Hikes in Ummanz

The island of Ummanz on Rügen offers families varied, informative, and adventurous experiences to discover on the 1.9 km long forest adventure trail.

A little away from the Baltic Sea resorts lies the small island of Ummanz in the west of the island of Rügen. We hike around Ummanz, along the coast and through the countryside.

Even away from the hotspots, Rügen has a lot to offer – especially in the west of the island, where the islet shines with cultural and scenic highlights.

Our hike takes us to Freesenort – an idyllic spot right by the water in the Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft National Park on Ummanz.

Circular hike on the island of Ummanz from Waase via Wusse, Freesenort, Suhrendorf, and Haide.

Dyke hike with a view of HiddenseeCompared to the hustle and bustle at the large seaside resorts in the southeast of Rügen, Ummanz is exceptionally quiet. Since 1901, a 250 m long bridge has connected the fifth largest Baltic Sea island with Rügen. Almost the entire coastline of Ummanz belongs to the Vorpomeranian Bodden Landscape National Park. The circular route over Freesenort and from there to Suhrendorf described in the first edition of this guide is currently not possible for nature conservation reasons. As an alternative, the small island round starting from Haide is recommended. A dyke path offers charming views across to Hiddensee.

From the church Landow, through the magnificent forest to Rugenhof. Break at the water, then to Ralow and the ford to the bird island Liebitz. The island Liebitz must not be entered for nature conservation reasons.

A dike hike all around Ummanz

A wonderfully peaceful nature hike!

The hike to the thatched roof village Freesenort offers a wonderful view in the Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft National Park. The Bodden island Ummanz lies at the edge of the Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft National Park between the islands of Rügen and Hiddensee. During the autumn bird migration, the coasts of this fourth largest island in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, measuring 19.7 square kilometers, are visited by tens of thousands of geese and cranes, and numerous points along the diked coast allow for birdwatching. Since 1901, the island, up to 6.7 m high, has been connected to Rügen by a 250 m long road bridge. The waters between Ummanz and Hiddensee are popular for surfing, with the starting point at Suhrendorf. The hamlet Wusse is located in the southwest of Ummanz on the country road from the church town Waase to the Suhrendorf beach; the 400 m wide and 12 km long shallow water area before Suhrendorf with a view to the island Hiddensee is considered one of the best standing surf spots on the Baltic Sea. The village of Wusse, however, is characterized by a few single- and multi-family houses as well as the decommissioned or repurposed former GDR large cattle facility. ▶ From the Freesenort bus stop in Wusse01, we go southwards on the country road and turn off onto the dead-end road to Freesenort, closed to public traffic. As soon as you leave the road, you notice how Rügen's little sister island enchants with tranquility; in spring and autumn, almost only the calls of geese, cranes, and other migratory birds break the silence of the island realm. In Wusse, there is a barn with Pomeranian coarsewool sheep, which can be observed in spring on the meadows with their lambs. Special characteristics of this sheep breed are robustness concerning the climate, the black-marked heads, and the black lambs, whose wool colors change to gray to gray-black as they age. At the beginning of the Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft National Park there is a resting place, shortly thereafter Freesenort02 is reached with a view of the island Heuwiese and the Hanseatic city of Stralsund. The hamlet Freesenort, consisting of four listed thatched houses, lies in the Freesenort-Vogelwiese nature reserve, a retreat and breeding site for rare bird species. The most famous of the four houses is the Haasenburg, first mentioned in the Stralsund church register in 1634. This Low German timber-framed house with a thatched, deeply sloping hipped roof in the style of the Rügen "sugar hut" is one of the most photographed motifs on Ummanz and is considered the oldest still inhabited secular building (now a holiday home) on Rügen and Ummanz. From Freesenort – south lies the bird protection island "Heuwiese" – the same route leads back to the Freesenort bus stop in Wusse01.