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Wolgast () is a town in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the bank of the strait Peenestrom, facing the island of Usedom on the Baltic Sea coast that can be accessed by road and railway via a movable bascule bridge ( Blaues Wunder). In December 2004, the town had a population of 12,725.
In 1128, after the Pomeranian duke Wartislaw I had subdued the area, the Wends were baptized by Otto of Bamberg on his second Pomeranian mission, while Wartislaw was also present in the stronghold. During this time, there was an influx of thousands of Low German settlers from Groningen and Drenthe. In this context, Wolgast was described as a opulentissima civitas by the chronicler Ebo, it is however unclear whether this should be read as meaning opulent or mighty "castle" or "town". Otto destroyed a local temple devoted to Jarilo, a god of war, and replaced it with a church."Slawische Religion" in TRE XXXI (2000), p. 398; Ebo III.5 ff.; Herbord III.4 f. The thesis that this first church was a predecessor of today's St. Peter's church has not yet been confirmed.
Wolgast was made the seat of a Pomeranian , and played an important role in the 12th-century warfare between Pomeranians, Rani and the Danes. In 1162, Wolgast was targeted by an allied Danish-Rani fleet, and temporarily had to accept Danish suzerainty.Riis, Thomas (2003): Das mittelalterliche dänische Ostseeimperium (Studien zur Geschichte des Ostseeraumes IV), Odense In 1164, in the context of the battle of Verchen, a Danish force under Wetheman took control of Wolgast, and left it to a mixed Rani-Pomeranian-Obrodite garrison after peace was restored.Büttner, Bengt (2007): Die Pfarreien der Insel Rügen (Veröffentlichungen der Historischen Kommission für Pommern V 42), Cologne, pp. 33–34.. Yet, the Rani (the Danish allies) were soon expelled by the Pomeranians, and the Obodrites (also Danish allies) left the scene. The Danes attacked Wolgast again in the summer of 1167, and again either in late 1167 or in 1168, and devastated the area. In 1177, another Danish assault on Wolgast failed, but a campaign in 1179 was successful, though the Danish fleet accepted money instead of a surrender. In 1184, Wolgast was unsuccessfully besieged by the Danes, but finally came under Danish control in 1185 when the Pomeranian duke accepted Danish suzerainty. While the Danes lost control over most of Pomerania in 1227, Wolgast remained a Danish bridgehead until either 1241/43 or 1250.
On the mainland opposite to island with the castle, a new planned town was built in the course of the Ostsiedlung.Müller-Mertens, Eckhard (1999): Stadtgründungen ... in Riis et al.: Stadtwerdung und städtische Typologie des Ostseegebietes bis zur Mitte des 18. Jahrhunderts (Studien zur Geschichte des Ostseeraumes III), Odense, pp. 113–150; esp. 121. It is not known when exactly this city of Wolgast was granted German town law, though its existence is confirmed by a letter written in or before 1259. The original charter was issued by both Pomeranian dukes of the time, Wartislaw III and Barnim I, and a confirmation of the Lübeck law was issued in 1282 by duke Bogislaw IV.
Wolgast was residence of the Pomeranian dukes from 1285 until the ruling House of Pomerania became extinct in 1637.Berger (2008), p. 361 Capital of Pomerania-Wolgast, a longtime inner partition of the duchy, Wolgast Castle was built as a residential palace in Renaissance style on an island hence called Castle Island.Dubilski (2003), p. 173 The ducal line of Pomerania-Wolgast became extinct when Philipp Julius died without issue.Wolgast (1995), p. 217
During the Thirty Years' War, the Swedish Empire occupied Wolgast in 1630 and kept it as a part of Swedish Pomerania until 1815. Between the 1670s to 1720s, hundreds of male residents enlisted in the VOC and emigrated to South Africa. The former ducal palace decayed, and the town was burned down in 1713 by Russian Empire during the Great Northern War, in retaliation for Swedish arson in Altona. Only the church, four chapels and four more buildings were spared by the fire. Most houses of the Old Town therefore date back to the 18th and 19th centuries, the townhall was renewed after the fire in baroque style.
After the Swedish withdrawal from Pomerania in 1815, the city was integrated into the Prussian Province of Pomerania. Last remnants of the palace were removed in 1849. Wolgast prospered throughout the 19th century as a port for grain trade. In 1910 a Catholic Church was built for Polish workers
Wolgast lost its status as a Kreis capital on 12 June 1994, when Kreis Wolgast was merged into Kreis Ostvorpommern, which became part of Vorpommern-Greifswald in 2011.
The Town Hall was built in the 18th century.Sabine Becht: Usedom, p. 139. Erlangen 2023 A part of the medieval town wall with a tower is preserved in Kronwiekstrasse. It was renovated in 2013. Various half-timbered houses can be visited in the historical town center, e.g. in Burgstrasse. House no. 5 in Burgstrasse is a baroque building dating from 1700 with a stepped gable. St. Gertruden Chapel which was built in the 15th century in a gothic art style and renovated from 2017 to 2019 is worth a visit as well.Information board on the wall, in German St. Peter's Church representing a typical brick gothic style was inaugurated around 1415.Sabine Becht: Usedom, p. 140. Erlangen 2023
Museums and other sights
The town's history is presented in the Stadtgeschichtliches Museum (Towns' historical museum) in a half-timbered house at the market place nicknamed Kaffeemühle (coffee grinder). It was built in the 17th century. The former house of painter Philipp Otto Runge is also a museum by now ( Rungemuseum). The house was built at the beginning of the 18th century in a baroque style and renovated from 1996 to 1997.
Notable people
Sport
Bibliography
External links
Categories: Towns In Mecklenburg-vorpommern, Port Cities And Towns In Germany, Port Cities And Towns Of The Baltic Sea, Vorpommern-greifswald, Populated Coastal Places In Germany, Members Of The Hanseatic League, Populated Places Established In The 13th Century, 1250s Establishments In The Holy Roman Empire, 1257 Establishments In Europe, Burial Sites Of The House Of Pomerania, Capitals Of Former Nations
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