Wittower ferry
The Wittower ferry is a ferry connection for pedestrians and vehicles (up to a maximum permissible total weight of 30 t) from the heartland of the island of Rügen , the motherland , to the Wittow peninsula in the north. It also gave its name to the district of Wittower Fähre in the municipality of Wiek . This is located on the Rassower Strom on the pointed headland between Wieker Bodden and Breetzer Bodden on the northern bank. The ferry pier is on the southern bank between the districts of Vaschvitz and Fischersiedlung in the municipality of Trent .
When the water bodies of the Bodden freeze over in severe winters, the last water holes in this approximately 350 m wide narrow point remain open due to the current to and from the Großer Jasmunder Bodden and offer refuge for many water birds .
The two old quays of the ferry on the north and south banks have been preserved and are under monument protection.
Historical
Already in the Middle Ages it was common to cross over with boats in this area. Due to the rugged coastline of Rügen, the detours were otherwise considerable. The dam between the Großer Jasmunder Bodden and the Kleiner Jasmunder Bodden near Lietzow has only existed since 1868, so that previously it had to be avoided by land to the Schmalen Heide ( Prora ).
Only with the opening of the 37.9 km long 750 mm narrow-gauge railway line Bergen –Trent – Wittower Fähre – Wiek– Altenkirchen of the Rügen Kleinbahn (RüKB) on December 21, 1896 did efficient and regular ferry traffic begin . The two ferries Wittow and Bergen , which were built in Stettin in 1896 and 1911 respectively, carried three wagons or (if necessary) a steam locomotive each for decades, whereby usually only freight wagons were transferred, people had to change trains.
On September 10, 1968, the Wittower Fähre (Fährhof) –Altenkirchen section was shut down, and from now on the ships only transported pedestrians and cars. This unique small train ferry was history. On January 19, 1970, the Bergen – Wittower ferry section was also closed. The ferries and facilities were then transferred to the “White Fleet” .
Deviating from the real names of today's districts, the station on the north bank was called "Fährhof" and that on the south bank was called "Wittower Fähre".
Both ships were in service until 1994 and 1996 respectively, the mountains were scrapped in 1997 after an initial request for preservation in the Prora technology museum and the Wittow was still at the old "funnel", the original pier of the ferry port, until 2005, and was then to become one in Barth Museum café to be converted, for which purpose it was set ashore next to the museum in the former sugar factory at Barther Hafen. In 2012, the ship was sold to the “Friends of the Rügen Small Railways Association”, and the Wittow has been operational since then .
In 1996 a new ferry "Wittow" was put into service after more modern and wider ferry docks had been built.
The old ferry Wittow in Barther Harbor in September 2005
The old Wittow ferry in Barth, now on land (April 2010)
Ferry ship Stralsund in Wittower ferry
The new Wittow ferry - built in 1996
Further infrastructure
At the Wittower ferry, a 110 kV overhead line to the Bohlendorf substation crosses the bottleneck with a span of 840 meters on two 95 meter high masts.
Web links
Coordinates: 54 ° 33 '28.2 " N , 13 ° 14' 49.9" E