Heiligendamm
Encyclopedia
Heiligendamm (ˈhaɪlɪɡəndam) is a German seaside resort, founded in 1793. The small cluster of structures which still survive are reminders of the glory days of days gone by when this part of the Baltic Sea
was one of the playgrounds of Europe's aristocracy. It is the oldest seaside spa in Germany
. Heiligendamm is part of the town Bad Doberan
in the state
of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Due to the classicist white buildings lining the beach promenade, the town is also known as the "White Town by the Sea" . Today, the area by the sea is occupied by a five-star hotel. A narrow-gauge steam railway, known as the "Molli", links Heiligendamm with Kühlungsborn
and Bad Doberan.
.
Its founder and first guest in 1793 was the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg Friedrich Franz I
; he made the resort fashionable. Between 1793 and 1870, Johann Christoph, Heinrich von Seydwitz, Carl Theodor Severin, and Gustav Adolph Demmler created a veritable Gesamtkunstwerk
for bathing and lodging. Heiligendamm was always the most elegant seaside resort in Germany. Nobility from throughout Europe
used it as a summer getaway well into the 20th century.
After the Second World War, the buildings of Heiligendamm were used as sanatoria and recovery ward. When Mecklenburg
became part of the communist GDR, some of Heiligendamm's famous buildings were demolished and replaced by more utilitarian structures. After the German reunification
in 1989/1990, a group of investors bought most of the buildings and undertook a major programme of refurbishment. A new company, the Kempinski Grand Hotel
, opened in spring of 2003 - it uses six historical buildings encompassing the former kurhaus at Heiligendamm. Development has led to some conflict with residents, as main streets and cycle paths have been removed or rerouted. Also again some of the famous buildings were demolished - more than in GDR-time (for detailed information see the German wikipedia).
On July 13, 2006, United States President
George W. Bush
stayed at Heiligendamm while on a state visit to see German Chancellor Angela Merkel
in Stralsund
.
On June 6 to 8, 2007, Heiligendamm's Grand Hotel hosted the 33rd summit
of G8
leaders. As a result thousands of anticapitalist activists blocked the roads to Heiligendamm and an estimated 25,000 anti-globalization
protesters demonstrated in nearby Rostock
.
in German language
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
was one of the playgrounds of Europe's aristocracy. It is the oldest seaside spa in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Heiligendamm is part of the town Bad Doberan
Bad Doberan
Bad Doberan is a town in the district of Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It was the capital of the former district of Bad Doberan. As of 2010 its population was 11,325.-Geography:...
in the state
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Due to the classicist white buildings lining the beach promenade, the town is also known as the "White Town by the Sea" . Today, the area by the sea is occupied by a five-star hotel. A narrow-gauge steam railway, known as the "Molli", links Heiligendamm with Kühlungsborn
Kühlungsborn
Kühlungsborn is a Seebad 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....
and Bad Doberan.
History
Heiligendamm was developed as an elegant meeting place for the nobility and high society. Among its most prominent guests were the German EmperorsGerman Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
.
Its founder and first guest in 1793 was the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg Friedrich Franz I
Friedrich Franz I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Frederick Francis I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg [-Schwerin] ruled over the German state of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, first as Duke and then as Grand Duke .-Biography:...
; he made the resort fashionable. Between 1793 and 1870, Johann Christoph, Heinrich von Seydwitz, Carl Theodor Severin, and Gustav Adolph Demmler created a veritable Gesamtkunstwerk
Gesamtkunstwerk
A Gesamtkunstwerk is a work of art that makes use of all or many art forms or strives to do so...
for bathing and lodging. Heiligendamm was always the most elegant seaside resort in Germany. Nobility from throughout Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
used it as a summer getaway well into the 20th century.
After the Second World War, the buildings of Heiligendamm were used as sanatoria and recovery ward. When Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
became part of the communist GDR, some of Heiligendamm's famous buildings were demolished and replaced by more utilitarian structures. After the German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
in 1989/1990, a group of investors bought most of the buildings and undertook a major programme of refurbishment. A new company, the Kempinski Grand Hotel
Kempinski Grand Hotel Heiligendamm
The Grand Hotel Heiligendamm is a luxury hotel in Heiligendamm on the Mecklenburg Baltic coast in Germany. The Hotel was formerly managed by the Kempinski hotel group....
, opened in spring of 2003 - it uses six historical buildings encompassing the former kurhaus at Heiligendamm. Development has led to some conflict with residents, as main streets and cycle paths have been removed or rerouted. Also again some of the famous buildings were demolished - more than in GDR-time (for detailed information see the German wikipedia).
On July 13, 2006, United States President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
stayed at Heiligendamm while on a state visit to see German Chancellor Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany . Merkel, elected to the Bundestag from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000, and chairwoman of the CDU-CSU parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.From 2005 to 2009 she led a...
in 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...
.
On June 6 to 8, 2007, Heiligendamm's Grand Hotel hosted the 33rd summit
33rd G8 summit
The 33rd G8 summit took place at Kempinski Grand Hotel in Heiligendamm in the old Duchy of Mecklenburg in the Northern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on the Baltic Coast. The group of eight leaders met together from 6 June to 8 June 2007...
of G8
G8
The Group of Eight is a forum, created by France in 1975, for the governments of seven major economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1997, the group added Russia, thus becoming the G8...
leaders. As a result thousands of anticapitalist activists blocked the roads to Heiligendamm and an estimated 25,000 anti-globalization
Anti-globalization
Criticism of globalization is skepticism of the claimed benefits of the globalization of capitalism. Many of these views are held by the anti-globalization movement however other groups also are critical of the policies of globalization....
protesters demonstrated in nearby Rostock
Rostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
.
Literature
in English language- Charles James Apperley: "Nimrods German Tour" – a travel through northern Germany, especially to Heiligendamm in 1828. Publishing company: Godewind Verlag, Germany 2006. ISBN 978-3-939198-70-3
in German language
- Hans Thielcke: Die Bauten des Seebades Doberan - Heiligendamm um 1800 und Ihr Baumeister Severin. Godewind Verlag, 2004 ISBN 978-3-938347-90-4. (Reprint d. Originalausgabe von 1917)
- Friedrich Compart: Geschichte des Klosters Doberan. Godewind Verlag, 2004. ISBN 978-3-938347-07-2. (Reprint der Originalausgabe von 1872)
- Heinrich Hesse: Die Geschichte von Doberan-Heiligendamm. Godewind Verlag, Wismar 2004, ISBN 978-3-938347-09-6. (Bearbeitete Neuauflage der Originalausgabe von 1838)
- Adolf Nizze: Doberan-Heiligendamm: Geschichte des ersten deutschen Seebades. Godewind Verlag, Wismar 2004, ISBN 978-3-938347-23-2. (Bearbeitete Neuauflage der Originalausgabe von 1823)
- Die Reise eines Gesunden in die Seebäder Swinemünde, Putbus und Doberan. Godewind Verlag, Wismar 2005, ISBN 978-3-938347-73-7. (Bearbeitete Neuauflage der Originalausgabe von 1823)
- Hans-Jürgen Herbst: Kalender 2007, Doberan & Heiligendamm, erstes deutsches Seebad. Godewind Verlag, 2007, ISBN 978-3-938347-57-7.
- Dr. Samuel G. Vogel: Allgemeine Baderegeln zum Gebrauche für Badelustige überhaupt und diejenigen insbesondere, welche sich des Seebades in Doberan bedienen. Godewind Verlag, 2004, ISBN 978-3-938347-88-1. (Bearbeitete Neuauflage der Originalausgabe von 1817)