At 12,000 hectares, the Kyritz-Ruppiner Heath is a striking natural feature of Ostprignitz-Ruppin. It lies within the district and has been part of Stechlin-Ruppiner Land Nature Park since 2021. It is also one of the largest contiguous areas of Calluna heathland in Europe.
Heathland, biodiversity and far-reaching views
The heath provides a habitat for numerous protected and endangered animal species, including more than 70 bird species. Wolves have also made this area their habitat since 2008. From the 15-metre-high heath tower on Heinz Sielmann Hill, you can enjoy far-reaching views across Ostprignitz-Ruppin’s varied landscape.
Electric-assist fat bikes offer another way to explore the heath: they can ride on unpaved, often sandy paths, allowing you to experience its flora and fauna with care. Stechlin-Ruppiner Land Nature Park also invites visitors to hike and cycle and lies partly within the district.
Ostprignitz-Ruppin is predominantly rural. Its landscape is defined by open spaces and tranquillity, green beech and pine forests, meadows, shady avenues, and numerous lakes and rivers. The Ruppin Lake District is one of the district’s travel regions and complements the heath with a different landscape perspective.
Explore on foot and by bike
For hikers, the Ruppiner-Land circular trail offers a specific route; it partly follows the European long-distance trail E10. This route therefore combines a regional circular trail with sections of a European long-distance path.
The cycling routes also offer different themes. The Fontane Cycle Route takes cyclists to places and landscapes described by Theodor Fontane in his work “Walks through the March of Brandenburg.” The 108-kilometre Bischof Tour leads, among other places, through Heiligengrabe and Wittstock and invites you on a journey back to the Middle Ages through the Prignitz landscape. Its entire route runs along developed, signposted cycle paths.
The two cycling routes differ above all in their thematic focus: the Fontane Cycle Route highlights the literary connection to the places and landscapes he described, while the Bischof Tour draws on the Middle Ages. Heiligengrabe and Wittstock have rail connections to Berlin and Hamburg. If you plan your journey around these connections, check the timetable in advance.
Equestrian sport and culture in the district
The Brandenburg State Stud in Neustadt (Dosse) is a special attraction for equestrians in Ostprignitz-Ruppin. For a longer perspective on riding, the 160-kilometre Stud Route runs between the Redefin and Neustadt (Dosse) studs. Together with Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, it forms a supraregional network of bridleways.
In Wusterhausen, the impressive half-timbered Baroque building at Am Markt 3 is the town’s cultural centre. Today it houses the tourist information office, the Way Museum and the library. This provides a specific cultural destination in the district alongside its nature and cycling routes.
Discover more destinations: Rüthnick, Neuruppin, Langen, Kyritz, Fehrbellin, Lindow, Rheinsberg, Gartow, Wusterhausen/Dosse, Berlinchen, Heiligengrabe, Wittstock/Dosse, Märkisch Linden, Temnitztal, Temnitzquell, Vielitzsee, Storbeck-Frankendorf, Neustadt, Breddin, Zernitz-Lohm.
See the overarching travel overview: Brandenburg.
