Rostock and the Baltic Coast

Despite the considerable beach and spa activity in Warnemünde, the first German beach resorts lie just to the west in Kühlungsborn and Heiligendamm. Both, combined with the charming town of Bad Doberan are worth a day-trip or more.

Kühlungsborn became a major seaside resort more than 100 years ago when its first hotel was built. Many other hotels soon followed, and today they form a mile-long stretch of elegant structures centered along five miles of beach. A wide strip of trees runs between the hotels and the beach, creating a quieting buffer between relaxing guests and more energetic groups strolling the rebuilt promenade. Woodlands starting behind the hotels give an even greater sense of peace and solitude.

 
Although the beach beckons, an afternoon walk through town reveals hotels and villas built in an amalgam of styles. Following a good season, owners would add on, each trying to outdo the others. In the evening, time seems to stand still on the promenade as people watch the sunset - and applaud. Time starts again, and the promenade empties. Soon, strolling couples return as they head to their hotels or to dinner. Small crowds form around groups of teens singing and playing for the joy of song, not tips. Music, laughter and light conversation fill the air, all stress apparently banished.

In the early morning, however, peace is absolute. The promenade is empty except for a few early-risers watching the sunrise. (Due to the convex east-west shoreline, both sunset and sunrise are visible.) As the day grows brighter and warmer, a small trickle of people starts making its way from the hotels, through the wooded strip, across the promenade, to the many boardwalks that stretch over the dunes to the beach. Many have reserved large wicker "Standkörber," semi-enclosed chairs that protect beachgoers from wind and sun.
Another day has begun.

If the beaches are too crowded (unlikely), there's always a 20-minute ride east in the narrow-gauge railway "Molli" to Heiligendamm, Germany's first seaside resort.

If Kühlungsborn is a resort reborn, Heiligendamm is early in its gestation period. Germany's first seaside resort is today a massive work in progress, part of a $420 million project to bring Heiligendamm back to life. From the outside, the buildings are still much as they were 100 years ago, and visitors come not to swim but to walk around what has become a massive open-air museum.

In 1793, Duke Friedrich Franz I had chosen the site "for its healing powers." By 1816, a large spa building had been built, with swimming pools, ballrooms and a casino. Over the next 80 years, more structures were added, creating a double crescent of white classical buildings facing the sea. Lawn tennis, golf and yachting followed.

 
By the early 1900s, Heiligendamm was well established as the elegant summer spot for nobility and high society. Like many properties, the buildings of Heiligendamm became hospitals and clinics during World War II and apartments during the GDR period; the last tenants moved out in 1999. Still, the buildings are in remarkably good shape.

Using the original plans, developers restored the buildings' interiors in their original styles but with modern conveniences. The exteriors are refurbished and secured. Since the 31st of May 2003 Heiligendamm is a resort with a Grand Hotel, shops, condominium and golf courses.