Writer: Helena Bergström
Should we even spread this tip, or should we keep it a secret…? It only takes 6-8 hours by ferry from southern Sweden and you arrive in a holiday paradise with miles of sandy beaches, beautiful spa hotels with German seaside resort architecture and countless options for food and nature experiences. Could it be too good to be true?
Usedom – a gem on the other side of the Baltic Sea
Not many people in Sweden know about the island of Usedom, which is strange considering that this fantastic holiday island is just a ferry ride away. The island, with a coastline overlooking the Baltic Sea, is shared by Germany and Poland, and the easiest way to get here from Sweden is by ferry to the Polish town of Swinoujscie.
The ferries depart from Ystad, Trelleborg or Malmö and you can choose to go with Unity Line, TT-Line, Polferries or Finnlines. To reach the German part of the island – and the imperial spas – continue from Swinoujscie by car, taxi, train, bus… or perhaps by bike.
The imperial spas of Usedom
There are three imperial spa towns (Die Kaiserbäder) on the island of Usedom: Ahlbeck, Heringsdorf and Bansin. These cities reached their heyday during the German Empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and became holiday paradises for the Imperial family, including Kaiser Wilhelm II, and the Prussian elite.
The cities are known for their grand imperial architecture, their long sandy beaches and their range of spas and wellness. It is not difficult to imagine how the fashionable spa guests of the turn of the century once strolled around here in parasols and dazzlingly beautiful clothes.
After the Second World War, Usedom became part of what was then East Germany, and times changed radically in many respects. There was no money left to maintain the pompous villas, some buildings were built in socialist style and many hotel and other entrepreneurs saw their properties confiscated by the state.
Now Usedom is flourishing again. In summer people come here to sunbathe and swim. Tourists come all year round for spa and wellness, nature experiences and good food. The beautiful hotels once again show off their renewed glory and the bathing towers are no longer used to prevent people from fleeing to the west, but only to guarantee the safe bathing of beachgoers.
A holiday paradise – all year round
Summer is the high season, but holidaymakers come to Usedom all year round. The beaches certainly attract sun and swimming in the summer heat, but also for autumn walks and daring swimming in winter. Moreover, Usedom is flourishing again as a Korort, or spa town if you like. Every other hotel offers indoor and outdoor swimming pools, saunas of every conceivable kind and all kinds of wellness, health and beauty treatments.
In all three imperial spas there is also a wide range of restaurants, bars and cafes, where you can enjoy everything from traditional hearty German dishes to more modern innovations. Or why not visit a winery, a brewery, a coffee roaster or a local mustard and oil producer?
Advertisement
Usedom can be discovered by car, bus, train or bicycle. If you want, you can also book various excursions, such as a picturesque ‘island safari’ on the roof of a Land Rover. Of course you will also find art, crafts and historically interesting sights there.
Usedom – the “secret” gem
So why is it that Usedom, which is so incredibly beautiful and just a ferry ride away from Sweden, is so unknown among Swedes? Yes, there can be multiple answers to this question. One explanation may of course lie in the fact that the area was completely closed during the GDR era, i.e. between 1949 and 1990. But that is not the case. hello the explanation.
Advertisement
If you compare it to Poland, which was also closed during the GDR era, both Gdansk and Sopot are quite well-known destinations for Swedes today. There is probably also an explanation in the fact that Usedom mainly focused on the German-speaking audience: German holidaymakers, but also Austrians, Swiss and Poles who speak German.
It is striking that the residents of Usedom are not used to tourists who do not speak German. Still the most enbart in German: the websites of the hotels and tourist companies, the menus, the signs at the breakfast buffet, the information folders in the hotel room… One or two, often those with a slightly more extroverted role, speak English. The majority stick to German, or become noticeably nervous when unusually searching for English vocabulary.
But don’t they want English-speaking tourists? Yes, that’s what they want! But it feels like it’s still a bit in its infancy. When we point out that translations into English would be fine in several places, they thank us for the suggestion, as if they haven’t really had time to think about it yet. Perhaps so few have asked…
To change that, we need another group of tourists who did not study German at school. But it will come. And if you are already traveling here, you can experience this amazing place for everything is adapted for Sweden. Just a ferry ride away awaits a gem that somehow feels a little protected and untapped and, for us Swedes, a little exotic and flamboyant.
And yes, it works perfectly, even if you don’t speak German, as long as you are prepared for the fact that the conversations can sometimes get a bit choppy… The will, the friendliness and the openness are there!
What are you waiting for? Or for that matter, maybe I shouldn’t have told you about this amazing gem…
This trip was a press trip organized by Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Tourism Association. All thoughts and opinions are, as always, our own!
#Swedes #havent #gem #ferry #ride