2917 GERMANY (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) - Rostock

Crossed by the Warnow and located nearly centrally on Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's Baltic Sea coast, Rostock is the largest Baltic port of Germany. In 1251, the city became a member of the Hanseatic League, so that in the 14th century it was a powerful seaport town. In 1419, one of the earliest universities in Europe, the University of Rostock, was founded. Beginning with the end of the 15th century, the city largely lost its economic importance, which regained it in the first half of the 19th century, due at first to the wheat trade, then, from the 1850s, to industry, especially to its shipyards.

1360 GERMANY (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) - Ludwigslust Palace

Located  at 40km south of Schwerin, Ludwigslust is a former royal residential town, known for its rich heritage, especially the famed Ludwigslust Palace, that is also called Versailles of the North. It was built as a hunting lodge in 1724 by  Prince Christian Ludwig, the son of the Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, rebuilt as a luxurious retreat from the ducal capital, Schwerin, then became for a time (1765-1837) the center of government. Even after the prince became duke in his turn in 1747, he passed most of his time at this residence, which he called Ludwigslust (Ludwig's joy).

0931 GERMANY (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) - Rügen

Located off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic Sea, Rügen is Germany's largest island by area. The "gateway" to Rügen island is the city of Stralsund, where it's linked to the mainland by road and railway. The coast is characterized by numerous sandy beaches, lagoons (bodden) and open bays (Wieke), as well as projecting peninsulas and headlands. Rügen is very popular as a tourist destination because of its resort architecture, the diverse landscape and its long, sandy beaches. The main body of the island, Muttland, is surrounded by several peninsulas, among which is Jasmund, where is located Jasmund National Park, famous for its vast stands of beeches and chalk cliffs like King's Chair (in the first postcard, first top left, besides the name of the island), the main landmark of Rügen island. This park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007, as part of the site Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany.

In the first postcard are, from left to the right, from the top left corner:
1. Sellin Pier - located in the seaside resort of Sellin. The first 508m long pier with a restaurant, built in 1906, was destroyed by fire in 1920. In 1925 a new pier was built, but was also destroyed, this time by ice, in the winter of 1941/1942. A new pier, including a restaurant, was opened in 1998. At 394m it is the longest pier on the island.

2. Cape Arkona - a 45m high cape which forms the tip of the Wittow peninsula, just a few kilometres north of the Jasmund National Park. On the cape there are two lighthouses, a navigation tower (built in 1927 - in the foreground), two military bunker complexes, the Slavic temple fortress of Jaromarsburg and several tourist buildings (restaurants, pubs and souvenir shops).

4. Granitz Hunting Lodge - located in the vicinity of the seaside resort of Binz. Was built on the highest hill in East Rügen, the 107m above sea level high Tempelberg, in the years 1838 to 1846 by order of Prince Wilhelm Malte I of Putbus, based on a design by Berlin architect, Johann Gottfried Steinmeyer in the style of the North Italian Renaissance castellos.

In the second postcard is the highest lighthouse (35m) in Cape Arkona, seen from the smaller lighthouse (19.3m), built of brick in 1826-1827, based on plans by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. Called also the Schinkelturm (Schinkel Tower) was taken out of service in 1905. It is the second oldest lighthouse on the German Baltic Sea coast after the Travemünde Lighthouse. The largest tower was built in 1901-1902 right next to the old tower. It is made of brick and stands on an octagonal granite base. For 90 years its light source was two arc lamps, but they were replaced in 1995 by a Metal-halide lamp.

0654 GERMANY (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) - Zeesenboot on Bodden

A bodden is a special realm, split between sea and land, without really belong to any of them. Isn't a lake, because has connections with the open sea. Isn't a bay, because is almost completely enclosed by peninsulae, spits and islands. Isn't neither a lagoon in the true sense of the word, because freshwater inflow from the mainland and saltwater inflow from the open sea varies continuously, depending on many factors, resulting a fluctuating salt gradient and a distinctive ecosystem. Located along the southwestern shores of the Baltic Sea, primarily in Germany's state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, especially around the island of Rügen, Usedom and the Fischland-Darss-Zingst peninsula, are traditionally good fishing areas.

0206 GERMANY (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) - Gellen Lighthouse on Hiddensee Island

Hiddensee is a island in the Baltic Sea, the largest in the Western Pomerania Lagoon Area National Park, located west of Rügen on the German coast. A car-free island. Quite natural, since it has 16.8km long and about 250m wide. I know mansions, even in Romania, with more land around them. But it is very beautiful, so that it was a popular holiday destination for East German tourists during GDR times and even today continues to attract tourists. Perhaps that is why (because it's beautiful, not because attract tourists) was chosen as the eternal resting place by Gerhart Hauptmann (Nobel Prize for Literature in 1912) and Walter Felsenstein (Austrian theater and opera director).