At 508 meters, it is the longest of its kind in Germany:the Heringsdorf pier on the island of Usedom. 300 meters of the entire structure lead over the water of the Baltic Sea. Today's pier was inaugurated on June 3, 1995, but is in the tradition of its predecessor from the 19th century. The first pier, an elaborate wooden construction with turrets and colonnades, had existed since 1893. She made sure that Heringsdorf was easy to reach by ship for its prominent holiday guests. However, the structure only withstood wind and waves for a good 60 years:in 1957 a fire destroyed the Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge.
New building after more than 40 years
Shops on the central platform invite you to shop over the water.The seaside resort then had to do without a bridge for more than 40 years. In the GDR, apparently no value was placed on the building, which was considered a symbol for the stately visitors to the island. It was not until the 1990s that the municipality of Heringsdorf rediscovered the appeal of the pier. So today - about 50 meters away from the original location - there is a new building that is 50 meters longer than the original. The bridge stands on steel piers driven six meters into the seabed and filled with sand. At the end of the pier, a restaurant with a striking, pyramid-shaped roof offers the best views of the sea and coast. The wooden footbridge there is covered to protect against wind and weather. The last few meters of the bridge lead down to the jetty, from which excursion boats connect Heringsdorf with other seaside resorts. On land, the pier begins with a building complex:numerous shops, several bars, a cinema, the shell museum and holiday apartments are housed there. More shops have opened on the central platform.
From the landing stage to the promenade
On illuminated paths across the sea:the pier in 2010.The approximately 20 piers on the Baltic Sea coast of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania today have a history of more than 100 years. At that time they were not only - as they are today - popular promenades, but also landing stages for well-heeled visitors who traveled by sea. They no longer had to change into small boats off the coast and be rowed through the waves to the beach, but could disembark their ships comfortably and dry-shod. Heringsdorf was and is the best-known and the oldest spa on the island of Usedom. In 1824, forest manager George Bernhard von Bülow had the first private Pomeranian bathing establishment built on the beach in the small fishing village. Numerous classical villas followed later. They attracted more and more wealthy guests to the town and the surrounding area. Personalities such as Theodor Fontane, Maxim Gorki and Leo Tolstoy met in the "Nice of the East". The elegant magnificent buildings such as the Villa Staudt or the Villa Oppenheim, where the artist Lyonel Feininger once resided, shimmered as an expression of the fine lifestyle.
After reunification, numerous villas were restored and shine in new splendor. The miles of beaches on the island attract tens of thousands of holidaymakers to Usedom every year.