Amber fisherman from Binz

Visiting the Irish amber fisherman from Binz

Amber is also called the "gold of the Baltic Sea". That was reason enough for us, us during our stay in Binz to take a closer look at this stone. And so we set out to visit the Irish amber fisherman in Binz Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to visit. Finbarr Corrigan came to the often early on Baltic Sea coast, since his brother lived on the island of Hiddensee. There he first became acquainted with the stones from which the Baltic Sea waves bring new finds ashore year after year.

During one of his stays, Finbarr tried to look for the stones and immediately developed a taste for them. From then on he regularly vacationed on the Baltic coast until one day he decided not to return to Great Britain. He sold his restaurant and settled on Hiddensee. There he met his wife and moved with her back to her hometown of Binz, where he now runs an amber business together with his family, which now includes an adult daughter.

 

 

That Finbarr Corrigan is a creative man is evident even before we see his shop and workshop. There are the most amazing art pieces on the steps in front of the house, and in most of them at least a piece of amber plays a role. Bizarre woods are combined with the stone that shines in warm gold, but metals and mirrors also offer attractive connections with the stones, most of which Finbarr collected himself.

 

 

Do you want a cup of tea?

As soon as we enter the shop, he comes towards us with outstretched hands and welcomes us to his workshop. "Do you want a cup of tea?" He asks us in the broad accent of the Irish island and doesn't wait for us to say yes. Instead, he sends his daughter to brew us a cup of tea. And then he kidnapped me to his realm: amber of all colors lay in wooden bowls, on plates and in bowls. To my astonishment, I have to recognize that this stone not only comes in warm gold, but can even be colored up to black. This is what makes these stones so appealing, because amber necklaces are never uniformly colored, but always in a wide variety of colors in which the hardened tree resin can appear. It is nothing else.

Amber fishermen from Binz - where do the stones come from?

When I ask Finbarr where the stones come from, he says, somewhat embarrassed: “My daughter is more knowledgeable about these things. She is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to amber.” And she can actually explain to me in detail how amber was created: “Amber is the resin of trees. However, these were not the trees as we know them here on Rügen today. When amber was created, completely different types of trees grew here. Their resin was more liquid than that of today's trees. And so it happened again and again that insects were surrounded by the tree resin and were thus trapped in the resin.

That's why you find so many fossils in amber - mostly flies or beetles that didn't escape the tree sap fast enough. The resin dried and sank into the sand. The Baltic Sea coast is just one region where it can be found. In Germany it can be found in the region around Bitterfeld. But it also occurs in other regions of the world, in Africa, the Malay Archipelago, New Zealand or Colombia, for example, where it is known as 'copal'." She laughs: "Today you can find up to 310 million old ones in amber Insects."

 

 

Amber contains fossil animals, explains the amber fisherman from Binz

With such numbers awesome holds my breath. And Finbarr is looking for several examples from his treasures, in which fossil animals are excellently preserved. Unbelievable that through the yellow hardened resin I look into the eyes of an animal that lived on this island hundreds of millions of years ago. These are temporal dimensions that I can not even imagine, and I wonder what has happened since this tiny creature was held in eternity by a liquid drop of resin.

He shows me some finds that holiday guests have brought over. "I drill a hole in the stone so that they can wear it as a piece of jewelry." And he shows me how he does it: with a thin drill, a small hole is made in the ancient stone, which he expands with a wider drill. Then the drilling point is ground smooth - and the piece of jewelry is finished. But he also makes whole chains out of amber or combines them with different materials. I particularly like how natural these works of art look.

 

Tips from the amber fisherman in Binz on where to find amber

There is one thing that interests me: “How and where is the best way to find amber?” He laughs and says: “It's easiest after an autumn or winter storm.” My eyes widen and I ask: “You go when it is cold in winter out into the Baltic Sea to collect the stones? ”And he replies:“ Yes. The storms bring with them waves that churn the bottom of the sea, exposing pieces of amber. The wave force drives them into the shore regions, and I only need to collect them from there. "

What sounds so simple here is certainly not easy. Standing in ice water at temperatures below freezing just to collect the stones – that takes a certain amount of enthusiasm. He shows me the largest pieces he has found so far. There aren't many, but two of them are almost the size of your palm. “And what are you doing with these two?” I want to know. “I’ll keep them for myself. They’re not for sale,” he laughs, looking at his treasures almost lovingly. Apparently, a close relationship with the finds is necessary for an amber fisherman to have the energy to venture into the Baltic Sea in all weathers in search of them.

With these impressions we say goodbye to Finbarr Corrigan and his family and think about when he will go out into the sea again in search of his stones. In the fall, when the storms hit the country, his amber and his treasure hunt will certainly come to mind again. The Irish amber fisherman from Binz left a lasting impression!

The amber fisherman of Binz
Inh. Finbarr Corrigan
Paulstr. 1
18609 Ostseebad Binz
Tel: 038393-436444
Fax: 038393-436444

 

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Arrival by plane, train or long-distance bus to the Bernsteinfischer in Binz

Compare and book flights here*. Lufthansa and Germanwings fly to Rostock. From there we continue with the rental car. It is also possible to travel by train to Rügen train station.

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Do you know this?

• Texel sights
• Darss sights between Fischland and Zingst
• Searching for amber at the North Sea
• Explore Binz Ostseebad
• Stein am Rhein: Your ultimate travel guide
• The best hotels in Stein am Rhein for every budget

 

Slow Travel Tips You can find it here, for example. Also discover places where you Creativity and design you can experience.

Source: on-site research. We would definitely like to thank the Binz spa administration for inviting us to our stay in the city and the Binz amber fisherman. However, our opinions remain our own.

Text: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Photos: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Video: © Copyright Petar Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline