Bergen is the largest town on and the administrative centre of Rügen. Since the reunification of Germany in 1990, its historical centre has been renovated and decorated. In 2018, it was home to over 13,000 people.

The town sits in the middle of Germany's biggest island on the Baltic Sea coast. The town lies in a hilly area, with the Rugard woods on the town's northeast outskirts reaching a height of 91 m above sea level.

Understand

Benedix House in town Bergen: oldest house on the Island

Get in

By train

Bahnhof Bergen auf Rügen is on the main line to Binz with connections from major German stations including Munich, Frankfurt Airport, Berlin and Stuttgart.

There are regional connections from Binz – Prora – Lietzow – Sassnitz – Sagard – Lietzow; Samtens – Stralsund – Velgast – Ribnitz-Damgarten – Rostock; Putbus – Lauterbach Mole

By car

The town is at the junction of the major roads on the island from the bridge at Stralsund to Sassnitz and Göhren.

Following the road signs for the centre takes you round not particular attractive outskirts then somehow out the other side of town. Use your instincts and head up the hill to the centre.

See

• Marienkirche. 12th-century with 14th-century extension, the triple-aisled basilica church is the oldest surviving brick building in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 
• Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Turm. Tower on the Rugard, at 91 m above sea level (NN), is the highest elevation in the central region of Rügen. 

Do

• Forest climbing (Kletterwald Rügen), Rugardbühne, Rugardweg (take the B96; take the Vieschstraße from the town center and then Rugardweg.), ☏ +49 152 049 032 62. If you do not enjoy mountaineering, why not try climbing in the forest? Kletterwald Rügen has around 80 stations of various difficulty. €13 and upwards. 
• Summer rodel (Inselrodelbahn Bergen auf Rügen am Rugard), Rugardweg 7 (take the B96; take the Vieschstraße from the town centre and then Rugardweg), ☏ +49 3838 82 82 82. You do not need ice or snow to go rodeling. You can do it just as well during the summer on this over 700-m-long track. €2 and upwards. 

Buy

Real supermarket on the edge of town.

Eat

• Restaurant Kontor (Kaufmannshof), Bahnhofstr. 6-8, ☏ +49 3838 80450. 
• Tüffelhus (Meyer's kaffehaus), Bahnhofstr. 72, ☏ +49 3838 22332. 

Sleep

• Parkhotel Rügen, Stralsunder Chaussee 1, ☏ +49 3838 8150. 
• Ratskeller, Markt 27, ☏ +49 3838 403590. 

Go next

• Binz
• Breege-Juliusruh
• Stralsund

Routes through Bergen auf Rügen

Hamburg ← Stralsund ←

W  E

→ Sassnitz → Malmö