Our historic town walks take you on a journey through Prerow’s past. Discover relics from when Prerow was still just a simple seafaring and fishing village. Historic Tour No. 1 is dedicated to Darß structures dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries.

Historic Tour No. 2 looks at the history of Prerow as a seaside resort. In the late 19th century, former sailors, activists and architects laid the first foundations for today’s tourist industry. Head out on your own and discover Prerow’s rich history.

Historic Tour No. 1: Prerow – the Seafaring and Fishing Village / Typical Darß Buildings of the 18th and 19th Centuries.

Until the early 1700’s, life in Prerow was marked with deprivation and isolation on a stretch of land made mostly of sand from sea where barely enough grew to give the people a subsistence living. The forest with its wood, berries, mushrooms, and game, the waterways teeming with fish, and the meadows for livestock to graze were what kept the community here going. Reeds along the shore supplied material to support the roofs of houses.

Familiar with the sea, the people of the Darß began venturing further and further out, building boats, and acquired products from further away that could not be sufficiently produced locally. They soon became known as experienced, skilled sailors and merchant ships recruited them as crew. Some locals even invested in buying or building their own ships. The sailing days on the Darß and Fischland reached their zenith in the mid-19th century and a number of houses from that era remain standing in Prerow to this day.

The oldest buildings in town include the Seemannskirche, the Pfarrwitwenhaus, and the Eschenhaus. Many of the older clay crofts have not survived, however.

Prerow grew in an east-west direction from the harbour area along the ancient paths of the seaside sand dunes. In between were wet sinkholes that were often under water in spring and so remained undeveloped.

Historic Tour No. 1 gives an impression of the kinds of structures built on the Darß during the heyday of the village as a base for seafaring and fishing in the 18th and 19th centuries. Many houses are now listed buildings, meaning they are protected historic homes. Further information on buildings on the Darß is shown at the Darß-Museum.

Historic Tour No. 2: Prerow as Baltic Resort – the Development of the Resort with Typical Examples of Buildings from the Late-19th to Mid-20th Centuries.

With the decline of sail-powered ships at the end of the 19th century, the people of Prerow began looking for new ways to make a living. A number of former sailors and other activists such as artists, architects, and the local pastor took the helm and put Prerow on course to becoming a Baltic resort. The natural conditions were outstanding: a gently sloping beach with fine, white sand, healthy air, a moderately bracing climate, peace and quiet, and the unique Darß Forest all made Prerow live up to its slogan of the era: “Prerow – the Village, Forest and Beach of Your Dreams”.

The years between 1880 and 1910 saw the building of some rather grand villas on the peninsula for use as private summer residences. The bridges over the Prerow inlet, the local rail station, a hot springs, several hotels, and the footpaths paved with bricks are all evidence of this phase of the town’s history.

Glazed-in verandas were added to homes to protect guests protected from the wind, the rain and mosquitoes while they dined or read.