Bergen auf Rügen–Lauterbach Mole railway

Putbus (German: Bahnhof Putbus) is a narrow and standard gauge train station in the town of Putbus, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The station lies on the Bergen auf Rügen–Lauterbach Mole railway and the Rügen narrow-gauge railway. The train services between Bergen auf Rügen and Lauterbach Mole are operated by Pressnitztalbahn. Rail service between Putbus and Göhren is operated by Rügensche Bäderbahn.

Putbus (German: [ˈpʊtbʊs] ) is a town on the southeastern coast of the island of Rügen, in the county of Vorpommern-Rügen in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, close to the Baltic Sea. The town has 4,741 inhabitants and is a significant tourist destination with numerous seaside resorts. It is the oldest resort on the island and has been formally recognised by the state as a resort town since 1997. Putbus was founded in 1810 by Prince Wilhelm Malte zu Putbus as his town of residence and had it built in the Classicist style, so that the town formed a harmonious union with the park and palace (Schloss). Malte also introduced sea bathing to Germany at Lauterbach which is about 2 km from Putbus. The nickname of the place as the "White Town" (Weiße Stadt) comes from its white-painted houses, but it is also referred to as Rosenstadt ("Rose Town") due to the many rose bushes in front of individual buildings. The name Putbus is derived from the Slavic epod boz and means "behind the elder bush".

Lauterbach (German pronunciation: [ˈlaʊ̯tɐˌbax] ) is a village in the borough of Putbus on the German Baltic Sea island of Rügen. The village has a population of about 500 and lies southeast of Putbus on the Bay of Greifswald. Lauterbach has a harbour and a connexion, via a branch line, to both the standard gauge railway network and the Rügen Light Railway.

The Goor is a woodland, seven hectares in area, on the German Baltic Sea island of Rügen near Lauterbach, a village in the borough of Putbus, which runs for about 1.5 km directly along the shore of the Bay of Greifswald. The woods of the Goor consist predominantly of beech and English oak. They are designated as a nature reserve and are popular with walkers.

The Goor-Muglitz Nature Reserve (German: Naturschutzgebiet Goor-Muglitz) is a nature reserve, covering an area of 157 hectares, in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It lies on the island of Rügen on the northern coastline of the Bay of Greifswald. It was granted protected status on 12 September 1990 as part of the creation of the Southeast Rügen Biosphere Reserve. The conservation aim of the two-part nature reserve is, on the one hand, the preservation and development of a deciduous forest of old trees in the Goor forest and the preservation of Freetz Lowland (Freetzer Niederung) and, on the other hand, the protection of a steep wooded slope near Muglitz, which is interspersed with wild fruit trees. The areas are in conservation zone 2 (buffer zone) of the biosphere reserve. The rocky shallow areas of the bay are also a protected area. The neighbouring villages are Lauterbach to the west and Freetz to the north. The status of the area is classified as "good" as the areas are able to develop largely undisturbed. However, interventions are being carried out to mitigate the effects of the past; such effects as the planting of conifers in some areas and the drainage of Freetz Lowland. Parts of the areas are owned by the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Foundation for the Environment and Conservation as well as the Michael Succow Foundation. Under EU law, the nature reserve is part of the SAC known as Southeast Rügen Coastal Landscape (Küstenlandschaft Südostrügen). Access to the nature reserve is possible using several public footpaths. The Succow Foundation has set up a nature trail.

The Wreecher See is a cove, southwest of the town of Putbus on the German Baltic Sea island of Rügen. The bay is named after the village of Wreechen on its eastern shore. On its southern shore are the settlements of Glowitz and Neukamp. This body of water, which is designated as a nature reserve, has an area of 77 hectares and is part of the Southeast Rügen Biosphere Reserve. Within that reserve it lies within Conservation zone II (a maintained zone). The Wreecher See is a large cove with a short, narrow channel linking it to the Rügischer Bodden to the east, a large bay on the coast of Rügen. A wide belt of reeds surrounds the lake, which acts as a breeding, resting and overwintering area for many birds. North of the lake is an area of seepage with reed meadows.

The Wreechener See Nature Reserve (German: Naturschutzgebiet Wreechener See) is a nature reserve in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It lies 2 kilometres south of the town of Putbus and has an area of 72 hectares. It was placed under protection on 12 September 1990 as part of the creation of the Southeast Rügen Biosphere Reserve. The purpose of its designation as a nature reserve is to preserve a lagoon-like cove (or bodden) in the Bay of Greifswald as one of the last regional quiet areas for resting water birds. The Wreechener See also has areas undergoing natural silting up that support special communities and are breeding grounds for rare bird species. Adjacent wet meadows are extensively used. Nearby villages are Wreechen, immediately to the east, Krakvitz and Neukamp. The cove is linked to the Bay of Greifswald by a short narrow channel spanned by a wooden road bridge. The condition of the reserve is only classed as satisfactory, because the water condition is affected by discharges of agricultural fertiliser. In 1997, there was mass fish mortality due to the lack of oxygen in the water of this hypertrophic lake. The macrophyte flora almost entirely disappeared, but has recolonised the lake in several areas. Reed continues to be harvested for thatch within the reserve. In the north of the reserve there is a refuge hut with a good view of the lake and the Baltic Sea beyond. The road from Neukamp to Wreechen runs immediately along the eastern border of the reserve. According to EU law, the area is a Special Area of Conservation as well as a Special Protection Area for birds.

Zirkow is a municipality on the German Baltic Sea island of Rügen in the county of Vorpommern-Rügen in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

The Rugard, at 91 m above sea level (NN), is the highest elevation in the central region of the German Baltic Sea island of Rügen. This push end moraine was formed in the last ice age and lies on the northeastern perimeter of the town of Bergen auf Rügen. There was probably a castle here from the 9th century to the year 1325 A.D., in which princes of the Slavic Rani tribe resided. These princes ruled Rügen and parts of the adjacent mainland. The Slavic name Rugard (German: Rujanenburg) dates to that period. The site had an inner and outer ward and covered an area of 2.3 hectares. When the Rani's princely line ended in 1325 with the death of Wizlaw III, the castle lost its importance and fell into disrepair. Some of its ramparts have survived, however, and may still be made out today. In the Middle Ages there was a mill here and the area was used for agriculture. Until 1830, when Prince Wilhelm Malte I of Putbus (1783-1854) had the ramparts reforested, the Rugard was treeless. Karl Friedrich Schinkel captured its former appearance in his 1821 painting Der Rugard auf Rügen ("The Rugard on Rügen"). Over time, a forest grew up, consisting mainly of spruce and pine trees, interrupted by small stands of oak, birch and poplar as well as many other deciduous and coniferous trees. The native beech is barely represented. In 1984, a 2.5 km nature trail was established that runs through the Rugard Forest (Rugardwald) where visitors are able to learn about the variety of animal and plant life in this historic countryside from the various information boards. From the Ernst Moritz Arndt Tower on the top of the Rugard, visitors have a panoramic view over the entire island. This tower was built in the 1870s as a monument to Ernst Moritz Arndt, who was born in Groß Schoritz on Rügen. The foundation stone was laid on 26 December 1869, the 100th anniversary of the poet. They chose a design by Berlin architect and builder, Hermann Eggert, and began construction in Autumn 1872. However, the work was not completed until 1877 due to a lack of money. In the 1930s the forest around the Rugard reached such a height that there was no longer a clear, all-round view from the topmost gallery of the tower. Between 1935 and 1937, a Nazi Thingplatz was built here, which was mainly used by the Hitler Youth. During thorough renovations carried out from 2000 to 2002, it was decided to replace the 1955 wooden dome with a dome of glass and steel (whilst maintaining its historical shape) and thus provide a higher viewing platform.

The Church of St. Boniface (German: St. Bonifatius) in Bergen auf Rügen is the seat of the only Roman Catholic parish on the German island of Rügen. Other churches in the parish are the Chapel of Stella Maris in Binz, the Church of the Sacred Heart, in Garz/Rügen and Stella Maris in Sellin. The parish is the northernmost in the Archdiocese of Berlin and has about 1,700 members.