Usedom

Usedom — the name is synonymous with a true beach holiday on the Baltic Sea. But the German-Polish island of Usedom has much more to offer than its 42 kilometres of fine sandy beaches and activities of all kinds. The Baltic resorts, for example, feature restored resort architecture from the days when Usedom was known as “Berliners’ bathtub”; piers invite you to stroll out over the Baltic Sea; the north of the island is home to museums of all kinds; and Peenemünde and Karlshagen, the largest fishing and sports boat harbour on the German side of the island, offer a taste of harbour life.

Above all, though, Usedom’s so-called Achterland offers a treasure trove of ways to slow down, in contrast to the lively seaside resorts: a nature park with expansive forests, meadows, reed beds and steep coasts, ideal for wildlife watching, hiking, cycling or exploring the Achterwasser by boat, surfboard or kite. This lagoon separates Usedom from the mainland of Western Pomerania.

A day trip to the mainland towns is also a must. For historical reasons, they have more than once found themselves “between borders” and preserve many traces of the Slavic, Swedish and Prussian eras: Wolgast, the seat of government of the Slavic dukes of Pomerania-Wolgast; the Hanseatic towns of Greifswald and Anklam ; and, last but not least, the Polish town of Świnoujście, founded as Swinemünde, which looks back on more than 250 years of German and Polish history.

In the detailed and well-organised style familiar from Michael Müller Verlag, authors Sabine Becht and Sven Talaron introduce all these facets of Usedom in their guidebook, which reached its fifth edition in 2017. The Polish part of Usedom and the neighbouring island of Wolin (German: Wollin) are also covered, so the guidebook does not stop at the national border, as many comparable guides do. A concise hiking guide with eight suggested routes rounds out the book.

Sabine Becht, Sven Talaron
Usedom Travel Guide
228 pages
Numerous photographs, overview maps and town plans
ISBN 978-3-95654-452-1
Michael Müller Verlag
EUR 12.90 (Germany)
EUR 13.30 (Austria)
CHF 19.90