Kühlungsborn
Kühlungsborn () is a "Seebad" (seaside resort) town in the Rostock district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the Baltic Sea coast, 11 km northwest of Bad Doberan, and 25 km northwest of Rostock. The town has an elongate beach and promenade, many hotels in typical German spa town architecture and a marina. It is the largest seaside spa town in Mecklenburg. Kühlungsborn is a place with long spa traditions. It was one of the first seaside resorts to be founded in Germany, dating back to the 1860s. While the bicycle is a popular way of transport, the  Molli steam railway is an historic tourist attraction that also allows exploration the area. In summer times many people rent one of the traditional "Strandkorb" on the beach, a covered chair protecting one from wind and sun. Town history. The town of Kühlungsborn was founded on April 1, 1938 with the merger of the three municipalities; Fulgen, Brunshaupten and Arendsee. On the town coat of arms, three flying seagulls on a blue background represent these former municipalities. At the end of World War II in 1945, many refugees settled temporarily or permanently in Kühlungsborn. In 1953, the East German government  partially expropriated and arbitrarily nationalised a number of hotels and boarding houses in the city during the so-called "Action Rose". Over 50 of these institutions were transformed into holiday and health resorts for regulated holidays for East German citizens which were controlled by FDGB Trade Union. If the former owners resisted, they were often convicted in show trials. Many were forced into exile in West Germany. During East Germany's standard holiday period of July to August, Kühlungsborn was packed with holidaymakers. The cost of the FDGB holiday facilities was very low, normally 60-100 East German marks for  14 days full board. During this time there were frequent shortages in commercial establishments. Annual festivals were conducted for three decades, during "Baltic Week", usually the first week of July. There were numerous high-profile cultural events during these festivals. Participants from the Baltic Sea countries and Norway were accommodated in boarding houses. From 1958 to 1990 approximately 100 men of the East German Navy's (Volksmarine) elite 18th Combat Swimmer Command (Kampfschwimmerkommando 18 (KSK-18)) were stationed in Kühlungsborn. Since the mid-1990s Kühlungsborn has again become a popular year-round destination for the holiday season. Kühlungsborn has no tall buildings , because no house is allowed to be built higher than the tallest trees. After the reunification of Germany the historic centre of Kühlungsborn was thoroughly renovated and many historic buildings restored. However, in 1994, 26 historic buildings, examples of resort architecture, were demolished as part of this renovation, such as the "Arendseer Kurhaus" completed in 1906. There are many new hotels and apartments as well as renovated old hotels and guest houses. From 2002-2004 the new marina was built in East Kühlungsborn with 400 moorings. The resort's pier was built in 1991 and the 3,200-metre-long beach  promenade was completely renovated in 2007. For the G8 summit in Heiligendamm in 2007, the press was accommodated in East Kühlungsborn. Around 5,390 journalists from 78 countries representing 1,045 media outlets were accredited and stayed mostly in Kühlungsborn.