Crane Resting Site

Pramort resting site

In the evening, the birds gather again in large flocks and fly in formation to their roosts. This is precisely the attraction at Pramort. Anyone who has witnessed this spectacle at dusk, whether a holidaymaker on the Baltic coast or a local resident, is unlikely ever to forget it. To protect the birds, access to Pramort is restricted from September onwards. From 3 p.m. until 8 a.m. the following day, paid admission is limited to 80 people—the number that can fit in the observation huts. From here, visitors can watch under controlled conditions the incomparable evening spectacle of crane flocks arriving at their overnight roosts in the shallow waters of the lagoon. The shallow water protects the birds from foxes and other predators. Crane-watching at Pramort is many things at once: an exceptional destination on the Baltic coast of the Fischland-Darß-Zingst peninsula for the many holidaymakers, and also an opportunity to deepen their appreciation of the rich natural environment of the Baltic coast.

Crane Information Centre
Lindenstraße 27
18445 Groß Mohrdorf
Telephone: (03 83 23) 8 05 40

Photo: Kur- u. Tourismus GmbH Zingst / Heinz Teufel

The eastern part of the Fischland-Darß-Zingst peninsula, at the so-called Pramort, is a landscape of exceptional beauty. Sand dunes dominate here, many of them almost entirely bare of vegetation. Access to this dune landscape is prohibited for conservation reasons, as it is part of Western Pomerania Lagoon Area National Park. It is also home to one of Europe’s most important crane resting sites. Up to 40,000 birds stop here twice a year, in the extensive area between the south of Hiddensee Island, the southwest of Rügen Island, the mainland north of Stralsund and the eastern part of the Fischland-Darß-Zingst peninsula, on their journey between northern and southern Europe. Experiencing the cranes’ daily routine is a unique spectacle not only for devoted nature lovers, but also for the many holidaymakers along the Baltic coast on the Fischland-Darß-Zingst peninsula and in the surrounding area. At dawn, the “birds of happiness” leave their roosts in the region’s shallow-water areas to search for food. Sometimes they travel up to 50 kilometres, even appearing on the northern shores of the Baltic island of Usedom . Most of them, however, stay within a radius of about 25 kilometres on the mainland north of the Hanseatic city of Stralsund. The Crane Information Centre in Groß Mohrdorf is located there, too. Numerous crane-watching sites have also been set up and signposted in this region. This serves two purposes: the cranes are not “disturbed” everywhere, and nature lovers get help finding their favourite birds. There are also several diversionary feeding sites for the birds, which benefit both the cranes and the farmers.