Real Estate Market Greifswald & Umgebung
Median purchase price 2.230 €/sq. ft. · 4.133 listings
Hanshagen Watermill Association, Inc.
The Hanshagen Watermill, a listed historic building, is now a fully operational technical museum.
Discover its eventful 500-year history. Experience it as a working grain mill—from the mill pond to the grinding mechanism—and as a paper mill through its architecture, as well as through text, images, and models. Water wheels, powered solely by flowing water, formed the basis of the world’s first complex machines: mills. Their basic design, in use since 200 B.C., ushered in the cultural and historical transition from artisanal to industrial production. The Hanshagen Watermill was built in 1524 as a monastic grain mill. Following the Reformation, it passed into ducal ownership in 1535. After the Thirty Years’ War and by Swedish decree, it became the property of the University of Greifswald in 1654. In 1750, the university converted it into a paper mill using rags. Rising demand for paper necessitated a new building adjacent to the old mill in 1800. However, the invention of wood-pulped cellulose made traditional paper production unprofitable, which is why the facility was converted back into a grain mill in 1855. Sold by the university in 1920, it remained in operation until it suffered extensive damage in 1952. Afterward, despite its status as a protected historic building, it fell into disrepair to the point where it had to be closed by the building authorities. Following the mill’s acquisition in 2010 and a complex, meticulous restoration by Schilling Invest GmbH & Co.KG, it was opened as a technical museum on German Mill Day 2012. To provide volunteer support for the maintenance of the property and to assist those interested in the mill, the "Verein Wassermühle Hanshagen e.V." was founded in 2021. Open regularly for video-guided tours and personal guided tours, visitors can observe the fascinating mill technology in operation and gain an understanding of the highly developed craft of milling and its significance for human development.
Hanshagen Watermill Association – History and Technology in the Heart of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
The Hanshagen Watermill Association maintains one of the most remarkable technical monuments in the Baltic Sea region: the historic Hanshagen Watermill. This fully operational technical museum, located not far from Greifswald, offers insights into over 500 years of mill history and impressively demonstrates how waterwheels, as the driving force behind the world’s first complex machines, played a decisive role in shaping humanity’s artisanal and industrial development.
500 Years of Mill History – From Grain Mill to Paper Mill
Built in 1524 as a monastic grain mill, the building passed into ducal ownership after the Reformation and later into the possession of the University of Greifswald. The university had the mill converted into a paper mill in 1750, before it was used again as a grain mill in 1855. After decades of neglect, it underwent extensive restoration beginning in 2010 and was opened as a technical museum on German Mill Day 2012.
Experience mill technology in action – from the mill pond to the grinding mechanism
Visitors can experience the mill technology in operation during video-guided tours as well as personal guided tours – from the mill pond to the grinding mechanism. Architecture, text, images, and models further convey the history of the paper mill. Those traveling along the Baltic Sea coast around Greifswald or on the island of Rügen will find a worthwhile cultural-historical destination here, away from the beach life.
Accommodations auf Greifswald & Umgebung
Vacation rentals, hotels, and more in the region
"Prince Jaromar" Hotel Resort & Spa
● Thiessow
In the middle of the UNESCO biosphere reserve Süd-Ost-Rügen, directly on the beach, you will find our private 4-star wellness hotel.
Ackerbürgerei Lassan
● Lassan
The Ackerbürgerei is located in Lassan's old town, close to the harbor. Surrounded by an enclosed garden, there are 6 friendly rooms and 7 vacation apartments for singles, small and large families in two houses, a sauna and a tiny restaurant with tasty regional and vegetarian dishes. We are also happy to serve you breakfast there (buffet).
Aeronauticon
● Anklam
Everything that flies - from seeds to high-tech airplanes - is the subject of the Aeronauticon, a museum park for looking, playing and learning at Anklam airfield.