Wolgast was founded by the
Wends on an island in the
Peenestrom sound. The occupation of the region by
Wartislaw I, Duke of Pomerania led to the
Conversion of Pomerania by
Otto of Bamberg in 1128. During this time, there was an influx of thousands of
Low German settlers from
Groningen and
Drenthe. In 1164, in the context of the
battle of Verchen, a Danish force under
Wetheman took control of Wolgast, and left it to a mixed Rani-Pomeranian-Obrodite garrison after peace was restored. Yet, the Rani (the Danish allies) were soon expelled by the Pomeranians, and the Obodrites (also Danish allies) left the scene. It is not known when exactly this city of Wolgast was granted
German town law, though its existence is confirmed by a letter written in or before 1259. Capital of
Pomerania-Wolgast, a longtime inner partition of the duchy,
Wolgast Castle was built as a residential palace in
Renaissance style on an island hence called
Castle Island. The
ducal line of Pomerania-Wolgast became extinct when
Philipp Julius died without issue.
In 1630, Wolgast became part of
Swedish Pomerania until 1815. Between the 1670s to 1720s, hundreds of male residents enlisted in the
VOC and emigrated to
South Africa. The former ducal palace decayed, and the town was burned down in 1713 by
Russian forces during the
Great Northern War, in retaliation for Swedish arson in
Altona. Wolgast lost its status as a
Kreis capital on 12 June 1994, when
Kreis Wolgast was merged into
Kreis Ostvorpommern, which became part of
Vorpommern-Greifswald in 2011. ==Museums and other sights==