Darß's ornate front doors in Prerow, Germany – a UNESCO World Heritage gem

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Very special front doors can be found on the Fischland-Darß-Zingst peninsula in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. These richly decorated and brightly painted doors date back to the 18th century. Since 2018, they are officially part of UNESCO World Heritage. In the small town of Prerow, you can marvel at particularly beautiful examples of front doors on a Front Doors Path.

Fischland-Darß-Zingst in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania was not always a peninsula. Originally there were three islands, Fischland, Darß and Zingst, lying off the coast of the Baltic Sea. Fischland belonged to Mecklenburg, Darß and Zingst to Western Pomerania. In the 14th century, flood channels were closed to connect Fischland and Darß to the mainland. Zingst was only connected to the mainland in the 19th century. So it happened that the three islands were joined together to form a peninsula. The unusual front doors can be found mainly on the Darß part.

When sailing on Darß became more and more important in the 18th century, prosperity quickly came to the small fishing villages. A new architectural style developed in which the front door, mostly facing the street, played an important role as the central eye-catcher. The front door itself was decorated with rich reliefs. Popular symbols included flowers, trees of life, inverted lightning bolts, rhombuses, suns, anchors and other maritime symbols. Many of these symbols went back to pre-Christian beliefs and had meanings. They should protect the houses from evil spirits or lightning strikes, give the residents a good life and let the sailors return healthy. But you can also find exotic symbols such as columns or meanders, which were seen by sailors on their voyages. Originally, however, the front doors were not colorful, but mostly green, gray or reddish brown. The first period of the tradition of such front doors lasted from about 1775 to 1850. Then, with the end of the importance of sailing, this tradition gradually fell into oblivion.

In 1931, a new municipal office was built in Prerow. The mayor at the time, Heinrich Bierbaum, remembered the old tradition and had a symbolic front door made for the office by the local carpenter Rohloff. With one difference: the reliefs became colorful. From then on, the old tradition of symbolic front doors was revived. Old doors have been lovingly renovated and new homes have been, and are still, adorned with such front doors. Just like in the past, each door is handcrafted and unique.

In Prerow, you can find the special „Darßer Haustürenpfad“ (Front Doors Path Darß) leading past doors that were manufactured from 1790 to the present day. Right at the beginning, you can marvel at the mayor's door, because this is where the front doors path begins. Today the building no longer houses the municipal office, but the Tourist Information Office. And there you can get the map and the description of the doors on the circular route, which is a little over 6 km long.