Kühlungsborn

Kühlungsborn
Spa buildings at the beach showing local resort architecture
Kühlungsborn
Location of the town of Kühlungsborn within Rostock district
Coordinates	54°08′N 11°45′E
Administration
Country	Germany
State	Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
District	Rostock
Mayor	Rainer Karl (CDU)
Basic statistics
Area	16.16 km2 (6.24 sq mi)
Elevation	10 m  (33 ft)
Population	7,158 (31 December 2010)
- Density	443 /km2 (1,147 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	DBR
Postal code	18225
Area code	038293
Website	www.stadt-kuehlungsborn.de

Kühlungsborn (German pronunciation: [ˈkyːlʊŋsbɔʁn]) is a Seebad (seaside resort) town in the Rostock district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the Baltic Sea coast, 11 km northwest of Bad Doberan, and 25 km northwest of Rostock.

The town has an elongate beach and promenade, many hotels in typical German spa town architecture and a marina. It is the largest seaside spa town in Mecklenburg.

Kühlungsborn is a place with long spa traditions. It was one of the first seaside resorts to be founded in Germany, dating back to the 1860s. While the bicycle is a popular way of transport, the Molli train is a historical tourist attraction that also allows to explore the area. In summer times many people rent one of the traditional Strandkorb on the beach, a covered chair protecting one from wind and sun.

Town history

The town of Kühlungsborn was founded on April 1, 1938 with the merger of the three municipalities; Fulgen, Brunshaupten and Arendsee. On the town coat of arms the three flying seagulls on a blue background represent these former municipalities.

At the end of World War II in 1945, many refugees settled temporarily or permanently in Kühlungsborn. In 1953, the East German government partially expropriated and arbitrarily nationalized a number of hotels and boarding houses in the city during the so-called "Action Rose". Over 50 of these institutions were transformed into holiday and health resorts for the regulated vacations of East German citizens which were controlled by FDGB Trade Union. If the former owners resisted, they were often convicted in show trials. Many were forced into exile in the Federal Republic of Germany.

During East Germany's uniform holiday period of July to August, Kühlungsborn was flooded with vacationers. The cost for use of the FDGB vacation facilities were very small, normally 60-100 East German Marks for 14 days of full board. During this time there were frequent shortages in commercial establishments. Annual festivals were conducted for three decades, during the "Baltic weeks", usually the first week of July. There were numerous high-profile cultural events during these festivals. Participants from the Baltic Sea countries and Norway were accommodated in free boarding houses.

From 1958 to 1990 approximately 100 men of the East German Navy's (Volksmarine) elite 18th Combat Swimmer Command (Kampfschwimmerkommando 18 (KSK-18)) were stationed in Kühlungsborn.

Since the mid-1990s Kühlungsborn has again become a popular year-round destination for the holiday season.

Kühlungsborn has remained a community without tall buildings, because no house is allowed to be built higher than the tallest trees. After the reunification of Germany the historic center of Kühlungsborn has been thoroughly renovated, with many historic buildings restored. However, in 1994, 26 historic buildings representing resort architecture were demolished during this renovation, such as the Arendseer Kurhaus completed in 1906. There are many new hotels and apartments as well as renovations of old hotels and pensions. From 2002- 2004 the new marina was built with 400 moorings in East Kühlungsborn. The resort's bridge was built in 1991 and the 3,200-meter-long beach promenade was completely renovated in 2007.

For the G8 summit in Heiligendamm in 2007 the press was accommodated in East Kühlungsborn. Around 5,390 journalists from 78 countries representing 1,045 media outlets were accredited and lived mostly in Kuehlungsborn.

Sister Cities

• Büsum, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
• Grömitz, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
• Zelenogradsk, Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia

Gallery

• 

  Beach promenade from above

• 

  The Molli train

External links

Media related to Kühlungsborn at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website (German)
• Tourism website (German, English)