User:Horst-schlaemma/List of seaside resorts and spas in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

The German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg and Western Pomerania) offers several spas, seaside resorts and resort towns.

They were originally initiated for health and recreation purposes of the upper class, and are more popular tourist destinations than ever.

The specific terms for these places in German are Kurort (spa town), Seebad (seaside resort) and Erholungsort (resort town), which are state-accredited titles. Currently, there are 65 places in MV that carry one of these prefixes.

Seaside resorts at the Baltic Sea
de:Liste der Seebäder, Kur- und Erholungsorte in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Mecklenburg and Western Pomerania are famous for their traditional seaside resorts, mainly established in the 19th century. In German they are called Seebad ("Sea Spa") or Seeheilbad, sometimes with the prefix Ostsee- indicating their location on the Baltic coastline. The coast of Mecklenburg and Western Pomerania has an overall length of 2000 km and is nicknamed German Riviera.

Heiligendamm in Mecklenburg is the oldest seaside spa of the European continent, established in 1793. The first Pomeranian resort was established in 1816 in Putbus on Rugia Island. Both were founded by local dukes, they successfully attracted the aristocracy of Europe to the German coast for their summer retreat. With the first railroad connections of the seaside resorts and major metropolitan areas by the end of the 19th century, a major boom in tourism began, attracting more and more middle-class people to the Baltic coast.

The most prestigious Baltic resorts can be found along the eastern German coast, including the islands of Rugia and Usedom. They often feature a unique architectural style called Resort architecture – with detailed fretwork, floral ornaments, wooden gables, columns, oriels, balconies, verandas and noble colours, especially white and pastel shades.