Ostseebad Kühlungsborn: Groynes, beach villas & freedom

Kuehlungsborn Travel

Families with children, holidaymakers with dogs and everyone who is looking for unaffected holiday fun will feel at home on a beach holiday on the Baltic Sea at Kühlungsborn Beach. Kühlungsborn Travel guarantees a vacation for Slow Traveler. The Baltic Sea resort is also a travel destination for travelers who like to savor their trips. Baltic Sea has captivated us.

• A visit to Kühlungsborn also offers the opportunity to... Wellness at the Baltic Sea

The vastness of the sea, the fine sand, the cries of the seagulls, and the laughter of children on the beach have become the very essence of the Baltic Sea for us. This is what draws us back to the north time and time again. Germany. We want to learn more about life on the Baltic coast. And so we set off on a trip along the Baltic coast of Binz Stralsund to the Ostseebad Kühlungsborn in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

At the Kuehlungsborn beach

The Baltic Sea resort of Kühlungsborn was a natural choice as a second destination: firstly, we hadn't heard of it before. Secondly, it's only a good two-hour drive from Binz. Furthermore, there are several interesting towns along the route between the two cities. Reason enough to explore this Baltic Sea resort more closely. Kühlungsborn was in store for us.

As Seaside resort it's less sophisticated than Binz. But with its beautifully restored villas and the beech grove that separates the Ostseeallee from the beach in the eastern part of the city, it looks more tranquil. At the same time, it attracts numerous walkers and cyclists out into the fresh air. Kühlungsborn is a pleasant place, as we quickly find out.

The groynes on the Kuehlungsborn beach

On our walk along the beach we get acquainted with groynes for the first time. For miles they accompany us on our way along the coast. These are wooden piles that are built in a double row at right angles to the beach into the sea. They should serve to divert dangerous currents from the bathing areas along the beaches. However, in Kühlungsborn they are mainly built because they want to extend the beach.

This is how Reinhard Antrich, the director of the A-ROSA Ostseehotel Kühlungsborn * (advertisement), where we spend two nights. For this purpose, truckloads of sand are dumped into the sea at the western end of the beach. This sand is distributed eastward through the groynes by the natural water movement. Over time, it also ensures that the beach widens. The sand is brought from the marina. The harbor entrance has to be dredged repeatedly to keep it deep enough for the boats entering and leaving.

From the pier, the groynes look like a dark wall protecting the coast off the Baltic Sea. On the day of our arrival in Kühlungsborn, I can hardly believe that these are necessary. There is hardly any sea. Instead, the waves are quiet and gentle on the shore. The next morning, however, it looks different. The sea is rougher, and some of the waves break with a loud roar on the wooden post rows. In a real winter storm this must be a dramatic spectacle.

The beach villas on the Kuehlungsborn beach

We can hardly get lost in the Baltic Sea resort of Kühlungsborn. The Ostseeallee runs from the beach road to the west past the renovated, restored and partially rebuilt beach villas of the Baltic Sea resort. Behind it is the forest area "Die Cooling". The place owes its name to him. On our stroll through the city we see villas with names like "Hubertusburg", "Europa Hotel" or "Villa Westfalia". The guest's house is also housed in a former guest villa, the "Villa Laetitia". Today's town hall was once also rented out to guests.

Although they were originally built by private individuals who rented them out to beach vacationers, the GDR soon put a stop to this. In 1953, during Operation Rose, most of the villa owners were expropriated. The beautiful guesthouses and hotels became state property. Now, it was the Free German Trade Union Federation or German travel agencies that allocated their accommodations to vacationers. Only after reunification did some of the former owners return. However, many hotels are now operated by hotel chains. These include Arosa, Vier Jahreszeiten, and the Upstalsbooms Hotels.

Thanks to the city administration, the villas could only be restored or expanded in the style of their time. That is why they give a harmonious picture. With their wrought-iron balconies, they remind of the Art Nouveau era. Some of the villas have half-timbered facades and beautiful doors. A stroll along the Ostseeallee is therefore a pleasure for friends of Art Nouveau architecture.

Kuehlungsborn beach with the longing for freedom

Near the town center, a tower overlooks the beach promenade. This commemorates the time when beachgoers and border patrols shared the promenade. Kühlungsborn is not far from the former inner-German border. The distance to Denmark could be crossed by swimming. This was proven by doctor Peter Döbler in 1971.

What a summer vacation that must have been! Vacationers sat in beach chairs while border guards marched along the beach promenade with machine guns and German shepherds. They were searching for refugees from the Republic in the water. The tower served as a lookout point for the border guards. From there, they kept an eye out for paddle boats, canoes, and suspicious behavior.

The Mayor of Kuehlungsborn Knut Wiek saved the tower from demolition twice. That is why today he recalls the times when Kühlungsborn was the meeting place for those who lured freedom in the West. We only learn more from the stories of the locals. They tell about how difficult it was to get used to life after the turning point. In the meantime, people have come to terms with it. Kühlungsborn is today the most popular seaside resort on Germany's Baltic coast. Today, more than 2,4 million guests come annually.

The Kuehlungsborn pier

Travel Arrangements:

Parking at the airport

Here you can reserve your parking space at the airport.

Getting to Kühlungsborn Beach

• Kühlungsborn Travel by plane is possible to Rostock. Bus 127 goes from the airport to Rostock main station.
• Travel by train is also possible as far as Rostock. ( Timetable and booking* (Advertisement)) From there, take bus 121 from Rostock Central Station. You can also continue your journey by regional train from Rostock to Bad Doberan. From there, you can continue on to Kühlungsborn with the Molli steam train.
• You can also reach us by car from the west via the A20 (exit Kröpelin or Bad Doberan) or from the south via the A19 and then the A20.
• You can travel to Rostock by ferry from Gedser (Denmark), Trelleborg (Sweden) and Helsinki (Finland).
• Long-distance buses * (advertisement) also offer connections from Berlin, Leipzig or Dresden directly to Kühlungsborn.

Car Rentals:

Cheap rental cars – book here!

Camper Rentals:

Compare motorhome prices here. Or would you rather travel with us instead? Rooftent or Tent?

Accommodation near Kühlungsborn Beach:

For example, book yours here Accommodation in Kuehlungsborn * (Advertisement)

Do you know this?

• Kühlungsborn sights and excursion destinations
• A pleasure trip to the Baltic Sea
• Darss sights between Fischland and Zingst
• Stralsund insider tips
• Beach holiday in the Baltic Sea
• Explore Binz Ostseebad
• Helsinki landmarks
• Gifts for hikers
• Texel sights

Source: On-site research. We would like to express our sincere gratitude for the kind support of this tour through the Baltic Sea resort of Kühlungsborn. However, our opinions remain, as always, our own.

Text: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Photos: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Video: © Copyright Petar Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline