Saßnitz Travel Guide

  Sunset
by Twan
 
  • Sunset
      Sunset
    by Twan
  • In the restaurant with Richard, Roland and Priscil
      In the restaurant with Richard, Roland...
    by Twan
  • Ostsee
      Ostsee
    by Twan
  • Chalk cliffs in the Jasmund National Park, Ruegen
      Chalk cliffs in the Jasmund National...
    by CatherineReichardt
  • Beech forest, Jasmund National Park, Ruegen
      Beech forest, Jasmund National Park,...
    by CatherineReichardt
 

Explore Saßnitz

Things to Do  

Mosey around Sassnitz harbour

Mosey around Sassnitz harbour, Saßnitz

 CatherineReichardt Says:  In truth, there's not a whole lot going on in Sassnitz from what I can see, which may well be its primary charm.Sassnitz's primary claim to fame is as the jumping off point to explore the stunning Jasmund National Park. It is also linked by ferry to Binz.Sassnitz has a... 

Search for "Hühnergötter" (hagstones)

Search for "Hühnergötter" (hagstones), Saßnitz

 himalia11 Says:  A Hühnergott is a stone with a hole that was generated naturally and not artificially. I never heard this word before I came to Rügen. In Sassnitz at the promenade you could buy such stones, but you easily can find some on your own, there are so many at the coast below the... 

Butterfly house

Butterfly house, Saßnitz

 himalia11 Says:  In Sassnitz you also find a butterfly house where all kind of different butterflies fly around. It's not big but very nice to stroll around and search for butterflies or just sit down and watch them. We also could watch butterflies that were about to eclose, and there were... 

Submarine museum

Submarine museum, Saßnitz

 himalia11 Says:  The submarine museum is something really fascinating. It's a submarine that is open for visitors. It was used by the British navy and it was very interesting to walk through it. It looks pretty chaotic with all the devices and cables! It wasn't as narrow as I expected, but... 

Bridge to the harbour

Bridge to the harbour, Saßnitz

 himalia11 Says:  From the harbour a supsension bridges goes up to the spa hotel and the main street with its shops. It was built in 2006 and has lenght of about 278 meteres. It's definitly nothing for people that are afreid of heights, I didn't get far on this bridge! But it looks really... 

The long mole

The long mole, Saßnitz

 himalia11 Says:  At the harbour, you find the longest mole of Europe. It has a lenght of 1450 meters and was built from 1889 to 1912. At the mole you find the passenger ships and the ships that sell fish, and there's also space for sports boats. At the end of the mole then is a small... 

Promenade and harbour

Promenade and harbour, Saßnitz

 himalia11 Says:  When you go to the harbour of Sassnitz, you will notice that Sassnitz still is a fisher town. There are several fisher boats and boats from which they sell fish, and there's a fish shop & snack bar in one of the harbour buildings. Of course there's also a fish restaurant,... 

The old town and sea bridge

The old town and sea bridge, Saßnitz

 himalia11 Says:  While the rest of Sassnitz is situated along the steep coast, the old town of Sassnitz lies in a kind of gorge. As this gorge offered a good opportunity to reach the beach it's no surprise that here the first fisher houses were built. They used to have reed roofs but today... 

Jasmund National Park and its chalk coast

Jasmund National Park and its chalk coast, Saßnitz

 himalia11 Says:  North of Sassnitz is the Jasmund National Park with a beautiful chalk coast. The most popular cliff is the 118 m high cliff called "Königsstuhl" (king's seat). There's a great hiking path from Sassnitz to this place above the chalk coast. It was pretty exhausting, with lots... 

Jasmund National Park

Jasmund National Park, Saßnitz

 alancollins Says:  Jasmund National Park on the outskirts of Sassnitz is the smallest national park in Germany at only 30 square kms. It was created in 1990 and was one of the last acts of the old GDR before reunification. The park is famous for its white cliffs that are 160m in height and can... 

Sassnitz mole

Sassnitz mole, Saßnitz

 alancollins Says:  The first pier or mole which was 380 metres in length was completed in 1889 to protect the developing fishing port. It was not connected to the main land and storms still created a problem for the port. It was decided to lengthen the pier and join it to the main land. Work... 

Hotels  

Villa Meeresblick: Great appartment house with sea view

Villa Meeresblick: Great appartment house with sea view, Saßnitz

 himalia11 Says:  We spent a wonderful week in the appartment house "Villa Meeresblick". It's one of the nice houses in the old town, with a private path down to the promenade. From there it's not far to the harbour, or to the chalk coast in the other direction.We had an appartment with a... 

Restaurants  

Almost eradicated from my mind: Don't spend money here - Hafenstrasse Seafood Rest
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SteveJenksEurope 1 reviews

This should rather go into the tourist trap section but I believe the proprietor didn't offer his awesome dishes by intention. Probably they're just not competent enough to run a restaurant.
I visited them in 2006 and 2008, surely I gave them a second chance. The fish was tasteless, salad was oily but god knows where they got the oil from. The nearby machinery and hardware store maybe sheds a light. Scampi were frozen. Veggies were boiled to sludge. Service was friendly but helpless; e.g. the concept of serving main courses for two persons at the same time was obviously not taught to the waiter. Same gap with languages besides of German, just a nil return. But of course this is no reason to blame them - this place ist not overrun by international visitors except Scandinavians on a pub crawl.
The price level were fair and adequate to the place but neither to food and service. Main dishes ranging from 14-20 EUR, starters 5-10 EUR.
So, my recommendation is clearly "Villa Aegir" for fine lunch and dinner.

Favorite Dish: No fav.

Updated Jul 15, 2009

Address: Hafenstrasse, Sassnitz

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Transportation  

Going to/from Sassntiz by ferry

Going to/from Sassntiz by ferry, Saßnitz

 himalia11 Says:  A bit outside of Sassnitz in Mukran is the ferry harbour. It's the largest rail ferry port in Germany. From there ferries go to Sweden (Trelleborg, Rønne), Lithuania (Kleipeda) and Russia (St Petersburg). The first ferries from Sassnitz were to Trelleborg in Sweden which... 

Car parking in Sassnitz

Car parking in Sassnitz, Saßnitz

 himalia11 Says:  There are several car parks in Sassnitz, two of them directly at the harbour and the promenade. These two are charged from 7:00 to 22:00 and are pay & display. The machines don't give change and only accept coins. The car park at the promenade is more a gravel place and was... 

Local Customs  

A peak into allotment culture
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CatherineReichardt 2217 reviews
Allotment, Sassnitz
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Poms often view allotments as a very British thing, but tend to forget that they are also an integral part of post-war German culture.

My first exposure to German allotments came in the mid 70s when we visited my father's relatives in Dortmund. My great uncle had an allotment which was his kingdom - complete with summer house, flower garden, vegetables and aviary for his beloved canaries. This was his retreat from the comfortable but fairly high-density low rise apartment in suburbia in which he lived. Undoubtedly the allotment provided fresh produce for the kitchen, which must have been essential in the hungry post-war years, but by the time I knew his allotment, it was primarily recreational.

In the former East Germany, the allotment seems to have served a similar function, but against the backdrop of relative privation under the Communist regime, the nutritional role of allotments in supplementing people's diets must have been absolutely critical. Even today, virtually all towns in this part of the world are fringed by a belt of allotments, and the range of prime produce, exotic flowers and kitsch garden ornaments is an absolute eye opener!

Updated Jul 6, 2011

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Warnings and Dangers  

Guidance on photography in churches: Homer's Rules
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CatherineReichardt 2217 reviews

Visiting churches is one of the absolute highlights of a trip to Europe, and provides a fascinating insight into the most powerful influencethat has shaped European cultures of the past couple of millenia.

Unlike some other religions - where access to places of worship may be restricted to members of that religious group or a specific gender - the vast majority of Christian churches will allow tourists to visit at most times, including routine services (although some may charge an admission fee for doing so, and access may be denied for private events such as weddings and funerals). However, tourists should realise that most churches are still active places of worship, and so visitors need to exhibit a certain sensitivity to display respect to the culture and avoid giving offence to people at prayer.

The following guidelines are based on wonderful advice offered by Homer (homaned) - who does this for a living - in a forum response, and although specifically written for Christian places of worship, would apply equally to places of worship for other religions

So, here is a general list of do's and don'ts for people wishing to photograph during a church service:

READ THE SIGNS
If photography is not permitted - because, for example, it may damage paint on delicate murals - this will usually be indicated by a pictogram of a camera with a red line through it. Under most circumstances, you can assume that photography will be allowed (unless otherwise indicated), but may not be permitted during services. If in doubt, ask for clarification - this shows respect and will very seldom be met with anything other than a helpful response.

TURN OFF YOUR FLASH!
Every camera on the market has a button on it which will turn off the flash. The number one most alarming and distracting thing that can happen during a liturgy, and one which will even get you kicked out of some churches, is the bright flash that goes off when you take a picture. Not only is it distracting, but it usually makes the picture turn out dark, because your camera's flash only has about a 10-15' range. Turn off the flash, and hold the camera up against your eye, using the viewfinder, and you will likely get a better picture (and you definitely won't have any red-eye problems!).

DON'T MOVE AROUND ALL OVER THE PLACE! (UNLESS YOU HAVE PERMISSION)
Instead of walking all over down the main aisle and in front of everybody, pick a good place from which to take a picture at the beginning of the liturgy, and stay there. Unless you're a professional photographer with practice at stealthily moving during liturgies, you're a distraction, and you're being disrespectful. Even if you're a pro, try to stick to one out-of-the-way place, and use a zoom lens and zoom in to get pictures. Walking in front of people is a surefire way to distract and disrespect and closing in on priests or other celebrants just to capitalise on a photo opportunity is offensive.

TURN OFF THE CAMERA'S SOUND!
Every camera has some way to mute all its 'cute' beeps and clicking noises. If you press a button, and hear a beep, or if you take a picture and hear an obnoxious shutter clicking sound, you need to turn off those sounds (the muting option is usually in one of the menus). Along with the flashing, it's an obvious sign that someone is taking pictures and not showing much respect for those trying to pay attention to the liturgy.

TURN OFF THE 'FOCUS ASSIST' LIGHT!
If your camera can't focus without the little laser-light that shines in everyone's eyes before your camera takes a picture, then don't use your camera. You have to turn that light off! It is very distracting to be watching a lector or priest, and see a little red dot or lines pop up on his face all of the sudden. It's as if some rifleman is making his mark! Turn the light off (again, look in the menus for the option to turn off the 'AF assist' or 'focus assist' light). If you can't turn it off, put a piece of duct tape or some other opaque material over the area where the light is, so the light won't shine on someone.

TURN OFF THE CAMERA'S LCD!
You should never use the LCD to compose your shots anyways; just put your eye up to the viewfinder, and that will not only not distract, it will also steady your camera against your face, making for a better picture (especially if you don't have the flash on). And if you must review the pictures you've taken, hold the camera in front of you, down low, so people behind you don't notice the big, bright LCD display on your camera

CERTAIN PARTS OF THE CEREMONY ARE PARTICULARLY SENSITIVE
The consecration (blessing) of the eucharist (bread and wine) and distribution of communion to the congregation are considered to be particularly sacred parts of the service, and it is offensive to photograph these activities.

The main thing is to try to be respectful of the culture and of other people present at the service. Don't distract. And, if you are asked to not take pictures, or if there's a sign saying 'no photography allowed,' then don't take pictures. You can always ask a priest's permission before the liturgy, but if he says 'No,' put away your camera and enjoy the freedom you have to focus on the privilege of being able to share an experience with people who consider these religious rituals core to their culture and identity, rather than focusing on your camera's LCD!

Homer's Rules ... Homer rules!

Written Oct 17, 2011

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Off The Beaten Path  

Glory in the beech forest of Jasmund National Park

Glory in the beech forest of Jasmund National Park, Saßnitz

 CatherineReichardt Says:  The Jasmund National Park may only have been awarded its protected status in 1990 (just before the fall of the Berlin Wall) but it's not hard to see why this astonishingly beautiful part of the world would have been afforded this honour.Walking through the ancient beech... 

Marvel at the cliffs immortalised by Friedrich

Marvel at the cliffs immortalised by Friedrich, Saßnitz

 CatherineReichardt Says:  As we approached the chalk cliffs that Caspar David Friedrich had immortalised, I began to fret - after all, that picture was the reason we had chosen to come here in the first place. What if the cliffs were a hybrid figment of his imagination and in reality, weren't as... 

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Map of Saßnitz