Rest area with an interesting information board about a chapter of Germany's darkest history:
With the establishment of the border area along the GDR Baltic Sea coast in 1961, the coastal section between the Priwall and the town of Steinbeck was sealed off with a "protective strip". Staying here required a permit and access to the Baltic Sea was blocked. On the other hand, the border zone on the rest of the GDR could be used -Enter the Baltic Sea coast without difficulty.
Because of its close proximity to the Federal Republic, the "protective strip" up to Steinbeck was equipped with fences, observation towers in Redewisch and Steinbeck and other pioneering technical systems. Radio masts and radar systems in Boltenhagen and Barendorf belonged to Technical Observation Companies (TBK), units of the 6th Coastal Border Brigade. The The GDR border troops used a column path along the expanded metal fence with its perforated concrete slabs for their jeeps and motorcycles. It ran parallel to the beach for about 18 kilometers to Priwall.
Only nature could benefit from the division within Germany. Refuge areas for rare animal and plant species were created in the area of the border fortifications. Here the beach remained untouched by people. Today they form the so-called "Green Belt" - a unique biotope network through the middle of Germany and along the Iron Curtain through Europe. Today the area around Rede-wisch and Steinbeck belongs to the European bird sanctuary "Wismarbucht and Salzhaff". Rare species such as scaup, scoter, avocet and whooper swan rest or nest here. The former column path is part of the Baltic Sea cycle path.