Germany – Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Schwerin, Rostock) Aug 24, 2019
I crossed from Poland into northern Germany just south of Szczecin at about 12:40 on August 24. I bought cheaper Polish gas (5.02 PLN/litre or €1.154/litre), stocked up on cheap Polish cigarettes and spent all my zlotych. Total kilometres driven in Poland: 3,836.4.
One notices some significant changes. In the first 5 kilometres, I saw more solar panels and wind turbines than I had seen in all of Poland. And every wind turbine was turning. The roads were marginally better, the fields neater. I hit a short stretch of 10 kilometres of gravel, perfect, excellent grey rock that almost felt like pavement, and not one ripple of washboard.
Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe is a transnational composite nature UNESCO World Heritage site, encompassing forests in 12 European countries.
The Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians include ten separate massifs located along the 185 km (115 mi) long axis from the Rakhiv mountains and Chornohora ridge in Ukraine over the Poloniny Ridge (Slovakia) to the Vihorlat Mountains in Slovakia. The Ancient Beech Forests of Germany comprise five locations, covering 4,391 hectares, and were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2011.
The Carpathian site covers a total area of 77,971.6 ha (192,672 acres), out of which only 29,278.9 ha (72,350 acres) are part of the actual preserved area, while the rest is considered a “buffer zone”. The Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians cover areas in the Zakarpattia and Prešov Regions. Over 70% of the site is located in Ukraine. The area encompasses two national parks and several protected habitat regions, primarily situated in Slovakia. Both national parks, along with a neighbouring area in Poland, compose a separate biosphere reserve, the East Carpathian Biosphere Reserve. Besides Havešová, Rožok, and Stužica (all located in Bukovské vrchy), there is a fourth component situated in Slovakia, known as Kyjovský prales of Vihorlat. Ukrainian locations include Chornohora, Kuziy-Trybushany, Maramarosh, Stuzhytsia–Uzhok, Svydovets, and Uholka–Shyrikyi Luh. Only a few of the ten components are accessible to visitors. Stužica is the only one of three locations in Bukovské vrchy (Slovakia) with available hiking trails. In 2017, UNESCO extended the site, adding forests in Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, Romania, Slovenia, and Spain.
The last intact virgin forest in the temperate latitudes of Europe is to be found in the Carpathians. Trees can live to be a hundred years old in these forests, providing an essential habitat for organisms such as mushrooms, moss, lichens, insects, rare birds (e.g., capercaillie and black grouse), and mammals (e.g., bats, brown bears, wolves, and lynx). Large parts of the Romanian Carpathian forest have been lost due to deforestation. The pressure on timber as a resource may increase due to international demand, and European companies may start large-scale felling in neighbouring Ukraine. Currently, unprotected areas of virgin forest can be permanently preserved in the Ukrainian Carpathians by expanding and reinforcing conservation areas. In the Ukrainian Carpathians, there are nine national parks and two biosphere reserves. There is a general ban on tree felling in coniferous forest areas above 1,100 metres. If park administrations are shown to be effective, management of larger, previously unprotected areas of virgin forest to preserve them permanently may occur. There are roughly 100,000 additional hectares of forest which could be integrated into the existing conservation areas.
Müritz National Park. This national park is situated roughly in the middle between Berlin and Rostock, in the south of the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It extends over large portions of the Müritz lakeland in the district of Mecklenburgische Seenplatte. Müritz National Park was founded in 1990. The total area is 318 km2. Near the city of Waren, visitors can get information on the national park at the Müritzeum.
The National Park is divided into two separate areas, Müritz and Serrahn. The first, larger portion extends from the eastern shore of Lake Müritz to the town of Neustrelitz. The latter, smaller part is situated east of Neustrelitz. The park’s landscape features comprise terminal moraine, sandur, and lowlands. Approximately 65% of the territory is covered with forest, while lakes cover 12%. The remaining area consists of swamps or meadows.
Lake Müritz has an area of 118 km2, but only its eastern shore is part of the National Park. The towns of Waren and Neustrelitz are the closest. There are approximately 100 lakes in Müritz National Park, including Bullowsee, as well as numerous smaller waterbodies, such as runs, ditches, and brooks. The Havel rises in the Müritz section, near the water divide between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea.
Fauna and flora. Notable animals in the park include the red deer, the crane, the white-tailed eagle and the osprey. Other animals include great bittern, reed warbler, redshank, greenshank, black stork, crane, teal, garganey and little stint.
In addition to the unspoiled nature in general, a lot of open common juniper stands can be found in the national park. They were formerly used for cattle grazing.
Lowland lake and forest spanning 123miles2. Includes UNESCO-listed beech forests.
Beech Trees. This is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America.
Recent classification systems of the genus recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, Engleriana and Fagus.
The Engleriana subgenus is found only in East Asia. It is notably distinct from the Fagus subgenus in that these beeches are low-branching trees, often characterized by several central trunks with yellowish bark. Further differentiating characteristics include the whitish bloom on the underside of the leaves, the visible tertiary leaf veins, and a long, smooth cupule-peduncle. Fagus japonica, Fagus engleriana, and the species F. okamotoi, proposed by the botanist Chung-Fu Shen in 1992, comprise this subgenus.
The better-known Fagus subgenus beeches are high-branching with tall, stout trunks and smooth silver-grey bark. This group includes Fagus sylvatica, Fagus grandifolia, Fagus crenata, Fagus lucida, Fagus longipetiolata, and Fagus hayatae. The classification of the European beech, Fagus sylvatica, is complex, with a variety of different names proposed for other species and subspecies within this region (for example, Fagus taurica, Fagus orientalis, and Fagus moesica). Research suggests that beeches in Eurasia differentiated relatively late in evolutionary history, during the Miocene. The populations in this area represent a range of often overlapping morphotypes, although genetic analysis does not support the existence of separate species.
Within its family, the Fagaceae, recent research has suggested that Fagus is the evolutionarily most basal group. The southern beeches (genus Nothofagus), previously thought to be closely related to beeches, are now treated as members of a separate family, the Nothofagaceae (which remains a member of the order Fagales). They are found in Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Argentina, and Chile (principally Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego).
The European beech (Fagus sylvatica) is the most commonly cultivated species, although few crucial differences are observed between species aside from subtle details such as leaf shape. The leaves of beech trees are entire or sparsely toothed, from 5–15 cm long and 4–10 cm broad. Beeches are monoecious, bearing both male and female flowers on the same plant. The small flowers are unisexual; the female flowers are borne in pairs, while the male flowers are wind-pollinated catkins. They are produced in spring shortly after the new leaves appear. The bark is smooth and light grey. The fruit is a small, sharply three–angled nut 10–15 mm long, borne singly or in pairs in soft-spined husks 1.5–2.5 cm long, known as cupules. The husk can have a variety of spine-to-scale-like appendages, the character of which, in addition to leaf shape, is one of the primary ways beeches are differentiated. The nuts are edible, though bitter (though not nearly as bitter as acorns), with a high tannin content, and are called beech nuts or beechmast.
Neustrelitz. A NM “small town” in NM. It features a large square surrounding a round cobble center and fountain. I was finally able to buy all the items at Lidl that I had been unable to in Poland.
History. The village of Strelitz was first mentioned in 1278. It evolved into a small town over the following centuries. In 1712, the castle and the city of Strelitz burned down. After this disaster, the duke and his family lived on their hunting lodge at the lake called Zierker See (Lake Zierke) to the northwest of Strelitz. Around this place, the new town of Neustrelitz (New Strelitz) was constructed. It became the official capital of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in 1736.
When the Red Army troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front entered the town on 30 April 1945, 681 people committed suicide.
The city centre is characterized by Baroque architecture. Its heart is the Marktplatz (Market Square), featuring the Stadtkirche (city church), built between 1768 and 1778, and the Rathaus (Town Hall), built in 1841. The Baroque Neustrelitz Palace was destroyed in 1945, but the palace gardens (Schloßgarten) still exist. Worth seeing are the 18th-century Orangerie (from orange), initially used as a summerhouse, the Schloßkirche (Palace Church) built in 1855–1859 in English Neo-Gothic style, the Neoclassic Hebe temple (with a replica of a statue of the goddess Hebe), and the Louise Temple, built in 1891 in the shape of a Greek temple to house the tomb of Queen Louise of Prussia, born Princess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
There is a small lake, the Glambeck See, where one can swim in the summer in a protected area and enjoy lunch at a restaurant overlooking the lake.
Slavic Village Passentin, Neubrandenburg. This open-air museum has a rough vertical log palisade. It provides a Medieval learning and adventure experience, complete with hunting with flint arrows, eating with bronze knives, wearing sheep’s wool clothing, wearing wooden shoes, and sleeping on straw sacks in wooden huts.
There was a medieval fortified castle here, followed by a church and a manor house, but those are all long gone. Now, there is a log gate house, a central log house, and several small log buildings offering crafts and experiences. Not very interesting. €3
Greifswald. A NM “small town” in NM, it is 80 km from the Polish border. The town belongs to Western Pomerania and is situated on the Baltic Sea coast, crossed by the small river Ryck. It is also located near Germany’s two largest islands, Rügen and Usedom, and it is close to three of Germany’s 14 national parks. Together with Stralsund, Greifswald forms one of four urban centers of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The city’s population was listed at 55,659 in 2013, including many of the 12,500 students and 5,000 employees of the University of Greifswald. Greifswald draws international attention due to its university, the surrounding BioCon Valley, the Nord Stream gas pipeline, and the Wendelstein 7-X nuclear fusion project.
STRALSUND
Located at the Southern coast of the Strelasund, a sound of the Baltic Sea separating the island of Rügen from the mainland. Stralsund was granted city rights in 1234 and was one of the most prosperous members of the medieval Hanseatic League. In 1628, during the Thirty Years’ War, Stralsund came under Swedish rule and remained under Swedish rule until the upheavals of the Napoleonic Wars. In the 19th century, it became part of Prussia and Germany. Since 2002, Stralsund’s old town, with its rich heritage, has been honoured as a UNESCO World Heritage site, along with Wismar in Mecklenburg.
The primary industries of Stralsund include shipyards, fishing, mechanical engineering, and, to a growing extent, tourism, life sciences, services, and high-tech sectors, particularly information technology and biotechnology.
The historic island of Stralsund’s old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It features many valuable remnants of the Hanseatic era, including Brick Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, historicist, and Jugendstil buildings.
The heart of the old town is the Old Market Square (Alter Markt), with the Gothic Town Hall (13th century). Behind the town hall stands the imposing Nikolaikirche (St. Nicholas’ Church), built between 1270 and 1360. The square is surrounded by houses from different periods, including the Gothic Wulflamhaus (a 14th-century patrician house, now a restaurant) and the Baroque Commandantenhaus of 1751, the former headquarters of the Swedish military commander.
The Jakobikirche (Saint James’s Church) was built in the mid-14th century. It was destroyed several times, for example, by Wallenstein and during World War II.
The Marienkirche (Saint Mary’s Church), built between 1383 and 1473 in Gothic style, is the largest church in Stralsund. From 1625 to 1647, it was the world’s tallest structure. Its octagonal tower (104 meters high) offers a panoramic view of Stralsund and the neighbouring islands of Rügen and Hiddensee.
The Johanniskloster (Franciscan monastery built in 1254) is one of the oldest buildings in the town.
Stralsund is the port of registry for the former German Reichsmarine Navy Sail Training ship “Gorch Fock” 1. It is now a floating museum.
The Katharinenkloster (Monastery of Saint Catherine), mainly built in the 15th century, houses two museums today: Stralsund’s Museum of Cultural History (known, e.g. the Gold Jewellery of Hiddensee), and the German Oceanographic Museum, Germany’s largest aquarium and oceanographic collection. The ancient refectory of the monastery is one of the most spectacular Gothic interiors in Germany.
Historic Centres of Stralsund and Wismar. World Heritage Site
St Mary’s Church. Built on colossal piles on marshy ground in 1298, the tower toppled in 1382. The spire burnt down in 1647 after being struck by lightning. The current 104m spire was finished in 1708. The windows in the transept are the largest church windows in Europe. Climb the 366 steps in the church tower for great views of Stralsund and the islands of Rügen and Hiddensee.
Gorch Fock, In both the NM “Entertainment/Things to do” and “Ship Museums” series, Stralsund is the port of registry for the former German Reichsmarine Navy Sail Training ship “Gorch Fock” 1. It is now a floating museum.
ROSTOCK
Rostock Art Gallery. In a new building with an exterior of etched glass, two exhibitions were on display. €10, 8 reduced
Rostock Botanical Garden. Run by the University of Rostock, there is nothing special to see. Free
Shipbuilding and Maritime Museum. The museum is located aboard the historical ship Type Frieden (built in 1957 in Rostock, 157m long, 20m wide, and with a draft of 8.4m), which was given to the city in 1970 to be converted into a Maritime Museum. Displays the maritime history of Rostock as a shipbuilding center, featuring numerous ship models and naval exhibits. €3, 2 reduction.
WARNEMŨNDE is the resort community on the Baltic north of Rostock.
Warnemünde Beaches. This fine white sand beach is intense and on a hot Sunday morning, crowded already—many “beach clubs” with umbrellas to rent.
Warnemünde Lighthouse. Built in 1898-98, this cream brick with brown bands lighthouse has two galleries. It sits in the middle of the plaza, part of the “boardwalk: that backs the beach. The lighthouse has a height of 36.9 metres.
Thirty-three posts were piled 11 metres deep into the earth to act as the foundation. The lighthouse has two cellars, and the part above ground is 31 metres high and built of glazed white brick and several bands of green brick. The tower features two galleries that serve as panoramic viewing platforms for visitors.
In the early years, the lighthouse lamp used petroleum and later gas to generate its light. To begin with, the rotating Fresnel lens assembly was propelled by clockwork, driven by a heavy iron weight sliding down a steel tube in the centre of the tower. Every evening, the lighthouse keeper had first to pump 90 litres of petroleum up to a tank at the top and then wind the weight up every two hours. Since 1927, it has been electrically operated. The beam has an angle of over 180° and is focused by mirror reflectors on the land side. The light can be seen at a distance of about 20 nautical miles (37 km). €2, 1 reduction
Windmühle Neubukow, Neubukow. This is a lovely windmill, but unfortunately, it is on private property, possibly converted into a B&B and can’t be visited. The red brick is on the bottom, the sides are shaky, and the green top is shaky. It is a Dutch-type mill with a rotating cap moved by a vane at the back. The vanes are partly intact.
The owners have llamas.
From a post by the owners: Since so many people have reached out to us, if they could not even live in our mill, we have decided to rent our windmill in Neubukow for a few weeks of the year. More than 100 years old Hollander windmill, it has elaborate composite timbers, the accuracy of the fit, the massive wooden funnels, the millstones that are still in their old place in the stone floor (second floor), the bucket elevator responsible for transporting the grain inside the mill was, the royal wave that extends from the mill cap to the roll bottom (first floor), the many different waves and gears some made of wood and much more.
There is no lack of comfort. The entire mill has been fitted with modern heating, a fully furnished new kitchen in the old style, two bedrooms with flat-screen TVs, and a designer bathroom in the converted threshing floor and on the roll floor.
The road from the windmill is a narrow two-lane road with a speed limit of 60. This is a very popular cycling/motorcycling country.
Poel Island covers an area of 36.02 km² (13.91 sq mi) and has a population of 2,873 citizens. Satellite pictures show that most of it is used as farmland. With its good air, clean water, fine beaches and sheltered harbours, it is also a popular recreational area. At Timmendorf harbour, there is a pilot’s station and facilities for yachts and local fishermen. Kirchdorf has a yachting harbour and a boatyard. Wismar Bay is cited by the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910-1911) as the finest harbour on the Baltic.
The island’s name derives from pole, the Common Slavic word for “flat land” or “field”.
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