Harbours of Ruegen island                           

More than 25 harbours are located at the outer and inner coasts of Ruegen, Hiddensee and Ummanz. They accommodate boats used for weekend excursions, ferry transport but also sport and fishing boats. To some extent they are used for transporting goods and the shipping of several agricultural products. Lakes and coastal lagoons have always provided favourable conditions to build harbours. The excavation of long-boats near Ralswiek for instance illustrates this fact.
Today, the major harbours are the town harbour and the ferry harbour at Sassnitz. The construction of the Sassnitz town harbour began in 1889. It was initiated by the need to improve the transportation of chalk and by the increasing maritime passenger traffic. The harbour became increasingly significant. It became the starting point of the railway ferry link Sassnitz - Trelleborg, accommodated a large fishing fleet and was also used as a naval base. The Mukran ferry harbour was put into operation in 1986. The ferry link operated with five ferries, ensuring the transportation of goods between the GDR and the USSR. Today, this harbour operates under the name "Faehrhafen Sassnitz."
The Bug peninsula was of special importance for maritime purposes. Starting in1683 and continuing for more than a century, a mailboat from Ystadt (Sweden) used a wharf here. The wharf was supplemented by the so-called "Wittow Post House," which was used as a passenger terminal and to exchange mail. In the 20th century, the Bug peninsula became a military base. Finally, the harbour was exclusively developed as a naval base and currently awaits its commercial use.
One of the historical curiosities related to this area was the attempt during the 1930s and 1950s to establish a connection between the Baltic Sea and the Grosser Jasmunder Bodden lagoon by cutting through the land from Bobbin to Glowe. The idea was to develop this region as an extensive military base.   PHOTO Above: A ferry leaving the Sassnitz-Mukran harbour. Ferry links connect Sassnitz with Trelleborg /Sweden, Roenne / Denmark and Klaipeda / Lithuania. Ferry harbour Sassnitz: http://www.faehrhafen-sassnitz.de
Text and photos by R.R.

A passenger vessel in the harbour of Sassnitz	Fishing harbour of Sassnitz
The harbour of Wiek	View to the harbour of Lauterbach E.R.
The harbour of Gager (Moenchgut peninsula)	Hiddensee: The harbour of Kloster
The harbour of Vitte (Hiddensee)	Schaprode, the gate-way for trips to Hiddensee island
The harbour of Glowe. Cape Arkona in the background	View to the harbour in Lohme
The passenger ferry from Stralsund approaching Altefaehr	The harbour in Wiek. This harbour were to be used to transport chalk. These plans were never implemented

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