Western Pomerania – 3 excursion tips for nature lovers
A vacation in Western Pomerania is also a vacation in nature. We present excursion tips in Western Pomerania, where you can experience pure nature.
1. Excursion tip in Western Pomerania: Anklamer Stadtbruch nature reserve
The Anklamer Stadtbruch nature reserve stretches between Anklam and the Szczecin Lagoon in northeastern Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. It is about 1460 hectares in size and with its impassable features, the moorland is one of the few true wilderness areas that Germany still has to offer. Those who want to explore the area can hike from Grünberg on two circular trails.
The Peene Valley was formed at the end of the last ice age. The areas were flooded in the course of the sea level rise and a marshy moor was formed, which today is up to three meters thick. An inland flow-through bog is fed by groundwater. Here one finds essentially peat.
From the 16th century peat cutting began, navigable peat canals were built. Peat cutting continued until 1945 and led to a halving of the original 500 hectares of high moorland. After the Anklamer Stadtbruch was diked and drained in 1932, the dry areas were reforested with spruce trees. The drained moor partly sinks below sea level. In 1995 there was a storm surge and the dike broke. The Anklamer Stadtbruch flooded, the Anklamer Torfmoor was formed. Forestry use is no longer possible since this time, the trees die to a large extent.
Since the end of 2018, the NABU Foundation National Natural Heritage has been the owner of the area.
We explored the area on a short walk with expert nature guide Günther Hoffmann. This was really useful, because as a city kid I don’t feel able to accurately identify the diverse flora and fauna of the region. So we got really good information, such as that a slightly dirtier spot on the road is a wild boar path that is used regularly or which bird just flew over the water surface.
In general, the wildlife in Anklamer Stadtbruch is really extraordinary. Countless butterfly species, 100 breeding bird species, otters, frogs, beavers and many other animal species live here. The area of the Anklamer Stadtbruch has the highest density of sea eagles in Germany. Up to 12 breeding pairs could be counted here at the same time so far. There are times when up to 30 animals have been permanently sighted. If you have patience, you can experience really great animal observations here and certainly take beautiful photos. Unfortunately, the weather did not play along with our visit, it was very windy and drizzling. So there were only a few animals to see. Nevertheless, we could see among other things, even if only far away, a white-tailed eagle flying and on the field were some cranes.
A little tip: In spring and autumn the Stadtbruch is a resting place for cranes and offers an incomparable experience. Also in winter the Anklamer Stadtbruch is worth a visit. Here the Whooper Swans make a stop on their journey and you can not only see them, but also hear them!
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2. Excursion tip in Western Pomerania: Peene Valley River Landscape Nature Park
The Peene is a river in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. It runs from Lake Kummerow and flows into the Peene River near Anklam. Very unusual for a river, the course of the river has a small gradient of 24 cm.
The Peene is one of the last almost unspoiled rivers in Germany. Only in some urban areas there are bank stabilizations and a few river sections have been straightened. Thus, the course of the river is very natural and winds through the surrounding moorland.
Since 2011, this beautiful area is a nature park. There is a visitor information center in Stolpe that does valuable work in the nature park in addition to public relations. For example, they offer tours to the nature park together with local providers.
We explored a small area of the Peene Valley on the water. With a solar boat, the Uhura, it went quietly, even almost silently through the beautiful landscape in the early evening. Whether at the bow or at the stern, you can enjoy the landscape from the ship and with a little luck also observe animals. About 40 species of mammals are said to live in the Peene Valley. The area is known for the large otter and beaver population. Unfortunately, I was not lucky enough to see a beaver, but maybe I just did not observe the shore areas well enough.
However, I had a little more luck in the search birds. A kingfisher (unfortunately too fast for a photo) flew shortly before the ship closely over the water surface and disappeared in the densely overgrown shore area. Yes and then, it seemed almost as if the animal had waited only for us to be photographed, sat high up on a tree a sea eagle. Quietly and slowly we drove past him with the ship and could look at him in all his beauty.
While it was getting darker around us, we could still experience the setting sun over the Peene valley. Really beautiful!
I found the trip really very nice. To be able to experience the river landscape like this is an experience that you won’t forget so quickly and my top excursion tip in Western Pomerania.
3. Excursion tip in Western Pomerania: Nature Park “At the Szczecin Lagoon
In the very east of Western Pomerania, directly on the Polish border, lies the nature park “Am Stettiner Haff”. About 553 km² area are designated here, where you can find the wide closed forest area Ueckermünder Heide, natural unspoilt lagoon coast, lagoon meadows, Uecker and Randowniederungen and Brohmer Berge.
The landscape of the nature park was formed after the last ice age about 12000 years ago. With the melting of the inland glaciers, an unmistakable ground moraine landscape was formed with typical features such as Wallberge (wall-like, often curved terrain elevation of sand and gravel, which was formed during the ice age) and funnel-like hollow forms in the terrain (Soll). There are also end moraines that have been preserved until today. For example, the elevations can be found near Jatznick. The north of the nature park is more characterized by the post-glacial meltwater channels and surfaces.
If you want to learn more about the nature park, you should visit the visitor center. Detailed information about opening hours and the current program can be found on the webseite .
Altwarp inland dunes
Our visit to Altwarp began and ended with a short bike ride. We took a leisurely ride along well-maintained bike paths past the varied landscape. The route was not demanding and what is nicer than being able to discover nature and the area in this way.
We were on the road in a very special area of the nature park and discovered the inland dunes in the Ueckermünder Heide. The nature reserve Altwarper Binnendünen, Neuwarper See and Riether Werder is about 1430 ha large. In September 1990, the nature reserve was designated with the aim of preserving the coastal landscape on the Oder Lagoon with the inland dunes and to gently reduce interventions that have already occurred.
To put it simply, the inland dunes were formed after the Ice Age from fine sands that were piled up by wind redistribution to form the 15-meter-high dunes. Directly adjacent to the area of the inland dunes is a marshy lowland area in which thick layers of peat can be found. On the peninsula of Altwarp, forests developed after fortification in the 18th century.
We began our little excursion at a hiker’s parking lot, from which a marked circular hiking trail also runs. Already from here, the light-colored fine sand of the rising inland dune can be easily recognized.
As we climb up the soft sand, we discover the typical plants such as silver grass and the Carthusian carnation. Unfortunately, the dune shepherd with his rough-wooled Pomeranian country sheep was just not on the road nearby, who contributes here with his animals for the preservation of the vegetation and the inland dune. A view from the dune into the beautiful landscape is worth a little break.
From the dune, the path led us through the adjacent oak forest, which in the past was used a herding forest. Almost on the way we overlooked a dung beetle at work and the round balls hanging on the leaves of the oak. These are the eggs of the oak gall wasp.
At a cemetery for Russian prisoners of war we unfortunately had to stop our tour and go back to the starting point. Otherwise, we would certainly have been able to discover much more on a short hike through the area near Altwarp.
Disclosure: The excursions were part of a blogger trip to Western Pomerania. The report corresponds to my impressions and was written independently of the trip.
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