Figure 1.--The photo shows the Goertz siblings on the beach of Cranz, in West Prussia dear Danzig. The photo was taken in the summer 1938. The beach may have been called Cranz.

Bathing beaches were also popular in Germany. Given the German climate, they would have been very seasonal. Most popular were the sea beaches in the north. The North Sea coast (between Denmark and the Netherlands) was a relatively small area. As it was near Hamburg, Germany's second largest city, there were several popular beaches. There were also boat excursions from Hamburh through the Kiel Canal to populat Baltic resorts. Germany had a much more extensive Baltic coast. The Baltic Sea (Ostsee) has wonderful sandy beaches and the water is not as rough or cold as the North Sea coast. These beaches were wonderful for younger children interested in paddlng in the water, but primarily playing in seand with spades and buckets. Often German families literally built great piles of sand around their whicker beach homes which were ranted from local dealers in the beach. The German Baltic Coast is today much more limited than before World War I or even II. The German Empire until World War Ihad a very extensive Baltic coast. Even after the 1919 Versailles Agreement and the creation of the Polish Corridor, there was still an extensive Baltic coast. There were also a number of Baltic Sea islands that were popular resorts. We don't know the names of the important beaches yet. Many are now in Poland. One Baltic Sea peninsula, Peenemünde, achieved prominance in World War II as the site of German rocket research.

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Created: 5:07 AM 5/22/2009
Last updated: 5:08 AM 5/22/2009