Heiligendamm | |
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 Seebrücke (pier) towards Heiligendamm spa | |
Location of Heiligendamm  | |
  Heiligendamm  Heiligendamm | |
| Coordinates:54°09′00″N11°50′00″E / 54.15000°N 11.83333°E /54.15000; 11.83333 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern |
| District | Rostock |
| Town | Bad Doberan |
| Founded | 1793 |
| Elevation | 3 m (9.8 ft) |
| Population (2020)[1] | |
• Total | 175 |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 18209 |
| Dialling codes | 038203 |
| Vehicle registration | LRO |
| Website | Official website |
Heiligendamm (German pronunciation:[ˈhaɪlɪɡəndam]) is a German seaside resort founded in 1793.
It is the oldest seaside spa in continental Europe. Heiligendamm is part of the townBad Doberan in thestate ofMecklenburg-Vorpommern and historically belongs toMecklenburg.
The cluster of resort architecture mansions and spa buildings at the seafront are reminders of the glory days when this part of theBaltic Sea was one of the playgrounds of Europe's aristocracy.[2] Due to the classicist white buildings lining the beach promenade, the town is also known as the "White Pearl" (German:Weiße Perle) or the "White Town by the Sea" (German:Die weiße Stadt am Meer).
Today, the area by the sea is occupied by a five-star hotel, theGrand Hotel Heiligendamm. Anarrow-gauge steam railway, known as the "Molli", links Heiligendamm withKühlungsborn and Bad Doberan.
Heiligendamm was developed as an elegant meeting place for the nobility and high society. Among its most prominent guests were theGerman Emperors.
Its founder and first guest in 1793 was theGrand Duke of Mecklenburg Friedrich Franz I; he made the resort fashionable.[2] Between 1793 and 1870, Johann Christoph, Heinrich von Seydwitz,Carl Theodor Severin, and Gustav Adolph Demmler created a veritableGesamtkunstwerk for bathing and lodging. Heiligendamm was always regarded as the most elegant seaside resort in Germany. Nobility from throughoutEurope used it as a summer getaway well into the 20th century.
After theSecond World War, the buildings of Heiligendamm were used as sanatoria and recovery ward. WhenMecklenburg became part of thecommunistGDR, some of Heiligendamm's famous buildings were demolished and replaced by more utilitarian structures. After theGerman reunification in 1989/1990, a group of investors bought most of the buildings and undertook a major programme of refurbishment.
A new company, theKempinski Grand Hotel, opened in spring of 2003 – it used six historical buildings including the historicalKurhaus at the beach of Heiligendamm. The development has led to some conflict with residents, as main streets and cycle paths have been removed or rerouted. Also again a famous building of the ensemble was demolished. The mansion next to the Grand Hotel was reconstructed until 2011, though. Renovations of other mansions are undergoing or planned.
On July 13, 2006, United States PresidentGeorge W. Bush stayed at Heiligendamm while on a state visit to see German ChancellorAngela Merkel inStralsund.
On June 6 to 8, 2007, Heiligendamm'sGrand Hotel hosted the33rd summit ofG8 leaders. During this time, thousands ofanticapitalist activists from around the world blocked the roads to Heiligendamm and an estimated 25,000anti-globalization protesters demonstrated in nearbyRostock.[3]
In July 2013, the Grand Hotel Heiligendamm was bought byHannover-based accountant Paul Morzynski, who intends to carefully extend and reorganize the hotel.[4]
Theresort architecture near the beaches of Heiligendamm, consisting ofclassicist andhistoricist mansions and spa buildings, is part of a unique heritage, as the first such buildings of the European continent can be seen here. The area of theGrand Hotel is partly accessible to visitors, but should be experienced respectfully to not disturb the hotel guests.
The narrow gauge railway known asBäderbahn Molli ("Molli Resort Railway") runs through Heiligendamm from Kühlungsborn to Bad Doberan. The line between Bad Doberan and Heiligendamm was built in 1886. TheProtestant Forest Church (Evangelische Waldkirche) was renovated afterdie Wende, theCatholic Church of the Sacred Heart (Herz-Jesu-Kapelle) is close by.
Heiligendamm also has a 200-metre-long pier into the Baltic Sea that allows great views of theWhite Pearl Mansions at the beach.[5]
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