Sights and Trip Destinations on the peninsula Fischland-Darss-Zingst

	Sailor's Grave The sailor's grave on the graveyard not only reminds us of the maritime traditions of Zingst. It also honors the memory of the many known and unknown sailors who fell victim to the dangers of the sea. The coast of the Darss and Zingst were dangerous for sailing ships crossing close to the shore, especially because of the constantly changing and unpredictable currents, thus reducing the maneuverability of the ships and resulting in running aground. The people who lived here now and then ambiguously watched these events. On the one hand, everything was done to save human life, on the other hand the flotsam and jetsam, thought to belong to nobody, were appreciated gifts. It happened, that "wrong fire signs" were lit to mislead ships, predominant, however, was the unselfish help in case of accidents. The saviors often put their own life at risk. On Christmas Eve in 1931, when the steamer "Helene", loaded with food, ran aground at the Western Darss, the load washed ashore became a welcome Christmas present in this time of world economic crisis.
	Harbor The port underwent extensive reconstructions and extensions and exists in its present shape since 1993. Moorings, jetties and shipyards on the Bodden have always been very important for Zingst. It was from this place, that around 1500 the history of shipping started, which made Zingst an important and flourishing sailor's village in the 18th and 19th century. Sea-going ships were built here in 1891 (the name "Werftstrasse" - shipyards road - remind us of that), and also here was the mooring of the steamers which up to our times brought the majority of holidaymakers to Zingst. From the harbor, you have a view to the South across the Grosser and Kleiner Kirr Isles to the tower of St. Mary's church in Barth. Visitors can enjoy the picture typical of the landscape of the Bodden. A unique paradise of nature presents itself, flat and even, only some centimeters above sea level. In the Fall, you can observe the invasion of the cranes from this place at sunset.
	Resort Administration Already in 1881, some business-minded restaurant owners and captains founded a "resort-committee". From then on, tourism developed rapidly in Zingst. Today, it is the most important economic factor of the municipality. For many visitors, the resort administration is the first institution to turn to. The building, built in 1898 as an indoor swimming pool and a reading hall, for decades was used as the Seat of the local authority. In 1994, the building was extended. Now the building, apart from administrative and information purposes of the resort administration, is also used for cultural events. A gallery as well as various "small scale" events have their place here. Small building at the fork of the Strandstrasse and Klosterstrasse belongs to the "Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Rettung Schiffbruechiger" (German Society for the Rescue of Shipwrecked). It was founded in 1865, the station was built in 1873. Whereas in the beginning the rescue teams, which acted as volunteers and unselfishly, provided their help mainly for sailors of the coastal freight shipping, today mainly fishermen and sport sailors can get into danger off the coast.
	Dyke Our short walk through the place ends where it began - on the dyke, which is the end of all ways of Zingst. The dyke is the main part of the coast protection system, consisting of shallows, beaches, dunes, forest and the dyke. This kind of coast protection system has proved to be the best for the flat coast predominant in our region. The dyke is damaged mainly by people leaving the signposted trails and by wild boars and voles. The first dykes were built after 1848 and made higher after the devastating floods of 1872 and 1874. The construction of the dykes existing now started in 1964 on the side towards the open water, followed since 1976 by works on the side of the Bodden. Now Zingst is completely surrounded by cross or bolt dykes and, according to calculations and as far as anyone can judge, can be regarded as a safe place.
	Zingsthof The Zingsthof, situated some way out of the village, on the road to Mueggenburg, exists since 1929. It became of importance during the time of National Socialism as a domain and meeting place of members of the Confessional Church (an Anti-Nazi wing of the German Protestant Church), among them Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Protestant theologian, who became a victim of Nazi barbarism. Today, the Zingsthof is used as a home for religious courses and for recreation of the Pomeranian Protestant Church. Here, church employees as well as laymen are prepared for their service in the church and besides that, children and teens - and often handicapped persons as well - , but also families, find recreation. The new buildings of the Zingsthof, built in 1993/94, are a good example for a building construction, which is modern, and at the same time in line with regional building traditions.
	Goetheplatz The ensemble around the Goetheplatz is the only residential area in Zingst, which can be recognised as designed as a unity. The buildings, called "Siedlung" (settlement) by the locals, were built in 1935/36 mainly for sergeants of the Wehrmacht, when an artillery shooting range was developed East of Zingst. Since that time, Zingst was a garrison for about 60 years and this militaristic tradition has for a great part shaped the village and its surroundings, including the natural environment. At the place called "Haegarende", the remains of the use of Zingst by the military can clearly be recognized today. Now, they are being transformed to be used step by step for civilian purposes. In the former headquarters, for example, the administration of the municipality of Zingst will get its new domicile.
	Martha Mueller - Graehlert The regional song "Wo de Ostseewellen trecken an den Strand" (Where the waves of the Baltic Sea come ashore ...) is well known beyond our peninsula. Martha Mueller-Graehlert, whose grave can be found in the graveyard of Zingst, wrote the text of this song. Despite the fact, that she is well known by the general public only as the author of the song text mentioned above (the melody was written by Simon Kranning), her work contains much more than that. She worked as a journalist, wrote both funny and serious poems and short stories in Low German as well as lyric verse and prose in High German. Martha Mueller-Graehlert was born in Barth in 1876. She spent her childhood in Zingst, a plaque at the building Lindenstrasse 7 reminds of that. In 1904, she got married to Dr. Wilhelm Mueller, whom she followed to Japan when he was given a chair as a professor at Sapporo University. Lonesome and often misunderstood, ill and pained by economic problems in her old age, she died in the Franzburg pensioner's home in 1938. Today, in the local museum a special room is devoted to the memory of Martha Mueller-Graehlert
	Church Up to the middle of the 19th century, Zingst belonged to the Prerow parish. When the municipality was founded in 1819 and the village developed, an own church had to be built. In 1862 the Protestant church "St. Peter and Paul" was built by Friedrich August Stueler, a disciple of Schinkel. Therefore it is not a fishermen or farmer's church typical of the region. Elements of neo-classical style are unmistakable. The organ was built by Sauer, Frankfurt/Oder and built into the old organ case in 1986. In the times of coastal shipping with sailing vessels, the church towers were also orientation signs for the sailors. Therefore, the church of Zingst was built without a tower to prevent all sea maps having to be altered. This is why the bells are housed in a special bell cage, which stands separately. Today, the Protestant church of Zingst, apart from its original function, plays a major role as a cultural center. Worth mentioning are the church concerts which are a special attraction.
	Stoertebekerstrasse When you look at Zingst you may get the impression that the village has houses in all kinds of styles and that there is very little unity. Apart from old and new houses built in the style typical of the region you will also find testimonies of a manner of house-construction which was only inspired by economic principles. You will encounter this phenotype especially when you walk through the Stoertebekerstrasse. House number 4 is a thatched house with a hipped-gable roof, as they were built here for centuries. The sailors themselves carved and painted front doors during their long sea journeys. While doors of this kind have become rare today in Zingst, they can very often be seen in the villages of Prerow, Wieck and Born on the Darss. House number 7a is much younger, but still well remodeled. Worth seeing is the typical "bull's eye", a round window in the attic story. In opposition to all that, is the hotel "Stoertebecker", built in 1973, next door. It is a typical example of "architecture" for the mass tourism organized in the GDR by the trade unions, which on the one hand made it possible for many people to make a holiday on the Baltic Sea for little money, while it did not have much respect of the architectonic characteristics typical of the region.
	Pier Piers and landing stages for shipping did belong to the picture of nearly all Baltic Sea resorts. In many cases, they were built as extensions of bathing facilities built on wooden piles for ladies, gentlemen and families towards the sea. In Zingst, the family bathing facilities were the last ones to be demolished in 1937. A landing stage, however, still existed until 1947. Only then he was ready to be demolished following, heavily damaged by storm and ice drift. Piers are still very attractive. At any time of the year, they provide a close experience of wind and sea, help watch life on the beach or try one's luck with an angling rod. At the same time, they offer mooring facilities for ships and boats. The present sea pier of Zingst was opened in May 1993. It is 270 meters long and 2,50 meters wide.
	Captain's House A captain's house, a typical monument of the sailor's tradition of Zingst, can be found in the center of the village, at the bus stop, in Strandstrasse 7. Houses of the same type and very well-kept are also the houses in Neue Reihe 6 (Klamann-house) and house "Morgensonne" in the Strandstrasse (local museum). The captains of the village used to present their wealth with pride. Their houses were bigger than the other houses of the village, they were entirely built with bricks, they had an attic story completely fitted out with a "front spear", they had a hard roof and normally they were painted in white. By that they differed significantly as well from the sailor's houses which were painted in blue or from the thatched clay houses owned by the poorer population of the village. A larder, well-filled with most delicious foreign food was regarded a mirror of the wealth of the captains. The same was thought of the numerous souvenirs, dominated by English goods like faience and by the famous porcelain dogs.
Trip Destinations:
	Pramort The Werder-Isles and the Isle of Bock, legally protected nature reserves, can be admired from a viewpoint near Pramort. A special spectacle of nature can be watched from here in September and October. Thousands of cranes rest in the shallows, also called "Windwatt", during their flight towards the winter quarters. The birds spend some weeks in the Bodden region to build up food reserves for the long flight.
	National Park Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft With its 805 square kilometres, the National Park is one of largest in size in the Eastern part of Germany. It contains coastal landscapes, mostly in a natural shape, of the Darss and Zingst peninsulas, large areas of the Bodden, Western parts of the isle of Ruegen and the isle of Hiddensee. The largest part of the National Park, 687 square kilometers in all, is covered by water. Elements typical of the landscape of the Baltic Sea coast, like steep and flat coasts, spits, bays, strand lakes, dunes and beaches with their typical flora and fauna can be met here in a very confined area. Every year in the Fall, parts of the National Park become the largest resting place for cranes in Europe.
	Rhododendronpark Graal-Mueritz The park was created between 1955 and 1961. With its area of 4,5 hectares it is one of the largest parks of its kind. The 50 kinds of rhododendron as well as the bushes, some of them as high as 10 meters, are very impressive when they blossom. The rhododendron festival takes place every year on the weekend after Whitsunday.
	Open-Air Museum in Klockenhagen The open-air museum is worth a visit with examples of houses from the 17th up to the 20th century, typical of the region. Included various farmhouses, a bakery and a trestle windmill.
	Natur-Schatzkammer und Paradiesgarten Neuheide The privately run museum is the only one of its kind in Northern Germany. Apart of about 250 kinds of mushrooms, it presents an exhibition of about 200 species of preserved animals.
	Amber Museum in Ribnitz-Damgarten Exhibition on the natural and art history as well as on the processing of amber. Demonstration floor.