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Sunshine rays rebound on water-level of Baltic Sea, the branches of beech-wood trees stretch the water, and its green leaves are gleaming in sun shine, whereas chalk white rock cliffs are in clear contrast with them. Rock walls are furrowed with various fissures and channels. They are sloping down vertically into the sea on some places, on another places, they are arising upstairs, forming outlines, receiving similar names as the mountains could obtain. So, Stubbenkammer, situated on Rugen Island, belongs to one of most beautiful corners of nature in area of Baltic Sea, which inspired many poets and painters.

No doubt, so called King´s Arm-Chair (117 metres high) is most popular rock wall of Stubbenkammer. More than 300 000 visitors climb narrow stages up to platform of 200 square metres area. This base was established there 300 years ago, in order to enable to follow panorama of chalk cliffs and the seaside. In south direction, you can follow Wissower Klinken Rocks. Painter Caspar David Friedrich created the work „Rugen Chalk Cliffs“ according to these formations. Nevertheless, it could be a legend, as the artist painted rock formations in north-west direction from King´s Arm-Chair. In 1990, Yasmud Nature Reservation (3000 ha surface) was established there, in order to protect the coast. The reservation is composed (from two-thirds) from the forest, which was left in nearly original state, from Baltic Sea (one sixth), and the rest of the surface is formed with chalk cliffs, swamps and pasture land.

History

In several places, between King´s Arm-Chair and the port of Sassnitz, you can go down, from high situated coastal way through steep path, down to the beach. The walk along coast, full of boulders, is rather difficult one, but just from here, you can admire the majesty of chalk rocks. From the coast only, you can take notice of oval flints, which are winding on rocks along isohypses. The flints were originally small organismus, the skeletons of which dissolved in chalk mud. Chalk rocks in Rugen are also og organic origin. 80 millions of years ago, during Secondary formation, the glaciers thawed and the water inundated the whole North Europe. She sea was inhabitated with many stars, shells, corals and seaweeds. These dead boxes, skeletons and breast-plates of all these animals created sediments on bottom of the sea. In the course of millions of years, they created, together with other sediments, limestone alluviums, raising up to the height of 500 metres.

During Tertiary formation, the sea stepped back so much that the actual territory of Baltic Sea became a continent. 80000-100000 years ago, the glaciers, of 3 kms thickness, shifted from Scandinavia towards the south, and created so surface structure of Rugen Island. Anyway, these chalk rocks were formed as a result of changing pressure and movements of crust of the Earth. During Pleistocene time period, these chalk stratta were broken in flat flakes, turning round upstairs in such way that they became a barriere for glaciers, swimming from the north. So, great granite blocks, coming from Scandinavia, (such as Buskan at the community of Gohre, 600 cubic metres volume) remained. When the glaciers left the area, mounting the rise and decline of sea-water level and high tide, cutting the coast, they influenced nature activity. Anyway, also the man activity made his share there in this respect. Since middle of 19th century, the chalk from Rugen is very demanded raw material, being used, first of all, for production of coloured kitchen utensils and tooth-paste.

Text: Denisa Arvajová

Translation: ing. Jan Jonáš

Photo: Picasaweb.com