Baltic Sea spa Heiligenhafen Reorganization and development of the tourist infrastructure

Steinwarder Tourist Master Plan

In cooperation with hcb hospitality concepts, SWUP GmbH developed the Steinwarder Tourism Master Plan in 2010. The aim was to functionally and economically coordinate the various tourist use modules that are available or planned on Steinwarder and to integrate them into the urban and natural environment.

In concrete terms, this involved the integration of several project components:

- the expansion of the tourism infrastructure through the construction of a pier or the creation of a beach on the inland lake,

- the preparation of accommodation properties such as the establishment of hotels and the creation of high-quality holiday homes as well as

- the attractiveness of Steinwarder through retail and gastronomy offers.

Special attention was paid to the coordination of the economic interests of potential investors and the operational needs of future operators of the possible hotel locations with the urban development and tourism objectives of the city.

The aim was to use the master plan concept to create the basis for approaching and contractually binding investors and operators.

While hcb hospitality concepts defined the development framework for the hotel projects from a real estate and tourism-specific perspective, SWUP GmbH was responsible for developing the urban development concept, which brought together the various project components.

The Steinwarder Tourism Master Plan is the basis for the 27th amendment to the land use plan of the town of Heiligenhafen.

Adventure bridge on the Steinwader river

The ErlebnisSeebrücke - Heiligenhafen's tourism project - set new standards in architectural design and tourist use for the region. A challenge for the planners: SWUP GmbH.

The new sea bridge forms the center of the Steinwarder, is over 400 meters long and changes its direction twice over the Baltic Sea. During construction, special emphasis was placed on individual equipment design and the use of materials typical of the area.

For example, the ErlebnisSeebrücke has children's play stations, a water play area, a bathing and sun deck equipped with loungers and public toilets. The glazed sea lounge guarantees an authentic Baltic Sea experience and also keeps out the wind and rain. A large part of the attractions can be reached barrier-free.

At late hours, the ErlebnisSeebrücke is illuminated by indirect lighting of the railings.
The structure represents the heart of the Marina Resort Heiligenhafen. Around the marina of the Baltic Sea a completely new tourist infrastructure of holiday homes, wellness and lifestyle hotel as well as shopping facilities was created.

Builder: Heiligenhafener Verkehrsbetriebe GmbH

Heiligenhafen pier promenade

With the sea bridge promenade, SWUP GmbH developed the urban connection between the marina promenade (completion 2008) and the adventure sea bridge (completion 2012).

Along the sea bridge promenade, the tourist infrastructure has developed further in recent years. In the area of the new promenade, hotel complexes with accompanying hotel gastronomy and integrated retail trade have been built.


The sea bridge promenade widens spatially towards the sea and thus continues the dynamic form of the sea bridge on land.

SWUP GmbH independently developed the new type of seating furniture. The bench bases are made of granite and are equipped with color-contrasting seat pads made of HPL.

The benches are accompanied by a sculptural wave play.

"Beach Motel" Design of the outdoor facilities

In order to develop the tourist infrastructure of Heiligenhafen, the northern section of the sea-bridge promenade and the sea-bridge forecourt have been developed with a 4-star hotel ("Beach Motel") and a 3-star hotel ("Bretterbude"). The two hotels form a new spatial edge to the Baltic Sea to the east and west of the pier forecourt. The hotel complexes comprise hotel apartments in apartment buildings, which are loosely distributed on the western plot, as well as two buildings with shops and hotel apartments on the sea-bridge promenade. Between the hotels and shops as well as the pier promenade, spacious terraces have been laid out, creating new recreational qualities.

SWUP GmbH was commissioned by the client with the planning and constructional implementation of the outdoor facilities.

The outdoor facilities of the hotels accommodate the required parking spaces and access roads. For the hotel Bretterbude, additional parking spaces for small motorhomes such as VW Bullis, referred to in the project as "bulli spaces" for surf vans, were created. The connection from the sea bridge promenade to the entrance level of the hotel Bretterbude, which is three metres lower, is formed by the "skater stairs", a combination of stairs and skater facilities.

In the spacious open spaces of the Beach Motel, the development of a dune topography and planting establishes the reference to the beach environment. While the parking spaces are structured by regular tree planting, the remaining open spaces are characterized by tree plantings with a loose and typical landscape distribution.

An approx. 1,300 m2 large rainwater retention basin with reed zones as well as numerous decentralized swales serve to infiltrate the rainwater from roof areas, parking spaces and access roads.

Since the entire site is located in the flood-prone area, special protective measures were required. Therefore, a flood protection wall consisting of angle support elements and closure structures was constructed around parts of the site. The angular supports were not visibly integrated into the terrain modelling.

"Primus Strand Resort" Design of the open spaces

In order to implement the urban development and tourism development goals for the marina and pier area in Heiligenhafen, an area of approx. 3 hectares on the marina promenade has been developed with holiday homes and apartments. The area is characterized by its unique location between the Baltic Sea beach / sea bridge, inland lake and marina.

In addition, buildings were built along the sea bridge promenade, whose use allows a combination of shops, stores, restaurants and maritime business on the ground floors and holiday apartments on the upper floors. The front areas in front of these buildings extend the sea bridge promenade and create new qualities of stay.

Thereby the beach resort revives the promenade-accompanying and tourism-oriented offer of use of the city of Heiligenhafen as an important diversion point from the old town, past the marina to the sea bridge.

An essential component and character of the entire plant is the newly produced dune topography in the open space environment of the holiday houses. SWUP GmbH was commissioned by Primus Immobilien AG with the planning and structural implementation of the open spaces.

The houses are aligned with the curved marina bay, so that there is a clear orientation to the water. All houses have an individual height level and are arranged loosely, but in precise coordination with each other. This ensures visual relationships to the Baltic Sea, the inland lake and/or the marina.

The terrain modelling, oriented to the grey and brown dune landscape typical of the Baltic Sea, dominates the open space design.

Since the entire site lies in the flood-prone area, special protective measures were necessary. A flood protection wall running around the entire site is composed of angle support elements, a reinforced concrete wall and closure structures. The angular supports were not visibly integrated into the terrain modelling, whereas the reinforced concrete wall remains visible in the direction of the marina to delimit the terrain.

Redesign of the beach promenade

Planning: 2001
Construction period: 2002 - 2003
Construction costs: 2.5 million €

Main idea
The redesigned beach promenade extends on the Steinwarder with a length of about 2.5 km. Following the urban development guiding principle that each promenade has its own design forms and materials, three design principles apply to the beach promenade:
- Creation of a high quality of stay.
- Formation of places with individual spatial character to break the linearity.
- Creation of connecting and identity-creating design elements.

Redesign of the holiday park promenade

Planning: 2000
Construction period: 2001 - 2002
Construction costs: 2.5 million €

The design of the promenades follows an overall urban and landscape concept. The location of the city of Heiligenhafen on the water can be experienced in three different, each characteristically distinctive landscape spaces: the Baltic Sea promenade, the inland lake promenade and the marina promenade.
The holiday park, the old town and the development on the street Steinwarder are the spatial determinants on the inland lake. The holiday park promenade extends plaza-like along the western shore of the lake with the continuous
strolling area in front of the shops and restaurants, the shore terraces and the two entrance plazas. On the water side, the strolling area describes an elongated wavy line marked by a seating wall with wooden segments. It is accompanied in sections by a pergola. To the north, a plaza-like extension pushes forward into the inland lake, the so-called "bastion" with the pine island. In the south, an
entrance square is created in which the various spatial references are bundled and which thus becomes an orientation platform for the holiday park visitors.

Redesign of the harbour promenade

Planning: 2006 - 2007
Construction period: 2007 - 2008
Construction costs: 3.4 million €

Design idea
With this construction phase, the most important tourist experience area between the Steinwarder with its beach promenade and the old town of Heiligenhafen will be renewed. Kommunalhafenpromenade and Jachthafenpromenade are the most attractive destinations for visitors to Heiligenhafen all year round.

back to overview

1. Steinwarder Tourist Master Plan
2. Adventure bridge on the Steinwader river
3. Heiligenhafen pier promenade
4. "Beach Motel" Design of the outdoor facilities
5. "Primus Strand Resort" Design of the open spaces
6. Redesign of the beach promenade
7. Redesign of the holiday park promenade
8. Redesign of the harbour promenade