LOCATION
Ueckermünde (Wkryujście) – a city in Mecklemburg-Western Pomerania, approx. 70 km from Wolgast and 60 km from Szczecin. The city is located on the Szczecin Lagoon, on the north-western edge of the Wkrzańska Forest. There are three marinas here, so you can get to the city not only by car and also by yacht. 53°44′N 14°02′E
photo source: own photos.
SCENIC CHARACTER
The city’s name comes from the Wkra River (German: Uecker), which has its estuary here. From the point of view of the Griffin Route, the most important place in Ueckermünde is the Pomeranian Dukes‘ Castle. It was built in 1546 by Duke Philip I. The earlier in this space was „fortified house“. It was a place of a national council, a temporary residence, a widow’s seat and a hunting lodge. It was today’s castle tower, to which the four-winged property was added. The castle was surrounded by a moat and a stone wall, and the entrance to the castle led through a drawbridge. With the construction of the new seat, Prince Philip founded a stone plaque with himself image in armour and a decorative hat. A copy of this board is on the portal, while the original there is in the National Museum in Szczecin. A particular role in the history of the city and the castle was played by the Duke Bogusław X. For a time lived here also the first prince’s wife Margaret and the second wife Anna Jagiellonka – Polish princess, who died here in 1503.
Today, in the castle there are the Town Hall and Haffmuseum. The exposition is divided into four sections: finds of old and new past, history of the city, main branches of the economy (foundry, brickyard, fishing and shipping) from the territory of Ueckermünde and household and household items from various epochs. In the city space, you can see griffins, which are also in its coat of arms. From the tower there is a wonderful view of Ueckermünde and the Szczeciński Lagoon.
ATTRACTIONS
Ueckermünde is a resort town. There is also a zoological garden in the city. The biggest attraction in the place are animals, but you also have numerous and large playgrounds for the smallest guests. A beautiful place in the city is the historical marketplace. Interesting is also the surrounding nature of the town. Therefore, it is worth going on a bike trip or walking along the Naturpark Am Stettiner Haff (Natural Park of the Szczeciński Lagoon). Next to the zoological garden, port, old town and numerous recreational attractions, this small town has one more interesting offer, addressed primarily to children, but also to people who like nature and rural life. „Tierproduktion Haffküste“, where children can experience direct contact with work in the countryside.
INFORMATION SOURCES
Heritage Class: [ C ]Cultural Heritage
Subclass [MS] : Monuments and sites
WEB PAGES
https://www.ueckermuende.de https://www.ueckermuende.de/exponate.html?&L=1
http://zamek.szczecin.pl/sladami/sladami/de/ueckermuende.html