Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-29
FaBLED CITIES SUBMERGED
ALONG THE GERMAN OCEAN
AND THE BALTIC.
Legends of Towns So Wicked That
They Were Buried Under
the Waves.


Many of those persons who have been
fortunate enough. due to ample means of
lucky circumstances of a business or
other nature. to spend holiday at many
of the charming resorts dotting the coast
line of the German ocean will have been
amused (and. perchance, interested) by
the many tales and legends related as to
submerged Cties-alI supramundane trace
of which has now disappeared. OF such
cities which once were famous for their
wealth. beauty and power. it is whispered
that their love of luxury. their greed and
cruelty led to the offended and unseen
powers above causing the waves TO rise
in the night and engulf them forever. Not
only are such legends rife on the coast.
but even in inland German towns many
lake is invested with halo of similar
mystery.
OF these latter cases two of the most
interesting relate to an old-time city
named BuCkOw which is said to rest
upon the bottom of Lake Schermuetzel,
in Brandenburg: while Lake Werbellin Ga
most mysterious sheet of water. accord
ing to folkloFe) conccals in its bosom
town of the same name; all that remains
of this latter is the name given TO a
small village. in memory of its prede-
cesscr. which now stands not far from
the point where the former town stood.
Germany as to vanished towns in the in
terror have no actual historical basis. or,
at best. a slight one (the Werbellin story
being based upon the disappearance of a
castle called Werbellin. one of the As
canian castles built in 11:I1-111o by AL
bert the Bear. Margrave of Brandenberg,
and contemporary of Frederick Bar
harossal, this is not so on the coast; here
the legends are all we'll founded on fact,
and. in most cases. the salient features
have lost but little of their original truth
in the telling
Lost Dutch City.
The most striking of all the legends
current III the coast towns OF the German
ocean is that dealing with the lest Dutch
town of Stavoren, at the entrance to the
Zuyder Zee. Here there lived a rich and
powerful woman. whose pride, cruelty
and selfishness aroused the anger of
heaven. and caused the wicked and mis-
guided city to sink beneath the waves. y
small portion of the city (where the good
people lived was saved, and its name still
cleaves TO the small town of Stavoren,
which is we'll known to every traveller
going by water from Amsterdam to Lecu-
warden and Groningen. 1t is an indis
putable fact that. in the thirteenth CEN
tury, Stavoren was a wealthy and power
full commercial city; however, due partly
to the port becoming choked with sand.
and partly to the eruption of the Zuyder
and at the present time what is left of it
only affords shelter to about eight hum
dred souls. The roofs and spires OF the
now submarine buildings can, it is said
be often seen far down in the depths
when the sea is still and the weather is
clear, while silent listeners on Christmas
eve will hear the distant and muftied
tone of church bells arising from the
depths, only to break in bubbles and rip
pies on the surface of the Zuyder Zee.
lett to Sx-lr -lyY1n co ci n 10
resort and island in the North sea, will
doubtless remember the small village OF
Wenningstedr. Although its present pop
ulation is only fifty prsons. it is none
commercial town of Wenningstedt, which
went TO the bottom of the sea during
a great flood and storm which took place
January IS, 1862.
North Sea Victims.
Wenningstedt is by no means the only
town which, once stood on the shores Of
Friesland and Holland. only to meet
with destruction at the hands Tor rather
bilows) of void Hans" as the Tristan
Familiarity terms the North sea AS a
matter of fadt. of all the seas in the world
it is the GeEman ocean alone which can
establish record for the number of
towns, villagfs and hamlets which it has
\f+tLer DESTROYED or engulfed. Since the
kleyenth century "Old Hans has de-
INFLATED nojlesS than IA towns and vii
laAfs. eithet by swallowing them up en-
. tirXy or Else by burying them under
I heals of sand. The fate of the Dutch
-toW1 of Rtngholt which disappeared dur
I@~a GREAT storm in the year 1887, is
still sung and told in story by the pres
ent day fsherfolk of Holland.
The Baltic sea has not such a bad rec
ord inIcatastrophes as old Hans" Yet
a &ero OF romance is thrown around the
legends told about this by the story
of the wonderful town of Vineta. chimes
from whose church steeples may, at the
4 fall of evsntide, be heard pealing family
ifron the depths of the ocean. In the 10's
fof the last century articles were still pub
llshed in support of the sometime ex-
istence of a large. faSulously wealthy
W@rdish city named Fineta. which in the
middle ages. nestled at the foot of the
Stalkelberg at Tsedom. nearly at the
3 same altitude at which the hamlet OF
Damerow now stands. The legend states
Il was totally destroyed by a flood and
earfhquake which occurred in the year
11SS. At one time the city of Vineta
VS. marked on the Prussian maps. but
geological and historical Investigations
made locally by Prof. VirchOw and others
have proved beyond doubt that town
never could have stood upon the site
Indicated