UsedomZecherin bridge only opens in the morning

Jill Grigoleit

 · 02.10.2025

Usedom: Zecherin bridge only opens in the morningPhoto: Jill Grigoleit
The Zecherin bascule bridge over the Peene River is one of two bridges that connect the mainland with the island of Usedom.
From 6 to 12 October, sailors with a mast height of over five metres will have to adjust to restricted opening hours for the Zecherin Bridge. During this period, and possibly beyond, the bascule bridge will only open once a day at 8 a.m. due to construction work.

According to the responsible road construction authority, the road surface on the almost 100-year-old bridge over the Peene river urgently needs to be renewed. The bridge will therefore be largely closed to road traffic for this period. For shipping, the work means that the winter opening times (three times a day), which were originally scheduled to begin on 1 October, will be limited to once a day for 15 minutes at a time.

Show intention of the bridge passage

The clearance height is five metres when the bridge is closed and the water level is average. It opens to shipping for a maximum of 15 minutes. Recreational craft must indicate their intention to pass at least ten minutes before the bridge opens by remaining close to the control centre or the corresponding waiting dolphins. The opening request signal (two long tones "▬ ▬") can also be used as a supporting indication of the intention to pass the bridge.

In addition to the Peene Bridge in Wolgast, the Zecherin Bridge near Anklam is another link between the mainland and the island of Usedom. It crosses the Peene River. While the bridge opens five times a day in the summer season, it normally opens three times a day in the winter season from 1 October to 31 March, at 8.45 am, 12.45 pm and 4.45 pm (the latter only as an on-demand opening after prior registration by 3 pm the day before by calling 038372/70 838 or 0175/577 3609).


At the bridge opening times on the Baltic Sea:


According to the Waterways and Shipping Administration, the restriction may extend into the 42nd calendar week due to weather conditions and procedures. Information on this can be obtained by calling 0175/5773609. The bridge is due to be renewed in 2033 and initial planning is already underway.

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Jill Grigoleit

Jill Grigoleit

Editor Travel

Jill Grigoleit was born in Hanover in 1985. An early childhood memory is the large collection of YACHT and SURF magazines from her sailing and surfing enthusiast father. However, growing up in a small Swabian village on the Neckar, she had less to do with water sports in her childhood, apart from a few trips to the Baltic Sea with her family. After studying journalism in Bremen and Hanover, she went into television for a few years. Through a few lucky coincidences, she ended up on the water in 2011 and then returned to the written word professionally. For over ten years, she lived with her family on a houseboat in their own harbor south of Hamburg and wrote a book about houseboat building and life with children on the water. Since 2020, she has mainly been writing travel reports and features about people who live and work on and near the water for BOOTE. She has been a permanent member of the Delius Klasing water sports editorial team since January 2024.

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