Koos is the largest of several small islands in the

Bay of Greifswald The Bay of Greifswald Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; ), also known by its Anglicisation, anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a Federated state, state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's States of Germany, sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpom ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It has an area of 772

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...

s and a maximum elevation of just above three meters.Map of Koos, elevation and settlements detailed The island is a largely uninhabited natural reserve with restricted access. It is separated from the mainland by ''Kooser Bucht'' and ''Kooser See'', two bays connected by a tiny strait, ''Beek''. In 1241, Barnuta,

prince of Rügen A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The fema ...

, granted Koos (then "''Chosten''") to

Eldena abbey Eldena Abbey (), originally Hilda Abbey () is a former Cistercian monastery near the present town of Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Only ruins survive, which are well known as a frequent subject of Caspar David Friedrich's paintin ...

(then "''Hilda''"), later it became a possession of the

Hanseatic The Hanseatic League was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...

town of

Greifswald Greifswald (), officially the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald (, Low German: ''Griepswoold'') is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania after Rostock, Schwerin and Neubrandenburg. In 2021 it surpa ...

, located a few kilometers southward. A medieval

burgh A burgh ( ) is an Autonomy, autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots language, Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when David I of Scotland, King David I created ...

has been suggested on the isle, but not verified.Christian Lübke, ''Struktur und Wandel im Früh- und Hochmittelalter: eine Bestandsaufnahme aktueller Forschungen zur Germania Slavica'', Franz Steiner Verlag, 1998, p.305, A 17th-century

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

settlement had disappeared in the 18th century. Koos is administered by the nearby town of

.The island is off limits to the general public; driving to the island with a motor vehicle is only permitted to authorised individuals
Detailed list of protected areas within the Greifswald city limits
/ref>

References

External links

German islands in the Baltic Pomerania Protected areas of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Nature reserves in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Bay of Greifswald Islands of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania {{Greifswald-geo-stub