Monday, October 24, 2011

international rail ferries between Sassnitz and Trelleborg

The top poster dates from about a century ago.  The ferry service between Sassnitz on the island of Rügen in Germany across the Baltic Sea (Ostsee) to Trelleborg in Sweden began in 1909.  The two ships featured on the poster, the Konung Gustaf V and the Deutschland were placed into service in 1910 and 1909 respectively.

The service was interrupted for 3 years between 1945 and 1948, but then continued through DDR days to the present time.

For those interested in similar roll-on, roll-off rail ferry services in NZ, see the book Strait Crossing: the ferries of Cook Strait through time.

DDR stamps from 1979 issued to mark the 70th anniversary of the ferry service.
A German 1.45 Euro stamp issued in 2009 to mark the centenary of the service, featuring a typical scene of the 1920s.

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