Zinnowitz is a semi-urban Spa (resort) municipality in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on the northern German island of Usedom on the Baltic Sea. The municipality has rail connections to Wolgast and Ahlbeck.

Zinnowitz
Protestant Church
Protestant Church
Flag of Zinnowitz
Coat of arms of Zinnowitz
Location of Zinnowitz within Vorpommern-Greifswald district
Zinnowitz is located in Germany
Zinnowitz
Zinnowitz
Zinnowitz is located in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Zinnowitz
Zinnowitz
Coordinates: 54°04′35″N 13°54′41″E / 54.07639°N 13.91139°E / 54.07639; 13.91139
CountryGermany
StateMecklenburg-Vorpommern
DistrictVorpommern-Greifswald
Municipal assoc.Usedom-Nord
Government
 • MayorCarsten Michalk
Area
 • Total
9.04 km2 (3.49 sq mi)
Elevation
5 m (16 ft)
Population
 (2023-12-31)[1]
 • Total
4,200
 • Density460/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
17454
Dialling codes038377
Vehicle registrationVG
Websitewww.zinnowitz.de
Resort hotels in the Bäderarchitektur style in Zinnowitz (Neue Strandstraße)
The historic pier of Zinnowitz, 1906

Climate

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Zinnowitz has an oceanic climate that is moderated by the Baltic Sea. Extreme temperatures are rare. The municipality has repeatedly scored the highest amount of sunshine in Germany.[2]

Climate data for Zinnowitz, 1985-2015 normals
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 13.7
(56.7)
17.7
(63.9)
20.2
(68.4)
26.9
(80.4)
29.4
(84.9)
37.1
(98.8)
33.6
(92.5)
36.5
(97.7)
29.4
(84.9)
23.7
(74.7)
18.7
(65.7)
15.2
(59.4)
37.1
(98.8)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 3
(37)
4
(39)
7
(45)
12
(54)
17
(63)
20
(68)
22
(72)
22
(72)
18
(64)
13
(55)
7
(45)
3
(37)
12
(54)
Daily mean °C (°F) 1.0
(33.8)
2.0
(35.6)
4.5
(40.1)
7.0
(44.6)
9.0
(48.2)
17.0
(62.6)
19.0
(66.2)
19.0
(66.2)
15.0
(59.0)
10.5
(50.9)
5.5
(41.9)
1.5
(34.7)
9.3
(48.7)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −1
(30)
0
(32)
2
(36)
6
(43)
10
(50)
14
(57)
16
(61)
16
(61)
12
(54)
8
(46)
4
(39)
0
(32)
7
(45)
Record low °C (°F) −9.1
(15.6)
−16.1
(3.0)
−15.8
(3.6)
−6.3
(20.7)
−2.5
(27.5)
3.1
(37.6)
4.8
(40.6)
5.2
(41.4)
−0.8
(30.6)
−4.9
(23.2)
−5.3
(22.5)
−13.1
(8.4)
−16.1
(3.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 43
(1.7)
38
(1.5)
30
(1.2)
17
(0.7)
33
(1.3)
40
(1.6)
52
(2.0)
45
(1.8)
49
(1.9)
39
(1.5)
38
(1.5)
38
(1.5)
462
(18.2)
Average precipitation days 20 16 13 9 12 10 12 13 13 15 12 17 162
Mean monthly sunshine hours 40 89 151 250 240 271 257 240 172 115 46 33 1,904
Source: timeanddate[3] Deutscher Wetterdienst[4]

History

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The settlement of Zinnowitz is first mentioned under the Slavic name Tzys in 1309 in a deed of donation by Bogislaw IV, duke of Pomerania, to the Crumminer monastery. When the monastery was dissolved in 1563, Tzys reverted to Pomerania. At the end of the Thirty Years' War, in 1648, the island of Usedom on which Zinnowitz is situated fell to Sweden, which changed the municipality's name to Zitz.

In the middle of the 18th century, Zitz became part of Prussia. In 1751 the municipality was renamed Zinnowitz. When the Prussian state fell into financial need because of the Napoleonic Wars, it sold Zinnowitz to a businessman, the merchant F. W. Krause of nearby Swinemünde, who in turn sold it in 32 parcels it to a group of colonists. In June 1851 Zinnowitz was designated an official spa.[5]

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.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Bevölkerungsstand der Kreise, Ämter und Gemeinden 2023" (XLS) (in German). Statistisches Amt Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. 2023.
  2. ^ "Deutschlands sonnigster Ort". Spiegel. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Klimadiagramm für Ostseebad Zinnowitz" (in German). timeanddate.de. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  4. ^ "Klima Zinnowitz, Ostseebad" (in German). wetterdienst.de. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  5. ^ Meyers Reisebuch Deutsche Ostseeküste, II. Teil: Rügen und die pommersche Küste mit ihrem Hinterland, 2. Auflage, Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig 1924, S. 62.
  6. ^ Documentation on rocket launching pads
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