The island of Dänholm is a small island with a lot of history. Already used for military purposes under the Swedes, Dänholm was developed into the cradle of the Prussian Navy.
The small island of Strale or Strela, located directly in front of the city of Stralsund, created a natural harbor that seafaring peoples have always appreciated. It is mentioned in the 1st city book as early as 1288. Due to the busy shipping traffic of the Danes in the 12th and 13th centuries in the waters around Rügen and off Stralsund, but especially in connection with the defeat of a Danish fleet in 1326 near the island, it was probably renamed to Dänholm.
The eventful history of the island known to us is predominantly military. The first reliable documents and plans of fortifications on the island date back to the time of the Thirty Years' War. In 1628, Wallenstein, as the imperial commander at that time, ordered the German emperor to secure and fortify all ports in the Baltic Sea due to the lack of his own fleet, which was supposed to create a counterweight to the strengthening Swedish Empire.
The Swedish military was also well aware of the favorable location of the island. After the treaty of alliance between the city and the Kingdom of Sweden, ratified in 1628, it began to immediately improve and expand the already existing fortifications and tried to control the Strelasund and the approach to the city by means of new fortifications with gun emplacements. On June 7, 1815, the Swedish period ended for Stralsund.
