Heringsdorf is a semi-urban

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

and a popular

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 Germ ...

on Usedom Island in

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, Weste ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. It is also known by the name Kaiserbad ('' en, Imperial Spa''). The municipality was formed in January 2005 out of the former municipalities of Heringsdorf,

Ahlbeck Ahlbeck is a village (''Ortsteil'') of the Heringsdorf municipality on the island of Usedom on the Baltic coast. It is the easternmost of the so-called ''Kaiserbäder'' ("Imperial Spas") seaside resorts on the German part of the island, situa ...

and Bansin. Until January 2006, the municipality was called ''Dreikaiserbäder'', literally meaning ''Three Imperial Spas'', a reference to several vacation visits of the German emperor Wilhelm II until 1918. For the same reason, the fine sandy beach stretching about 12 km (7.5 miles) from Bansin over Heringsdorf to

and Swinemünde (nowadays a Polish spa), is also called ''Kaiserstrand'' (Imperial Beach). The continuous

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 ...

beach of Usedom Island has an overall length of exactly 40 km (25 miles) and an average width of 40 m (130 feet).

Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

is the dominant economical sector of the Imperial Spas, with an increasing number of hotels and vacation homes every year.

Overview

Heringsdorf is located on the

coast of the island of Usedom, about 10 km as the crow flies northwest of

Świnoujście Świnoujście (; german: Swinemünde ; nds, Swienemünn; all three meaning "Świna ivermouth"; csb, Swina) is a city and seaport on the Baltic Sea and Szczecin Lagoon, located in the extreme north-west of Poland. Situated mainly on the islands o ...

. Heringsdorf has been one of the most popular resorts on the German Baltic shore since its foundation. It consists of three parts:

on the Polish border, Heringsdorf proper (central part) and Bansin in the west. These three ''Kaiserbäder'' were the favourite spas of the

German Emperor The German Emperor (german: Deutscher Kaiser, ) was the official title of the head of state and hereditary ruler of the German Empire. A specifically chosen term, it was introduced with the 1 January 1871 constitution and lasted until the offi ...

s, and also called the ''bathtub of Berlin''. They feature clean beaches and numerous scenic houses and mansions in the distinct style of '' Bäderarchitektur'' (resort architecture).

Partner municipalities

Heringsdorf is partnered with other towns and municipalities, namely Beckum in

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...

(Germany),

Folgaria Folgaria (Cimbrian: ''Folgrait'', from the Latin ''filicaria'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in Trentino in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about southeast of Trento. As of 31 December 2013, it had a population ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, La Celle-Saint-Cloud in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

; as well as

Grodków Grodków (; szl, Grodkōw) is a town in Brzeg County, Opole Voivodeship in Poland, the administrative seat of Gmina Grodków. It is located in the Silesian Lowlands of the Oder basin, in the historic Upper Silesia region, about south of Brz ...

, Tolkmicko and the neighbouring

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

. In addition, Heringsdorf is in frequent contact with

Djerba Djerba (; ar, جربة, Jirba, ; it, Meninge, Girba), also transliterated as Jerba or Jarbah, is a Tunisian island and the largest island of North Africa at , in the Gulf of Gabès, off the coast of Tunisia. It had a population of 139,544 ...

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

and the embassy of

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

Transportation

The area is served by Heringsdorf Airport. Heringsdorf Station is the hub and headquarters of the Usedomer Bäderbahn.

Images

Image:Seebruecke Ahlbeck 2.jpg, Ahlbeck pier Image:Usedom-Heringsdorf-Okt2004.jpg, Beach of Heringsdorf Image:Bansin Usedom Seebruecke pier.jpg, Bansin promenade seen from the pier File:Usedom Karte Map Heringsdorf Ahlbeck Bansin Swinemünde.png, Map of Heringsdorf including

and Bansin and neighbouring city of Swinemünde/Świnoujście in Poland

References

External links