Anklam, Hanseatic town
approx. 13,400 inhabitants
Man's dream of flying was to come true in Anklam. Otto Lilienthal, the pioneer of aviation, built the first gliders modelled on the wings of large birds and lifted off the hills of Anklam into the skies over Vorpommern. The reproduction of his "Sturmvogel" aircraft was recently flown all the way to the 2005 World Exhibition in Aichi, Japan.
Thirty metres above ground level you will have a wonderful view over Anklam from the Steintor, an accessible stone gate which also accommodates the museum of local history - the Heimatmuseum. From here you can see the Peene River meandering past the town, the monumental Church of our Lady, the Marienkirche, towering above the surrounding area. Would you be interested to find out how people see Otto Lilienthal today or how Otto Lilienthal himself viewed his environment? Then you should visit the Otto Lilienthal Museum. If you feel that you are missing out on nature in the face of so much technology, then enjoy the beauty of canoeing along the Peene River. If you are lucky, you might even sight a beaver chopping wood or an eagle casting down for fish.
Historical facts
Early settlers laid the town’s foundations in the 13th century, and Anklam was first mentioned in a charter in 1243. The Peene River with its passage to the Baltic Sea soon brought forward domestic and foreign trade. In 1283 Anklam became a member of the Hanseatic League. In the 15th century the power of Hanseatic towns was on the wane and the Anklam slowly succumbed to the influence of the Dukes of Mecklenburg...
Anklam-Information
Markt 3
17389 Anklam
phone: 03971-8350
fax: 03971-835155
e-mail: stadtverwaltung@anklam.de
Internet: www.anklam.de