Neuendorf (Hiddensee)

Description

NV Cruising Guide

Navigation

The approach should only be made by those unfamiliar with the area during the day. From buoy 27/N2 of the Hiddensee fairway, you steer at 286.6° through the buoyed and lit fairway directly into the harbour. Beware of oncoming or overtaking ferries and excursion ships, the fairway is very shallow at the edges.

Berths

The northern part of the harbour basin is reserved for local fishing boats and yachts. The pier jutting east into the harbor is reserved for passenger ships and island supply vessels. Pleasure craft are moored in the south and south-west sections on stern pilings at a depth of 1.5m. The harbour is often crowded in the summer months. Due to the constant ferry and excursion ship traffic, there is a lot of swell and commotion in the harbor.

Surroundings

A washroom with toilet is available, which is however also used by numerous island tourists. Drinking water is only available in the sanitary area and there are only a few sockets available at the moorings. In the village there are modest supply possibilities, a bicycle rental as well as several restaurants. The ferry connection leads from here to Stralsund and Schaprode. An extended excursion across the beautiful island compensates for the uninviting harbour.

NV Land Guide

Without the Dornbusch highlands, there would be no Gellen, there would be no Neuendorf-Plogshagen. The Baltic Sea "dragged" the sand, clay and marl from the fallen slopes of the Dornbusch and thus formed the land south of the highlands 2000 to 4000 years ago. As a result, finds from pre-Christian times have only been made on the uplands. On the flat land, which is constantly threatened by floods, the first settlement forms developed only later (around 1550). Today Neuendorf, together with Plogshagen, has about 350 inhabitants.

The detached houses of Neuendorf are listed as an ensemble. The living spaces of the houses are oriented towards the sun. What is special here is that no fences are drawn between the reed-roofed houses. Instead of drawing boundaries, people marked their property with house marks, the rune-like family signs, as in Vitte. House, farm, cattle, eel rakes and all kinds of tools up to the comb bore the family abbreviation, which signalled to the neighbour: this object is mine, hands off!

"De Süder" the inhabitants of Neuendorf-Plogshagen are still called by the locals, a name that dates back to the time when the southern villages had more intensive contact with the inhabitants on Rügen than with their neighbouring villages. Schaprode was quickly reached by sailing boat. Also, for a long time the people of Neuendorf were proud not to have been subjects like "De Nurder" or even a serf.

Despite the pronounced self-confidence, they were not happy when the Gellen became an island during a violent north-westerly storm on 24 August 1864. The tide tore Hiddensee apart at its narrowest point and the breach, which was initially 20 metres wide, soon grew to 60 metres. A dam built as a result was destroyed by a westerly storm while it was still under construction. And two newly built dams did not provide sufficient protection either. It was not until 1878 that a dike fortified with granite stone brought security again. 300,00 m³ of earth and almost 6000 m³ of flint gravel had been dragged in for this.

For once, a storm flood around 1870 also brought about something positive. The find of a 1000-year-old Viking jewel, which later went down in the island's history as the "gold treasure of Hiddensee", was washed free and found by Neuendorfers. The jewellery on display in Stralsund's Museum of Cultural History (it is a replica) is still considered one of the most valuable examples of Viking goldsmith's art. A replica is also on display at the Kloster Museum.

No dike or wall could withstand the severe storm surge of 1872. The entire South Island was flooded. Water reached up to the roofs, and residents had to be rescued from their house floors by boats. Livestock drowned, houses collapsed, food spoiled, wells filled with lake water, fishing boats gone, fishing gear destroyed, and many trees uprooted. Nevertheless, the Neuendorfers stayed, rebuilt  everything and continued to maintain their customs, which included wearing a costume similar to the Mönchsguter (see Gager). For the women, a large banded hat was part of the costume and for the men, white linen trousers. While working in the fields, the women wore so-called Helgoland hats.

The cross light on the Gellen, also known as the "Süderleuchtturm", is a 25-minute walk south of the village, directly on the hiking trail. While hiking to the lighthouse, it is quite possible that one of the many wild rabbits will cross your path. Up to 5000 of them are shot on Hiddensee every year. Adders and grass snakes also feel at home in the Gellen and Gänsewerder nature reserves. The numerous plants include sea thistle, sea cabbage and the flesh-coloured cuckoo flower. Carts are the main means of transport along with bicycles. The latter can be rented almost everywhere on the island.

Marina Information

Contact

Surroundings

Electricity

Water

Toilet

Shower

Ramp

Bikerental

Garbage