When I arrived on Rügen, one of the first places that I went to was the island’s capital, Bergen.

Bergen auf Rügen somehow felt familiar, even though I had never been there before.  It reminded me of other places that I had visited on the North Sea coast, even though it is actually located some way inland.  I think this was a mixture of the architecture and the layout of the town, of maybe it is something that many towns along the coast have in common.

The market square and a car park is located at the centre of the town, although – perhaps confusingly – the signs to the free car park called “Zentrum” actually take you in a different direction.  From that car park it is a 10 minute walk to market square along a tree-covered road.

The market square

Once there, the most noticeable building is the Benedix House, named after the family that used to live there, it is considered to be the oldest residential house on the island of Rügen and was apparently built in 1538.  It currently houses the tourist information office. [Read more…]