Germany - Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - Usedom Island

A collage of various location on Usedom Island, also known as "Germany's Sunniest Island".

Sent by Danniela from Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.

Usedom (German: Usedom [ˈuːzədɔm], Polish: Uznam [ˈuznam]) is a Baltic Sea island in Pomerania, divided between Germany and Poland. It is the second largest Pomeranian island after Rügen, and the most populous island in the Baltic Sea.

It lies north of the Szczecin Lagoon estuary of the Oder river. About 80% of the island belongs to the German district of Vorpommern-Greifswald in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The eastern part and the largest city on the island, Świnoujście, are part of the Polish West Pomeranian Voivodeship. The island's total area is 445 square kilometres (172 square miles) – 373 square kilometres (144 square miles) in the German part and 72 square kilometres (28 square miles) in the Polish part. Its population is 76,500 (German part 31,500; Polish part 45,000).

With an annual average of 1,906 hours of sunshine, Usedom is the sunniest region of both Germany and Poland, and it is also one of the sunniest islands in the Baltic Sea, hence its nickname "Sun Island" (German: Sonneninsel, Polish: Wyspa Słońca)..

The island has been a tourist destination since the Gründerzeit in the 19th century, and features resort architecture. Seaside resorts include Zinnowitz and the Amber Spas in the west, the Kaiserbad and Świnoujście in the east (read more).

Germany - Mecklenburg-Verpommern - Water Tower in Neverin

NEVERIN

Water Tower (Wasserturm)

Prominent landmark and the official emblem of the municipality of Neverin.

Sent by Lutz from Neubrandenburg in Meckenburg-Verpommern, Germany.

Germany - Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - Mapcard

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

Warm greetings from Mecklenburg-Verpommern.

Sent by Fabrice from Neubrandenburg, Germany.

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; German: [ˌmeːklənbʊʁkˈfoːɐ̯pɔmɐn] or [ˌmɛk-]; Low German: Mäkelborg-Vörpommern), also known by its anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ranks 14th in population; it covers an area of 23,300 km² (9,000 sq mi), making it the sixth largest German state in area; and it is 16th in population density. Schwerin is the state capital and Rostock is the largest city. Other major cities include Neubrandenburg, Stralsund, Greifswald, Wismar, and Güstrow. It was named after the two regions of Mecklenburg and Western Pomerania (German: Vorpommern).

The state was established in 1945 after World War II through the merger of the historic regions of Mecklenburg and Prussian Western Pomerania by the Soviet military administration in Allied-occupied Germany. It became part of the German Democratic Republic in 1949, but was dissolved in 1952 during administrative reforms and its territory divided into the districts of Rostock, Schwerin, and Neubrandenburg. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern was re-established in 1990 following German reunification and became one of the new states of the Federal Republic of Germany (read more).

Germany - Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - Ludwiglust

19288 Luwiglust
in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Sent by Anja from Ludwiglust, Germany.

Ludwigslust (German pronunciation: [luːtvɪçsˈlʊst]) is a central castle town of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, 40 km south of Schwerin. Since 2011 it has been part of the Ludwigslust-Parchim district.

Ludwigslust is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. The former royal residential town is known for its rich heritage, especially the famed Ludwigslust Palace, known as Versailles of the North (read more).

Germany - Historic Centres of Stralsund and Wismar

Historic Centres of Stralsund. Together with the town of Wismal, they are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sent by Mirko, a postcrosser from Germany.

This is from UNESCO : Wismar and Stralsund, leading centres of the Wendish section of the Hanseatic League from the 13th to the 15th centuries and major administrative and defence centres in the Swedish kingdom in the 17th and 18th centuries, contributed to the development and diffusion of brick construction techniques and building types, characteristic features of Hanseatic towns in the Baltic region, as well as the development of defence systems in the Swedish period.
The historic towns of Wismar and Stralsund are situated in north-eastern Germany on the Baltic Sea coast. The cities were founded as part of the German colonization of the Slav territories in the late 12th or early 13th centuries. Both cities emerged as important trading places in the 14th century as part of the Hanseatic League. After the Thirty Years' War, the towns came under Swedish rule from the 17th to the early 19th centuries. Under the subsequent changing political situations there was a period of stagnation, but from the second half of the 19th century a gradual economic improvement began. The historic centres survived the Second World War bombardments and were part of the German Democratic Republic until unification (read further)
 

Germany - Map of Rügen

Rügen, Germany's largest island.

Sent by Gabriela, a postcrosser from Germany.

This is from Wikipedia : Rügen (German pronunciation: [ˈʁyːɡən]) is Germany's largest island. Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of the Rügen District of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern which also includes the neighboring islands of Hiddensee and Ummanz (read further).

Germany - Kloster Eldena

Kloster Eldena or Eldena Abbey in Germany.

Sent by Herbstzeitlose, a postcrosser from Germany.

This is from Wikipedia : Eldena Abbey (German: Kloster Eldena), originally Hilda Abbey (German: Kloster Hilda) is a former Cistercian monastery near the present town of Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Only ruins survive, which are well-known as a frequent subject of Caspar David Friedrich's paintings, including the famous Abtei im Eichwald ("Abbey in the Oak Forest") (read further).