Isle of Ruegen, the baltic island, Germany

Shining white chalk cliffs, kilometres long fine sandy beaches, calm expanses of beech woods and the beauty of Cape Arkona are all part of Germany’s largest island.
The megaliths graves bear witness that Ruegen had already been settled more than 1000 years ago and had attracted traders and seafarers. Germanic and Slavic earthworks belie a turbulent history until the Danish Bishop Absalon destroyed the pagan deity of the Ranen in 1168 and began the Christianisation of Ruegen.

People seeking rest cures first began to arrive on Ruegen in the 19th. century. Lord Malte of Putbus had already had the residential town of Putbus built on the Italian design, before the spas of Binz, Sellin, Baabe and Goehren acquired their reputations.

Visitors to Ruegen nowadays come to stay in the white guesthouses built in typical spa style which have been restored in recent years to their former beauty.
The traditional Baltic resorts of Ruegen, Binz, Sellin and Goehren now have their attractive sea bridges again.
The are cycle and footpaths all over Ruegen nowadays. You can also strike out across the water along the sea bridges, the resorts on the nearby Isle of Usedom can be reached faster by boat in summer than by car. Boat trips to Denmark (Copenhagen, Isle of Bornholm), Sweden (Trelleborg) and Poland (Swinemuende) are also popular with visitors to Ruegen. The main embarkation point is the port at Sassnitz.
Ruegen can offer many interesting activities, such as a trip on the "Rasender Roland" narrow gauge railway from Putbus through Binz and Sellin to Goehren and a visit to the city of Bergen, the capital of Ruegen.
Anybody who has seen the frozen waters of the bay in winter or the white carpet of wood anemones in the Granitz woods or who makes a cycling tour through the autumn colours on Rügen, is bound to fall in love with this island.