Country Germany District Vorpommern-Greifswald Elevation 5 m (16 ft) Population 3,726 (31 Dec 2008) | State Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Municipal assoc. Usedom-Nord Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Local time Sunday 2:46 AM | |
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Weather 8°C, Wind N at 8 km/h, 93% Humidity Points of interest Seebrücke Zinnowitz, Usedomer Kunsthaus, Eisen und Glas Art Galerie | ||
Zinnowitz is a spa town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on the northern German island of Usedom on the Baltic Sea. The town has rail connections to Wolgast and Ahlbeck.
Contents
Map of Zinnowitz, Germany
History
Zinnowitz is first mentioned, named as Tzys, in 1309 in a deed of donation by the duke Bogusław IV to the Crumminer monastery. When the monastery was dissolved in 1563, Tzys reverted to the possession of the duke. At the end of the Thirty Years' War, in 1648, Usedom, with Pomerania, fell to Sweden, which changed its name to the old Slavic form of Tzys, spelt as Zitz. In the middle of the 18th century, Zitz fell into Prussian hands. In 1751, in the course of the reorganization of the royal domain, Zinnowitz was renamed. When the Prussian state fell into financial need because of the Napoleonic Wars, it sold Zinnowitz to a businessman, the Kommerzienrat F. W. Krause, who in turn sold it in 32 parcels it to a group of colonists. The next big step for Zinnowitz was on 16 June 1851: Zinnowitz was allowed an official spa enterprise.
Josef Alois Kessler, the last Volga German Bishop, retired and died here.
In GDR times, Zinnowitz was the most important bathing resort for Freier Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund tourism.
Zinnowitz is one of a couple of possible sites for the mythological sunken medieval city of Vineta. The legend is played out during the summer on the resort's open-air stage.
In the forest between Zinnowitz and Zempin, some remnants of the launching pads for testing V1 missiles can still be found. They were used between 1943 and 1945 as part of the nearby Peenemünde rocket testing facilities.