“Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote, and I
know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life”
― Michael Palin
Day 2 started out with a stop at Prora, which is located between Binz and Sassnitz. I knew nothing about this place and it was Lars that had expressed an interest in seeing it, largely due to its somewhat dark history and his interest in seeing the "renewal" of the area.
In a nutshell, Prora was the brain storm of Hitler, he had built a seaside resort for the military prior to WW11, he also wanted it to be convertible into a military hospital in case of war. The buildings at Prora cover a stretch of land 4.5 km long and are only a few meters away from the beach.
In 2013, developers began marketing refurbished apartments currently, four of the buildings are in the process of redevelopment, a fifth is used as a youth hostel while the remaining three are in ruins. In 2016, the first of the new apartments opened.
Our next stop was in the Jasmund National Park, north of Prora to see the Königsstuhl - Kings Chair an amazing chalk cliff which is 118 m above sea level. Once in the park you need to take the shuttle bus up to the Kings Chair - no driving up. The buses come often so you can take your time and wander the trails and stop at all the highlights for photos opportunities. The views are spectacular!
From the Jasmund National Park we drove up to the northern point on the island to see Kap Arkona (Cape Arkona).
On the cape there are two lighthouses, a navigation tower, two military bunker complexes, and the Baltic fortress of Jaromarsburg. You cannot actually drive directly up to the lighthouses, so we parked the car and took the horse drawn buggy tour up to the Kap.
Our last stop of the day was only a short walk from Kap Arkona to the fishing village of Vitt. Again no cars allowed... so you have to walk... and OMG! village is an apt word for this place. Nestled near the beach, Vitt is famous not only as a fishing village but for the fact that it has exactly 13 homes and only 19 people living there. We spent a long time strolling the rocky beaches and it is a great place to see the Kap Arkona in the distance.
― Michael Palin
Day 2 started out with a stop at Prora, which is located between Binz and Sassnitz. I knew nothing about this place and it was Lars that had expressed an interest in seeing it, largely due to its somewhat dark history and his interest in seeing the "renewal" of the area.
In a nutshell, Prora was the brain storm of Hitler, he had built a seaside resort for the military prior to WW11, he also wanted it to be convertible into a military hospital in case of war. The buildings at Prora cover a stretch of land 4.5 km long and are only a few meters away from the beach.
In 2013, developers began marketing refurbished apartments currently, four of the buildings are in the process of redevelopment, a fifth is used as a youth hostel while the remaining three are in ruins. In 2016, the first of the new apartments opened.
On the cape there are two lighthouses, a navigation tower, two military bunker complexes, and the Baltic fortress of Jaromarsburg. You cannot actually drive directly up to the lighthouses, so we parked the car and took the horse drawn buggy tour up to the Kap.
That's today's installment.... stay tuned.... more to come!
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