Eckernförde, Seaside resort in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
Eckernförde is a coastal town on the western end of Eckernförde Bay along the Baltic Sea coast in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The settlement stretches along the waterfront promenade with a compact old town core south of the harbor and modern residential districts spreading west and south.
The village received town rights in the 13th century after growing from a fishing village into a trading harbor within the Hanseatic League. During the First Schleswig War in 1849, a naval battle in the bay saw two Danish frigates sink.
The name comes from "Ekkenworde", meaning a wooded settlement by a river mouth where fish were plentiful. Locals today still gather at the weekly market on the old town square, where vendors sell herring and smoked eel from the bay.
The beach and promenade are wheelchair accessible and offer flat entries to the water. Most points of interest sit within the center and can be reached on foot in 15 minutes from the train station.
The bay offshore serves the navy as a testing ground for torpedoes and underwater weapons since the early 1900s. Visitors occasionally notice military boats and restricted zones outside the swimming beaches.
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