Things To Do In Stralsund Germany

Early on, construction got started on its major architectural landmarks: the Marienkirche (1298)

, the Johanniskloster (Cloister of St. John) of the Franciscan order (1250), the Nikolaikirche (1276), and the Rathaus (late 13th century), the predominant style of all being North German Gothic.

The best view of Stralsundand of the island of Rugen over the narrow Stralsund Soundmust be earned by climbing more than 300 steps to the top of the 330foot steeple of the Marienkirche. Another attraction is the Meeresmuseum (Sea Museum), which was the former East Germany's only museum devoted to all facets of oceanography.

Rugen, Germany's largest island, covering nearly 600 square miles northeast of Stralsund, also qualifies as the most scenic. Virtually offlimits to Western visitors under the Communist regime, the island is now experiencing an unprecedented boom in tourism as Westerners pour in trying to see whether the island is as inviting as its reputation. Nobody goes away disappointed by the scenery, though they may be less than satisfied with their lodgings, as hotel accommodations meeting Western-style standards were not a high priority of the former regime.

That magnificent scenery makes up for it. The gleaming chalk-stone cliffs (which Caspar David Friedrich painted many times); the great diversity of plant and animal life in its landscape of forests, marshlands, gentle hills, and lakes; and the clean white sandy beaches hold the same charm for people now that they did for wealthy Berliners who all but kept the island to themselves in the last century.

The other attractions of Rugen include several old seaside resort towns, Binz and Sassnitz being the most famous (and offering the most accommodations); the castles at Granitz and Ralswieck; the lighthouse at the island's northernmost tip, Kap Arkona; and the tiny scenic fishing harbors that dot the coastline. And for nostalgia there's the Rasende Roland (Racing Roland) steam railroad, which tuckers along its narrow-gauge track, laid down in 1895, at the breathtaking speed of about 20 miles per hour, connecting Putbus and Gohren. For those who really like to get away from it all, the narrow sliver of island called Hiddensee, just northwest of Rugen, is absolutely free of automobiles, and is the burial site of author Gerhart Hauptmann, who did much of his writing here.

Greifswald, situated about 39 km (24 miles) southeast of Stralsund, is best known to outsiders as the birthplace of Romantic artist Caspar David Friedrich, who made the 13thcentury cloister ruins at nearby Eldena the subject of one of his paintings. Like the other Hanseatic port cities, Greifswald (population 64,000) is rich in Gothic brick architecture, its showpieces being the 1738 Rathaus, the 13thcentury St. Nikolai Dom (St. Nicholas' Cathedral), and the brickandtimber hospital known as St. Spiritus.

by: Adrian Vultur

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