Lake Schaalsee and its islands

 Nature Park “Lauenburgische Seen” and the Schaalsee Biosphere Reserve share this fascinating treasure – Lake Schaalsee. The wooded islands of Seedorf and Groß Zecher are located on the western shore of the lake, halfway between Zarrentin in the south and Dargow in the north. They are peninsulas in the deepest lake in northern Germany.
 

In the middle of Schaalsee lake stand forests of beech, spruce and pine trees: old and gnarled alongside young and fresh. Deadwood trees with countless fungi, wood-eating beetles and wild bees are clearly visible from the path. The damp meadows and hollows are home to wetland specialists such as marsh marigolds and red alders. Cranes breed in the protected, waterlogged forest hollows, while grass snakes bask in the sun on the Bülten. White-tailed eagles use old giant trees as perches, while the small kingfisher waits for prey on fallen trees on the shore. Extensive reed belts have formed on the bay-rich shores of Lake Schaalsee. There, dace, burbot and whitefish spawn, and great reed warblers and even the occasional bittern nest.
 

When the last ice age ended around 12,000 years ago, ice and meltwater left behind a chain of lakes between Lübeck and the Elbe. The Schaalsee is the deepest lake in northern Germany, with a depth of almost 72 metres between Seedorf and Groß Zecher. The Werder are parts of the moraine landscape that protrude from the water. Today, the Schaalsee is located in the middle of a rural cultural landscape. Forests, meadows, fields, manor houses and water characterise the region. The Schaalsee was divided lengthwise by the inner-German border. Depending on your perspective, it was located on the edge of the zone or in the restricted area. This respite was a gift for nature and the landscape, as little happened in many places for a long time.

It's best on foot  

There are official car parks with information boards at Seedorf Church and Groß Zecher Manor. Cyclists who have come to Schaalsee on the Lake Cycle Tour or the Avenue and Manor House Tour should also start on foot from here. In Seedorf, a mighty avenue of red oaks leads from the church past the (private) castle to the Werder. In Groß Zecher, you cycle through an old avenue of lime trees towards the manor house.

On the short climbs of the circular hiking trails over the Zecher Werder and the Seedorfer Werder, you can feel it: the Werder are hilltops. You are rewarded with views of water birds such as great crested grebes and tufted ducks or the Rethwiese. The small wooded island between the two Werder hills rises only a few metres above the water. On the Seedorfer Werder, 110-year-old Douglas firs line the hiking trail. They are among the oldest in the district. Cranes and wild geese visit in large numbers during the migration season in autumn and spring, announcing their arrival with trumpeting and chattering. What a magnificent spectacle!