Editing Usedom

{{Short description|Island in the southern Baltic Sea divided between Germany and Poland}}
{{about|the island|the town|Usedom (town)|the abbey|Usedom Abbey}}
{{Infobox islands
| name             = Usedom<br>Uznam
| image_name       = StrandDüne.JPG
| image_caption    = Beach, dune, and promenade in [[Ahlbeck (Usedom)|Ahlbeck]] &ndash; a distinctive [[seaside resort]], typical for the Island of Usedom
| image_size       = 300px
| map_image        = Baltic Sea map Usedom location.png
| map_caption      = Map of the Baltic Sea with the island highlighted
| native_name      = 
| native_name_link = 
| nickname         = Sunny Island
| location         = [[Baltic Sea]]
| coordinates      = 
| archipelago      = 
| total_islands    = 
| major_islands    = 
| area_km2         = 445
| length_km        = 66.4 
| width_km         = 23.9 
| coastline_km     = 110
| highest_mount    = [[Golm War Cemetery|Golm]] 
| elevation_m      = 69
| country          = Germany
| country_admin_divisions_title     = [[States of Germany|State]]
| country_admin_divisions           = [[Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_1   = [[Districts of Germany|District]]
| country_admin_divisions_1         = [[Vorpommern-Greifswald]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_2   = 
| country_admin_divisions_2         = 
| country_capital                   = 
| country1_admin_divisions_title_1  =[[Powiat|County]]
| country1_admin_divisions_1        =[[Świnoujście]] (''[[city with powiat rights|city county]]'')
| country_largest_city              =[[Heringsdorf]], [[Zinnowitz]] (settlements), [[Usedom (town)]]
| country_largest_city_population   = 
| country_leader_title              = 
| country_leader_name               = 
| country1                         = Poland
| country1_admin_divisions_title   = [[Voivodeships of Poland|Voivodeship]]
| country1_admin_divisions         = [[West Pomeranian Voivodeship]]
| country1_largest_city            = [[Świnoujście]]
| demonym = Usedomers
| population       = 76,500
| population_as_of = 2012
| density_km2      = 172
| ethnic_groups    = [[Polish people|Poles]], [[German people|Germans]]
| additional_info  = 
}}

'''Usedom''' ({{langx|de|Usedom}} {{IPA|de|ˈuːzədɔm|}}, {{langx|pl|Uznam}} {{IPA|pol|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 {{convert|445|km2|0|abbr=off}} – {{convert|373|km2|0|abbr=off}} in the German part and {{convert|72|km2|0|abbr=off}} 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,<ref>[http://www.sueddeutsche.de/reisefuehrer/usedom/auftakt According to meteorological records of the last 30 years: Usedom is the sunniest region of Germany] (German article, ''[[Süddeutsche Zeitung]]'')</ref> hence its nickname "Sun Island" ({{langx|de|Sonneninsel}}, {{langx|pl|Wyspa Słońca}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://turystyka.wp.pl/gid,15813005,img,15813088,page,11,title,Swinoujscie-nadbaltycki-hit-Polakow,galeria.html?ticaid=1132a5|title=Wczasy nad morzem - Świnoujście, Uznam, Wyspa Słońca|first=Wirtualna Polska Media|last=S.A.|date=15 July 2013|website=wp.pl|access-date=23 March 2018}}</ref>).

The island has been a tourist destination since the [[Gründerzeit]] in the 19th century, and features [[resort architecture]]. [[List of seaside resorts in Germany#Vorpommern-Greifswald|Seaside resorts]] include [[Zinnowitz]] and the [[Amber Spas]] in the west, the [[Heringsdorf, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern|Kaiserbad]] and Świnoujście in the east.

== Geography ==
[[File:Karte Insel Usedom.png|200px|left|thumb|Map of Usedom]]
The island is separated from the neighbouring island of [[Wolin]] to the east by the Strait of [[Świna]], which is the main route connecting Szczecin Bay with [[Pomeranian Bay]], a part of the Baltic Sea. The strait between the island and the mainland is called the [[Peenestrom]]; it is a downstream extension of the [[Peene Valley|valley of the Peene]] river, which flows into the westernmost part of the [[Szczecin Lagoon]]. The island is mostly flat, and partly covered by marshes.

Geographical features include a number of lakes:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Lake || Elevation || Surface area
|-
| [[Cämmerer See]] || {{convert|0.3|m|ft|abbr=on}} || {{convert|0.18|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}
|-
| [[Gothensee]] || {{convert|0|m|ft|abbr=on}} || {{convert|5.56|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}
|-
| [[Kachliner See]] || {{convert|0|m|ft|abbr=on}} || {{convert|1.00|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}
|-
| [[Schmollensee]] || {{convert|0|m|ft|abbr=on}} || {{convert|5.03|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}
|-
| [[Wolgastsee]] || {{convert|-0.6|m|ft|abbr=on}} || {{convert|0.47|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}
|}

[[File:Grenze Deutschland - Polen bei Ahlbeck - panoramio.jpg|thumb|[[Germany–Poland border|Polish–German border]] between [[Świnoujście]] and [[Ahlbeck (Usedom)|Ahlbeck]]]]
The largest town on the island is [[Świnoujście]], which has a total population of 41,500. The western part of Świnoujście covers the entire Polish part of the island. Another town, [[Usedom (town)|Usedom]], gives its name to the island. The largest municipalities in the German part are  [[Heringsdorf]] (from 2005 to 2006 called ''Dreikaiserbäder'', literally "The Three Imperial Spas") and [[Zinnowitz]].

There are many [[seaside resort]]s on the [[Baltic Sea]] coast, including [[Zinnowitz]] and [[Koserow]] in the west &ndash; and the three [[Imperial Spa]]s [[Ahlbeck (Usedom)|Ahlbeck]], [[Heringsdorf]], and [[Bansin]] forming a town, as well as neighbouring [[Świnoujście]] in the east of Usedom.

The hinterland is called ''Achterland'', referring to the [[Achterwasser]] [[lagoon]] (''Rear Waters''). It is characterized by unspoilt forests, lagoon landscapes, and hills, as well as calm villages such as [[Loddin]] and [[Balmer See]] with its [[golf course]].

Main economic activities include [[tourism]], health and [[life sciences]], [[retail]], [[agriculture]], fishing, animal husbandry, food processing, and timber production.

==History==
[[File:BurgwallNeppermin02.jpg|thumb|left|Remains of an [[Early Middle Ages|early medieval]] [[Gord (archaeology)|Slavic stronghold]] in Neppermin, [[Benz (Usedom)|Benz]]]]
Settled since the [[Stone Age]], the area was probably inhabited by [[Germanic peoples|Germanic]] [[Rugians]], before the [[Polabian Slavs]] moved in during the fifth, sixth, and seventh centuries. Around the island, [[Wends|Wendish]]/[[Scandinavian history|Scandinavian]] trade centres such as [[Vineta]]/[[Jomsborg]] and Menzlin were established. In the 1110s, the town of [[Usedom (town)|Uznam]] was destroyed by the [[Denmark|Danes]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Kratz|first=Gustav|year=1865|title=Die Städte der Provinz Pommern. Abriss ihrer Geschichte, zumeist nach Urkunden|language=de|location=Berlin|page=534}}</ref> In the 1120s, the island along with Western Pomerania came under Polish suzerainty under [[Bolesław III Wrymouth]], and became part of a newly formed vassal state of Poland, the [[Duchy of Pomerania]]. The Polish ruler initiated [[Christianization of Pomerania|Christianization]], entrusting this task to [[Otto of Bamberg]],<ref>D. J. Medley, ''The church and the empire'', Kessinger Publishing, 2004, p. 152</ref> and in 1128 the Slavic [[Dukes of Pomerania|Pomeranian Duke]] [[Wartislaw I]] was converted to [[Christianity]] through the efforts of Otto. In 1155 the [[Premonstratensian]]s established a monastery in Grobe, generally known as [[Usedom Abbey]], which in 1309 was moved to the village of [[Pudagla]]. In the meantime, a [[Cistercian]] nunnery was founded in [[Krummin]] and soon almost the whole island was in the possession of one or the other of the ecclesiastical orders. In the 1170s, the island was ravaged by King [[Valdemar I of Denmark]].<ref>Kratz, p. 535</ref> During the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]], ownership passed to the [[Dukes of Pomerania|Slavic dukes of Pomerania]], who took over the island.

During the [[Thirty Years' War]], on June 26, 1630, the [[Swedish Army]] under King [[Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden|Gustavus Adolphus]] landed in the village of [[Peenemünde]], located on the [[Peenestrom]] strait. In 1637 the last duke of Pomerania [[Bogislaw XIV, Duke of Pomerania|Bogislaw XIV]] died, the [[House of Griffin]] became extinct and the duchy ceased to exist. Usedom was annexed by [[Swedish Empire|Sweden]] after the war for almost a century, until in 1720 it was sold for 2 million [[thaler]]s to Prussian King [[Frederick William I of Prussia|Frederick William I]]. In 1740 [[Frederick the Great]] of Prussia developed a seaport in [[Świnoujście]] (then ''Swinemünde''). With the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] the island became part of the [[German Empire]] in 1871.

The small village of Peenemünde came to prominence again during [[World War II]]. The [[Luftwaffe]] tested [[missile]]s and [[rocket]]s, including the [[V-1 flying bomb|V-1]] and [[V-2 rocket|V-2]] nearby. Germany used thousands of [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|slave laborers]] on Usedom during World War II.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://militera.lib.ru/memo/russian/devyataev_mp/10.html |title=Наш "хейнкель"|access-date=2023-05-12 |publisher=ВОЕННАЯ ЛИТЕРАТУРА（Мемуары） |language=ru |author=Девятаев М. П. Полет}}</ref> During the war, a subcamp of the [[Sachsenhausen concentration camp]] was located in the town of Usedom.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bundesrecht.juris.de/begdv_6/anlage_6.html|title=Anlage zu § 1. Verzeichnis der Konzentrationslager und ihrer Außenkommandos gemäß § 42 Abs. 2 BEG|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090423004151/http://bundesrecht.juris.de/begdv_6/anlage_6.html|language=de|access-date=1 October 2023|archive-date=23 April 2009}}</ref> In the final stages of the war, in 1945, German-perpetrated [[The March (1945)|death marches]] of [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] prisoners-of-war from the [[Stalag XX-B]] and [[Stalag Luft IV]] [[German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II|POW camps]] passed through the island.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kaszuba|first=Sylwia|editor-last=Grudziecka|editor-first=Beata|title=Stalag XX B: historia nieopowiedziana|language=pl|location=Malbork|publisher=Muzeum Miasta Malborka|page=108|chapter=Marsz 1945|date=2021 |isbn=978-83-950992-2-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://bialogard.info/7,4412,stalag-luft-iv-marsz-smierci|title=Stalag Luft IV. Marsz Śmierci|website=Miasto Białogard|access-date=1 October 2023|language=pl}}</ref>

In 1945 the eastern part of the island, together with the city and port of Swinemünde (now [[Świnoujście]]), was assigned to [[Poland]] under border changes promulgated at the [[Potsdam Conference]], and the surviving German inhabitants of the town were expelled to the west. The territory was repopulated with Poles, most of whom had been [[Polish population transfers (1944–46)|expelled]] by the Soviets from what had been [[Kresy|eastern Poland]].

==Tourism==
[[File:Zinnowitz Ostseestrand.jpg|thumb|A beach near [[Zinnowitz]]]]
Usedom is one of Germany's major holiday and recreation areas due to its beaches, its natural environment, and seaside towns such as Ahlbeck, Heringsdorf and Bansin, which, since the [[Gründerzeit]] in the 19th century, have been frequented by the German and international nobility as well as the general public.<ref name="tg 2022-01-24">{{cite news |last1=Parveen |first1=Nazia |title=The bathtub of Berlin: soaking it up on Germany's sunniest island |url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2022/jan/24/the-bathtub-of-berlin-soaking-it-up-on-germanys-sunniest-island |access-date=8 June 2022 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=24 January 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

According to ''[[The Guardian]]'', the island, as of 2022, "... is known by some as the 'bathtub of Berlin' and by others, slightly more poetically, as 'sun island'," but "... remains largely undiscovered by international visitors."<ref name="tg 2022-01-24"/>

Hotels and [[bed and breakfast]] establishments are available on both sides of the [[Germany–Poland border|German-Polish border]]. Many of them are decorated in nautical themes, and seafood is a major drawcard.<ref name="tg 2022-01-24"/> St. Peter's Church in Benz is featured in the works of several artists, including the German-American painter [[Lyonel Feininger]] who spent summer vacations on the island from 1909 to 1918.<ref name="mi 2014-12-16">{{cite web |last1=Backert |first1=Elke |title=The island of Usedom: Where the last German emperor was staying for summer |url=http://meine-inseln.net/die-insel-usedom-wo-der-letzte-deutsche-kaiser-zur-sommerfrische-weilte_723/?lang=en |website=My Islands |access-date=8 June 2022 |language=en |date=16 December 2014}}</ref><ref name="ndr 2020-07-30">{{cite web |title=Radtour: Auf Lyonel Feiningers Spuren über Usedom |trans-title=Bike tour: In the tracks of Lyonel Feininger via Usedom |url=https://www.ndr.de/ratgeber/reise/radtouren/Radtour-Auf-Lyonel-Feiningers-Spuren-ueber-Usedom,feiningerradweg100.html |website=[[Norddeutscher Rundfunk|NDR]] |access-date=8 June 2022 |language=de |date=30 July 2020}}</ref> In addition to the coastline, the [[hinterland]] features nature reserves, castles, lakes and historic villages.

Points of interest in the German part of the island include:

* [[Usedom Botanical Gardens, Mellenthin]], a [[botanical garden]]
* [[Karnin Lift Bridge]], a technical monument to the former bridge over the [[Peenestrom]].
* [[Dannenfeldt Mausoleum]]
[[File:Park zdrojowy, 1827, 1939, po 1945 (32).JPG|thumb|Park Zdrojowy in Świnoujście]]

In the Polish part of the island, points of interest include:

* [[:pl:Rezerwat przyrody Karsiborskie Paprocie|Karsiborskie Paprocie]] [[nature reserve]]
* Sea Fishing Museum (''[[:pl:Muzeum Rybołówstwa Morskiego w Świnoujściu|Muzeum Rybołówstwa Morskiego]]'')
* Western Fort (''Fort Zachodni''), which houses the Museum of the History of the Świnoujście Fortress (''[[:pl:Muzeum Historii Twierdzy Świnoujście|Muzeum Historii Twierdzy Świnoujście]]'')
* [[:pl:Park Zdrojowy w Świnoujściu|Park Zdrojowy]]

==Military==
[[File:Swinoujscie port wojenny.jpg|thumb|Naval Base Świnoujście]]
The Polish Naval Base Świnoujście is located on the island.

==See also==
* [[List of divided islands]]
* [[V-1 and V-2 intelligence]]
* [[Rügen]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage inline|Usedom}}
*{{commons category-inline|Usedom}}
*[https://usedom.de/ Usedom.de: Official '''Usedom''' webpage]
*[https://visitusedom.com/ Visitusedom.com: Official Island of Usedom tourism website]
*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Usedom |volume= 27 | pages = 808&ndash;809 |short= 1}}

{{Islands in the Baltic Sea}}
{{German Baltic Sea islands}}
{{Polish coast|state=autocollapse}}
{{coord|53|56|N|14|05|E|type:isle_scale:500000|display=title}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Usedom| ]]
[[Category:German islands in the Baltic]]
[[Category:Polish islands in the Baltic]]
[[Category:International islands]]
[[Category:Islands of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania]]
[[Category:Landforms of West Pomeranian Voivodeship]]
[[Category:Pomerania]]