Originally a small fishing village, the Baltic health resort of Ahlbeck has grown over time but still has many old buildings and retains its fin-de-siècle charm. The elegant seaside villas add to the stylish feel of the town. The local history centre documents Ahlbeck's 200-year old history. Nearby Peenemünde is the birthplace of space travel.19th century "Bäderarchitektur"
Ahlbeck itself was probably established around the year 1700, but it was not until about 150 years later that the first few holidaymakers came. Within a few years whole streets of white villas grew up, now regarded as typical examples of Bäderarchitektur, which literally translates as "seaside resort architecture". The term "Bäderarchitektur" has gained acceptance, but it is neither an actual style nor a specific method of construction. Architects used pillars, frescoes, stuccowork, ornamentation, turrets and crenellations to bring a touch of the Mediterranean to the Baltic coast and to celebrate the sheer joy of spending the summer at the "imperial resorts".Ahlbeck Local History Centre
Long ago, the only building for miles around was a water mill and the first few settlers only arrived in the first half of the 18th century. The Local History Centre, which is open to the public, is in the historical centre of the original village and covers the whole 200 years of its history. It is a museum in miniature, divided into five sections which convey a comprehensive impression of the development of Ahlbeck using a wealth of old household appliances, a model of the pier and the original summerhouse.Rockets and the Museum of Space Travel
The young Wernher von Braun was the spiritual father of liquid and solid-fuel jet propulsion, used for space flights by both the Americans and the Soviets. At the tender age of 24 he was already head of the research department in Peenemünde. Later, Wernher von Braun played a vital role for the US in the space race as deputy director of NASA's planning department. He was involved in the first moon landing and shortly thereafter developed "Skylab", the first space station.