Usedom, Baltic Sea island in Pomerania, Poland and Germany
Usedom is a Baltic Sea island between Western Pomerania and Poland, with wide sandy beaches stretching along the entire northern coastline. The interior alternates between pine forests, shallow lakes and wetlands, while the southern edge faces the calm waters of the Szczecin Lagoon.
The territory belonged to different Slavic duchies during medieval times and later came under Swedish and Prussian control. After 1945, the island split between East Germany in the west and Poland in the east, a division that remains today.
The German side hosts several spa towns where visitors walk along wooden piers extending into the sea, each built in the early 1900s. These piers feature small restaurants and viewing platforms where locals and tourists gather to watch ships passing through the strait.
Visitors can reach the German coastal towns by regional trains, while the Polish side is more easily accessed by bus lines. Those who want to explore the full length of the island will find paved cycling paths connecting both sides.
The Polish town of Świnoujście on the eastern tip spreads across 44 islands, making it one of the most fragmented municipalities in Europe. Most of the population lives there, while the German coastal sections are primarily tourism-oriented.
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