DL5KUD will be active again from Ruegen Island, IOTA EU-057, in RSGB IOTA Contest, 26 - 27 July 2025, as DL5KUD.
He will be in SO LP Category.
Recent DX Spots DL5KUD
QSL via DL5KUD buro, ClubLog OQRS.
The Island of Rügen
Connoisseurs and admirers of Alexander Pushkin's work are undoubtedly aware that the island of Buyan, mentioned in “The Tale of Tsar Saltan,” is not a mysterious land invented by the author, but a real island. Alexander Sergeyevich refers in his story to an island that is now called Rügen and is located off the coast of Germany in the Baltic Sea. The history of the island is very interesting and ambiguous.
Ruegen Island. Author - Roland Lausberg.
A magical place that guarantees success
In ancient times, the island of Rügen was inhabited by warlike tribes of Western Slavs, and the name Buyan, used by Pushkin, was derived from the ancient Baltic place name Rujan (“Russian”), as the island was then called (in German, it sounds like Rügen).
There were incredible legends about this island.
In addition to the fact that the islanders struck fear into all their neighbors, Ruyan was a desirable country for anyone who had ever heard of it. Folk tales said that it was here that a sacred stone in the shape of an eight-pointed star was located, which was the center and beginning of the world. And whoever was lucky enough to find this mysterious bel-goryuch stone, as it was also called, would surely have all their dreams and desires come true. The image of the alatyry (the main name of the symbol) is still used by Slavs in embroidery and amulets, and, in their opinion, it has great significance.
And of course, everyone has heard about the oak tree, in whose branches stood a chest with a duck, an egg inside it, and a needle, at the tip of which lurked the terrible immortal Koshchei. It turns out that this oak tree also grew on Ruyan. Such is Ruyan-Buyan-Rügen! But the riddles do not end there.
The sinister secret of Rügen
According to historians, physicists, and researchers in various other fields of science, Hitler secretly tested an atomic bomb on Rügen during World War II.
With the help of atomic weapons, he hoped to change the course of the war and regain his advantage. It was tested even before the Americans did. Naturally, Hitler always wanted to be the first in everything.
Now sailors are wary of passing near the coast of Rügen, citing the fact that there is a zone of obvious natural anomalies here. A tectonic fault in the island's interior and strong magnetic activity in the area only confirm the sailors' fears. Could the testing of this terrifying weapon have been the cause?
But let's return to modern Rügen. What is it like now?
Ruegen Island. Author - Zeqin Liang.
Picture-perfect island
Rügen is Germany's largest island, with a bizarre shape and a huge number of bays, inlets, capes, and peninsulas. The island has around forty communities and four towns.
They are all connected by an old narrow-gauge railway, affectionately known by the locals as the “Flying Roland.” The nearest mainland town to Rügen is Stralsund, which is connected to the island by a magnificent four-kilometer bridge, the longest bridge in Germany.
The bridge supports are rectangular, and in the center of the bridge are support pylons from which powerful steel cables extend in both directions. This gives the bridge's light-looking structure even more airiness.
Crossing this bridge, you enter a beautiful world of purity, order, and snow-white chalk cliffs on the coast. These cliffs are dazzlingly white, especially on sunny days, which are quite rare here, although Rügen is considered the sunniest place in Germany. The steep chalk cliffs, 120 meters high, are a symbol of the Jasmund Peninsula and a unique natural phenomenon on the flat coast of the island. This chalk is called Jasmund gold because of its incredible purity.
Ancient untouched forests, sparkling lakes, shallow bays with clean and warm water, fresh sea air, and beautiful architecture make the island look like a picture from a fairy tale about something good, cozy, and very bright.
Everything on Rügen is harmonious and well thought out. Even the deck chairs on the white sandy beaches are not deck chairs at all, but mini-houses with drawers under the soft seats where you can store your personal belongings, and side walls that allow you to retreat and commune with nature.
I would not like to call the elegant 400-meter bridge-pier in Sellin, with its restaurant and registry office, the real pearl of Rügen, as this phrase is overused and uninteresting. But there is no other epithet to describe this beautiful work of architectural art, where German newlyweds come with great pleasure to celebrate their marriage. The bridge and castle are especially beautiful in the evening when illuminated by lights.
In general, this enchanting island gives the impression that everything here has been lovingly built by someone new, just taken out of a box of building blocks. The set of parts is varied, all the details are high-quality, beautiful, and fit together well.
The narrow roads lined with century-old elm trees resemble the shady alleys of an old park, and everything around is polished to a shine with German precision. And most importantly, there are not enough words to describe it all, because there are many more beautiful and ancient places on Rügen, and they are all “the best.” No one wants to leave here!
