Wolgast () is a town in the district of

Vorpommern-Greifswald Vorpommern-Greifswald is a district in the east of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is bounded by (from the west and clockwise) the districts of Mecklenburgische Seenplatte and Vorpommern-Rügen, the Baltic Sea, Poland (West Pomeranian Voiv ...

, in

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 is situated on the bank of the river (or

strait A strait is a water body connecting two seas or water basins. The surface water is, for the most part, at the same elevation on both sides and flows through the strait in both directions, even though the topography generally constricts the ...

) Peenestrom, vis-a-vis the island of

Usedom Usedom ( , ) 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 ...

on the

Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages *Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originatin ...

coast that can be accessed by road and railway via a movable

bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- o ...

(''Blaues Wunder''). In December 2004, the town had a population of 12,725.

History

The precursor of present-day Wolgast was a Slavic Wendish stronghold located on an island within the Peenestrom sound.Schmidt, Roderich (²2009): ''Das historische Pommern,'' Cologne Contemporary sources called it ''Hologost(a), Ologost, Woligost, Woligast, Wologost, Wolegast, Wolegust, Walagost(um), Walogost(um), Waløgost(um), Waloguslum, Walagust, Walegusth, Walægust, Walgust, Wolgast, Valagust, Wołogoszcz'' or ''Valegust''. Wilhelm Ferdinand Gadebusch traces the name through Wendish to mean a "large grove". It is unclear which of the tribes documented in the area the population belonged to, the

Veleti The Veleti, also known as Veletians, Wilzi, Wielzians, and Wiltzes, were a group of medieval Lechitic tribes within the territory of Western Pomerania, related to Polabian Slavs. They had formed together the Confederation of the Veleti, also kn ...

Lutici The Lutici or Liutizi (known by various spelling variants) were a federation of West Slavic Polabian tribes, who between the 10th and 12th centuries lived in what is now northeastern Germany. Four tribes made up the core of the federation: t ...

Rani ''Rani'' () is a female title, equivalent to queen, for royal or princely rulers in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It translates to 'queen' in English. It is also a Sanskrit Hindu feminine given name. The term applies equally to a ...

. In 1123/24, prince Henry of the

Obodrites The Obotrites (, ''Abodritorum'', ''Abodritos'') or Obodrites, also spelled Abodrites (), were a confederation of medieval West Slavs, West Slavic tribes within the territory of modern Mecklenburg and Holstein in northern Germany (see Polabian S ...

used the stronghold as a stepping stone in his campaign against the Rani. In 1128, after the Pomeranian duke Wartislaw I had subdued the area, the Wends were baptized by Otto of Bamberg on his second Pomeranian mission, while Wartislaw was also present in the stronghold. During this time, there was an influx of thousands of

Low German Low German is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language variety, language spoken mainly in Northern Germany and the northeastern Netherlands. The dialect of Plautdietsch is also spoken in the Russian Mennonite diaspora worldwide. "Low" ...

settlers from

Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...

and

Drenthe Drenthe () is a province of the Netherlands located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. As of Jan ...

. In this context, Wolgast was described as a ''opulentissima civitas'' by the chronicler Ebo, it is however unclear whether this should be read as meaning opulent or mighty "castle" or "town". Otto destroyed a local temple devoted to Gerowit, a god of war, and replaced it with a church. The thesis that this first church was a predecessor of today's St. Peter's church has not yet been confirmed. Wolgast was made the seat of a Pomeranian

castellan A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...

y, and played an important role in the 12th-century warfare between Pomeranians, Rani and the Danes. In 1162, Wolgast was targeted by an allied Danish-Rani fleet, and temporarily had to accept Danish suzerainty.Riis, Thomas (2003): ''Das mittelalterliche dänische Ostseeimperium'' (Studien zur Geschichte des Ostseeraumes IV), Odense In 1164, in the context of the battle of Verchen, a Danish force under Wetheman took control of Wolgast, and left it to a mixed Rani-Pomeranian-Obrodite garrison after peace was restored. Yet, the Rani (the Danish allies) were soon expelled by the Pomeranians, and the Obodrites (also Danish allies) left the scene. The Danes attacked Wolgast again in the summer of 1167, and again either in late 1167 or in 1168, and devastated the area. In 1177, another Danish assault on Wolgast failed, but a campaign in 1179 was successful, though the Danish fleet accepted money instead of a surrender. In 1184, Wolgast was unsuccessfully besieged by the Danes, but finally came under Danish control in 1185 when the Pomeranian duke accepted Danish suzerainty. While the Danes lost control over most of Pomerania in 1227, Wolgast remained a Danish bridgehead until either 1241/43 or 1250. On the mainland opposite to island with the castle, a new planned town was built in the course of the

Ostsiedlung (, ) is the term for the Early Middle Ages, early medieval and High Middle Ages, high medieval migration of Germanic peoples and Germanisation of the areas populated by Slavs, Slavic, Balts, Baltic and Uralic languages, Uralic peoples; the ...

. It is not known when exactly this city of Wolgast was granted

German town law The German town law () or German municipal concerns (''Deutsches Städtewesen'') was a set of early town privileges based on the Magdeburg rights developed by Otto I. The Magdeburg law became the inspiration for regional town charters not only i ...

, though its existence is confirmed by a letter written in or before 1259. The original charter was issued by both Pomeranian dukes of the time, Wartislaw III and

Barnim I Barnim I the Good ( 1217/1219 – 13 November 1278), from the Griffin dynasty, was a Duke of Pomerania (''ducis Slauorum et Cassubie'') from 1220 until his death. Life Son of Duke Bogislaw II and Miroslava of Pomerelia, he succeeded to the Duc ...

, and a confirmation of the

Lübeck law The Lübeck law () was the family of codified municipal law developed at Lübeck, which became a free imperial city in 1226 and is located in present-day Schleswig-Holstein. It was the second most prevalent form of municipal law in medieval and e ...

was issued in 1282 by duke Bogislaw IV. Wolgast was residence of the Pomeranian dukes from 1285 until the ruling House of Pomerania became extinct in 1637.Berger (2008), p. 361 Capital of '' Pomerania-Wolgast'', a longtime inner partition of the duchy, Wolgast Castle was built as a residential palace in

Renaissance style Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...

on an island hence called ''Castle Island''.Dubilski (2003), p. 173 The ducal line of Pomerania-Wolgast became extinct when Philipp Julius died without issue. During the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, the

Swedish Empire The Swedish Empire or the Great Power era () was the period in Swedish history spanning much of the 17th and early 18th centuries during which Sweden became a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic regi ...

occupied Wolgast in 1630 and kept it as a part of

Swedish Pomerania Swedish Pomerania (; ) was a dominions of Sweden, dominion under the Sweden, Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815 on what is now the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish-Swedish War, Polish War and the Thirty Years' War ...

until 1815. Between the 1670s to 1720s, hundreds of male residents enlisted in the VOC and emigrated to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. The former ducal palace decayed, and the town was burned down in 1713 by Russian forces during the

Great Northern War In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the ant ...

, in retaliation for Swedish arson in Altona. Only the church, four chapels and four more buildings were spared by the fire. Most houses of the Old Town therefore date back to the 18th and 19th centuries, the townhall was renewed after the fire in

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style. After the Swedish withdrawal from Pomerania in 1815, the city was integrated into the

Prussian Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, the House of Hohenzoll ...

Province of Pomerania. Last remnants of the palace were removed in 1849. Wolgast prospered throughout the 19th century as a port for

grain trade The grain trade refers to the local and international trade in cereals such as wheat, barley, maize, rice, and other food grains. Grain is an important trade item because it is easily stored and transported with limited spoilage, unlike other agri ...

. In 1910 a Catholic Church was built for Polish workers Wolgast lost its status as a Kreis capital on 12 June 1994, when Kreis Wolgast was merged into Kreis Ostvorpommern, which became part of

in 2011.

Museums and other sights

The town's history is presented in the ''Stadtgeschichtliches Museum'' (Towns' historical museum) in a half-timbered house at the market place nicknamed ''Kaffeemühle'' ( coffee grinder). It was built in the 17th century. The former house of painter Philipp Otto Runge is also a museum by now (''Rungemuseum''). The house was built at the beginning of the 18th century in a

style and renovated from 1996 to 1997. The Town Hall was built in the 18th century. A part of the medieval town wall with a tower is preserved in Kronwiekstrasse. It was renovated in 2013. Various half-timbered houses can be visited in the historical town center, e.g. in Burgstrasse. House no. 5 in Burgstrasse is a baroque building dating from 1700 with a stepped gable. St. Gertruden Chapel which was built in the 15th century in a gothic style and renovated from 2017 to 2019 is worth a visit as well. St. Peter's Church representing a typical

brick gothic Brick Gothic (, , ) is a specific style of Gothic architecture common in Baltic region, Northeast and Central Europe especially in the regions in and around the Baltic Sea, which do not have resources of standing rock (though Glacial erratic, ...

style was inaugurated around 1415.

Notable people

* Barnim VII, Duke of Pomerania (1390–1450) Duke of Pomerania * Ernst Ludwig, Duke of Pomerania (1545–1592) duke of Pomerania * Barnim X, Duke of Pomerania (1549–1603) a duke of Pomerania * Casimir VI, Duke of Pomerania (1557–1605) a non-reigning duke of Pomerania * Philipp Julius, Duke of Pomerania (1584–1625) duke of Pomerania * Otto Wolgast (1640-1681) early settler in

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

, USA; founded the Zwaanendael Colony * Johann Philipp Palthen (1672–1710) a Western Pomeranian historian and philologist * Philipp Otto Runge (1777–1810) a Romantic German painter and draughtsman * Karl Gustav Homeyer (1795–1874) a German jurist. * Adolf Friedrich Stenzler (1807–1887) a German

Indologist Indology, also known as South Asian studies, is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent, and as such is a subset of Asian studies. The term ''Indology'' (in German, ''Indologie'') is ...

* Theodor Marsson (1816–1892) a German pharmacist and botanist *

Willy Stöwer Willy Stöwer (22 May 1864 – 31 May 1931) was a Germans, German artist, illustrator, and author during the German Empire, Imperial Period. He is best known for Marine art, nautical paintings and lithographs. Many of his works depict historica ...

(1864–1931) a German artist, illustrator and author * Hartmut Piniek (born 1950), a German painter.

Sport

* Hans-Ulrich Grapenthin (born 1943) former footballer, played 308 games for

FC Carl Zeiss Jena FC Carl Zeiss Jena () is a German football club based in Jena, Thuringia. Founded in 1903, it was initially associated with the optics manufacturer Carl Zeiss. From the 1960s to the 1980s it was one of the top-ranked clubs in East Germany, won ...

* Axel Kruse (born 1967) a former German association footballer and American football player. *

Franka Dietzsch Franka Dietzsch (born 22 January 1968) is a German former discus thrower best known for winning gold medals at three World Championships in Athletics. She won the 1998 European Championships in Athletics, 1998 European Championships and 1999 Wo ...

(born 1968) a former German discus thrower * Enrico Neitzel (born 1977), footballer, played over 350 games * Johannes Sellin (born 1990) a German handball player

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

* * Wolgast depiction in 1614 by Eilhard Lubinus {{Authority control Towns in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Port cities and towns in Germany Port cities and towns of the Baltic Sea Vorpommern-Greifswald Populated coastal places in Germany (Baltic Sea) Members of the Hanseatic League Populated places established in the 13th century 1250s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1257 establishments in Europe Burial sites of the House of Pomerania Capitals of former nations