Bad Doberan is a town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is the capital of the district Bad Doberan. Population: 11.424 (2006). Bad Doberan is situated just 15 kilometers (9 mi) west of Rostock's city centre and therefore part of most developed regions in the north-eastern part of Germany. The town is nestling between beautiful beech tree forests just 6 km from the Baltic Sea and stands for one of the earliest German settlements in Mecklenburg. Today the town is a very popular bathing resort, thanks to Heiligendamm, a district of Bad Doberan situated directly at the cliff line of the Baltic. Historically, Doberan used to be the summer residence for the Mecklenburg Dukes who residented in Schwerin and for their entourage.