Ostseezeitung: Kösterbeck
The northernmost ski lift in the GDR was in the Kös-
terbecks. In 1970, the Rostock Institute for Shipbuilding applied to the district building authority for permission to build a ski tow and a shelter. With the inauguration of the ski station, the "Kaiser-Berg" was renamed "Freundschaftshöhe".
The ski lift consisted of a rope with a crossbar on which athletes could be pulled up the mountain. Olympics for children and young people took place in Germany's northernmost ski area. Hundreds came to the 1978 Winter Games organized by the German Gymnastics and Sports Association (DTSB). The OSTSEE-ZEITUNG wrote on February 21: “There were 300 active participants in cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, tobogganing and biathlon. With a hearty stew and the award ceremony in the Kösterbeck restaurant, the Winter Games found a worthy conclusion.” Two years earlier, there was talk of 6,000 guests. 100 toboggans, 130 pairs of skis and 30 ski boots crossed the table at the rental station. Broken sledges, according to Kösterbeck veterans, ended up in the fire in the evening as fuel. Traditionally, the cold-frozen winter sports enthusiasts then warmed up in Christa Strietzel's restaurant.
The joy about the ski lift only lasted ten years. Poor maintenance and mild winters meant that the northernmost ski lift fell into oblivion. To this day, only the foundations of the shelter bear witness to the former Winter Games. A restaurant was originally supposed to move into the barracks — that too remained a dream. By the way: As early as 1957, the municipality received 15 toboggans from the district committee for physical culture and sport in order to be prepared for winter sports in Rostock Switzerland.