We found the Greifswald Landesarchiv without too much difficulty. Although we knew that it would be closed over the Easter weekend we wanted to record the latitude and longitude of the museum on our Global Positioning System (GPS) to make it easier for us to find on future visits. Here are the full contact details and co-ordinates:

Vorpommernsches Landesarchiv Greifswald
Martin-Andersen-Nexö-Platz 1
D-17489 Greifswald
Germany
[email protected]
Co-ordinates: N 54°05'32.1" E013°23'15.5"

The weather was superb and we soaked up the ambience of the Easter Market on Greifswald's pristine Old Town Square. The succulent bratwurst alone made the trip worthwhile. The soft northern sunshine also made photography a pleasure, and I shot off both silver oxide and megabytes before we made our way back to the car parked at Martin-Andersen-Nexö-Platz.

                             

We navigated our way out of Greifswald and made our way to Wolgast the town that serves as a springboard to the island of Usedom. We had planned to stop in Wolgast but as it was late afternoon, we decided to push on to our ultimate destination for the day, the town of Peenemünde, to ensure that we found accommodation for the night. From what we could see from the road while passing through, Wolgast is a beautiful place too. We shall have to return.

The bridge to Usedom is an impressive piece of engineering characterised by a huge counter-weight painted a frivolous but memorable shade of blue. On the short drive to Peenemünde we passed numerous Bed & Breakfast establishments, but elected to stay in the new Zur Zweibel hotel and restaurant (opened October 2001) due to its proximity to the two major museums in Peenemünde - the "Historical-Technical Information Centre" (devoted to the development of rocketry, missile technology and the space programme) and the maritime museum of the People's Navy a short distance away. At EUR (�) 65 a night, it was also affordable.

Hotel & Restaurant "Zur Zweibel"
Peeneplatz 3
17449 Peenem�nde
Usedom Island
Germany
Tel: (038371) 26439
Fax: (038371) 26441

                       

After relaxing over a cold beer we took a drive around, stopping at the naval museum (to shoot of a few pictures of the Russian "Juliett Class" U-461 submarine) and at the Information Centre to get a feel for when it opened on Sunday morning. The answer was 09h00. We then went and spent an hour on the Ostsee beach on the northern coast of the island. The twilight was lingering and it was good to be there to savour the moment. We topped off the day with dinner at Peenemünder Eck restaurant where the beer, Heilbuttsteak, Pommersche Heringsplatte, South African Sauvignon Blanc and Pommernkorn brought my two worlds together. Our planet has really become a small place.

Gasthof Peenemünder Eck
Strandstrasse 01
17449 Karlshagen
Tel: (038371) 21815
Fax: (038371) 28310

Back in the room Débra turned in while I downloaded the days digital pictures. I had the TV on in the background and was delighted when a really interesting (and relevant) programme appeared at 21h00 on the "Phoenix" television channel. It was a documentary by Helga Hirsch which I believe was called "Pommern Aus Polnische Sicht" (produced by ORB-Fernsehen, 2000; from their homepage also see their interesting chronicle of Prussia). It looked at post-war Hinterpommern, the Polish occupation of the region and the continuing impact that the Pomeranians have on the region (i.e. architecture, culture, etc.). It also gave some insight into how negative stereotypes of all things German are still being perpetuated today among the youth of the region as new generations of school children are presented with one-sided distortions of history.

On the other hand it also presented a new breed of Pomeranian-Pole, schooled and educated in Germany, promoting the shared history of Vor- and Hinterpommern and actively pushing for a Polish re-evaluation of the history of the region. An interesting and fairly balanced documentary that I would like to see again (with my German dictionary close at hand!).

                   

We were up bright and early on the morning of Sunday, March 31, 2002 and, after a substantial breakfast, took a drive to Peenemünde airport. As it was only 08h00 we thought that we'd investigate the possibility of a tourist flight around the island before visiting the museums from 09h00. As a glider pilot and closet aircraft buff I was pleasantly surprised to find an outdoor static display of old Russian military aircraft at the airport. Another of my interests was also addressed at the airfield - a part of military runway had been sectioned off, remodelled and was being used as a motorcycle racing track. About a dozen riders were out there testing their skills� and I wished that I'd ridden up on my 800cc BMW!

                   

It was 08h45 and the company that offered the tourist flights was open. I found that strange as they were only supposed to open at 09h00. That's when something dawned on us - it was Sunday morning and Europe had switched over to Daylight Saving Time. Ouch! We had lost an hour. In light of this and the fact that the sky was fairly hazy, we decided to forego the flight and to spend the rest of the morning at the rocketry museum. For reference, this is the flight charter company at Peenemünde:

Usedomer Fluggeselschaft mbH
Flugplatz Peenemünde
D-17449 Peenemünde
Germany
Tel / Fax: (0700) 33334747
Co-ordinates: N 54°09.47' E013°46.36' (Alt: 2m/7ft)

The rocketry museum at Peenemünde is housed in an old power station and is well worth a visit. Not only does it present the history of the V1 flying bomb and the V2 rocket but it also looks at the history of the Peenemünde experimental establishment, the development of missile technology, the space programme that followed on from this work and the moral-ethical issues associated with all of these. There is also an excellent static display of military aircraft from the former-DDR. I was in my element and Débra had to drag me away - it was time to get back to genealogy!

We returned to the Zur Zweibel Hotel to check out and mentioned to our Philippine host our intention of driving down the Usedom coast and ultimately crossing into Poland. Although it looked possible on the map, apparently the border only caters for pedestrian and bicycle crossings. Ouch! This meant a rapid realignment of our plans - we would have to retrace our steps back towards Berlin and cross the border at Szczecin (Stettin).

                             

Debra drove us down the 104 to the border post at Lubieszyn (N 53°27'12.2" E014°22'22.0"). It was smaller than the one at Kolbaskowo (N 53°20'04.3" E014°24'00.1") and much less congested. As a consequence our crossing into Poland was certainly quicker and easier than in previous years. We filled up with cheaper Polish fuel before I navigated us into the heart of Szczecin and to the Polish Regional Archive where we stopped to shoot some pictures and record the latitude and longitude for future reference:

Archiwum Panstwowe w Szczecinie
ul. Sw. Wojciecha 13 (Cor. Wojciecha & Jagiellonska Streets)
PL-70-410 Szczecin
Poland
[email protected]
Co-ordinates: N 53°25'48.7" E014°32'57.1"

With my GPS we made a clean exit from Szczecin and go onto the E28/A6 highway to Ploty (Plathe). The road had certainly been upgraded since our last visit and it was a very pleasant late afternoon drive. We got to Ploty at sunset and stopped at a small grocery store to buy a bottle of Zubrowka Vodka (PLZ 40) and two packets of crisps. I asked the woman at the cash register whether there was a hotel in Ploty and she confirmed my suspicions - there was not. If we were looking for accommodation we would either have to go back to Nowogard (Neugarten) or drive on to Lobez (Labes). Ironically in 1939 there were three hotels in Plathe (see Barran, Fritz R., "St�dte-Atlas Pommern", 2nd edition, 1993, pp. 85-86).

Not being partial to retracing our footsteps we decided to push on through to Lobez as we knew for sure that there was a hotel there and (as we have stayed there on three previous occasions) exactly where it was. It was a longer drive than the trip to Nowogard, but the roads were quiet and the wooded lanes through Resko (Regenwalde) were gorgeous in the soft evening light. The hotel had been slightly renovated in our one year absence, and was resplendent in a new coat of paint and flashing a new neon sign. As in the past, the friendly old hunting dog was there to meet us. A sentimental photo on the reception wall recalled the bitch's glory days, stalking in the fields:

Hotel Slowianski
ul. Niepodleglosci 19
73-300 Lobez
Poland
Tel: (091) 397-3045
Fax: (091) 397-5977

Our double room (with shower but without WC) set us back PZL 104 (EUR � 30) for the night.

We moved all our gear into the room and decided to find a place to eat away from the hotel. A few blocks down the road we found the:

Restauracja Cafe-Kosmos
ul. Browarna 6
73-150 Lobez
Poland
tel. (091) 397-4484

Hmmm! The place was deserted when we chose our table towards the back of the restaurant. The beer was cheap. The beer was good. And it kept on coming! By the end of our evening the place was jam-packed with late night revellers. A section of the restaurant to the right of the entrance had been partitioned off and converted into a discotheque and a cheerful guy was wondering around selling tickets. We politely declined - it had been a full day and bed was calling.

                   

The final morning of our weekend in Vor- and Hinterpommern arrived all too soon but was eased by the simple but good breakfast prepared by the pleasant staff of the Hotel Slowianski. The orange juice, scrambled eggs, bread, marmalade and coffee really hit the spot. The first stop of the morning was in the small square across the road from the hotel where I took the opportunity to photograph yet another Mig 19 on a plinth! I unfortunately have aircraft in my blood and can't pass one by! It was Easter Monday and the local kids were (as in previous years) enjoying the thrill of "Dyngus Day" - splashing each other with buckets of water and dangerous looking water-cannon! See my earlier explanation of this behaviour here.

              

The early morning drive took us out of Lobez towards Belczna (Neukirchen) and we were please to see that the windmill that had been under restoration in 1999 had subsequently been completed. We paused briefly for a few minutes to take a few photos. Moving into Belczna we stopped to take some photos of the local church for Jean Redzinski from the Pommern-List who, like Ronald D. Schultz, has roots in the town. For those interested, I believe that the address of the church is:

Parafia Rzymskokatolicka
p.w. Sw. P. Pawla Ap.
Belczna 35A
73-150 Lobez
Poland
tel. (091) 397-8122

We travelled through Resko (Regenwalde), north to Labun Wielki (Labbuhn) and then north-west to our first major stop for the day - the village of Dabie (Woldenburg; N 53°50'47.9" E 015°21'38.4").

                   

My progenitors originate from the adjacent villages of Dabie and Wyszobór (Wisbu; N 53°53'10.7" E 015°19'11.6") in Landskreis Regenwalde and this was our fourth visit to the land of my ancestors since 1998. The weather on our previous visits had been variable, but things were looking up this time around and I was ready with a brace of cameras to capture Dabie in all its glory!

Debs pulled over to the side of the road on the outskirts of town and I walked in on my own carrying two 35mm cameras, a 6x6 medium format camera and a digital camera. The sun was out and I was determined to use the opportunity to shoot some quality images. By the time I got into Dabie, it was time for Mass and most of the local parishioners had convened in the wood-framed local church with the white walls and tin-clad spire. This presented me with a degree of freedom that I had not experienced on previous visits - the freedom to shoot pictures out of the prying eyes of the villagers. It was unlikely that I would be put on the spot to answer difficult questions on my purposes and intentions this time around!

                        

I went about it with clinical efficiency, not dwelling too much on the romance and beauty of the setting�I had done all of that in previous years. This year I wanted good photographs. Debs monitored my progress and eventually joined me on the far side of town, past the church. Personally I would have liked to stay on longer, but I realised that we still had to get to Dabie and then tackle the long drive back to Prague. We bade a silent farewell to the deserted village, crossed the E28/A6 and drove towards Wyszobór.

         

Wisbu - my spiritual home - it was good to be back and to eventually see the place in the sunshine. We applied the same strategy, with me moving forward to shoot the photos and Debs catching up to me with the car once I progressed into the village and up to the local church. I wondered into the church yard and eventually around back to the small cemetery. Attempting to get a good panoramic shot of the cemetery, I climbed up the wooden stairs of the vestry but was unhappy with the view. Soaking in as much detail as I could, I glanced up into the ceiling and there I spotted something. On a small brass plaque in the rafters was inscribed the following:

I have no idea who this person was, but would be fascinated to find out as there is very little reference to anything Pomeranian in Wyszobór.

                        

In the cemetery I once again photographed the memorial to the men from Wisbu who fell in the First World War. This time it was in the sunlight and a lot easier to read. The stone reads as follows:

Fascinating, especially in light of the fact that Tom Pautz of the Rochester, NY, USA branch of the Pautz family has a Hanne Louise Schuhmacher and a Bertha Amellis Augusta Borchardt among his Korzysino (Alt Werder)/Sianow (Zanow) ancestors.

         

This year we were able to peer over the stone wall a block or so to the east of the church without being threatened by paranoid (or drunk) residents. But we were weary after our past experiences and quickly shot off a few pictures while we had the chance! The manor house is dilapidated but it was good to see that the construction project is progressing, albeit slowly. Additional buildings are being erected using traditional stone construction techniques and they are looking good.

Heading north out of town towards Rotnowo (Rottnow; N 53°54'15.9" E 015°17'03.5") Debs stopped the car so that I could climb up the steep embankment flanking the road to take a few shots of the village from a distance. Ouch! That's when it dawned on me that there was REALLY something wrong with my right knee - I battled to clamber up and climb down the slippery slope as the pain was overwhelming. A physician confirmed a week later that I had in fact totally severed the Anterior Cruciate Ligament in my right knee during a skiing trip to Slovenia in February! I have subsequently had a (painful and difficult) operation to replace the ligament. Suffice it to say that I will always remember that slope in Wisbu!!

With heavy hearts (and an aching knee!) we turned around and headed south out of town and towards the Czech Republic. It was late and we had a long drive ahead of us. We had originally planned to cross back into Germany and take the autobahn to Dresden but my German visa had unfortunately expired at midnight on March 31. Damn! I had a new 12 month visa for Germany (and all the Schengen States) in my new passport, but had forgotten that back in Prague! We would have to forgo the convenience of the German autobahn and take the Polish secondary roads all the way to the Czech border. We were not looking forward to the stress.

Come to think of it, we made damn good progress through Poland. The traffic was far less than the heavy post-Easter rush we had experienced in Germany in previous years. The scenery was also better and it was interesting to note the changes in architecture as we moved out of Pomerania through the Polish countryside and ultimately into Sudetenland. Quite frankly, in future I think I will take the same route back to Prague. It did not take much longer and was a lot more stimulating than the highway. I would really like to do the trip on my motorcycle!!

It was night by the time we got back to Prague. It had been a long day but a fascinating long weekend in the land of my forefathers. Before I drifted off to sleep in our attic apartment in Holesovice I counted our blessings. We're certainly privileged to live within striking distance of the "old country" but also to have the "new world" in our blood. I am proud to be a Pomeranian African.