Görmitz is a small

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

in the Achterwasser lagoon or ''

bodden Bodden are briny bodies of water often forming lagoons, along the southwestern shores of the Baltic Sea, primarily in Germany's state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. These lagoons can be found especially around the island of Rügen, Usedom an ...

'' on the island of

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 Szczecin ...

. The island is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

, which is managed by the Jordsand Society for the Protection of Seabirds and Nature (''Verein Jordsand zum Schutze der Seevögel und der Natur''). Görmitz belongs to the parish of Lütow in the '' Amt'' of Am ''Peenestrom''. In the south of the island there is an inhabited farm, the remains of a holiday home and a

beacon A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location. A common example is the lighthouse, which draws attention to a fixed point that can be used to navigate around obstacles or into port. More mode ...

. In the 1960s Görmitz was linked to Usedom near the village of Neuendorf by an

embankment Embankment may refer to: Geology and geography * A levee, an artificial bank raised above the immediately surrounding land to redirect or prevent flooding by a river, lake or sea * Embankment (earthworks), a raised bank to carry a road, railwa ...

. Its construction was connected with oil extraction in Lütow; oil was also extracted on Görmitz in the 1970s and 1980s. At the end of 2016 the controversial dismantling of the causeway was agreed.

History

For over 700 years the island was in the possession of the von Lepel family. In 1937 the island was sold to a Dr. Kerkhoff from Düsseldorf. After 1945 and after the

land reform Land reform is a form of agrarian reform involving the changing of laws, regulations, or customs regarding land ownership. Land reform may consist of a government-initiated or government-backed property redistribution, generally of agricultural ...

, refugees came to the island and reared cattle and raised crops. The island was then a recreation retreat for the firm of ''Nachrichtenelektronik Greifswald'' and after 1990 the property of Siemens AG. Today, the island is almost entirely under conservation protection. In July 2006 Siemens AG sold the island of Görmitz to the firm of ''Wertgrund Insel Görmitz GmbH''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gormitz German islands in the Baltic Nature reserves in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Vorpommern-Greifswald Usedom Lütow Peenestrom Islands of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania