It’s hard to imagine a lagoon setting in the very north of Germany. Not the warm water, palm tree surrounded lagoons in old episodes of Gilligan’s Island. But, the town of Barth at the Baltic Sea has one!
What it also has is the Vineta Museum, which acts as a Local History Museum (Heimatmuseum) which is also known for holding all sorts of exhibitions throughout the year. It once held an exhibit of Rembrandt’s work, so you never know what you might see.
Impressionist art isn’t the only thing you’ll find here. The Middle Ages made quite an imprint. Be sure to see the medieval hospital complex St. Jürgen, which was built in the 14th century. A century before residents of Barth built the Sankt Marien Kirche, so don’t leave a visit here out!
Sorry to say not much remains of the medieval Stadtmauer (defense wall). I guess after the Swedes left, there weren’t too many invaders & marauders trying to fight their way in. ;-) But, the Fangelturm still stands, as does the Dammtor. Just FYI… a Turm is a tower and a Tor is a gate.
There are even quite a few historic houses within Barth. You know what that means — fairytale framework houses that everyone loves!
Not quite as old as some of the other sites in Barth, but great to see nonetheless is the Adlige Fräuleinstift, a monastery that was built in an abandoned castle in 1729. As well as the Kaiser Wilhelm Monument and the Soviet Cemetery.
When you’ve had a fill of history and all that jazz, enjoy a summer theater performance or one of the concerts held at the town’s church. The kids (or the kid in us) will enjoy the fantastic Childrens Festival.
Somehow I’d bet that most of the those tykes have never seen Gilligan’s lagoon, but at least they get to see one in Barth. ;-)
By the way, you may interest you that Barth even has its own airport just south of town, called the Stralsund-Barth Airport [BBH]. It’s only 3.7km away (5 minutes by car, 45 minutes by foot).
