Greifswald Lights
On August 24, 1990, dozens of witnesses along the Baltic Sea coast near Greifswald, Germany observed clusters of luminous spheres hovering silently in grape-like formations, captured on multiple video recordings.
[Dolan Vol.2 enrichment]: Dolan Vol.2 provides extensive detail: In early August 1990, many witnesses by the Baltic Sea near Rostock, Greifswald, and the isles of Ruegen and Usedom report groups of luminous spheres displaying unusual behavior contrary to airplanes, balloons, or atmospherical phenomena — accelerating very rapidly and stopping abruptly. Witness Gerald Schwab tells a German newspaper the lights 'stood there for three minutes before they accelerated rapidly forward.' On August 24 at 8:35 PM, just six weeks before German reunification, hundreds — perhaps thousands — of witnesses see a formation of seven luminous objects over the Baltic Sea. The objects hover for nearly 30 minutes near Peenemunde (the former Nazi V-2 construction site) and the nuclear power plant at Griefswald. Five people, including nuclear physicist Dr. Ludmilla Ivanova, videotape the event. MUFON-CES obtains six videos and 11 photographs from different individuals, interviews more than a dozen witnesses. The team finds two groups of luminous spheres hovering nearly motionless for about 30 minutes over the Pomeranian Sea — a brighter group forming a circle of six spheres, and a second group forming a 'Y' shape. Objects in the Y-formation perform individual movements; some move back and forth between groups at 'supersonic velocity' and come to dead stops. One witness says on video: 'I don't believe in UFOs and such nonsense, but I have never seen anything like this in my whole life.' Skeptics argue Russian or Polish Navy signal flares, but both navies deny any maneuver. Soviets had closed all nearby military installations by this time. No scientific explanation has been determined.
Background
On the evening of August 24, 1990, residents of Greifswald and surrounding areas along the Baltic Sea coast in northeastern Germany observed clusters of glowing spherical objects in the sky. The lights appeared at dusk, forming tightly packed groups that resembled clusters of grapes, and witnesses described them as luminous white discs — 'glowing plates in formation flight' — hovering silently.
The Incident
The lights appeared at dusk, forming tightly packed groups resembling clusters of grapes.
Witnesses described the objects as luminous white discs — 'glowing plates in formation flight' — hovering silently.
Soviet translator Valeri Vinogradov filmed the phenomenon from his home in Greifswald, capturing seven luminous spheres slowly drifting in formation toward the island of Eldena.
Location and Position
The objects periodically reformed and reappeared, hovering at an estimated altitude of 5,000 meters roughly 24 kilometers northeast of the city.
The MUFON-CES analysis group used triangulation from multiple observation points to determine the light cluster was positioned over a small island approximately 5 to 8 kilometers north of Peenemünde — a former V-2 rocket testing site later used by Soviet forces.
Investigation
Researchers Illobrand von Ludwiger and Jochen Ickinger ultimately concluded that the lights were likely military illumination munitions — SAB-type parachute flares used as targeting aids for Czechoslovak military exercises on that evening.
Significance
Despite this prosaic explanation, the case remains notable as one of Germany's most widely witnessed and filmed UFO events.
The synchronous movement and slow disappearance of the lights continue to provoke discussion.
Significance
One of the most widely witnessed and filmed UFO events in German history, demonstrating how even well-documented sightings can resist definitive explanation despite thorough investigation.