Ostsee | Fotoeins Fotografie

24T28 Prora legacy, Binz Ostseestrandbad

E27

I turn my attention to the southeast corner of Rügen island, towards Prora and Binz.

There’s a very long curved building complex in Prora. The ruling National Socialists (NS) had in the 1930s planned to construct a 4.7-km (2.9-mi) long seaside resort between the towns of Sassnitz and Binz. The resort at Prora was meant for 20-thousand workers through the propaganda program “Kraft durch Freude” (KdF, Strength through joy). The KdF on the leisure side was merely another tool to ensure blind, unwavering, complete loyalty to the NS cause. With foundation stone laid in 1936, construction began in 1937, but stopped in 1939 with the outbreak of continental war. After 1945, East Germany used the partly completed complex as army barracks and military used, turning the area into an exclusion zone. Today, private investments have completely transformed some of the blocks to tourism as holiday apartments.

The Documentation Centre in Prora does a great job in describing the complex, the intended functions, and its ongoing fate; as well as the NS KdF program in the context of transforming the German nation into a “hammer” on the rest of Europe. All panels are only in German, but PDFs in English are available from accompanying QR-codes.

I would have liked another few hours in Binz; morning light would be spectacular from the white-sand beaches. While its “centrepiece” Kurhaus spa hotel and other buildings are nice architectural works, the town has a “stank of the rich“, which I find unappealing. It may be why I’m also not very excited to visit Sylt, although I probably should some day.

Prora, DokuZentrum

*“Vacation: an exhibition on KdF’s seaside spa project in Prora.”*

*Some of the south blocks entirely rebuilt with private investments for modern standards of holiday apartments.*

*Layout of resort complex “K.d.F. Seebad Rügen”, 1938. North is to the right. The cursive is reprinted in block letters in the following image.*

*Situation in 1945; north to the right.*

Binz

*1908 Kurhaus (Spa) Binz; now, Travel Charme Kurhaus Binz*.

I made all images above with an iPhone15 on 4 Jun 2024. I received neither sponsor nor support from any organization. This post composed with Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.

24T27 King’s Chair, chalk cliffs, beech trees

E26

My visit to Rügen island is set mostly on the chalk cliffs as visual inspiration for building art and the ancient beech-tree forest as natural cathedrals for building community.

Königsstuhl (King’s Chair)

The name of one of the most well-known chalk cliffs is the starting point for the visitor centre, the Nationalpark Zentrum Königsstuhl, which provides descriptions of the geography, geology, and biology of this protected area.

Kreidefelsen (chalk cliffs)

A classic case for erosion by water and wind, the tall chalk cliffs have provided inspiration to many, including the 19th-century German Romanticism art movement made famous by local artist Caspar David Friedrich. Perhaps, it’s as simple as recognizing the colour context of the blue sea waters, white chalk cliffs, and the green canopy of beech trees.

Buchenwald (beech forest)

Nationalpark Jasmund: established 1990, Germany’s smallest national park at about 3100 hectares (7600 acres). In about one-sixth of the area (about 500 ha), there are untouched beech trees, which is why Jasmund is included in the pan-European inscription for “old beech forests” as UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011.