Darßer Ort Lighthouse & Natureum
Darßer Ort is located on the northernmost headland of the Fischland-Darß-Zingst Peninsula. Its landmark is the 35-metre-high lighthouse, built in 1848. From the lighthouse’s observation platform, views extend across the entire peninsula and the coastal waters as far as Rostock-Warnemünde, and in clear weather, to the coast of the Danish island of Møn. Darßer Ort was formed through the natural creation of new land, a process that continues to this day. A few kilometres south of Darßer Ort, the coast narrows, and eroded sediment is deposited at Darßer Ort. The area is a nature reserve and is also part of the Western Pomerania Lagoon Area National Park. A circular trail with an observation tower offers a panoramic view of this unique landscape. The only remnant of its military past is the small nearby harbour. It currently serves as an emergency harbour and as a base for a rescue cruiser operated by the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service (DGzRS). It is the only harbour on the outer coast between Warnemünde and Barhöft, north of Stralsund. Once a new harbour has been built in Prerow, Darßer Ort harbour is to be closed.
Leuchtturm und Natureum
Photo: © Wikimedia / Unukorno CC BY-SA 4.0
The lighthouse’s outbuildings house the Natureum Darßer Ort, an outpost of the German Oceanographic Museum in Stralsund. It features several permanent exhibitions covering the natural environment of Darßer Ort, the Baltic Sea coast, wildlife, land formation, the history of the lighthouse and the outdoor grounds. There is also a Baltic Sea aquarium. Like the rest of Darßer Ort, the Natureum can only be reached on foot, by bicycle or by horse-drawn carriage.
