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Germany’s largest museum harbor

Since 1994, the picturesque Hanseatic city of Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has been home to Germany’s largest museum harbor, which is operated by the Museumshafen Greifswald e. V. association. More than 50 historic ships, whose history is documented on display boards, line both sides of the River Ryck, reminding visitors of the heyday of overseas trade and sailing in the mid-19th century. In the Middle Ages, the city harbor and the Ryck River were of great importance for trade and the transshipment of goods. From the Middle Ages to the 19th century, the 5-kilometer-long Ryck River was the city’s main artery. It connects Greifswald’s city harbor with the outer harbor in Wieck, which was built at the end of the 13th century. Due to the prevailing westerly winds, it was difficult for sailing ships to enter the city harbor, which is why both harbors were expanded in the mid-19th century. This followed a reorganization of the Ryck riverbank in the 1820s and 1830s. On the south side, a towpath was built for hauling ships, from which the vessels were pulled by horse and human power. Given the low level of motorization of the sailing, fishing, and inland vessels calling at the port of Greifswald until the first half of the 20th century, the sight of hauled ships and boats was part of everyday life. There were even specific laws and police regulations governing towage. The tradition of towage is revived at the start of the season in April. Then the Dutch flat-bottomed ship “Weiße Düne” is pulled by human power along the 5-kilometer route to Wieck. The spectacle attracts numerous spectators every year. The museum harbor is also home to the museum shipyard. The Buchholz shipyard, dating from 1912, has been operated since 2001 as a cultural shipyard and self-help shipyard for the owners of historic wooden ships. This means that traditional wooden boat building can still be experienced by everyone. Until the 19th century, there were numerous wooden shipyards there. But the only one that survived is the Buchholz shipyard. Another attraction besides the old traditional ships, the oldest of which is the sailing ship “Tjalk Schildkröte,” built in 1873 in the Dutch town of Hoogezand and moored in the museum harbor since 2008, is the Fangenturm. This was first mentioned in documents in 1329 as part of the medieval fortifications and was used by the university as an observatory until the end of the 18th century. Today, it houses the harbor master’s office. During the summer months, the outdoor area of the museum harbor is transformed into an open-air cinema. True to the motto “cinema on sails,” the sails of the historic traditional ships serve as a screen, providing an unforgettable open-air movie experience. The museum harbor, with its old traditional ships, museum shipyard, and restaurants, has become a popular hotspot for locals and tourists alike.

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