Granitz, Germany 🇩🇪 2022

Date: 11th August 2022

Travelled: 170 kms from Stralsund to Peenemünde via Putbus, Germany  

Visited: Rasender Roland Steam Train and Granitz Hunting Lodge   

Stayed: Peenemünde Stellplatz, €15, N54.13390, E13.77040  

Budget: 78 days @ €107 per day

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It’s another flip of the coin morning. Firstly Rügen Island and Granitz Hunting Lodge are further north and we will need to back track to Stalsund to continue our travels. The second issue is getting there, we can catch the train from Stalsund but it means a couple of train changes either way or drive to Putbus, park and take the Rasender Roland from there.

So we opt for the drive to Putbus pay the €6 parking fee and purchase our ticket for the train €9 pp for the day excursion. Putbus is called the White Town as basically almost every building is painted white, but we don’t have time for that today so we probably never will.

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The Rasender was opened as a loop line in 1899 at Rugen Island servicing the farm and families that lived there. The line was closed section by section until 1971, then in 1976 the decision was made to save the section from Lauterbach Mole to Gröhen. Anyway it’s still here despite the re-unification, amazingly it has 9 operational steam locomotives all of the German 99 class.

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Putbus, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany

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We leave the Rasender at Jagdschloß and walk the 2kms up the hill to the Granitz Hunting Lodge. The lodge was completed in 1851 as guest accomodation for Prince Wilhelm of Putbus’ friends during hunting season. However when the families home, Schloss Putbus was destroyed by fire in 1865, the Prince upgraded the hunting lodge to a primary residence. That’s the back storey…

Anyway we purchase our tickets €6 pp and do the tour.

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It’s a mix of animal tropies and family memorilibia, but their lots of information in English and the lodge is beautifully conserved.

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The tower’s atruim is the centrepiece of the lodge. The climb of 153 steps to the top of the central tower provides some fabulous views.

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So that’s it Granitz Hunting Lodge is done. We opt to walk on to the next railway station, Garftitz. Like the walk up from Jagdschloß station earlier it’s a forest walk but easier of course as it’s downhill.

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We can see the smoke and steam from our train rising through the forest long before it arrives. Anyway we enjoy the scenery on our way back to Putbus, retrieve the Hymer and make for the road.

Our friends Joy and Johannes have recommended visiting Peenemünde on Usedom Island, so we set the GPS for a long slow drive on the B roads.

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Michael + Pam