Barth is a town in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated at a lagoon of the Baltic Sea at the opposite side of the Darß peninsula. Barth belongs to the district of Nordvorpommern. Population: 9,700 (2001). The origins of Barth are unknown. Some people claim, that the town was founded by survivors from the sunken town of Vineta. The first generally accepted record is of 1255, when the prince of Rügen acknowledged the town. The last prince of Rügen, Witzlaw III, erected a castle at the place in 1315. He often resided in Barth, until he died and the town became a part of Pomerania. During World War II Barth was the site of a German prisoner of war camp, Stalag Luft I, for captured Allied airmen. The presence of the prison camp is said to have shielded the town from Allied bombing. Barth tries to attract tourists with the Vineta legend. There is now a Vineta museum and a Vineta festival in the town.