Bergen auf Rügen

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Bergen auf Rügen (Bergen)


Country	Germany
State	Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
District	Rügen
Population	14,711 (30/6/2005)
Area	41.77 km²
Population density	352 /km²
Elevation	70 m
Coordinates	54°25′ N 13°26′ E
Postal code	18528
Area code	03838
Licence plate code	RÜG
Mayor	Andrea Köster
Website	www.stadt-bergen-auf-ruegen.de

Bergen auf Rügen (dark red) in Bergen auf Rügen Amt (light red) in Rügen district (grey)

Bergen auf Rügen is the capital of the district of Rügen in the middle of the island of Rügen in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. Since 1 January 2005, Bergen has moreover been the administrative seat of the Amt of Bergen auf Rügen, which with a population of over 23,000 is Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's most populous Amt.

1 Geography
- 1.1 The city's subdivisions
2 History
3 Transport
4 Recreation
5 Sightseeing
6 Sons and daughters of the city
7 City partnerships
8 Pictures
9 Literature
10 External links

[edit] Geography

Bergen is found almost right in the middle of Germany's biggest island, Rügen, on the Baltic Sea coast. The city lies in a hilly area, with the Rugard woods on the city's northeast outskirts reaching a height of 91 m above sea level. The area around Bergen is predominantly agricultural. The town itself is built on a glacial moraine left when the ice sheets retreated during the last ice age. Not far from downtown Bergen, to the northeast, is the Kleiner Jasmunder Bodden, a shallow bay, and likewise to the southeast lies another, the Greifswalder Bodden, along with the charming town of Putbus.

Anyone looking for lakes will find the hunting good, with the Kiebitzmoor lying south of Bergen, along with the Nonnensee, lying northwest of town, filled once more only a few years ago.

[edit] The city's subdivisions

The following wards are parts of Bergen:

Bergen Süd
Dumsevitz
Kaiseritz
Karow
Kiekut

Neklade
Streu
Tilzow
Trips
Zittvitz

[edit] History

Bergen's history goes back over 1,000 years.

The name's origins stretch back to 1232 when there was a place on Rügen called Gora, a Slavic word for "mountain" ("Berg" in German) which came from the Polabian language spoken by the Ranen, a Slavic people who once inhabited the area. However, it is clear that Bergen's current site was first settled longer ago than that. The most conspicuous proof for this is the Marienkirche (church) south of the marketplace.

Already by 1185, work had begun on the house of God, commissioned by the Prince of Rügen Jaromar I (1170-1218). In 1193 it was completed and then consecrated as the monastery church. Even today, the church still bears an odd curiosity: the dial on the big tower clock shows 61 minutes. Encouraged by the founding of the monastery, the first inn opened in 1232.

In 1314, Bergen itself was first mentioned in a document under the name villa montis. Until the 15th century, Bergen was under the monastery's leadership. Only after a decree by the Landtag in Treptow in 1534 was the Reformation introduced into Pomerania. Ownership of the monastery was transferred to the Pomeranian Duke.

In 1613, Bergen was granted city rights.

The first industrial enterprises were established in 1823 and 1853, when leather factories set up shop here. In 1883, the first trains reached Bergen station along the railway from Altefähr. In 1890, the dairy began operations and the next year, the post office was built at the marketplace. When in 1898 and 1899, the waterworks and the power station came into operation, the infrastructure that Bergen had at its disposal made it worthy of being the district seat.

Even Bergen, however, was not spared the Second World War. On 4 May 1945 began the unopposed occupation of Bergen by the Red Army. After the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) was founded, the new government pressed ahead with further industrialization. In 1952, construction began on the industrial area on the town's western outskirts. In 1953-1958, the dairy was established, which furnished 300 t of milk daily. In 1955-1956 came the establishment of the VEB Brot- und Backwaren (Bread and Baked Goods). In 1957-1958, the slaughterhouse and meat plant went into production. An efficient food industry was set up in Bergen, supplied by the island and parts of the mainland. Since Reunification and East Germany's accession into the Federal Republic, a number of marked changes have been wrought upon the town. The population dwindled from its former level of almost 20,000 to a somewhat less robust 16,500. Many prefabricated concrete structures, so common in the former Warsaw Pact countries, were modernized and adapted to new demands. Furthermore, a few schools were closed and new hotels built. Even the downtown core was completely renovated and beautified, giving it a new glamour.

[edit] Transport

Bergen has essentially good transport connections. This refers to travel on the island of Rügen and the national rail system. The road connection with the mainland, on the other hand, could only be described as bad. In summer, the Rügendamm – the bridge that joins Rügen to the mainland at Stralsund often becomes a bottleneck. Alleviation will come in a few years when the Strelasundquerung – a second crossing over the Strelasund and an expressway feeder road – is built.

Individually, the road network serving Bergen is as follows. The B 96 reaches Bergen from Stralsund, where it connects with the B 105 which leads to Rostock. Bergen is also accessible by car by taking the ferry from Glewitz. In Bergen, the road further branches into the B 196, affording access to the island's eastern area, where there are bathing beaches. The B 96 itself leads further on to Sassnitz.

Those who would rather forgo the car may also reach Bergen by train. Already by the time the first stretches of railway were built on Rügen in 1883, trains were reaching the island from afar. The island's capital, Bergen, has always profited from this, as it lies right on the main transport arteries to the bathing resorts and the harbour at Mukran (Sassnitz).

Specifically, there are direct rail connections from Basel through the Ruhr area, Hamburg and Rostock as well as from Leipzig and Berlin. Furthermore, there are individual trains from Munich, Innsbruck and Hanover. All parts of the island of Rügen can also be reached from Bergen by the many buslines there.

Until the 1960s, Bergen was also served by a local narrow gauge railway, the Rügensche Kleinbahn, popularly known as Rasender Roland, but the Deutsche Reichsbahn, which owned it at the time, shut all the lines in the central and northern parts of Rügen down at that time. Part of the system still runs, however.

[edit] Recreation

Right near the historic town centre is the Rugard wood. From the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Turm (tower) at 91 m above sea level, one has a stunning panoramic view far across Rügen.
In the northern part of the Rugard wood, a summer luge track was opened on 25 June 2005.
Bergen Rotensee Sociocultural Neighbourhood Centre, since February 2005 with club-cinema. Readings, concerts and creative arts are at home here.

[edit] Sightseeing

Marienkirche (church) – Commissioned by Prince Jaromar I in 1185, it is Rügen's oldest maintained building. The gravestone embedded in the church's outer wall is said to be the prince's.
Stadtmuseum Bergen

[edit] Sons and daughters of the city

Theodor Billroth, German doctor
Hans Delbrück, German historian and politician
Wolfgang Jacobi, German composer and music teacher
Hans Langsdorff, German Navy officer
Sebastian Pflugbeil, East German civil rights advocate and Minister without portfolio
Arnold Ruge, German writer
Holger Teschke, German writer