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 there, so you can get to the city not only by car but also by yacht. 53°44′N 14°02′E
SCENIC CHARACTER
The city’s name comes from the Wkra River (German: Uecker), which has its estuary here. Considering the Griffin Route, the most important place to see in Ueckermünde is the Pomeranian Dukes’ Castle. It was built in 1546 by Duke Philip I. Before, that space had been occupied by the so-called “fortified house”, which was a place of a national council, a temporary residence, a widow’s seat and a hunting lodge. The four-winged property was later added to the current castle tower. The castle was surrounded by a moat and a stone wall, while the entrance to the castle led through a drawbridge. With the construction of the new seat Prince Philip founded a stone plaque depicting an image of himself in an armour and a decorative hat. A copy of this board is on the portal, while the original is in the National Museum in Szczecin. Duke Bogusław X played a particularly important role in the history of the city and the castle. For some time the first prince’s wife, Margaret, and the second wife, Anna Jagiellonka – Polish princess, who died here in 1503, also lived there.
Nowadays, 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 of the place are animals, but there are also numerous and large playgrounds for the smallest guests. A beautiful place in the city is the historical marketplace. Nature surrounding the town is very interesting as well, so going on a bike trip or walking along the Naturpark Am Stettiner Haff (Natural Park of the Szczeciński Lagoon) is highly recommended. Apart from 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.
