Vilm Island
📍 Vilm
Vilm, the small sister island of Rügen, which is only a few hectares in size, is known for its gnarled oaks and sunrises, which captivated Caspar David Friedrich and Philipp Otto Runge. They walked the island together and wrote letters to Goethe about its beauty.
Around 6,000 years ago, the 94-hectare island of Vilm was formed from moraines left behind by glaciers. It is still an untouched natural paradise today. Forests of ancient oaks and giant beeches characterize the landscape. The beginning of settlement on Vilm can be traced back to the Stone Age. Once a holy place of the Slavs, later a Christian pilgrimage site and medieval hermitage, a princely summer residence in the 19th century and soon after a meeting place for landscape painters - Vilm has always exerted a great attraction. This is probably most evident in painting. Over the last 200 years, the island has been visited by over 350 painters. The entire island has been a nature reserve since 1936.
Guided tours of Vilm Island take place from the end of March to the end of October. Daily at 10 a.m. and a second guided tour from 1.30 p.m. if required. The starting point is the port of Lauterbach. The motorboat "Julchen" will take you to the island of Vilm. The excursion leads partly through rough terrain and covers a distance of 3 kilometers. The outward and return journeys take 15 minutes each. The guided tour lasts 2.5 hours.
The participation fee must be paid in cash and on the day of the tour on the motorboat "Julchen". Payment by EC card is not possible.
Important: Unauthorized access to the island and taking animals with you is prohibited. Due to the limited number of participants, pre-registration is essential.