European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 13, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse V -1 v. X f a -�?~4 v Germany i Quot racing Roland a Vintage steam train puffs its Way across the Countryside ctn can Goren and Isle Ofa resort without sparkle / he a i it. V a a s 1/ a to a a a typical thatch roofed farmhouse. A Riingen is Germany largest Island with tin area of 370. anti More thanj7.5 Miles of coast Lino. Tucked into the of Germany a about 40.Miles East of Rostock and Only 30miles from the polish a Border it is a place of sleepy villages and spectacular Ocean vistas hut there Side to the Island. A a the official tourist Guido to Rugen produced under $ East Germany sold regime has High Praise for both the. Natural Bably of the Region and the development that a has taken Dace since the end War ii. Quot the a economic relationships have been fundamentally altered the face of the towns and villages has been changed but they have not lost any of their attraction quota like so Many claims of the former communist rulers. A this is a lie. The communists did change the face of Rogen a a for the worse. Under the philosophy of dispersing Industry throughout the Countryside and promoting economic development of Quot underdeveloped regions. They slashed ugly scars across the landscape. Pretty. Countryside was of Little value in advancing the goals of the Quot proletariat masses Quot the proof is As Plain As the huge socialist Complex outside Bergen. A. There is still much natural Beauty on Rugen some of it a along the Shoreline. The most spectacular Region is the Rocky Headland of the Stubben Karner about five Miles North of Sossnitz. Here massive Chalk Cliffs Tower nearly -40q feet above the Baltic gnarled and twisted Trees cling to wind lashed ledges and sea Birds soar effortlessly Iri the air currents above the dizzying Heights. The Best known. Spot along the Stubben Kammer is the Kunig Stuhl first. Made famous in the early19th Century by German artist a Caspar David Friedrich. A. A. Late autumn is not the Ideal time to visit a Beach resort but there is a special flavor to the off season that Many filid appealing deserted beaches windswept Clunes quiet streets. A. A /. The Interior of the Island is a mixed landscape of Hardwood forests Moo like grasslands and partly forested. Hills especially Lovely Are the largely unspoiled Beech a a forests North of Sossnitz c a. Geologically Rugen is both v Ery old and very Young. At one extreme Are the Chalk Ulilis of the Northeast formed some 80 million years ago. At the other Are the Sand beaches and dunes a product of the pleistocene a glaciation which ended Only 11,000 years ago a originally settled by the wends a slavic vibe Trugen was conquered by the Danes in the 12th Century and finally by the germans in the 13th Century. It has been a major tourist destination since the end of the 18th Century for millenniums a True Island it has been connected to the Mainland by a causeway since 1936. Before the opening of the inter German Border it was one of the most popular Beach resorts in East Germany. The main towns on the Island Are sassnit2, Binz and the regional administrative Headquarters of Bergen the liveliest of these is Sossnitz a thriving port City and Home to 17,000 of the islands �15,000 residents. A car ferry links Sossnitz to Trel Leborg Sweden although it has two Large hotels Sossnitz is not an appealing vacation spot its Harbor area is an ugly Complex of rail lines and commercial shipping facilities and the town itself is drab and Gray. At the new Rugen tourist travel Agency Siegfried Markow was apologetic for the Shab Biness of Sossnitz and left no doubt who was to blame. Quot instead of building something our old government put the Money in their own pockets. Everything was Markow a former bus Driver started his business last april in the first flowering of free Enterprise that swept East Germany. He is unequivocal in Phis support for the revolutionary economic changes that Are transforming the former German democratic Republic. They Are Quot Good for All the people who Are ready to work for their Money Quot he says. stip for us was not to miss Binz Quot our most Beautiful although it was a Gray drizzly Day we decided to take the narrow coastal Road expecting a Scenic drive this turned out to be another unwarranted Assumption. Instead of 10 Miles of Seaside vistas the route is an object lesson i n How to despoil a Region among the landmarks along the route Are a huge Container port. Crumbling military Barracks and a giant above ground /. Pipeline that parallels the Road. The Quot most Beautiful town Quot of bin Zwass another Eye opener. This former jewel of a Seaside resort illustrates a perhaps More graphically than any other town we visited a the fruits of a socialist Economy. A a a Century ago Binz was a family Resor fior the upper a a. Class it remained so until world War ii. Later under the coming lists it was converted to a rest arid recuperation a Center for the government backed Quot a v the stalinist economic system proved to. U. Be a near terminal ill Ness. Today Binz is a shattered Shell of its former self once elegant victorian Villas Are now a. Forlorn ruins with peeling paint crumbling stucco and rotting Wood. The Many sagging verandas arid Glass i Ess. A windows add to the Overall atmosphere of lethargy arid decay streets Are potholed Muddy and poorly drained today the Only buildings that Are in a reasonable state of repair Are and the few Barracks like vacation hotels where the Quot masses Quot had the privilege of spending their vacations together / there is enough of the former Aura left to indicate just Hove Beautiful it once was the wide White Sand Beach the Seaside promenade Between rows of plane Trees. Here and there the first few gleaming new shops with. Western goods give a hint of the rebirth to come but for now Friz is not a place where americans would want to spend a vacation. If you do go to the Rugen be sure to ride the Quot Arsender Roland Quot racing Rolanda narrow Guage steam train that has been huffing its Way Between. Goren South of Binz and putt bus about 14 Miles since 1898, you can get on at Binz where the sign on tire filthy smelly station is a masterpiece of orwellian Quot newspeak. It proclaims that the building is an a Ward winning Schoner 8abn/iof, train station of the German democratic Republic in contrast to the station the train is old but clean and Well kept it runs about every 90. Minutes. A round trip ticket from bin costs 1,80 Marks. In Bergen there Are Only two landmarks Worth seeing the Marie Kirche and the Ernst Moritz Arndt Tower on the Island s highest Hill. It affords an excellent panoramic a View of the surrounding Countryside a a. A depending on the season a wide Range of. Activities available on Rugen from swimming and Sao a to Hunting i shag and hiking in a few years when the. Tourist facilities Are developed the Island will _ v _ undoubtedly be More appealing place to it Jen -. Vacation.-. A c. A a a 4 stripes Magazine december11 1990
