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Putbus is the oldest
resort town on the island. With its musical events and
museum, it is regarded as Ruegen’s cultural capital.
Originally a Slavic settlement, it was
documented for the first time in 1253.
One of the best
things about
Putbus is before you get there. It’s on the Deutsche
Alleenstrasse.
Driving out of the green tunnel into “the white
city” of Putbus, we were struck by the classic architectural
columns and bright white buildings around the
“Circus” – a circular drive around a
central park.
The town is
an example of the juxtaposition of drab and pockmarked buildings of the
old DDR standing adjacent to the newly patched and painted ones of the
reunified Germany. It shouldn’t be long before all of Putbus
is restored to its former spendor. There’s a requirement that
facades maintain their original structure and character and in one case
we saw that only the front wall was left standing, propped up while an
entirely new building is being constructed behind it.
A main attraction of
the town is
the Schlossgarten, landscaped in the style of an English garden. The
castle
no longer exists, but its church, or Schlosskirche,
has
survived. The town is also the site of an animal park where we saw some
rare fallow
deer along with a variety of other wildlife.
Putbus is at the
western end of
the narrow gauge (Kleinbahn)
steam rail line which runs from there to the island’s
easternmost village of Göhren, which is where we got on board.
The antique train is fun for anyone, and a definite must if you have
children in tow.
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Putbus
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