Kleinbahn-Gesellschaft Greifswald-Wolgast

Did the tracks of the Kleinbahn-Gesellschaft Greifswald-Wolgast ever hum with the weight of fish-laden wagons? Here, where the path now lies quiet, once ran a bustling narrow-gauge railway. The Kleinbahn-Gesellschaft Greifswald-Wolgast, established on September 14, 1897, served the district of Greifswald, connecting the Baltic coast to the Peene River. Imagine the scene in 1898: the grand opening ceremony at the “Preußischer Hof” hotel, followed by the inaugural journey. The Kleinbahn-Gesellschaft Greifswald-Wolgast wasn’t just a railway; it was a lifeline. It stretched from Greifswald, sharing the state station with the Jarmener Kleinbahn, through Kemnitz to Lubmin Dorf, then onwards to the port city of Wolgast. A crucial eight-kilometer section to Wolgast was dual-gauge, allowing seamless transfer of goods, especially fish, to the main railway lines. Branch lines sprouted, connecting Kemnitz to Kühlenhagen and Lubmin Dorf to the seaside resort of Lubmin. By 1903, the Kleinbahn-Gesellschaft Greifswald-Wolgast even boasted a small harbor railway in Greifswald, expanding its network to nearly 60 kilometers. The network thrived. In 1935 alone, the Kleinbahn-Gesellschaft Greifswald-Wolgast transported over 80,000 passengers and 42,000 tons of goods. The railway connected communities, facilitated trade, and brought the seaside closer. However, the story of the Kleinbahn-Gesellschaft Greifswald-Wolgast isn’t without its shadows. World War II brought disruption, with the line between Lubmin Dorf and Wolgast temporarily suspended. The war’s end saw the entire narrow-gauge system dismantled as reparations, the locomotives sent to the Soviet Union. A poignant reminder of this loss lies in a surprising discovery near Moscow in 2007: two Kleinbahn-Gesellschaft Greifswald-Wolgast wagons. One, a passenger car from 1898, the other, a covered goods wagon from 1914. These remnants, now repatriated and restored, serve as tangible links to a vanished era. Though the tracks are gone, the story of the Kleinbahn-Gesellschaft Greifswald-Wolgast echoes in these quiet surroundings. It’s a story of connection, industry, and the enduring power of human ingenuity, even in the face of loss.