In Western Pomerania is the port city of Ueckermünde, which I visited one afternoon. I was very surprised, because here there is not only a residential castle and the city harbor, here you can also discover a reconstructed Pomeranian cog and have a wonderful meal.
Ueckermünde is located on the river Uecker
At the mouth of the Uecker River into the Szczecin Lagoon in Western Pomerania lies the town of Ueckermünde. The name of the city derives from a Slavic group of people, the Wendish Ukrers, who had already settled the area before 1200.
Duke Barnim I endowed the region with a monastery around 1260 and granted the trading place the town charter. Later a castle was built in which the dukes of Pomerania from the Griffin house lived. A town wall with two gates was also built. As is often the case in the history of a town, fires and wars repeatedly lead to the destruction and reconstruction of individual parts of the town and to changing rulers. This was also the case in Ueckermünde, medieval houses were destroyed, a new church was built, the castle was expanded….. The town was hit particularly hard during the Thirty Years’ War. Out of 1600 inhabitants, just 15 survived and the town was almost completely destroyed.
At the end of the 18th/beginning of the 19th century, turf iron ore was found near the town. Several iron foundries were established and life in the town flourished. About 50 brickworks were established in the region and shipbuilding continued to develop. Shipping companies also expanded, and by the middle of the 19th century there were about 27 registered merchant ships in the port city. The boom of the economy was noticeable in the development of the city, many new buildings were built.
The town survived the Second World War without major damage. In GDR times, a foundry with 1100 employees was the largest employer. The brickworks gradually closed their doors. The old town, which remained intact, decayed over time because the structural damage to the buildings was not repaired.
With the fall of the Berlin Wall, the failures began to be addressed. It was redeveloped, renovated and restructured. Hotels, guesthouses and vacation apartments were built, the marina was modernized and in 2001 Ueckermünde was awarded the title of “state-recognized resort”. Since 2013 Ueckermünde is a seaside resort.
Visit to the Pomeranian Cog
Our city exploration begins in the port of Ueckermünde. This is the home port of the Pomeranian cog Ucra.
A cog is a type of ship that the Hanseatic League preferred to use for trade. Since there were often raids during the voyages, the cogs were additionally equipped like warships. A characteristic of cogs is the use of a mast and a square sail. Below the top of the mast was sometimes a lookout, the so-called crow’s nest.
We enter the reconstruction of the medieval Pomeranian cog via a gangway. There are a few rustic tables on deck, where we first make ourselves comfortable. My view goes at the mast and the many ropes in the direction of the sky. There a sail hoisted that flutters in the wind. It must be wonderful to be on the move on this ship.
The replica of the cog began in 2001 at a historic shipyard of the Ukranland and in 2019 the ship was completed. The city of Torgelow is the owner of the ship, it is operated by the association “Ucra – die Pommernkogge e.V.”. The members of the association have put countless hours of work and love into the shipbuilding in the past years. Only in this way could a 25 meter long ship be built from oak, larch, Siberian larch and Douglas fir. Great importance was attached to the fact that all work steps were carried out as much as possible in the same way as in days gone by.
Today the ship is a real gem, that’s how I feel about it. Below deck you can sit comfortably, have a drink and learn something about seafaring and the history of the Pomeranian cog. In the past, this space was full with up to 100 tons of goods. Space for passengers or the crew was only on the sacks with the goods.
If the Ucra leaves the harbor today, according to the regulations there must be 12 nautical crew members on board who can sail the ship. Up to 50 additional crew members are allowed on board, and if necessary, some of them have to lend a hand. If there is no wind, fortunately today there are auxiliary engines that bring the ship back to port.
Fancy sailing along? You can buy tickets in the city information of Ueckermünde or Torgelow. More information can be found on the website.
Short city tour
After visiting the Pomeranian Cog, it was time to explore the city a bit. Along the city harbor with the small ships, we went over a small bridge towards the old town. The old town has an extension of only 300 by 250 meters. So if you do not pay attention during the tour, you are already back in the new town.
During the tour, we kept passing some interesting statues. For example, there is a sailor at the harbor, a washerwoman right at the dock, a goose at the poultry market and a fisherman at the marketplace.
I like the half-timbered houses that are in the old town. The half-timbered house in Rathausstrasse, for example, dates from the middle of the 18th century. The “newer” Wilhelminian style buildings that stand along the main street and the market square are imposing.
The castle of Ueckermünde is worth seeing. Since 1780, the building has been used as the town hall; before that, a wide variety of rulers/warlords, such as Wallenstein, Peter I or August the Strong, came and went here.
We were allowed to take a look into a beautiful cross-vaulted hall in the castle. Before the Second World War, for example, a prison was housed here. Later, a meeting room was created and today there is a wedding room of the registry office.
Restaurant tip for Ueckermünde
For dinner we went to the harbor hotel Pommern Yacht in restaurant Roter Butt.
A festively decorated table awaited us, which was only the prelude to a dreamlike meal. The menu card did not promise us too much.
As an appetizer we were served: Matjes of Baltic herring with smoked onion cream, egg, gherkin and wild herbs. This was accompanied by a Grüner Silvaner from 2019 from the Saale-Unstrut region. A successful combination that led to a taste explosion in my mouth. The question almost arose as to how to increase this. But that was no problem for the chef Martin Wünscher.
The main course awaited us saddle of venison veal with potato fritters, red beets and roots with roasted apple. The meat was still slightly pink, tender and juicy – a dream! To call the side dishes as such is almost a shame – they alone were so tasty that you almost wouldn’t need meat with them.
The crowning glory of the menu was the dessert. A composition of forest blueberries, crispy strudel dough, ice cream and a vanilla gel with green lemon awaited us. A dream! And a wonderful end to a day in Ueckermünde.
Trip tip to the farm garden manufactory to Ferdinandhof
Anyone who would like to try homemade fruit spreads, mustards or pestos and take them home should take a short trip to Ferdinandshof.
In the small village there is the Bauerngarten Manufaktur, where fresh products are created almost daily. Since only small quantities are produced and the boss likes to try out new recipes, you just have to be surprised what the current offer just looks like.
I took home some good fruit spreads and sweetened my breakfast with them.
Disclosure: The visit to Ueckermünde was part of a blogger trip to Western Pomerania. The report is exclusively my opinion and was written independently of the visit.
Leave a Reply