Travelling along the road of German-Swedish History (The Sweden road)
 | | The Schwedenstrasse is approx. 700 km [435 miles] long and runs through Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Brandenburg. This cultural and historical route connects places which share a similar history due to the Swedish occupation. The project Schwedenstrasse was initiated in the year 2000 by the Swedish embassy. |
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| | The so-called Swedish Period in Germany began during the Thirty Years' War, a disagreement between Protestant and Catholic powers. The religious conflict quickly spread across Europe. In 1630, Sweden intervened in the war when King Gustav II Adolf sent his troops to the Isle of Usedom in Pommern. Gustav II Adolf wanted to save Protestantism and, what's more, he wanted to expand his power in the Baltic region by integrating parts of Germany into his Swedish empire. |
He was extremely successful; in 1636, the balance of power in Northern Germany changed fundamentally in favour of Sweden. The Treaty of Westphalia [1648] settled that Sweden obtain many parts of Vorpommern. Moreover, Sweden had its place in the German parliament. The German provinces in the north now were the continental bridgehead of Sweden and in the 17th century, they belonged to the most strongly armed provinces of the Swedish empire. Sweden's claim to power in Germany ended in 1903 with the obligation to return the city of Wismar to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The war and the many people who lost their lives are commemorated through traditional events such as the "Wallensteintage" in Stralsund, held annually in July, and the biannual festival "Die Schweden kommen" in Wittstock. Other interesting cultural historical events are "Die Peene brennt" in Anklam,the "Schwedenfest" [Swedish Festival] in Wismar which takes place every August or the annual event "Nordischer Klang" [Nordic Sound] in the Hanseatic City of Greifswald, held in May. All these activities provide an insight into the Swedish Period. | 
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The Schwedenstrasse is divided into three routes: the coastal route [Gadebusch - Wolgast - Peenemünde], the westbound route [Wismar - Großbeeren] and the eastbound route [Rügen - Großbeeren]. |
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