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Binz - Stralsund - Lübeck - Düsseldorf |
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We left Binz around 10 a.m. and via the Rügendamm we reached the Hanseatic Town of Stralsund one hour later. There is no toll to use the bridge. A second bridge will now be built because of the frequent traffic jams. We parked near the Marienkirche/St. Mary's Church and strolled around the historic centre for an hour. Stralsund with its old town encircled by water is one of the most beautiful examples of North German brick architecture. The 13th-century town hall has an impressive facade and there are many beautiful gabled houses, some of them still in the process of being renovated. It's hard to imagine how sad everything must have looked in GDR times. At the end of our tour we climbed the tower of St. Mary's Church (2 € each) which offers a fantastic view over the city with its surrounding lakes and the Strelasund channel with the islands of Rügen and Hiddensee in the distance.
It was 12:30 p.m. when we left towards Rostock. Eventually we joined the motorway. At 3 p.m. we reached Lübeck where we stopped for another 1-hour city tour. The Hanseatic Town of Lübeck has preserved much of its original flair in its old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with narrow cobblestone streets and many medieval buildings. It lies on the Trave River close to its mouth on the Baltic Sea. Lübeck's best-known landmark is the Holstentor city gate, constructed in 1464. Further highlights are the market square and the Buddenbrook Haus, the former family home of the writers Heinrich and Thomas Mann and setting of the famous "Buddenbrooks" novel. We were on the road again by 4:30 p.m. and stopped for one more hour to have dinner at the Centro shopping centre ("Alex") in Oberhausen. We arrived back in Düsseldorf at 10:15 p.m.
Conclusion On the island of Rügen we travelled about 400 km. The distance between Rügen and Düsseldorf is approx. 700 km. Petrol prices were around 1.12 € per litre at the time of our stay. The weather could hardly have been any better. During the two weeks of our holiday we only had one full day of rain and the sun was shining on most days. Of the Hanseatic Towns I liked Stralsund best because it has a beautiful centre and is not as large and scattered as Lübeck. Binz was the most interesting town at Rügen and our hike along the chalk cliffs was the best experience. Most of what we saw (Müritz, Greifswald, Stralsund, Rügen) is part of the province of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania which boasts of 2,300 km of tree-lined avenues, many of which are part of the German Avenue Route. Even though we met many elderly people on this trip it is nevertheless highly recommended for younger people and families. Useful Links
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Towns and islands of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania