Achterwasser

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The Achterwasser is a shallow lagoon and bay on the Peene River, which flows into the Baltic Sea. It stretches far into the island of Usedom and is only separated from the Baltic by a narrow barrier sandbar between Ückeritz and Zinnowitz. It is bordered to the north by the Gnitz peninsula and to the south by Lieper Winkel. The reed-filled southeast part is called Balmer See, and the southwest part, which is hard to reach from the western shore, is Krienker See. In past centuries the barrier could be breached by Baltic storms, causing flooding across Usedom when the narrow land bridge between Zempin and Koserow at Rieckgraben (near Lüttenort) flooded; this land bridge is only about 300 meters wide. The Achterwasser is not very deep and is popular for surfing and sailing. The Gnitz beach sand is coarser than the Baltic Sea beach on Usedom, and the bottom is very stony. On medieval and early modern maps the lagoon was sometimes called Lassansches Water, a name tied to the town of Lassan, which held fishing rights here.