View source for Rügen

{{Short description|Island off the Pomeranian coast of Germany}}
{{about|the island|the former district|Rügen (district)|the former duchy and principality, fief of Denmark and state of the Holy Roman Empire|Principality of Rügen|other uses|Ruegen (disambiguation)}}
{{redirect|Rugia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox islands
| name               = Rügen
| image_name         = Ruegen - Uebersichtskarte.png
| image_caption      = Map of the island
| map                = Germany#Germany Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
| map_caption        = 
| location           = [[Baltic Sea]]
| coordinates        = {{Coord|54|27|N|13|24|E|region:DE_type:isle_scale:1000000|display=title,inline}}
| area_km2           = 926.4
| area_footnotes     = <ref name=Wurlitzer15/>
| highest_mount      = Piekberg<ref name=Wurlitzer15/>
| elevation_m        = 161
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=Wurlitzer15/>
| length_km          = 51.4
| width_km           = 42.8
| width_footnotes    = <ref name=Wurlitzer15/>
| coastline_km       = 574
| country            = Germany
| country_admin_divisions_title = [[States of Germany|State]]
| country_admin_divisions = [[Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_1 = [[Districts of Germany|District]]
| country_admin_divisions_1 = [[Vorpommern-Rügen]]
| demonym            = Rugians
| population         = 77,000<ref name=Wurlitzer15/>
| population_as_of   = 2006
| density_km2        = 79
}}
[[File:Ruegen halbinsel moenchgut.jpg|thumb|Mönchgut ''[[bodden|lagoon]]'' countryside]]

'''Rügen''' ({{IPA|de|ˈʁyːɡn̩|-|De-Rügen.ogg}}; [[Rani dialect|Rani]]: '''''Rȯjana''''', '''''Rāna''''';{{sfn|Milewski|1930|p=306}} {{langx|la|'''Rugia'''}}, {{lang|la|'''Ruegen'''}}) is [[Germany]]'s largest [[List of German islands|island]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Rügen, Hiddensee |first1=Bernhard |last1=Jendricke |first2=Gabriele |last2=Gockel |edition=3rd |publisher=DuMont |year=2008 |isbn=978-3-7701-6058-7 |language=de |page=11}}</ref> It is located off the [[Pomerania]]n coast in the [[Baltic Sea]] and belongs to the state of [[Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]].

The "gateway" to Rügen island is the [[Hanseatic city]] of [[Stralsund]], where it is linked to the mainland by road and railway via the [[Strelasund Crossing|Rügen Bridge and Causeway]], two routes crossing the two-kilometre-wide [[Strelasund]], a [[Sound (geography)|sound]] of the [[Baltic Sea]].

Rügen has a maximum length of {{cvt|51.4|km}} (from north to south), a maximum width of {{cvt|42.8|km}} in the south and an area of {{cvt|926|km2}}. The coast is characterised by numerous sandy [[beach]]es, lagoons ({{lang|de|[[Bodden]]}}) and open bays ({{lang|de|Wieke}}), as well as [[peninsula]]s and [[headlands]]. In June 2011, [[UNESCO]] awarded the status of a [[World Heritage Site]] to the [[Jasmund National Park]], characterised by vast stands of beeches and chalk cliffs like [[Königsstuhl (Rügen)|King's Chair]], the main landmark of Rügen island.<ref>See ''inter alia'' {{cite news |url=https://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/video/sendungsbeitrag117642.html |work=ARD-Tagesschau |title=Fünf deutsche Buchenwälder werden von UNESCO zum Weltnaturerbe erklärt |language=de |trans-title=Five German beech forests declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO |access-date=30 July 2022 |date=25 June 2011 |archive-date=30 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220730112848/https://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/video/sendungsbeitrag117642.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The island of Rügen is part of the district of [[Vorpommern-Rügen]], with its county seat in [[Stralsund]].

The towns on Rügen are: [[Bergen auf Rügen|Bergen]], [[Sassnitz]], [[Putbus]] and [[Garz/Rügen|Garz]]. In addition, there are the Baltic [[seaside resort]]s of [[Binz]], [[Baabe]], [[Göhren (Rügen)|Göhren]], [[Sellin]] and [[Thiessow]].

Rügen is very popular as a [[tourism in Germany|tourist destination]] because of its [[resort architecture]], the diverse landscape and its long, sandy beaches.

== Geology ==
[[File:Kap Arkona2.jpg|thumb|[[Cape Arkona]]]]The chalk cliffs of the [[Jasmund]] peninsula belong to the [[Rügen Chalk]] unit and were formed during the [[Maastrichtian]] stage of the [[Late Cretaceous]], around 70 million years ago.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Reich |first1=Mike |last2=Herrig |first2=Ekkehard |last3=Frenzel |first3=Peter |last4=Kutscher |first4=Manfred |date=2018 |title=Die Rügener Schreibkreide - Lebewelt und Ablagerungsverhältnisse eines pelagischen oberkretazischen Sedimentationsraumes |journal=Zitteliana |pages=17–32 |url=https://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/id/eprint/57206 |language=de |doi=10.5282/UBM/EPUB.57206 |access-date=1 May 2021 |archive-date=2 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230902112756/https://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/57206/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Geography ==
The main body of the island, known as [[Muttland]], is surrounded by several peninsulas. To the north lie the peninsulas of [[Wittow]] and [[Jasmund]], connected to each other by the [[Schaabe]] [[bar (landform)|sandbar]] and to Muttland by the [[Schmale Heide]], an embankment at [[Lietzow]] and the [[Wittow Ferry]]. The northern peninsulas are separated from Muttland by several lagoons or {{lang|de|[[bodden]]}}, the largest of which are the [[Großer Jasmunder Bodden]] and [[Kleiner Jasmunder Bodden]]. Major peninsulas in the south are [[Zudar]] and [[Mönchgut]] which both face the [[Bay of Greifswald]]. [[Strelasund]] separates the island from the southern mainland.

[[File:Königsstuhl und Viktoria-Sicht.jpg|thumb|left|[[Jasmund National Park]], with its [[chalk]] cliffs, the symbol of Rügen: ''Victoria-Sicht'' (Victoria's View) and ''Königsstuhl'' (King's Chair) from the [[Baltic Sea]]]]
Rügen has a total area of {{cvt|926.4|km2}}, or {{cvt|974|km2}} if the adjacent small islands are included.<ref name=Wurlitzer15>{{cite book |title=Rügen |first=Bernd |last=Wurlitzer |edition=11 |publisher=Mair Dumont Marco Polo |year=2006 |isbn=3-8297-0171-3 |language=de |page=15}}</ref> The maximum diameter is {{cvt|51.4|km}} from north to south, and {{cvt|42.8|km}} from east to west.<ref name=Wurlitzer15/> Of an overall {{cvt|574|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} coastline, {{cvt|56|km}} are sandy [[Baltic Sea]] beaches, and {{cvt|2.8|km}} sandy {{lang|de|[[bodden]]}} beaches.<ref name=Wurlitzer15/> The highest elevations are on the [[Jasmund]] peninsula: [[Piekberg]] ({{cvt|161|m|disp=or}}) and [[Königsstuhl (Rügen)|Königsstuhl]] ({{cvt|117|m|disp=or}}).<ref name=Wurlitzer15/>

The northern part of the [[Bay of Greifswald]], the [[Rügischer Bodden]], is a large bay in the south of Rügen island, with the island of [[Vilm]] lying just offshore. At the western end of the bay, the peninsula of [[Zudar]] runs out to the southernmost point of Rügen ([[Palmer Ort]]), at the eastern end the highly indented peninsula of [[Mönchgut]] projects into the sea. This peninsula ends in the east at the [[cape (geography)|cape]] of [[Nordperd]] near [[Göhren (Rügen)|Göhren]] and in the south at the cape of ''Südperd'' by Thiessow. In the west of the peninsula of Mönchgut a narrow, {{cvt|5|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} [[bar (landform)|bar]], the [[Reddevitz Höft]], separates the two bays of [[Having (bay)|Having]] and [[Hagensche Wiek]].

[[File:Binz (2011-05-21) 03.JPG|thumb|[[Binz]]]]
In the north-east of the island of Rügen is formed by the peninsula of [[Jasmund]], which is joined to the heart of the island, ''[[Muttland]]'', by the [[bar (landform)|bar]] of [[Schmale Heide]] between Binz-[[Seebad Prora|Prora]] and Sassnitz-Mukran and by a rail and road embankment at [[Lietzow]]. The Schmale Heide separates the outer bay of [[Prorer Wiek]] from the lagoon of the [[Kleiner Jasmunder Bodden]]. On the peninsula of Jasmund are the [[Piekberg]] ({{Höhe|161|DE-NN|link=true}}), the highest point on Rügen, and the [[Königsstuhl (Rügen)|Königsstuhl]], a {{convert|118|m|ft|adj=mid|-high}} [[chalk]] cliff in [[Stubbenkammer]], which forms the most striking landmark on the island. Another bar, the [[Schaabe]], links Jasmund to the peninsula of [[Wittow]] in the north of Rügen. The Schaabe, in turn, separates the outer bay of [[Tromper Wiek]] from the lagoon of the [[Großer Jasmunder Bodden]]. The peninsula of Wittow and the long, narrow peninsula of [[Bug (Rügen)|Bug]] to the west are separated from the main body of Rügen by the [[Rassower Strom]], the [[Breetzer Bodden]] and the ''Breeger Bodden''. The Wittow peninsula is adjoined in the north by [[Cape Arkona]]. Just under a kilometre to the northwest, located at 54°41' N, is the northernmost point of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Below this [[coastal cliff|cliff]] ({{lang|de|Gellort}}) on the shoreline is the [[Siebenschneiderstein]]{{snd}}the fourth largest [[glacial erratic]] boulder on Rügen.

[[File:Caspar David Friedrich's Chalk Cliffs on Rügen.jpg|thumb|German Romantic painter [[Caspar David Friedrich|Caspar Friedrich]]'s ''[[Chalk Cliffs on Rügen]]'']]

The northwestern and western sides of Rügen are also highly indented, but a little flatter. Offshore are the larger islands of [[Hiddensee]] and [[Ummanz]] as well as the smaller islands [[Öhe]] [[Liebitz]] and [[Heuwiese]]. Sand removal and deposition by the Baltic Sea has to be constantly countered by dredging operations to the north and south of Hiddensee, otherwise Hiddensee would merge with Rügen within a few years. Rügen is dotted with many glacial erratic boulders, of which the 22 largest belong to legally-protected [[geotope]]s (''see also: [[Erratics on and around Rügen]]'').

=== Land use ===
The heartland of Rügen is gently rolling, and the area is characterised primarily by [[agriculture]]. East of the town of Bergen auf Rügen the land climbs to {{convert|90|m|ft}} (at [[Rugard]] where there is an observation tower) and to {{convert|107|m|ft}} in the southeastern hill country of the [[Granitz]]. The soil on Rügen is very fertile and productive, particularly in Wittow, the breadbasket of the island. There are major cabbage-producing regions.

Two German national parks are situated on Rügen: the [[Western Pomerania Lagoon Area National Park]], in the west (including [[Hiddensee]]), and the [[Jasmund National Park]], a smaller park including the chalk cliffs ([[Königsstuhl (Rügen)|Königsstuhl]]). There is also a nature reserve, the [[Southeast Rügen Biosphere Reserve]], consisting of the peninsulas in the southeast.
{{wide image|Rügen Panorama.jpg|1000px|Panoramic view over Rügen from [[Granitz Hunting Lodge|Granitz Castle]] near [[Binz]]}}

=== Climate ===
{{Annotated image
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| caption = Köppen map of Rügen
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The climate is in the [[temperate zone]]. According to the [[Köppen climate classification]] the northern parts of the island and the coastal regions (apart from those lay adjacent to [[Strelasund]]) are under the influence of the [[oceanic climate]] (''Cfb''), meanwhile the remaining majority of the area is dominated by the [[humid continental climate]] (''Dfb'').<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Beck |first1=Hylke E. |last2=Zimmermann |first2=Niklaus E. |last3=McVicar |first3=Tim R. |last4=Vergopolan |first4=Noemi |last5=Berg |first5=Alexis |last6=Wood |first6=Eric F. |date=2018-10-30 |title=Present and future Köppen-Geiger climate classification maps at 1-km resolution |journal=Scientific Data |language=en |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=180214 |doi=10.1038/sdata.2018.214 |pmid=30375988 |pmc=6207062 |bibcode=2018NatSD...580214B |issn=2052-4463}}</ref> The winters are not particularly cold, with mean temperatures in January and February of {{cvt|0.0|C}}; and summers are mild and temperate, with a mean temperature in August of {{cvt|16.3|C}}. There is an average rainfall of {{cvt|520|–|560|mm}} and approximately 1800–1870 hours of sunshine annually.

== Administration ==
Administratively, Rügen is part of the district [[Vorpommern-Rügen]]. Its subdivisions are the {{lang|de|[[Amt (country subdivision)|Ämter]]}} [[Bergen auf Rügen (Amt)|Bergen auf Rügen]] (municipalities [[Bergen auf Rügen]], [[Buschvitz]], [[Garz (Rügen)|Garz]], [[Gustow]], [[Lietzow]], [[Parchtitz]], [[Patzig]], [[Poseritz]], [[Ralswiek]], [[Rappin]], [[Sehlen]] and [[Thesenvitz]]), [[West-Rügen]] (municipalities [[Altefähr]], [[Dreschvitz]], [[Gingst]], [[Hiddensee]], [[Kluis]], [[Neuenkirchen, Rügen|Neuenkirchen]], [[Rambin]], [[Samtens]], [[Schaprode]], [[Trent, Germany|Trent]] and [[Ummanz]]), [[Nord-Rügen]] (municipalities [[Altenkirchen, Rügen|Altenkirchen]], [[Breege]], [[Dranske]], [[Glowe]], [[Lohme]], [[Putgarten]], [[Sagard]], [[Wiek, Rügen|Wiek]]) and [[Mönchgut-Granitz]] (municipalities [[Baabe]], [[Göhren, Rügen|Göhren]], [[Lancken-Granitz]], [[Middelhagen]], [[Sellin]], [[Thiessow]] and [[Zirkow]]) and the Amt-free municipalities of [[Binz]], [[Putbus]] and [[Sassnitz]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kreis-rueg.de/ |access-date=2009-08-24 |title=Landkreis Rügen homepage/Regionales: Städte, Gemeinden, Ämter |archive-date=12 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080212063607/http://www.kreis-rueg.de/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Overall, there are 45 municipalities on Rügen, four of which have town status (Bergen, Garz, Putbus and Sassnitz).<ref>{{cite book |title=Rügen, Hiddensee |first1=Bernhard |last1=Jendricke |first2=Gabriele |last2=Gockel |edition=3 |publisher=DuMont |year=2008 |isbn=978-3-7701-6058-7 |language=de |page=13}}</ref>

== History ==
{{Quote box
| width = 23em
| align = right
| bgcolor = #B0C4DE
| title = Historical affiliations
| fontsize = 90%
| quote =	
{{noflag}} [[Rani (tribe)|Rani]] (Tribe) 7th Century-1168/1169<br>	
{{flagicon image|State Banner of Denmark (14th Century).svg|23px}} [[Principality of Rügen]] ([[Denmark]]) 1168–1325<br>	
{{flagicon image|COA_Pomerania_Wolgast_checkerd_Iberian_style_shield_white_1.svg}} [[Pomerania-Wolgast]] 1325-1368/1372<br>
{{flagicon image|COA_of_Pommern-Barth.png}} [[Pomerania-Barth]] 1368/1372-1451<br>	
{{flagicon image|COA_Pomerania_Wolgast_checkerd_Iberian_style_shield_white_1.svg}} [[Pomerania-Wolgast]] 1451-1478 <br/>
{{flagicon image|Grunwald_Słupsk_i_Szczecin.svg}} [[Duchy of Pomerania]] 1478-1648<br>	
{{flagicon image|Naval_Ensign_of_Sweden.svg}} [[Swedish Pomerania]] ([[Swedish Empire|Sweden]]) 1648-1677 <br>
{{flagicon image|Royal_Standard_of_Denmark_(1731–1819).svg}} [[Denmark-Norway]] 1677-1678<br>
{{flagicon image|Naval_Ensign_of_Sweden.svg}} [[Swedish Pomerania]] ([[Swedish Empire|Sweden]]) 1678 <br>	
{{flagicon image|Royal_Standard_of_Denmark_(1731–1819).svg}} [[Denmark-Norway]] 1678-1679<br>
{{flagicon image|Naval_Ensign_of_Sweden.svg}} [[Swedish Pomerania]] ([[Swedish Empire|Sweden]]) 1679-1807 <br>
{{flagicon image|Flag_of_France.svg}} [[First French Empire]] 1807-1813<br>	
{{flagicon image|Naval_Ensign_of_Sweden.svg}} [[Swedish Pomerania]] ([[Swedish Empire|Sweden]]) 1813-1814 <br>
{{flagicon image|Royal_Standard_of_Denmark_(1731–1819).svg}} [[Denmark-Norway]] 1814-1815<br>
{{flagicon image|Flag_of_the_Kingdom_of_Prussia_(1803-1892).svg}} [[Kingdom of Prussia]] (From 1871 [[German Empire]]) 1815-1918<br>	
{{flagicon image|Flag_of_Germany_(1867–1918).svg}} [[German Empire]] 1871-1918<br>	
{{flagicon image|Flag_of_Prussia_(1918–1933).svg}} [[Free State of Prussia]] ([[Weimar Republic]] until 1933) 1918-1947<br>
{{flagicon image|Flag_of_Germany_(3-2).svg}} [[Weimar Republic]] 1918-1933<br> 
{{flagicon image|Flag_of_Germany_(1935–1945).svg}} [[Nazi Germany]] 1933-1945<br>	
{{flagicon image|Flag_of_the_USSR_(1936-1955).svg}} [[Soviet occupation zone in Germany]] 1945-1949<br>
{{flagicon image|Flag_of_the_German_Democratic_Republic.svg}} [[East Germany]] 1949-1990<br>	
{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Germany]] 1990-Present}}
{{see also|Early history of Pomerania|Rugii|Rani (Slavic tribe)|Principality of Rugia|Duchy of Pomerania|Swedish Pomerania|Province of Pomerania (1815–1945)|Mecklenburg-Vorpommern}}

=== Pre-history and the Germani ===
[[File:Großsteingrab Lancken 1 - Lancken-Granitz, Insel Rügen.jpg|thumb|One of many [[megalith]] sites on Rügen: the [[Lancken-Granitz dolmen]]]]
Discoveries in the {{lang|de|[[bodden]]}} indicate that there has been settlement here since the [[Stone Age]]. All over Rügen are numerous stone monuments, such as megalithic tombs and altar stones that have survived to the present day. By the 1st century, the inhabitants of Rügen were part of the [[Germanic peoples|East Germanic]] tribe of [[Rugii]], who occupied roughly the region that was later to become Western Pomerania and who gave the island its name. The Rugii may have originated from [[Scandinavia]] or evolved from [[Indigenous peoples|autochthonous]] tribes. In the [[Migration Period]], many Rugii moved south and founded an empire in [[Pannonia (Roman province)|Pannonia]].

=== Slavic Rani ===
From the 7th century, the West Slavic [[Rani (Slavic tribe)|Rani]] (or Rujani) built an empire on Rügen and the neighbouring coast between [[Recknitz]] and [[Ryck]]. It decidedly affected the history of the Baltic Sea area and the surrounding [[Obodrites|Obodritic]] (in the west) and [[Liutici]]an (in the south) occupied mainland for the next few centuries. Many traces of their life can be found today.

[[File:Slavnost svatovitova na rujane.jpg|left|thumb|''The Celebration of Svetovid on Rügen'' (1912), [[Alphonse Mucha]], ''[[The Slav Epic]]'']]
The basis of their military strength was a combination of the Ranian navy and a favourable location. Denmark, which was at that time very successful in Great Britain and Scandinavia, was neither able to match its Ranian rivals in the Baltic Sea region nor protect its coastline from Ranian armies until well into the 12th century. Meanwhile, the Ranians built numerous castles and temples in the [[Barth, Germany|Barth]]-[[Jasmund]]-Gristow triangle.

The temple hill of [[Jaromarsburg]], at the northern tip of Rügen and dedicated to the god [[Svetovid]], was significant well beyond the boundaries of the Ranian empire. After the fall of [[Radgosc]] it became the chief shrine for the pagan northwestern Slavs. The administrative centre of the empire was [[Charenza]], possibly on the site of the present-day hillfort known as [[Garz/Rügen|Garz]] or Venz. The main trading centre of the empire was [[Ralswiek]] at the southernmost point of the [[Großer Jasmunder Bodden]].

=== Principality under Danish suzerainty ===
In 1168, the [[Denmark|Danish]] king, [[Valdemar I of Denmark|Valdemar I]], and his army commander and advisor, Bishop [[Absalon of Lund|Absalon of Roskilde]] [[Siege of Arkona|destroyed the Svetovid temple]] in the hillfort at [[Cape Arkona]], ending both the territorial and religious autonomy of the Rani; their former monarchs became Danish [[Pomeranian duchies and dukes|princes of Rügen]]. The Rani prince [[Jaromar I, Prince of Rügen|Jaromar I]] (died 1218) was a vassal of the Danish king and [[Christianization|Christianized]] the island's inhabitants. In 1184, the Pomeranians, whose rule had previously extended as far as the land of Gützkow and to Demmin and thus made them the immediate neighbours of the now Danish [[Principality of Rugia]], were commissioned by their overlord, the Holy Roman Emperor, to seize Rügen for the empire, but were defeated in the [[Bay of Greifswald]].

Under Danish rule the Principality of Rugia changed its character. Danish monasteries were established (e.g. Bergen Abbey in 1193 and [[Eldena Abbey|Hilda Abbey]], today Eldena Abbey, in 1199). [[German eastward expansion|German colonists]] were introduced into the land and soon they became the largest and most culturally influential group within the population. The Slavic cultural element disappeared, mostly due to the lack of their own Slavic church structures, so that the Rani were [[cultural assimilation|absorbed]] in the period that followed into the now German-influenced people of Rügen. In addition to the colonization of the country and the building of new monasteries and churches, towns were also re-established. In 1234, the Rügen Prince [[Wizlaw I, Prince of Rügen|Wizlaw I]] founded the town of [[Stralsund]] and granted [[Greifswald]] market rights in 1241. The power of the towns grew rapidly, forcing Rügen's rulers to make concessions—for example, the prince's castle at [[Barth, Germany|Barth]] was slighted and Schadegast, the princely "twin" of the municipally-controlled Stralsund, was ousted in favour of the latter.

In 1304 a [[storm surge]], known as the [[All Saints' Flood (1304)|All Saints' Flood]], devastated the island and flooded the peninsula between [[Mönchgut]] and [[Ruden (island)|Ruden]].

=== Part of Pomerania ===
[[File:Belagerung ruegen.jpg|thumb|Invasion of Rügen by Brandenburg-Prussia at [[Putbus|Neukamp]] in 1678 (etching by Jan Luiken).]]
[[File:Ducatus Rugiae 1639-1642 (32713858).jpg|thumb|1608 map by [[Eilhardus Lubinus]]]]
After the death of the last Slav prince of the ''Wizlawiden'' (''House of Wizlaw'') dynasty, [[Wizlaw III, Prince of Rügen|Wizlaw III]], in 1325, the principality was acquired by the duchy of [[Pomerania-Wolgast]] as a consequence of the 1321 inheritance agreement ({{lang|de|Erbverbrüderung}}), and from 1368/72–1451 was part of the estate of a branch line, the dukes of [[Pomerania-Barth]]. This state of affairs, together with the disputes over the Danish throne that occurred at that time, led to the [[Rügen wars of succession]]. After they had played out, the former principality went in 1354 to Pomerania-Wolgast and thus became part of the [[Holy Roman Empire]].

In 1478, Pomerania-Wolgast and [[Pomerania-Stettin]] were united and, 170 years later, the combined state went to Sweden in 1648 as a result of the [[Treaty of Westphalia]] (see [[Swedish Pomerania]]). Rügen was part of Swedish Pomerania from 1648 to 1815. The largest landowners, owning at least one-fifth of the island until 1945, was the [[House of Putbus]], which was an offshoot of the earlier ruling princes of the Wizlawid dynasty. In 1727, they were created counts of Holy Roman Empire and 1731 counts in Sweden, ultimately Swedish princes in 1807.

Under [[Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden]] the town of [[Gustavia, Rügen|Gustavia]] was constructed on the [[Mönchgut]] peninsula, but was abandoned during the [[Napoleonic Wars]]. In the years 1678 and 1715, Rügen was briefly wrested from the Swedes by the Elector of Brandenburg, [[Frederick William of Brandenburg|Frederick William]] and by the King in Prussia, [[Frederick William I of Prussia|Frederick William I]]. For example, a Brandenburg-Danish army landed on the island as part of the [[Invasion of Rügen (1678)|invasion of Rügen in 1678]]. After the [[Treaty of Saint-Germain (1679)|Treaty of Saint-Germain]] in 1679 the island passed from Danish to Swedish ownership again. At the time of [[Napoleonic Wars]], Rügen was held by the [[France|French]] from 1807 to 1813. In the [[Treaty of Kiel]] of 1814, it was transferred initially from Sweden to Denmark and then fell to [[Prussia]], along with New Western Pomerania ({{lang|de|Neuvorpommern}}), thanks to the [[Congress of Vienna|Vienna Convention]] of 1815. In 1818, the island became part of the administrative district of [[Regierungsbezirk Stralsund|Stralsund]] and thus belonged to the Prussian [[Province of Pomerania (1815–1945)|Province of Pomerania]]. [[Wilhelm Malte I]] (1783–1854), 1st prince of Putbus, was the last Governor of Swedish Pomerania and the first under Prussian rule.

[[File:Schloss Ralswiek 2 crop.jpg|thumb|[[Ralswiek]] Castle]]
In 1816, the first bathing resort was founded at [[Putbus]]. Later more resorts were established, and Rügen remained the most popular holiday resort of Germany until [[World War II]].

=== German Empire ===
Rügen was a popular destination for exile of Catholic priests and clergy during ''[[Kulturkampf]]'' between 1875 and 1879.<ref>{{cite book|last=Clark|first=Christopher|date=2008|title=Religion and confessional conflict|chapter=4|pages=89–90|url=https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780199204885.003.0005|publisher=Oxford Academic}}</ref>

=== Nazi era ===
[[File:KdF Building.jpg|thumb|[[Strength Through Joy|KdF]] Building Prora]]
The Nazis added a large resort: [[Prora]], planned by the [[Strength through Joy]] organisation, which aimed to occupy people's free time. However, Prora was never completed.

In 1936, the first bridge connecting Rügen with the mainland was constructed ([[Rügendamm]]), replacing the former ferry shuttles.

The operation commanded by [[Wolfram von Richthofen]] that [[bombing of Guernica|bombed the town of Guernica]] during the [[Spanish Civil War]], was named after the island. An [[Abwehr]] [[signals intelligence]] operation during the same conflict was titled Operation Bodden after the strait separating Rügen from the German mainland.

In the aftermath of World War II, East German and Soviet authorities exiled landholders from the mainland to the island.<ref>Exorcising Hitler, The Occupation and Denazifcation of Germany, by Frederick Taylor, Bloomsbury Press</ref>

=== GDR era ===
After the [[Second World War]], Rügen became part of the state of [[Mecklenburg-Vorpommern|Mecklenburg]] within the [[German Democratic Republic]] (GDR). In 1952, the island became part of the [[Bezirk Rostock|district of Rostock]].

The island was the focal point of Project Rose (''Action Rose'') by the GDR government designed to nationalise hotels, taxis and service companies on 10 February 1953. The occasion was supposed to have been a visit by [[Walter Ulbricht]] to the island of Rügen, during which he had been annoyed by the many surviving private hotels and guest houses. Many of the hotel owners were convicted by [[kangaroo court]]s under the pretext of having been engaged in [[economic crime]] or as agents working for the West. Their property was then confiscated and they were sent to prison. Many of the owners and small businessmen were incarcerated in Bützow prison. The hotels were supposed to have been expropriated by the [[Free German Trade Union Federation]] (FDGB). In fact, they were used as accommodation for the barracks-based "people's police" ({{lang|de|[[Kasernierte Volkspolizei]]}} or CPI). As a result of the confiscation of hotels, tourism on Rügen in 1953 came almost to a complete standstill for a time.

In the following nearly four decades, the island became one of the main tourist areas in the GDR. The FDGB played a dominant role in tourist accommodation. In 1963 the FDGB had 7,519 holiday places, the [[Reisebüro der DDR]] 2,906 places and a further 5,025 were available for businesses and organisations. In addition, there were 12,245 places for children in summer camps and another 20,800 places for campers. The plots were located mainly near the beaches.<ref>Dr. Rudolf Petzold, 1964, Die Bäderküste Rügens, Veb Brockhaus Verlag,Leipzig, page 5</ref> Increased holiday capacity was not however generated until the 1970s and 1980s.

=== Reunited Germany ===
[[File:Kurhaus Binz Panorama Nacht.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Binz]], one of several [[spa]]s on Rügen, featuring the typical [[Resort architecture]] of the German Baltic Sea — ''Kurhaus'' (spa hotel) at night]]
[[File:Sellin Seebrücke nachts 1.jpg|thumb|The pier of [[Sellin]] at night]]
In 1990, Rügen became part of the new state of [[Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]] and, together with the neighbouring islands of [[Hiddensee]] and [[Ummanz]], formed the [[Landkreis Rügen|district of Rügen]]. Since the 2011 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern district reforms, Rügen has been part of [[Vorpommern-Rügen]].

In 2007, a second bridge, the [[Rügen Bridge]] ({{lang|de|Rügenbrücke}}), was built to replace the first one built in 1936.

Rügen has now surpassed [[Sylt]] as the most popular German island again.

== Tourist resorts ==
Rügen is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Germany. The island receives about one quarter of all overnight stays in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Most visitors come to Rügen between April and October, the peak season being from June to August, but its quiet atmosphere in winter is also appreciated.

The first bathing facility on Rügen opened in 1794 at the mineral-rich spring in [[Sagard]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Rügen, Hiddensee |first1=Bernhard |last1=Jendricke |first2=Gabriele |last2=Gockel |edition=3 |publisher=DuMont |year=2008 |isbn=978-3-7701-6058-7 |language=de |page=36}}</ref> In 1818, the [[Putbus]] village of [[Lauterbach (Rügen)|Lauterbach]] became Rügen's first seaside resort.<ref name=Kuester300>{{cite book |title=Die Ostsee: eine Natur- und Kulturgeschichte |first=Hansjörg |last=Küster |edition=2 |publisher=C.H.Beck |year=2004 |isbn=3-406-52366-8 |language=de |page=300}}</ref> In the 1860s [[Sassnitz]] became a seaside resort, followed by [[Binz]] in the 1880s.<ref name=Kuester300/> During [[World War II]] [[Prora]] was constructed as a mass tourist resort but it was never finished.<ref name=Kuester300/>
[[File:Sellin Architecture.jpg|thumb|Sellin Architecture]]
Today the most popular seaside resorts are the [[Schaabe]] beaches between [[Altenkirchen, Rügen|Altenkirchen]] and [[Juliusruh]] including Drewoldke, [[Glowe]] and [[Breege]], and the eastern beaches between [[Sassnitz]] and [[Göhren, Rügen|Göhren]] including [[Neu Mukran]], [[Prora]], [[Binz]], [[Sellin]] and [[Baabe]]. The latter are accessible via an historic [[narrow-gauge railway]] employing steam locomotives, called the [[Rügensche Bäderbahn]]. Tourist destinations, other than seaside resorts, include [[Cape Arkona]], the wood-covered [[Stubbenkammer]] hills on [[Jasmund]] with interesting chalk cliff formations, the wood-covered [[Granitz]] hills with their {{lang|de|Jagdschloß}} or [[Granitz hunting lodge|hunting lodge]], the [[Classicism|classicist]] buildings of [[Putbus]] and the inland villages of [[Bergen auf Rügen]], [[Ralswiek]] and [[Gingst]].

The island offers a huge variety of different beach and shore areas. Rügen is often visited by windsurfers and kitesurfers and offers more than fifteen different locations for surfing. The most popular locations are [[Dranske]], [[Rosengarten, Lower Saxony|Rosengarten]], [[Wiek, Rügen|Wiek]], Suhrendorf and [[Neu Mukran]].

On the peninsula of Jasmund is the [[Jasmund National Park]], which consists of the beech forest of [[Stubnitz]], including the chalk cliffs of Rügen. On the [[Königsstuhl (Rügen)|Königsstuhl]] itself is the [[Königsstuhl National Park Centre]], which has a multivision cinema and audio-guide exhibitions with information about the national park in several languages.

{{Wide image|07.07.18.Rügen Kreidefelsen4.jpg|1500px|[[Jasmund National Park]] chalk cliffs}}

== Transport ==

=== Rail ===
[[File:Sellin Ost Bahnhof.jpg|thumb|[[Rügensche Bäderbahn|Rasender Roland]] ("Rushing Roland") is Rügen's historical [[Steam engine|steam-powered]] railway, that runs from [[Putbus]] to [[Binz]], [[Baabe]], [[Sellin]] and [[Göhren, Rügen|Göhren]].]]
The [[railway]] network consists of the electrified [[standard gauge]] stretch of the [[Deutsche Bahn]] [[Stralsund-Sassnitz railway|Stralsund (Rügendamm)-Bergen-Sassnitz line]] (timetable route (KBS) 195), Lietzow-Binz (KBS 197), the non-electrified routes Bergen-Putbus-Lauterbach Mole of the PRESS (KBS 198) and the narrow-gauge stretch ({{RailGauge|750mm|lk=on}}) of the [[Rügensche Bäderbahn|Rügen Resort Railway]] ({{lang|de|Rasender Roland}}): Lauterbach Mole-Putbus-Binz-Sellin-Göhren (KBS 199).

In addition to regional trains, there are also [[Intercity (Deutsche Bahn)|Intercity]] services from [[Ostseebad Binz railway station|Binz]] via [[Bergen auf Rügen station|Bergen]] and [[Stralsund station|Stralsund]] to [[Berlin]], [[Hamburg]], [[Frankfurt]], [[Stuttgart]] and the [[Ruhr]]. Night train services to [[Munich]], Basle and the Ruhr area were deleted from the timetable on 9 December 2007, despite massive protests from the local hotel industry.

=== Bus ===
The bus service on Rügen is operated by the {{lang|de|Rügener Personennahverkehr}}. Since 1996 it has been continuously expanded, and has developed an integral [[clock-face schedule]]. There is a service between all major towns and municipalities on the island at least every two hours, sometimes more frequently during peak season. Throughout the year, buses now run at least every hour on the routes between Sassnitz-Binz-Bergen, Schaprode–Bergen–Klein Zicker, Bergen/Sassnitz-[[Altenkirchen (Rügen)|Altenkirchen]]-[[Wiek (Rügen)|Wiek]]-[[Dranske]] and the Altenkirchen-[[Putgarten]] near Cape Arkona. In addition, the bus service is well-linked with the railway, especially in Bergen, but also at other railway stations.

=== Road ===
[[File:AlleeRügen1.jpg|thumb|right| Typical avenue on Rügen. The [[German Avenue Road]] starts in [[Sellin]] on the island and leads down to the far South of Germany (until [[Lake Constance]]).]]
Until October 2007, individual traffic from the mainland to the island of Rügen was mainly routed along the two-lane Rügendamm causeway, running between [[Stralsund]] and [[Altefähr]] over the sound of [[Strelasund]].

The cornerstone for a second crossing over the Strelasund was laid on 31 August 2004. This bridge, the Rügen Bridge, running parallel to the Rügendamm, has a length of about {{convert|4.1|km}} and a vertical clearance for ships of {{convert|42|m}}, and was on opened on 20 October 2007. In order to relieve the town of Stralsund, a [[ring road]] has been built in the last few years, coming from the southwest. The [[Bundesstraße 96|B 96 federal road]] between Stralsund and [[Greifswald]] is also connected via an access road to the [[Bundesautobahn 20|A 20 motorway]]. The B 96 runs from Stralsund via Bergen to Sassnitz. Here a new route with bypasses is planned (the "New B 96").

The main tourist attractions of Cape Arkona, the [[Königsstuhl (Rügen)|Königsstuhl]] and the [[Granitz hunting lodge]] are, however, car-free in order to protect the countryside, as is the island of Hiddensee which belongs to Vorpommern-Rügen district. All these destinations can be reached using public transport, without needing a car.

=== Cycling ===
Rügen has a signposted network of cycle paths. The condition and signing of this network varies considerably from one place to another, from very good in the seaside resorts to poor in the area between Garz and Zudar. There is a circular cycle path around the whole island.
During the summer season there is the option on some routes to carry bicycles on the buses. This is always possible on the railways.

=== Ship ===
[[File:Sassnitz Mukran (2011-05-21) 5.JPG|thumb|[[Ferry]] port ''Mukran'', (part of [[Sassnitz]])]]

Two car ferries belonging to the {{lang|de|[[Weiße Flotte (Stralsund)|Weiße Flotte]]}} operate every half-an-hour between the Zudar peninsula on Rügen and Stahlbrode on the mainland, halfway between Stralsund and Greifswald.

Another {{lang|de|Weiße Flotte}} car ferry, the [[Wittow Ferry]] runs from the heartland of Rügen (''Muttland'') to Wittow.

A ferry sails from [[Sassnitz]] ferry port in Mukran to the Danish island of [[Bornholm]], to Swedish [[Trelleborg]], to [[Klaipėda]] (formerly Memel) in [[Lithuania]], to [[Baltiysk]] (formerly Pillau) and to [[Saint Petersburg]].

The island of [[Hiddensee]], which also belongs to the county of Vorpommern-Rügen, is connected by a regular ferry service from Schaprode to Rügen, and is increasingly integrated into the clock-schedule timetable on the main island. In addition, there is a regular ship service from Stralsund, [[Wiek (Rügen)|Wiek]] and [[Breege]] to Hiddensee. Tourist services include ferry connections from [[Lauterbach (Rügen)|Lauterbach]] to [[Gager (municipality)|Gager]], and between Sassnitz, Binz, Sellin and Göhren. There are also round-trips mainly from Sassnitz, but also from [[Lohme]], to the Königsstuhl.
Pleasure steamers also ply between the resorts and [[Peenemünde]] on Usedom, where there is a connection to the [[Usedomer Bäderbahn|Usedom Railway]] (UBB).

=== Ferries ===
[[Sassnitz]]–[[Neu Mukran]] is the international ferry terminal on Rügen, with ferry services to
*[[Trelleborg]] ([[Sweden]], served by [[Stena Line]]),<ref name=FShome>{{cite web |url=http://www.faehrhafen-sassnitz.de/index-fl.htm |access-date=2009-08-24 |title=Fährhafen Sassnitz Gmbh (homepage), Verkehre, Liniendienste |archive-date=2012-02-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120226190906/http://www.faehrhafen-sassnitz.de/index-fl.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[[Rønne]] ([[Bornholm]], [[Denmark]], served by [[Bornholmslinjen]]),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bornholmslinjen.com/ |title=Bornholm |access-date=24 January 2019 |archive-date=24 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190124203318/https://www.bornholmslinjen.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Klaipėda]] ([[Klaipėda|Memel]], [[Lithuania]], served by [[DFDS Lisco]]),<ref name=FShome/>
*[[Baltiysk]] ([[Baltiysk|Pillau]], [[Kaliningrad Oblast]], [[Russia]], served by [[DFDS Lisco]]),<ref name=FShome/>
*[[Saint Petersburg]] ([[Russia]], served by ''TransRussiaExpress'')<ref name=FShome/>
*[[Ust-Luga]] (near [[Saint Petersburg]], [[Russia]]; planned).<ref name=DBFS>{{cite web |url=http://www.pressrelations.de/new/standard/result_main.cfm?r=374388&aktion=jour_pm |access-date=2009-08-24 |title=Deutsche Bahn Pressemitteilung vom 03.07.2009, 16:12 |archive-date=19 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719074100/http://www.pressrelations.de/new/standard/result_main.cfm?r=374388&aktion=jour_pm |url-status=live }}</ref>
Sassnitz-Mukran is the largest railway ferry terminal in [[Germany]] and the only one in Europe where different tracks allow switching from [[standard gauge]] to [[broad gauge]].<ref name=FShome/>

Local passenger ferries connect the [[pier]]s of [[Sassnitz]], [[Binz]], [[Sellin]] and [[Göhren, Rügen|Göhren]] with the adjacent islands of [[Hiddensee]], [[Vilm]] and [[Greifswalder Oie]]. Passenger and car ferries connect Rügen's centre of [[Muttland]], to both [[Wittow]] in Rügen's north via the [[Wittow Ferry]] and to the mainland via the Glewitz Ferry ({{lang|de|Glewitzer Fähre}}) between Stahlbrode near [[Greifswald]] and [[Glewitz]] on Rügen's [[Zudar]] peninsula.

=== Aviation ===
[[File:Flugplatz Güttin, Rügen (2011-05-21) 2.JPG|thumb|Runway of [[Rügen Airport]] at [[Bergen auf Rügen|Bergen]]]]
[[Rügen Airport]] is located about {{cvt|8|km}} from Bergen. After the ''[[Die Wende|Wende]]'', the first sightseeing flights over the island were offered on the former agricultural airfield. In May 1993, the first tarmac runway was inaugurated. Since then, charter flights to Berlin, Hamburg and other cities in Europe have been available.

The [[Stralsund Barth Airport|Baltic Sea Airport Stralsund]] also offers flights to and from the region of [[Western Pomerania]]. The larger [[Rostock–Laage Airport]] offers regular international destinations.

== Notable people ==
Significant Rüganer:
[[File:Karl Schwarz 1865 (IZ 45-08).jpg|thumb|140px|Karl Schwarz, 1865]]
*[[Preben von Ahnen]] (1606–1675) a German-born Norwegian civil servant and landowner.
*[[Baltzar von Platen (1766–1829)|Count Baltzar Bogislaus von Platen]] (1766–1829) a Swedish naval officer and statesman.
*[[Ernst Moritz Arndt]] (1769–1860), German writer and deputy.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Arndt, Ernst Moritz |volume= 2 | pages = 627&ndash;628 |short= 1}}</ref>
*[[Wilhelm Malte I]] Prince of [[House of Putbus|Putbus]] (1783–1854), under his rule there was much construction work in the [[Classicism|classical]] style
*[[Arnold Ruge]] (1802–1880) a philosopher and political writer.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Ruge, Arnold |volume= 23 |page= 821 |short= 1}}</ref>
*[[Karl Schwarz]] (1812–1885) a Protestant theologian.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Schwarz, Karl |volume= 24 |short= 1}}</ref>
*[[Theodor Billroth]] (1829–1894), one of the greatest surgeons of the 19th century.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Billroth, Albert Christian Theodor |volume= 3 |page= 945 |short= 1}}</ref>
*[[Berthold Delbrück]] (1842–1922), German linguist
*[[Anna Dabis]] (1847–1927) a sculptor who spent much of her career in Britain.
*[[Hans Delbrück]] (1848–1929), German historian and politician.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Delbrück, Hans |volume= 7 | page= 952 |short= 1}}</ref>
*[[Franziska Tiburtius]] (1843–1927), German doctor and campaigner for women's studies
*[[Hans Langsdorff]] (1894–1939), German naval officer and captain of the Armoured Cruiser ''[[German cruiser Admiral Graf Spee|Admiral Graf Spee]]''
*[[Meinhard Nehmer]] (born 1941), East German bobsledder, Olympic and World Champion
*[[Christian Schwochow]] (born 1978) a German film director.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2275000/ Christian Schwochow, IMDb Database] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220418141705/https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2275000/ |date=18 April 2022 }}.</ref>

=== Individuals associated with the island ===
[[File:Blücher (nach Gebauer).jpg|thumb|150px|Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher around 1815]]
*[[Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher]], Prince Wahlstatt (1742–1819), Prussian Field Marshal, spent his youth on the Venz estate.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Blücher, Gebhard Leberecht von |volume= 4 |page= 90 |short= 1}}</ref>
*[[Caspar David Friedrich]] (1774–1840), painter, stayed several times on visits by relatives of Pomerania and was inspired mainly by the chalk cliffs
*[[Ludwig Gotthard Kosegarten]] (1758–1818), theologian, pastor, professor and poet, pastor of the parish Altenkirchen at Rügen
*[[Joachim Nicolas Eggert]] (1779–1813), composer and musical director, member of the Royal Swedish Musical Academy
*[[Maximilian Kaller]] (1880–1947), Bishop of Warmia in Prussia, began his first pastorate as mission pastor of St. Boniface parish at Rügen
*[[Angela Merkel]] (born 1954), German Chancellor (CDU), represented the constituency of [[Vorpommern-Rügen – Vorpommern-Greifswald I]] between 1990 and 2021; she therefore represented the island of Rügen in the [[Bundestag]].

== See also ==
*[[Åland]]
*[[Bornholm]]
*[[Buyan]]
*[[Gotland]], [[Öland]]
*[[List of islands in the Baltic Sea]]
*[[List of churches on Rügen]]
*[[Prora]]
*[[Saaremaa]], [[Hiiumaa]]
*[[Usedom]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
*{{Cite journal |last=Milewski |first=Tadeusz |author-link=Tadeusz Milewski |title=Pierwotne nazwy wyspy Rugji i słowiańskich jej mieszkańców |year=1930 |journal=Slavia Occidentalis |volume=IX |pages=292–306 |language=pl}}

== External links ==
{{Commons|Rügen}}
{{wikivoyage}}
*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Rügen |short=x}}
*{{Cite NIE |wstitle=Rügen |year=1905 |short=x}}
*[http://ruegen.de Official site]
*[https://archive.org/details/wkladilipjmtkya00kollgoog/page/n115 Map of Rygensko by Ján Kollár]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20121023090827/http://www.koenigsstuhl.com/startseite_11.html?&L=1 Jasmund National Park pictures and information about the chalk cliffs] (English)

{{Biosphere Reserves of Germany}}
{{Islands in the Baltic Sea}}
{{German Baltic Sea islands}}
{{Pomerania}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rugen}}
[[Category:Rügen| ]]
[[Category:German islands in the Baltic]]
[[Category:Biosphere reserves of Germany]]
[[Category:Geography of Pomerania]]
[[Category:Islands of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]]