This state of affairs, together with the disputes over the Danish throne that occurred at that time, led to the Rügen wars of succession
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 ...
. After they had played out, the former principality went in 1354 to Pomerania-Wolgast and thus became part of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1478, Pomerania-Wolgast and Pomerania-Stettin
The Duchy of Pomerania-Stettin, also known as the Duchy of Stettin, and the Duchy of Szczecin, was a feudal duchy in Farther Pomerania within the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital was Szczecin. It was ruled by the Griffin dynasty.B. Dopierała, ''Po ...
were united and, 170 years later, the combined state went to Sweden in 1648 as a result of the Treaty of Westphalia (see Swedish Pomerania). Rügen was part of Swedish Pomerania from 1648 to 1815. The largest landowners, owning at least one-fifth of the island until 1945, was the House of Putbus, which was an offshoot of the earlier ruling princes of the Wizlawid dynasty. In 1727, they were created counts of Holy Roman Empire and 1731 counts in Sweden, ultimately Swedish princes in 1807.
Under Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden
Gustav IV Adolf or Gustav IV Adolph (1 November 1778 – 7 February 1837) was King of Sweden from 1792 until he was deposed in a coup in 1809. He was also the last Swedish monarch to be the ruler of Finland.
The occupation of Finland in 1808–09 ...
the town of Gustavia was constructed on the Mönchgut peninsula, but was abandoned during the Napoleonic Wars. In the years 1678 and 1715, Rügen was briefly wrested from the Swedes by the Elector of Brandenburg, Frederick William and by the King in Prussia, Frederick William I. For example, a Brandenburg-Danish army landed on the island as part of the invasion of Rügen in 1678. After the Treaty of Saint-Germain in 1679 the island passed from Danish to Swedish ownership again. At the time of Napoleonic Wars, Rügen was held by the French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
from 1807 to 1813. In the Treaty of Kiel of 1814, it was transferred initially from Sweden to Denmark and then fell to Prussia, along with New Western Pomerania (), thanks to the Vienna Convention of 1815. In 1818 the island became part of the administrative district of 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, Neub ...
and thus belonged to the Prussian Province of Pomerania. Wilhelm Malte I
Wilhelm Malte I, Fürst und Herr zu Putbus (1783 – 1854) was a German prince (''Fürst'') from the old Slavic-Rügen noble family of the lords of Putbus. He acted as a Swedish governor in Swedish Pomerania and later, under Prussian rule, as t ...
(1783–1854), 1st prince of Putbus, was the last Governor of Swedish Pomerania and the first under Prussian rule.
In 1816 the first bathing resort was founded at Putbus. Later more resorts were established, and Rügen remained the most famous holiday resort of Germany until World War II.
Nazi era
The Nazis added a large resort: Prora, planned by the Strength through Joy organisation, which aimed to occupy people's free time. However, Prora was never completed.
In 1936 the first bridge connecting Rügen with the mainland was constructed (Rügendamm
Strelasund Crossing is the two links to the German island of Rügen (''Rugia'') over the Strelasund to the West Pomeranian mainland near Stralsund: the Rügen Bridge or Rugia Bridge (german: links=no, Rügenbrücke) and the Rugia Causeway (germ ...
), replacing the former ferry shuttles.
The operation commanded by Wolfram von Richthofen that bombed the town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War, was named after the island. An Abwehr
The ''Abwehr'' (German for ''resistance'' or ''defence'', but the word usually means ''counterintelligence'' in a military context; ) was the German military-intelligence service for the ''Reichswehr'' and the ''Wehrmacht'' from 1920 to 1944. A ...
Signals intelligence
Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is intelligence-gathering by interception of ''signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly used in communication ( ...
Operation during the same conflict was titled Operation Bodden after the strait separating Rügen from the German mainland.
In the aftermath of World War II, East German and Soviet authorities exiled landholders from the mainland to the island.
GDR era
After the Second World War Rügen became part of the state of Mecklenburg within the German Democratic Republic (GDR). In 1952 the island became part of the district of Rostock. The island was the focal point of Project Rose (''Action Rose'') by the GDR government designed to nationalize hotels, taxis and service companies on 10 February 1953. The occasion was supposed to have been a visit by Walter Ulbricht to the island of Rügen, during which he had been annoyed by the many surviving private hotels and guest houses. Many of the hotel owners were convicted by kangaroo courts under the pretext of having been engaged in economic crime or as agents working for the West. Their property was then confiscated and they were sent to prison. Many of the owners and small businessmen were incarcerated in Bützow prison. The hotels were supposed to have been expropriated by the Free German Trade Union Federation (FDGB). In fact, they were used as accommodation for the barracks-based "people's police" ( or CPI). As a result of the confiscation of hotels, tourism on Rügen in 1953 came almost to a complete standstill for a time. In the following nearly four decades, the island became one of the main tourist areas in the GDR. The FDGB played a dominant role in tourist accommodation. In 1963 the FDGB had 7,519 holiday places, theReisebüro der DDR
The ''Reisebüro der DDR'' ("Travel Bureau of the GDR") was the state travel organization of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). The ''Reisebüro'' had several travel-related functions, including:
# Arranging domestic travel for GDR ci ...
2,906 places and a further 5,025 were available for businesses and organizations. In addition, there were 12,245 places for children in summer camps and another 20,800 places for campers. The plots were located mainly near the beaches. Increased holiday capacity was not however generated until the 1970s and 1980s.
Reunited Germany
In 1990, Rügen became part of the new state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and, together with the neighbouring islands of Hiddensee and Ummanz, formed the district of Rügen. Since the 2011 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern district reforms Rügen has been part of Vorpommern-Rügen.
In 2007 a second bridge, the Rügen Bridge
Strelasund Crossing is the two links to the German island of Rügen (''Rugia'') over the Strelasund to the West Pomeranian mainland near Stralsund: the Rügen Bridge or Rugia Bridge (german: links=no, Rügenbrücke) and the Rugia Causeway (ger ...
(), was built to replace the first one built in 1936.
Rügen has now surpassed Sylt as the most popular German island again.
Tourist resorts
Rügen is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Germany. The island receives about one quarter of all overnight stays in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Most visitors come to Rügen between April and October, the peak season being from June to August, but its quiet atmosphere in winter is also appreciated. The first bathing facility on Rügen opened in 1794 at the mineral-rich spring inSagard
Sagard is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.
History
Sagard is first mentioned in 1250 as ''Zagard''. The name of the municipality of Sagard comes from the Slavic and means something like '' ...
. In 1818, the Putbus village of Lauterbach became Rügen's first seaside resort. In the 1860s Sassnitz became a seaside resort, followed by Binz in the 1880s. During World War II Prora was constructed as a mass tourist resort but it was never finished.
Today the most popular seaside resorts are the Schaabe
The Schaabe is a bar, almost twelve kilometres long, on the German Baltic Sea island of Rügen. It joins the peninsulas of Jasmund and Wittow.
Washed up and shaped by the sea, it forms a sickle-shaped shoreline on the bay of Tromper Wiek and ...
beaches between Altenkirchen and Juliusruh
Juliusruh is a village on the northern coast of the island of Rügen in northeastern Germany. Juliusruh is part of the municipality of Breege. Juliusruh and Breege combined have 821 inhabitants in an area of 15,99 km² (approx. 6 sq miles).
...
including Drewoldke, Glowe and Breege
Breege is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The municipality consists of the villages Breege, Juliusruh
Juliusruh is a village on the northern coast of the island of Rügen in northeastern Germa ...
, and the eastern beaches between Sassnitz and Göhren including Neu Mukran
Sassnitz (, before 1993 in german: Saßnitz) is a town on the Jasmund peninsula, Rügen Island, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The population as of 2012 was 9,498.
Sassnitz is a well-known seaside resort and port town, and is ...
, Prora, Binz, 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 building ...
and Baabe. The latter are accessible via an historic narrow gauge railway
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structur ...
employing steam locomotives, called the Rügensche Bäderbahn. Tourist destinations, other than seaside resorts, include Cape Arkona, the wood-covered Stubbenkammer
The Jasmund National Park (German: ''Nationalpark Jasmund'') is a nature reserve on the Jasmund peninsula, in the northeast of Rügen island in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is famous for containing the largest chalk cliffs in Germany, th ...
hills on 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, Saga ...
with interesting chalk cliff formations, the wood-covered Granitz
The Granitz is a wooded ridge in the southeast of Germany's largest island, Rügen, between the Baltic Sea resorts of Binz and Sellin. The woods cover an area of 982 hectares and are designated as a nature reserve. Since 1991 they have been ...
hills with their or hunting lodge, the classicist buildings of Putbus and the inland villages of 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 auf ...
, Ralswiek
Ralswiek is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe ...
and Gingst
Gingst is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe aft ...
.
The island offers a huge variety of different beach and shore areas. Rügen is often visited by windsurfers and kitesurfers and offers more than fifteen different locations for surfing. The most popular locations are Dranske
Dranske is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe af ...
, Rosengarten, Wiek, Suhrendorf and Neu Mukran
Sassnitz (, before 1993 in german: Saßnitz) is a town on the Jasmund peninsula, Rügen Island, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The population as of 2012 was 9,498.
Sassnitz is a well-known seaside resort and port town, and is ...
.
On the peninsula of Jasmund is the Jasmund National Park, which consists of the beech forest of Stubnitz, including the famous chalk cliffs of Rügen. On the Königsstuhl itself is the Königsstuhl National Park Centre
The Königsstuhl National Park Centre (german: Nationalpark-Zentrum Königsstuhl) is the visitor centre for the Jasmund National Park on the German Baltic Sea island of Rügen. It was opened in 2004 and, with around 300,000 visitors per year ( 200 ...
, which has a multivision cinema and audio-guide exhibitions with information about the national park in several languages.
Transport
Rail
The railway network consists of the electrified 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 Ea ...
stretch of the 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 se ...
Stralsund (Rügendamm)-Bergen-Sassnitz line (timetable route (KBS) 195), Lietzow-Binz (KBS 197), the non-electrified routes Bergen-Putbus-Lauterbach Mole of the PRESS (KBS 198) and the narrow gauge stretch () of the Rügen Resort Railway (): Lauterbach Mole-Putbus-Binz-Sellin-Göhren (KBS 199).
In addition to regional trains, there are also Intercity services from Binz via Bergen and 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, Neub ...
to Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
and the Ruhr
The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...
. Night train services to Munich, Basle and the Ruhr area were deleted from the timetable on 9 December 2007, despite massive protests from the local hotel industry.
Bus
The bus service on Rügen is operated by the . Since 1996 it has been continuously expanded, and has developed an integralclock-face schedule
A clock-face schedule or cyclic schedule is a timetable system under which public transport services run at consistent intervals, as opposed to a timetable that is purely driven by demand and has irregular headways. The name derives from the fact ...
. There is a service between all major towns and municipalities on the island at least every two hours, sometimes more frequently during peak season. Throughout the year, buses now run at least every hour on the routes between Sassnitz-Binz-Bergen, Schaprode–Bergen–Klein Zicker, Bergen/Sassnitz- Altenkirchen- Wiek-Dranske
Dranske is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe af ...
and the Altenkirchen-Putgarten
Putgarten is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.
The municipality is managed by the '' Amt'' of Nord-Rügen with its seat in Sagard.
Putgarten is the northernmost municipality in the state of Mec ...
near Cape Arkona. In addition, the bus service is well-linked with the railway, especially in Bergen, but also at other railway stations.
Road
Until October 2007, individual traffic from the mainland to the island of Rügen was mainly routed along the two-lane Rügendamm causeway, running between 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, Neub ...
and Altefähr over the sound of Strelasund.
The cornerstone for a second crossing over the Strelasund was laid on 31 August 2004. This bridge, the Rügen Bridge, running parallel to the Rügendamm, has a length of about and a vertical clearance for ships of , and was on opened on 20 October 2007. In order to relieve the town of Stralsund, a ring road
A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop, bypass or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city, or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist i ...
has been built in the last few years, coming from the southwest. The B 96 federal road between Stralsund and Greifswald is also connected via an access road to the A 20 motorway. The B 96 runs from Stralsund via Bergen to Sassnitz. Here a new route with bypasses is planned (the "New B 96").
The main tourist attractions of Cape Arkona, the Königsstuhl and the 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 ...
are, however, car-free in order to protect the countryside, as is the island of Hiddensee which belongs to Vorpommern-Rügen district. All these destinations can be reached using public transport, without needing a car.
Cycling
Rügen has a signposted network of cycle paths. The condition and signing of this network varies considerably from one place to another, from very good in the seaside resorts to poor in the area between Garz and Zudar. There is a circular cycle path around the whole island. During the summer season there is the option on some routes to carry bicycles on the buses. This is always possible on the railways.Ship
Two car ferries belonging to the operate every half-an-hour between the Zudar peninsula on Rügen and Stahlbrode on the mainland, halfway between Stralsund and Greifswald .
Another car ferry, the Wittow Ferry
The Wittow Ferry (german: Wittower Fähre) is a ferry service for foot passengers and vehicles (up to a total weight of 30 t each) from the heart of the German Baltic Sea island of Rügen, the Muttland, to the peninsula of Wittow to the no ...
runs from the heartland of Rügen (''Muttland'') to Wittow.
A ferry sails from Sassnitz ferry port in Mukran to the Danish island of Bornholm
Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland.
Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled by ...
, to Swedish Trelleborg, to Klaipėda (formerly Memel) in Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
, to Baltiysk (formerly Pillau) and to Saint Petersburg.
The island of Hiddensee, which also belongs to the county of Vorpommern-Rügen, is connected by a regular ferry service from Schaprode to Rügen, and is increasingly integrated into the clock-schedule timetable on the main island. In addition, there is a regular ship service from Stralsund, Wiek and Breege
Breege is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The municipality consists of the villages Breege, Juliusruh
Juliusruh is a village on the northern coast of the island of Rügen in northeastern Germa ...
to Hiddensee. Tourist services include ferry connections from Lauterbach to Gager, and between Sassnitz, Binz, Sellin and Göhren. There are also round-trips mainly from Sassnitz, but also from Lohme, to the Königsstuhl.
Pleasure steamers also ply between the resorts and Peenemünde on Usedom, where there is a connection to the Usedom Railway (UBB).
Ferries
Sassnitz–Neu Mukran
Sassnitz (, before 1993 in german: Saßnitz) is a town on the Jasmund peninsula, Rügen Island, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The population as of 2012 was 9,498.
Sassnitz is a well-known seaside resort and port town, and is ...
is the international ferry terminal on Rügen, with ferry services to
* Trelleborg (Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, served by Stena Line
Stena Line is a Swedish shipping line company and one of the largest ferry operators in the world. It services Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Sweden. Stena Line is a major unit of Ste ...
),
* Rønne (Bornholm
Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland.
Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled by ...
, Denmark, served by Bornholmslinjen),
* Klaipėda (Memel, Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
, served by DFDS Lisco
DFDS Seaways is a Danish shipping company that operates passenger and freight services across northern Europe. Following the acquisition of Norfolkline in 2010, DFDS restructured its other shipping divisions (DFDS Tor Line and DFDS Lisco) i ...
),
* Baltiysk (Pillau, Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, served by DFDS Lisco
DFDS Seaways is a Danish shipping company that operates passenger and freight services across northern Europe. Following the acquisition of Norfolkline in 2010, DFDS restructured its other shipping divisions (DFDS Tor Line and DFDS Lisco) i ...
),
* Saint Petersburg ( Russia, served by ''TransRussiaExpress'')
* Ust-Luga (near Saint Petersburg, Russia; planned).
Sassnitz-Mukran is the largest railway ferry terminal in Germany and the only one in Europe where different tracks allow switching from 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 Ea ...
to broad gauge
A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways.
Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union (CIS ...
.
Local passenger ferries connect the piers of Sassnitz, Binz, 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 building ...
and Göhren with the adjacent islands of Hiddensee, Vilm
The Baltic Sea island of Vilm lies in the bay south of the much larger island of Rügen, and is one of Germany's most remote and tranquil spots. Covering less than , Vilm is the remnant of a moraine left as the glaciers retreated about 6000 yea ...
and Greifswalder Oie. Passenger and car ferries connect Rügen's centre of 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 conservati ...
, to both Wittow in Rügen's north via the Wittow Ferry
The Wittow Ferry (german: Wittower Fähre) is a ferry service for foot passengers and vehicles (up to a total weight of 30 t each) from the heart of the German Baltic Sea island of Rügen, the Muttland, to the peninsula of Wittow to the no ...
and to the mainland via the Glewitz Ferry () between Stahlbrode near Greifswald and Glewitz
Glewitz is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe a ...
on Rügen's Zudar
The Zudar is a peninsula on the German Baltic Sea island of Rügen. It is about 18 square kilometres in area and sharply divided.
Location
The peninsula lies between the bay of Schoritzer Wiek, the lagoon of Rügischer Bodden (the northe ...
peninsula.
Aviation
Rügen Airport
Rügen Airport (''Regionalflugplatz Rügen''), also known as Bergen Airfield or Güttin Airfield (''Regionalflugplatz Güttin''), (
is located about from Bergen. After the '' Wende'', the first sightseeing flights over the island were offered on the former agricultural airfield. In May 1993, the first tarmac runway was inaugurated. Since then, charter flights to Berlin, Hamburg and other cities in Europe have been available.
The Baltic Sea Airport Stralsund also offers flights to and from the region of Western Pomerania. The larger Rostock–Laage Airport offers regular international destinations.
Notable people
Significant Rüganer:
* Preben von Ahnen
Preben von Ahnen (18 September 1606 – 15 November 1675) was a Norwegian civil servant and landowner.
Preben von Ahnen was born on the island of Rügen, off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic Sea. He was a son of Pomeranian nobleman Staffen ...
(1606–1675) a German-born Norwegian civil servant and landowner.
* Count Baltzar Bogislaus von Platen (1766–1829) a Swedish naval officer and statesman.
* Ernst Moritz Arndt (1769–1860), German writer and deputy.
* Wilhelm Malte I
Wilhelm Malte I, Fürst und Herr zu Putbus (1783 – 1854) was a German prince (''Fürst'') from the old Slavic-Rügen noble family of the lords of Putbus. He acted as a Swedish governor in Swedish Pomerania and later, under Prussian rule, as t ...
Prince of Putbus (1783–1854), under his rule there was much construction work in the classical style
* Arnold Ruge (1802–1880) a philosopher and political writer.
* Karl Schwarz
Karl Schwarz (19 November 1812 – 25 March 1885) was a German Protestant theologian.
Life Birth and early life
He was born at Wiek, Rügen. His father, Theodor Schwarz, pastor at Wiek, was well known as a preacher, and as the writer of a n ...
(1812–1885) a Protestant theologian.
* Theodor Billroth (1829–1894), one of the greatest surgeons of the 19th century.
* Berthold Delbrück
Berthold Gustav Gottlieb Delbrück (; 26 July 1842 – 3 January 1922) was a German linguist who devoted himself to the study of the comparative syntax of the Indo-European languages.
Early life
Delbrück was born in Putbus. He studied at the uni ...
(1842–1922), German linguist
* Anna Dabis
Anna Dabis (1847–13 March 1927) was a German sculptor who spent a large part of her career in Britain.
Biography
Dabis was born on the island of Rügen in Germany, where her father was a pastor. After her parents died at an early age, Dabis w ...
(1847–1927) a sculptor who spent much of her career in Britain.
* Hans Delbrück (1848–1929), German historian and politician.
* Franziska Tiburtius (1843–1927), German doctor and campaigner for women's studies
* Hans Langsdorff (1894–1939), German naval officer and captain of the Armoured Cruiser '' Admiral Graf Spee''
* Meinhard Nehmer
Meinhard Nehmer (born 13 January 1941 in Bobolin, Police County, Boblin near Police, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, Pölitz, Pomerania) is a former East Germany, East German bobsledder who competed from the mid-1970s to the early 1980 ...
(born 1941), East German bobsledder, Olympic and World Champion
* Christian Schwochow
Christian Schwochow (; born 23 September 1978) is a German film director. He has directed more than ten films since 2005, including TV movie ' on the ARD channel, a tragicomedy about the fall of the Berlin Wall. Schwochow also directed episodes o ...
(born 1978) a German film director.
Individuals associated with the island
* Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher Prince Wahlstatt (1742–1819), Prussian Field Marshal, spent his youth on the Venz estate.
* Caspar David Friedrich
Caspar David Friedrich (5 September 1774 – 7 May 1840) was a 19th-century German Romantic landscape painter, generally considered the most important German artist of his generation. He is best known for his mid-period allegorical landscape ...
(1774–1840), painter, stayed several times on visits by relatives of Pomerania and was inspired mainly by the chalk cliffs
* Ludwig Gotthard Kosegarten
Ludwig Gotthard Kosegarten (1 February 1758 – 26 October 1818), also known as Ludwig Theobul or Ludwig Theoboul, was a German poet and Lutheran preacher.
Kosegarten was born in Grevesmühlen, in the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. After s ...
(1758–1818), theologian, pastor, professor and poet, famous pastor of the parish Altenkirchen at Rügen
* Joachim Nicolas Eggert
Joachim Nicolas Eggert (22 February 1779 – 14 April 1813) was a Swedish composer and musical director.
Eggert was born in Gingst on Rügen, at that time part of Swedish Pommern. At a very young age he started studying to play the violin. ...
(1779–1813), composer and musical director, member of the Royal Swedish Musical Academy
* Maximilian Kaller
Maximilian Kaller (10 October 1880 – 7 July 1947) was Roman Catholic Bishop of Ermland ( pl, Warmia) in East Prussia from 1930 to 1947. However, ''de facto'' expelled from mid-August 1945, he was a special bishop for the homeland-expellees unt ...
(1880–1947), Bishop of Warmia in Prussia, began his first pastorate as mission pastor of St. Boniface parish at Rügen
* Angela Merkel (born 1954), German Chancellor (CDU), represented the constituency of Vorpommern-Rügen – Vorpommern-Greifswald I
Vorpommern-Rügen – Vorpommern-Greifswald I is an electoral constituency (German: ''Wahlkreis'') represented in the Bundestag. It elects one member via first-past-the-post voting. Under the current constituency numbering system, it is designated ...
between 1990 and 2021; she therefore represented the island of Rügen in the Bundestag.
See also
* Åland *Bornholm
Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland.
Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled by ...
* Buyan
In the Dove Book and other medieval Russian books, Buyan (russian: Буя́н, sometimes transliterated as Bujan) is described as a mysterious island in the ocean with the ability to appear and disappear with the tide. Three brothers—Northern, ...
* Gotland
Gotland (, ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to the ...
, Öland
* List of islands in the Baltic Sea
This is a list of islands in the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea proper is bordered to the north by the Bothnian Sea and, further north, the Gulf of Bothnia, neither being part of the Baltic Sea proper. The eastern basins the Gulf of Finland and the ...
* List of churches on Rügen
* Prora
* Saaremaa, Hiiumaa
References
External links
* *Official site
Map of Rygensko by Ján Kollár
(English) {{DEFAULTSORT:Rugen German islands in the Baltic Biosphere reserves of Germany Geography of Pomerania Islands of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania