Gustavia, Rügen
Encyclopedia
Gustavia was a 19th century unfinished Swedish
town on the island of Rügen
, the construction of which began and had to be aborted during the Napoleonic Wars
.
was involved in several wars, with Swedish Pomerania
frequently turning into a battlefield. Not having a port on the isle of Rügen
proved disadvantegeous in situations when access to nearby Stralsund
was blocked by enemy forces on the mainland. In situations like that, Swedish landing forces often suffered casualties when they were deployed at Rügen's unsecured beaches. Thus, in 1806 plans for a port city on Rügen's southeastern shore were drafted. Furthermore, Sweden hoped to be able to easily block any naval access to Stralsund
, Greifswald
and Wolgast
with a fortified port city on the Mönchgut
peninsula.
This port was to be named after the contemporary Swedish monarch, Gustav IV Adolf
, who planned Gustavia not only as a naval base, but also as a trading town ("köping").
From July to August 1806, officers Boye and Gripenberg completed surveying
the area around Groß and Klein Zicker, attesting that the nearby bay Zicker See would make a good harbor for three to four hundred vessels once the sand splits barring the inlet were dredged. Boye also drafted first plans for the town.
, a naval academy, an esplanade with representative residential buildings, a nursery and a school for craftmenship and agriculture. In December, the site was surveyed again by Johan Daniel Sabelström and Fale Fjellström.
In 1807, the French
army seized Stralsund and occupied Rügen
in October. All constructions of Gustavia were deconstructed or levelled by the French occupation forces. When Sweden regained control of the site, construction was not resumed, and in 1812 it was again occupied by French forces. After their final withdrawal in 1813, Sweden constructed two landing bridges nearby, one in Zickersches Hövt and one in Göhren
. When the Congress of Vienna
ended the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, Swedish Pomerania was assigned to Prussia
, and while the Prussian navy did occasionally use the former Gustavian port and in 1849/50 erected some dolphins
therein, Prussia was not interested in resuming the Swedish project.
Underwater wooden cases filled with rocks, remains of the landing bridge built in 1813, are all that is left from Gustavia.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
town on the island of Rügen
Rügen
Rügen is Germany's largest island. Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of the Vorpommern-Rügen district of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.- Geography :Rügen is located off the north-eastern coast of Germany in the Baltic Sea...
, the construction of which began and had to be aborted during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
.
Background
The Swedish EmpireSwedish Empire
The Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...
was involved in several wars, with Swedish Pomerania
Swedish Pomerania
Swedish Pomerania was a Dominion under the Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815, situated on what is now the Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish War and the Thirty Years' War, Sweden held extensive control over the lands on the southern Baltic coast, including Pomerania and parts...
frequently turning into a battlefield. Not having a port on the isle of Rügen
Rügen
Rügen is Germany's largest island. Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of the Vorpommern-Rügen district of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.- Geography :Rügen is located off the north-eastern coast of Germany in the Baltic Sea...
proved disadvantegeous in situations when access to nearby Stralsund
Stralsund
- Main sights :* The Brick Gothic historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.* The heart of the old town is the Old Market Square , with the Gothic Town Hall . Behind the town hall stands the imposing Nikolaikirche , built in 1270-1360...
was blocked by enemy forces on the mainland. In situations like that, Swedish landing forces often suffered casualties when they were deployed at Rügen's unsecured beaches. Thus, in 1806 plans for a port city on Rügen's southeastern shore were drafted. Furthermore, Sweden hoped to be able to easily block any naval access to Stralsund
Stralsund
- Main sights :* The Brick Gothic historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.* The heart of the old town is the Old Market Square , with the Gothic Town Hall . Behind the town hall stands the imposing Nikolaikirche , built in 1270-1360...
, Greifswald
Greifswald
Greifswald , officially, the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald is a town in northeastern Germany. It is situated in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, at an equal distance of about from Germany's two largest cities, Berlin and Hamburg. The town borders the Baltic Sea, and is crossed...
and Wolgast
Wolgast
Wolgast is a town in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the bank of the river Peenestrom, vis-a-vis the island of Usedom that can be accessed by road and railway via a bascule bridge...
with a fortified port city on the Mönchgut
Mönchgut
Mönchgut is a peninsula of 29.44 square kilometers with 6600 inhabitants in the southeast of Rügen island in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It lies just between the Greifswalder Bodden and the rest of the Baltic Sea. Mönchgut contains the districts of Göhren and Thiessow; the peninsula is...
peninsula.
This port was to be named after the contemporary Swedish monarch, Gustav IV Adolf
Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden
Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden also Gustav Adolph was King of Sweden from 1792 until his abdication in 1809. He was the son of Gustav III of Sweden and his queen consort Sophia Magdalena, eldest daughter of Frederick V of Denmark and his first wife Louise of Great Britain. He was the last Swedish...
, who planned Gustavia not only as a naval base, but also as a trading town ("köping").
From July to August 1806, officers Boye and Gripenberg completed surveying
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
the area around Groß and Klein Zicker, attesting that the nearby bay Zicker See would make a good harbor for three to four hundred vessels once the sand splits barring the inlet were dredged. Boye also drafted first plans for the town.
Construction
On 11 September 1806, Gustav IV Adolf ordered the port to be constructed, entrusting Ljungberg with the oversight. Construction started the same month with blasts and earthworks west of the village Groß Zicker and the erection of landing bridges at the beach. In October, the plans of the future town became more precise with 30 objects being suggested for construction, including a shipyard, a dockDock (maritime)
A dock is a human-made structure or group of structures involved in the handling of boats or ships, usually on or close to a shore.However, the exact meaning varies among different variants of the English language...
, a naval academy, an esplanade with representative residential buildings, a nursery and a school for craftmenship and agriculture. In December, the site was surveyed again by Johan Daniel Sabelström and Fale Fjellström.
In 1807, the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
army seized Stralsund and occupied Rügen
Rügen
Rügen is Germany's largest island. Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of the Vorpommern-Rügen district of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.- Geography :Rügen is located off the north-eastern coast of Germany in the Baltic Sea...
in October. All constructions of Gustavia were deconstructed or levelled by the French occupation forces. When Sweden regained control of the site, construction was not resumed, and in 1812 it was again occupied by French forces. After their final withdrawal in 1813, Sweden constructed two landing bridges nearby, one in Zickersches Hövt and one in Göhren
Göhren
Göhren may refer to the following places in Germany:*Göhren , a village in the municipality Tramm in the district Ludwigslust-Parchim, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern*Göhren, Rügen, a municipality in the district Vorpommern-Rügen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
. When the Congress of Vienna
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...
ended the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, Swedish Pomerania was assigned to Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
, and while the Prussian navy did occasionally use the former Gustavian port and in 1849/50 erected some dolphins
Dolphin (structure)
A dolphin is a man-made marine structure that extends above the water level and is not connected to shore.Dolphins are usually installed to provide a fixed structure when it would be impractical to extend the shore to provide a dry access facility, for example, when ships are greater than the...
therein, Prussia was not interested in resuming the Swedish project.
Underwater wooden cases filled with rocks, remains of the landing bridge built in 1813, are all that is left from Gustavia.
See also
- Pomerania during the Early Modern AgePomerania during the Early Modern AgePomerania during the Early Modern Age covers the History of Pomerania in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.Throughout this time, Pomerelia was within Royal Prussia, a part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with considerable autonomy...
- History of Pomerania (1806-1933)
- Carlsburg, WeserCarlsburg, WeserCarlsburg was a 17th century fortified town in Swedish Bremen-Verden at the confluence of the Weser and Geeste rivers, at the site of modern Bremerhaven, Germany. Planned to compete with Bremen, the settlement did not prosper....