Sassnitz, 'the gateway to Scandinavia,' is located on the east coast of Rugen, Germany's largest island. Today, nearly the entire island is a National Park with a unique variety of landscape ranging from rich forests, striking white cliffs, heath land, arid grass valleys, even swamps. The island's beauty once attracted such luminaries as Albert Einstein, Thomas Mann, Sigmund Freud and Kathe Kollwitz. Inviting villages and the diverse landscape continue to bring holiday seekers to the island today.