The Local Germany

Nazi island resort to be turned into luxury flats

Fri, 03 Jul 2015 18:00:44 +0200

A vast Nazi mega-complex meant as holiday homes for German workers and later used by the Soviets as a Cold War barracks is about to be turned into luxury flats.

Mystery wax clumps wash up on Rügen beach

Mon, 28 Apr 2014 18:43:00 +0200

White clumps of paraffin the size of tennis balls are washing up on the beaches a Baltic island in the second mysterious pollutant spill to hit the Baltic Sea island within a month.

The chilly off-peak perks of Rügen prove a treat

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:04:00 +0200

Germany's largest island Rügen - in the snow - might not top many peoples' list of dream holidays. But as The Local's Jessica Ware discovered, its quiet beauty makes it well worth a trip to escape city bustle for a few days.

Ruffled feathers get swan dropped from menu

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:38:00 +0200

A German restaurant has taken swan off its menu after complaints from animal lovers and and environmentalists.

Buy your own Baltic Sea harbour for just €38,500

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:31:00 +0100

An abandoned harbour on a scenic Baltic Sea island will be auctioned off this Saturday. With bids starting at only €38,500, the 9,600-square metre property is expected to garner lots of attention. But its fate post-sale is causing concern.

Weather watchers warn of washout weekend

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 12:57:00 +0200

Heavy rain and storms lashed Germany this week, toppling trees, blocking roads, flooding houses and resulting at least one death. In Berlin, music festival organisers are bracing themselves for a wash-out weekend.

Surprise for historians raising WWII plane

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 17:13:00 +0200

Experts painstakingly raising a World War II aircraft from the seabed off the island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea have said the plane is much bigger than they initially thought.

Stuka WWII dive bomber to be hauled from seabed

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 08:25:00 +0200

Eighteen metres beneath the Baltic Sea, ten kilometres east of the island of Rügen, lies a piece of German World War II history - and now it's ready to rise again.

Body of girl lost in Baltic landslide found

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:14:00 +0100

A girl’s body found Tuesday on the German Baltic Sea island of Rügen is presumed to be that of 10-year-old Katharina, who went missing in December after a coastal landslide.

Gigantic crack spooks officials on Baltic island

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:28:00 +0100

A crack over two kilometres long and up to a metre deep has been discovered on the Baltic island of Hiddensee. Large areas of the German island’s coastline have been blocked off amid fears of a huge landslide.

Search for girl trapped in landslide called off

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:06:00 +0100

The search for a 10-year-old girl believed to be trapped under a mudslide on an island off the north eastern coast of Germany was formally ended on Sunday.

Heavy rains cause Rügen chalk cliffs to fall into Baltic Sea

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 17:40:00 +0200

A huge chunk of the island of Rügen’s chalk cliffs fell into the Baltic Sea over the weekend, prompting concern that more of the scenic outcrops could be about to crumble away.

Youth hostel arises in former Nazi holiday resort on Baltic Sea

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 17:44:00 +0200

The Prora beach resort on the German island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea was supposed to be a vacation spot for Nazis and their families. Now, following years of neglect, part of the massive complex has been turned into a youth hostel.

Huge chunk falls off Rügen's famous coastline

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 09:22:00 +0100

The northern German island of Rügen lost another 15,000 cubic metres of its famous chalk cliff coastline to the Baltic Sea this week, police in Stralsund said Tuesday.

Rügen loses huge chunk of national park coastline in slide

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 16:01:00 +0100

The northern German island of Rügen has lost another 10,000 cubic metres of its famous chalk cliff coastline to the Baltic Sea following heavy rains, the national park service said Tuesday.

Grey seal watching trips start as population stabilises

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 14:32:00 +0100

The first seal-watching expeditions to see grey seals on the north German coast started this weekend after the population was deemed stable enough to cope with public observation.

Finding fossils at Germany's tiniest national park

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:06:00 +0200

Size doesn't matter when it comes to the natural beauty of Germany's smallest national park, Jasmund. But its humble reach has kept it one of the country's best-kept seaside destinations. Sarah Roberts discovers what the nature reserve has to offer.