Usedom

Infobox Islands
name = Usedom
Uznam

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image caption = Landsat map of the Usedom-Wolin area
image size = 300px
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location = Baltic Sea
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area = 445 km²
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country = Germany
country admin divisions title = State
country admin divisions = flag|Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
country admin divisions title 1 = District
country admin divisions 1 = Ostvorpommern
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country 1 = Poland
country 1 admin divisions title = Voivodeship
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population = 76,500
population as of =
density = 172
ethnic groups = Germans, Poles
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Usedom ( _de. Usedom IPA| [ˈuːzədɔm] , _pl. Uznam IPA| [ˈuznam] ) is a Baltic Sea island on the border between Germany and Poland. It is situated north of the Szczecin Lagoon ( _de. Stettiner Haff) estuary of the Oder river in Pomerania. Most of the island belongs to the German district of Ostvorpommern in the Federal State of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, with the exception of the eastern part and the city of Świnoujście ( _de. Swinemünde) which is in Polish West Pomeranian Voivodeship. Its area is 445 km² (the German part 373 km²; the Polish part 72 km²).

Its population is 76,500 (the German part 31,500; the Polish part 45,000).

Geography

The island is separated in the east from the neighbouring island of Wolin by the Świna ( _de. Swine) strait (or river), which is the main route connecting Szczecin Bay with the Pomeranian Bay, a part of the Baltic Sea. The strait between the island and the mainland is called Peenestrom; it is an underwater extension of the valley of the Peene river, which flows into the westernmost part of Szczecin Bay. The island is mostly plain, partly covered by marshes.

The main town on the island is Świnoujście, which has more inhabitants than the rest of the island. Another town, giving its name to the island, is called Usedom. The largest town in the German part is Heringsdorf (formerly Dreikaiserbäder). There are many popular tourist resorts on the northern coast, including the three Dreikaiserbäder (Emperor's Three Baths) cities Ahlbeck, Heringsdorf and Bansin, as well as Świnoujście and Zinnowitz.

Economic activities include agriculture, fishing, animal husbandry, food processing and timber.

History

Settled since the Stone Age, the area was inhabitated by Germanic Rugians, before Polabian Slavs moved in during the 5th to 7th centuries. Around the isle, Wendish/Scandinavian trade centers such as Vineta/Jomsborg and Menzlin arose. In 1128 Pomeranian duke Wartislaw I converted to Christianity through the efforts of Otto of Bamberg. In 1155 the Premonstratensians established an abbey/cloister in Grobe, which in 1309 was moved to Pudagla village. In the meantime another abbey was created in Crummin and, soon, almost the whole island was in the abbey's possession. During the Reformation, ownership changed to Slavic dukes of Pomerania, who took over the island.

During the Thirty Year's War, on June 26 1630, the Swedish army under king Gustav Adolf II landed in the village of Peenemünde located on the Peene river (Polish: Piana). Usedom was annexed by Sweden after the war for almost a century, until in 1720 it was sold for 2 million thalers to the Prussian king Frederick William I. In 1740 Frederick the Great developed a seaport in Swinemünde.

The small village of Peenemünde came to prominence again during World War II. The Luftwaffe tested their missiles and rockets, including the V-1 and V-2. Germany used thousands of slave labourers who were prisoners of war in the concentration camps on Usedom during World War II.

In 1945 the eastern part of the island, together with the city and port of Świnoujście, was assigned to Poland by the Potsdam Conference, the German inhabitants being expelled to the west. The territory was populated with Poles who had in turn been expelled by the Soviet Union from lands east of the Bug river.

Tourism

The Isle of Usedom is one of Germany's major holiday and recreation areas due to its beaches, its nature and a number of elegant seaside towns such as Zinnowitz and Heringsdorf, which have been frequented by the German and international nobility as well as the general public. A large number of hotels and bed and breakfasts is available on both sides of the German-Polish border. In addition to the coastline, the hinterland features nature reserves, castles, lakes and historic villages.

Gallery