"Ponder your mortality in Wolgast" Wolgast by CatherineReichardt

Wolgast doesn't seem to feature very prominently in any of the guide books to Germany - indeed, it doesn't feature at all in the current edition of Lonely Planet - which is a shame, as it's well worth a stop if you're exploring Germany's Baltic coast.

I was drawn to Wolgast because we were going to be passing close by on our way to Heringsdorf and I had come across a passing reference to there being a Dance Macabre (Dance of Death) mural in the parish church. I have a fascination with the culture of the plague era - and Dance Macabres in particular (see my travel tip on the stupendous Danse Macabre in Hrastovlje, Slovenia elsewhere) - but researching its whereabouts was surprisingly difficult, and by the time we arrived in town, I was still not confident about being able to locate it.

I need not have worried - Wolgast is a very small place, and St Petri - the parish church in which the mural is located - is by far the most prominent landmark in town. It is an unremarkable structure that would probably not tempt the idle passerby to venture inside, and certainly does not hint at the artistic gem within.

Ascending St Petri's tower also offers a marvellous viewpoint out over the surrounding countryside. From here you can get a bird's eye view out over the flat landscape, including the bridge between the island of Usedom and the mainland and the massive shipyards.

One of the attractions of Wolgast is that it isn't a tourist destination - it is a small, functional sort of town that happens to boast a couple of really interesting attractions. People watching in the main square gives you an idea of everyday life in this quiet little backwater of Germany and is a pleasant counterpoint to the more tourist-focused attractions of the coastal resorts.