Poel is an island in the Baltic Sea, located at the Bay of Wismar on the German coast. Administratively it is also a municipality in the district Nordwestmecklenburg, consisting of the main town Kirchdorf and the smaller Timmendorf, Fährdorf, Kaltenhof, Vorwerk and Gollwitz. The island covers an area of 36.02 km² and has 2873 citizens. With its fine beaches Poel is a popular recreational destination. At Timmendorf harbour there are a pilot's station and facilities for yachts and local fishermen; Kirchdorf has a yachting harbour and a boatyard.

The name of the island derives from the Germanic light god Phol, better known as Baldur. In 1612 Adolf Friedrich I. started with building a fortress on the island, making use of the strategically good location. In 1619 it was completed, however it proved not secure enough, as during the Thirty Years War in 1631 the Swedish could occupy it. In 1903 it was finally returned to Mecklenburg from Sweden. Since 1927 the island is connected to the mainland by a bridge.

External links

• http://www.insel-poel-info.de (German)