Baltic Sea
"Afternoon in the sand. Struck as indecent by the bare feet."
Franz Kafka wrote these sentences in his diary in 1914. At that time, Travemünde already had a hundred-year tradition as a seaside resort. Writers such as Dostoyevsky, Gogol, Joseph von Eichendorff and Hans Christian Andersen sought relaxation and inspiration here. Another great poet in German literary history, Thomas Mann, created a monument to Travemünde in his novel "The Buddenbrooks". He described the seaside culture of the early 20th century, which had nothing in common with today's lifestyle on European beaches. In the 1950s and 1960s, Travemünde and Timmendorf were particularly popular with the jet set. Celebrities such as Curd Jürgens, Soraya and Sophia Loren came to celebrate glamorous parties here. After that, the glamor of the Baltic seaside resorts faded. Southern European beaches and destinations became more attractive, and not just because of the Mediterranean weather and lifestyle. In recent years, however, a change has taken place: while the Baltic Sea was primarily a popular vacation destination for families with attractive and family-friendly offers, the areas close to the Baltic Sea have now become a first-class wellness destination.
Hotels and resorts such as the Alte Meierhof, the A-Rosa Resort and the Grand Hotel Heiligendamm all offer creative leisure and sports facilities as well as spas, culinary delights and hotels of the highest standard. Wellness tourism makes you less dependent on the weather. Spa and beauty treatments take place in the stylish activity and relaxation worlds of the resorts. But one thing was, is and will remain: That is the picturesque landscape of the entire Baltic Sea coast, characterized by unique lake landscapes in the hinterland, the ever-changing sea, the endless white and fine sandy beaches, the cliffs and the opulent forests and meadows. Rich yellow rapeseed fields against a deep blue sky in early summer - even the most untalented would like to reach for a paintbrush. This is pure picture-book idyll and attracts vacationers: senior citizens out for a stroll as well as sporty cyclists and surfing partygoers. Visitors can experience art and culture in abundance, including in the romantic moated castle of Glücksburg, where Maximilian Schell shone in front of an impressive backdrop in the TV series "The Prince and the Maiden". The cultural stronghold of Schleswig-Holstein, the Hanseatic city of Lübeck, continues to exert a special attraction. Who doesn't know the world-famous Holsten Gate, at least as an ornament to the no less famous and popular Niederegger marzipan. Lübeck is living Hanseatic history and a cultural and historical jewel that was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
From Lübeck to Meck-Pomm
Also a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002: the two Hanseatic cities of Stralsund and Wismar, whose historic old towns are among the most impressive destinations on the Baltic coast of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Stralsund, with its new, futuristic, 4.1-kilometer-long bridge over the Strelasund, is also the gateway to Rügen. Caspar David Friedrich and other Romantics made the magnificent chalk cliffs on Germany's largest and sunniest island world-famous. To this day, hardly any visitor can escape the fascination of these white walls rising out of the turquoise sea. As "white gold", Rügen's healing chalk has now also found its way into numerous wellness hotels, such as the chalk mud pack in the spa at the Grandhotel Binz. The Baltic seaside resort of Binz, formerly known as the "Nice of the East", has already celebrated its 125th birthday and has once again become the island's hotspot. Today, hotels are lined up like pearls along the more than three-kilometre-long beach promenade - white, renovated houses in spa architecture with turrets, bay windows, ornaments and rosettes, and in the middle of it all is the new highlight, the design hotel Cerís am Meer. On Usedom, the second largest German island, famous for the three imperial spas of Ahlbeck, Heringsdorf and Bansin, the magnificent villas are once again resplendent in the splendor of traditional spa architecture. "Heringsdorf consists only of pillars," wrote Heinrich Mann in a letter to his family at the time, and: "I would love to be one of those who create a summer idyll here by building a small house," enthused Theodor Fontane about Ahlbeck. In many places, you get the feeling that time has stood still. In addition to a lot of seaside flair, you can still sense a certain Eastern flair, and some things simply need their time here.
Nostalgia & nature
But the originality and magnificence of nature is unique. Picturesque avenues straight out of a picture book, endless, wide, white beaches, green beech forests that stretch all the way to the sea, reeds in silvery shimmering moors, tranquil lakes and gentle hills in the hinterland are this region's assets. Fancy some nostalgia? Then Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is the right place for you. There are more than 2,000 magnificent old palaces, castles and manor houses here, witnesses to a unique past. Some of these prestigious, lovingly renovated retreats of yesteryear are now inviting places to live and are highly sought-after vacation destinations, such as Schlitz Castle in the lovely hilly landscape of Mecklenburg Switzerland or the Stolpe Manor House with its rural charm right on the Peene, one of the last unspoiled river valleys in Western Europe. The Baltic Sea coast of Schleswig Holstein has once again become an attractive vacation destination with its increasing quality awareness and adaptation to the lifestyle needs of today's guests - and according to forecasts, the Baltic Sea coast is on the winning side in times of financial crisis.
Since the reunification of Germany, the coast from Schleswig-Holstein to Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has been experiencing a renaissance of the old seaside resort culture. No wonder: nowhere else is the architecture as unique, Germany's nature as beautiful and the sky as sunny as over the old Baltic seaside resorts.
Highlights
Connoisseur special tip: Schleswig Holstein Music Festival
One of the most successful classical music events in Europe is the Schleswig Holstein Music Festival (SHMF), which was founded by Justus Frantz in 1986. Every year, more than 100,000 music lovers are drawn to the otherwise rather unusual festival locations in the countryside. Large expansive parks, stately castles, famous churches, thatched barns and noble manor houses are the venues for musical highlights.
www.shmf.de
DIPLOMATISCHE VERTRETUNGEN
in Switzerland
German Embassy
Willadingweg 83, 3006 Berne
Phone: +41 31 3594111
Fax: +41 31 3594444
www.bern.diplo.de
in Austria
German Embassy
Gauermanngasse 2-4, 1010 Vienna
Phone: +43 1 711540
Fax: +43 1 713 83 66
www.wien.diplo.de
Lage
Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Schleswig-Holstein und Mecklenburg-Vorpommern liegen an der Ostsee)
Fläche
357.376 km² (Berlin 891,8 km²)
Bevölkerung
80,6 Millionen
Sprache
Deutsch
Hauptstadt
Berlin
Religion
32% Roman Catholic, 30% Protestant
Weather
Der Frühling und der Sommer sind die schönsten Reisezeiten. Die Ostseeküste befindet sich in der gemäßigten Klimazone und ist durch ein kontinentales Klima mit maritimem Einschlag geprägt, wobei der kontinentale Einfluß nach Osten hin stärker wird. Das Wasser hat im Hochsommer um die 18 Grad.
Beste Reisezeit
Mai bis September
Klima
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Max. Temperaturen | 2 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 13 | 8 | 4 |
| Min. Temperaturen | -2 | -1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| Sonnenstunden | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Regentage | 10 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 |
| Wassertemperatur | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 11 | 7 | 4 |
Zeitverschiebung
Mitteleuropäische Zeit (MEZ) mit europäischer Sommerzeit (kein Zeitunterschied).
Währung
Euro
Visa
Für die Einreise aus einem EU Land ist keinerlei Visum notwendig. Zu Mitnahme eines Reispasses oder Personalausweises wird geraten.
Vaccinations
none
Restaurant Ostsee - Special culinary delights
Lovers of maritime or organic-healthy cuisine in particular will get their money's worth here.
cuisine will get their money's worth here. Which of course does not
means that hearty recipes are forbidden. Along the Baltic Sea lies the
land where milk and honey literally flow. In addition
meat and cereals, fruit, vegetables and herbs are produced here
on the numerous organic farms in the region. That is why all
ingredients arrive fresh in the restaurants and hotel kitchens, where top chefs
conjure up modern creations and regional delights.
Baltic Sea leisure - a must for every nature lover
The Baltic Sea offers more than just bathing and healing, because a
vacation at the Baltic Sea not only brings many possibilities with it, what the
the chosen towns, cities or regions, but also many more options
to make the best time of the year interesting and exciting. In addition to the classic hiking, beach and biking vacations
the Baltic Sea offers numerous other leisure activities that are not only
something very special, but are definitely worth experiencing.
be experienced.
Tours are also very popular
by bike along the Baltic coast are also very popular. In the respective tourist offices
you can obtain the necessary information and suggestions for cycling tours along the
Baltic Sea.
Things to see on the Baltic Sea - places to feel good
Historic buildings, modern museums and reminiscences of the past
the past adorn the areas of the Bay of Kiel .
The popular vacation region is home to a multitude of sights that go far beyond the
far beyond the architectural masterpieces of northern Germany. They
present themselves under the glow of the maritime flair and enable
discoveries for young and old.
A journey into history accompanies the Lütjenburg sights on the Bay of Kiel. Among the oldest
buildings in the north German town include the Färberhaus and the Sankt Michaelis church .
St. Michael's Church is still considered one of the most beautiful buildings of the late
late Renaissance in Schleswig-Holstein and, despite the restoration, has been able to retain its
been able to preserve its historic appearance.
