Strasburg (Uckermark) is truly one of a kind up here in the North. It can boast it is the only town in the entire federal state that can say it belongs to the Uckermark Region.
What’s the Uckermark, and where did the rest of it go? I’ll try to explain it, but I was a little confused myself.
The Uckermark is a historical region of northern Germany on teeming with Slavs and Prussians and Saxons, mainly divided after Germany’s reunification.
Sounds funny to say that, considering it was once all under East German rule — but when East and West met again, Strasburg was the only town to align itself with Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, with the rest of the Uckermark becoming part of Brandenburg.
None of this, by the way, changes the fact that some of Strasburg’s sites have been around a lot longer than the Cold War lasted.
Take the church of St. Mary’s, for example. It’s quite obvious from its tower the church is quite old, built in 1250. And the town’s Rathaus (Town Hall) might be quite modern since it was built in 1849, but it sits on foundations going back to the year 1599.
Other historical sites in Strasburg would include its Jewish Cemetery, and the 8 meter high Stadtmauer. Yes, its old fortification wall counts as a historical site. I also love the old stone village churches, like the ones in Gehren and Neuensund.
As for history, you know the local history museums are a treasure trove of information, so hit up the City Museum, too.
When all this gets to be too much, you’re always welcome to relax and swim at the Stadtsee. After a refreshing dip, head out to the Brohmer Berge, a mountain area with all sorts of wonderful flora and fauna.
Ahh, I wish I could spend more time here — no doubt Vorpommern would become my new favorite place. Or, I guess had they chosen to go with Brandenburg, I’d have said that would’ve been my new favorite place. ;-)
