Bathing fun on Usedom

How about starting a travelogue about Germany’s second largest island not with the imposing piers, the miles of promenades or the stucco-decorated Wilhelminian-style villas of the imperial spas? Instead, you could start with the little luxuries of a day at the seaside 150 years ago: sun, beach and sea – accessible to many thanks to bathing carts, beach chairs and even prefabricated houses.

Bathing carts were an important part of the early bathing culture on Usedom. From the middle of the 19th century, they were used on the Baltic Sea to enable women to enter the water discreetly / © Photo: Georg Berg
Bathing carts were an important part of the early bathing culture on Usedom / © Photo: Georg Berg

With the bathing cart into the water

Bathing carts were used on Usedom as part of the early bathing culture. They were already in use in Neukrug near Heringsdorf in 1824. Initially, they served as changing rooms for bathers before horses pulled them into the deeper water. This allowed women in particular to enter the water discreetly. The bathing carts were the forerunners of the later permanent bathing establishments, which replaced the carts around 1902. Today, there are still historic bathing carts at the concert pavilion in Bansin, which artists use as changing rooms. The bathing carts play an important role in Usedom’s development into a popular seaside resort and reflect the social conventions of the time.

Seebrücke bei Heringsdorf mit großer Werbetafel. Holidaymakers go Nordic walking on the beach / © Photo: Georg Berg
Heringsdorf pier: people once strolled along the pier in long dresses, breathing deeply. Today, spa guests go Nordic walking on the beach / © Photo: Georg Berg

The bathtub of Berlin

In imperial times, high society was drawn from the big cities to the seaside. Those who could afford it spent the summer at a Baltic spa. The upper-class Berliners regularly traveled with their entire household to their lavish summer residences. After all, the Baltic Sea could be reached quickly and directly by train. This gave the spa town of Ahlbeck the nickname “Berlin’s bathtub”. It is thanks to the rheumatic attacks of an aristocratic lady that the Baltic beaches are still equipped with affordable bathing comfort for everyone today.

Group of beach chairs with typical rounded Baltic Sea shape and beach chair rental sign, Ahlbeck on Usedom / © Photo: Georg Berg
Group of beach chairs with typical rounded Baltic Sea shape Kaiserbad Ahlbeck on Usedom / © Photo: Georg Berg

Mrs. von Maltzahn and the laundry basket on the beach

For some it’s just a chunky piece of coastal furniture, for others it’s a little luxury on the beach: feet up, eyes closed and deep breaths. The story of the beach chair begins in 1882, when Elfriede von Maltzahn, a noblewoman suffering from rheumatism, visited the imperial court basket maker Wilhelm Bartelmann in his Rostock workshop. Despite her illness, she wanted to enjoy her summer vacation in the Baltic seaside resort of Warnemünde and asked Bartelmann to design a suitable piece of beach furniture. It had to be comfortable, provide shade and protect her from the harsh Baltic Sea wind.

Beach chair in Ostseebad Ahlbeck in yellow and with Deutsche Post logo / © Photo: Georg Berg
Beach chair in Ostseebad Ahlbeck in yellow and with Deutsche Post logo / © Photo: Georg Berg

Basket maker Bartelmann then created the first beach chair: a single-seater made of wicker and cane. Mockers compared it to an upright laundry basket with a seat board inserted into it. But demand grew quickly. In the same year, Bartelmann produced further single-seaters, and in 1883 he developed the two-seater. This was very popular as it was equipped with an awning, footrests and side tables. While Bartelmann’s wife Elisabeth founded the first beach chair rental company in Warnemünde, demand continued to grow. Elisabeth Bartelsmann realized that the seasonal and local furniture was easier to rent out than to sell. This drove the expansion of the family business forward. The Bartelsmanns never applied for a patent, and soon imitators appeared. Today, beach chairs characterize the coasts of the Baltic and North Seas. In other countries, the coastal furniture never caught on.

The Wolgaster Holzhaus near Heringsdorf was manufactured from 1884 by the "Wolgaster Aktien-Gesellschaft für Holzbearbeitung
A Wolgaster timber house near Heringsdorf. The first mass-produced prefabricated houses were manufactured from 1884 by the “Wolgaster Aktien-Gesellschaft für Holzbearbeitung” / © Photo: Georg Berg

Wolgast wooden houses

The wooden houses in Wolgast are a special feature of the spa architecture on Usedom. The first wooden system houses in Germany were built here as early as 1900. The “Wolgaster Aktien-Gesellschaft für Holzbearbeitung” constructed these elegant buildings, mainly in Heringsdorf and Bansin. Customers could choose from various models and design their own individual house.

Wolgaster Holzhaus in Bansin. The narrow villa
Wolgaster Holzhaus in Bansin. The narrow villa “Ut Kiek” was shown as a prototype at a world exhibition, presumably in Paris in 1889, and then rebuilt in Bansin / © Photo: Georg Berg

Series prefabricated house with alpine charm

There are several wooden houses on the Bansin promenade that visitors can view. The narrow “Ut Kiek” villa, which is reminiscent of a Norwegian stave church, is particularly eye-catching. At the time, prefabricated houses were considered so innovative that the companies involved regularly took part in world exhibitions – global shows of progress and ingenuity. A Wolgast house still exists today in a suburb of Chicago. The company Christoph & Unmack designed it, had it built in Wolgast and shipped it to Chicago. There it served as a prototype for the Worlds Columbian Exposition, was later rebuilt in the suburb of Wilmette and is still known today as Wolgast House. Back to Bansin: Villa Vineta, Villa Heimdall and Café Asgard are lined up here. This ensemble impressively demonstrates how the spa villas incorporate elements of Alpine log cabins.

Wolgaster Holzhaus in Bansin. These houses show a mixture of traditional craftsmanship and modern production techniques. They are considered to be the first prefabricated houses in Germany / © Photo: Georg Berg
Wolgaster timber house in Bansin. A mixture of traditional craftsmanship and modern production techniques / © Photo: Georg Berg

With these early prefabricated houses, wealthy city dwellers – including nobility, high officials and entrepreneurs – were able to realize their dream villa. Although the wooden houses in Wolgast did not move mountains, they brought a touch of alpine charm to the Baltic Sea.

Villa Vineta on the Bansin beach promenade was built in 1903 and was designed as a guest house from the outset / © Photo: Georg Berg
Villa Vineta on the Bansin beach promenade was built in 1903 and was designed as a guest house from the outset / © Photo: Georg Berg

But now: Unique spa architecture

The magnificent, richly decorated buildings on Usedom form the world’s largest ensemble of preserved spa architecture. This style characterized the Baltic Sea from 1793 to 1918. Many villas were built in Heringsdorf, Ahlbeck and Bansin, especially during the Wilhelminian period. Three main reasons drove the development of the seaside resorts: the fascination of nature, the health benefits of spa stays by the sea and the social need to see and be seen. While people in the imperial spas chastely went into the water in their bathing carts, Mölle on Kullaberg in the province of Skåne made a name for itself from the middle of the 19th century. It was here that women and men bathed together on the beach for the first time – a scandalous event at the time, which was referred to as a “Swedish sin”. The visit of Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1907 further increased Mölle’s popularity.

Villa Bankier Oechsler, Heringsdorf. Built in 1883, the ochre-colored, classicist Villa Oechsler stands on a hill. Today it houses a luxury boutique / © Photo: Georg Berg
Villa Bankier Oechsler, Heringsdorf. Built in 1883, the classicist villa stands on a hill. Today it houses a luxury boutique / © Photo: Georg Berg
The neoclassical white Villa Oppenheim with four Corinthian columns and an open staircase. It was built in 1883 as a summer residence for the family of the banker Benoît Oppenheim. Villa Oppenheim was a favorite subject of the painter Lyonel Feininger. During the GDR era, it served as accommodation and a prestigious guest house for the Minister for State Security, Erich Mielke. Today, vacation apartments are rented out in the Villa Oppenheim in Heringsdorf / © Photo: Georg Berg
The neoclassical white Villa Oppenheim with four Corinthian columns and an open staircase. It was built in 1883 as a summer residence for the family of the banker Benoît Oppenheim. The villa was a favorite subject of the painter Lyonel Feininger. During the GDR era, it served as accommodation and a prestigious guest house for the Minister for State Security, Erich Mielke. Today, vacation apartments are rented out in the Villa Oppenheim in Heringsdorf / © Photo: Georg Berg

Walking over water: The sea bridges of Usedom

A jetty into the sea can be many things. On Usedom, the piers have served as jetties and promenades, as stages and film sets. In addition, restaurants and stores still attract spa guests to the water today. The pier in Ahlbeck was given a 170-metre-long side arm in 1898 so that coastal passenger ships could dock. At 508 meters, Heringsdorf has the second longest pier in Germany.

Seebrücke Ahlbeck auf Usedom mit blauer Beleuchtung am Abend / © Foto: Georg Berg
Seebrücke Ahlbeck auf Usedom mit blauer Beleuchtung am Abend / © Foto: Georg Berg

In imperial times, the seaside resorts on Usedom attracted artists such as Theodor Fontane, Maxim Gorky and Leo Tolstoy. Even after the end of this era, Usedom remained a popular travel destination. In 1924, Thomas Mann completed his novel “The Magic Mountain” in Heringsdorf, which he began in 1913 and is about life in a sanatorium in Davos. From health resort to health resort, so to speak.

New Koserow pier in the evening light with seating for 150 people. Wedding ceremonies are also held on the bridge / © Photo: Georg Berg
Neue Seebrücke Koserow in the evening light. A modern version of the round Baltic Sea beach chair can also be found here / © Photo: Georg Berg

You can even get married on the Koserow pier today. This modern bridge from 2021 is the latest gem on Usedom’s Baltic Sea beach. Whether in love, engaged, married or none of the above – you should visit this wave-shaped bridge, which juts 280 meters into the Baltic Sea. A five-metre-high bell tower stands at the bridgehead, reminiscent of the sunken city of Vineta. According to legend, the “Atlantis of the North” was located directly in front of Koserow.

Cutter race off the southern tip of Gnitz on Usedom, view from Krummin natural harbor / © Photo: Georg Berg
Cutter race off the southern tip of Gnitz on Usedom, view from Krummin natural harbor / © Photo: Georg Berg

Usedom in the low season

Sun, beach and sea attract visitors to Usedom at any time of year. The summer retreat is no longer the only option. In summer, especially during the school vacations, Usedom gets very crowded. Unlike in the imperial era, city dwellers now travel by car rather than by train. Traffic jams in the spa town – nobody wants to spend their vacation days like that. Spring, fall and even winter offer a special attraction for walks on the beach and excursions into the Usedom hinterland.

Tips for excursions by the water and in the hinterland

You shouldn’t miss the futuristic Koserow pier. It attracts many visitors, especially at sunset. Beautiful hikes lead to the southern tip of Gnitz, to the Long Mountain and along the cliffs near Bansin. At the Krummin natural harbor, you can enjoy solid meals with a view of the water and the Gnitz peninsula. At Weingut Welzin you can taste the first original Usedom wine, and the Inselmühle Usedom in the village of Usedom offers the best Usedom specialties. Every year in September, the Week of Spa Architecture is celebrated. The Europapromenade from Ahlbeck to Heringsdorf, part of the Kaiserbäder-Erlebnispfad, provides information about the villas along the way via an app.

The research was supported by Usedom Tourismus


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