Metelsdorf combines a hilly terminal moraine landscape with traces of distant eras. The terrain was shaped during the last Ice Age, around 10,000 years ago. The boulder garden brings this geological history to life with large boulders and explanatory signs. Other highlights include a Bronze Age burial mound near Klüssendorf and the history of Wismar’s drinking water supply. These topics give your trip planning a clear focus: geological formations and early history rather than a nonspecific list of attractions.
Terminal Moraine Landscape and Boulder Garden
The boulder garden covers a 2,000-square-metre green space. At its centre is a granite boulder from Småland in Sweden, around 1.8 billion years old. The signs explain the boulders’ age, origin, colour and uses. This means you can appreciate each stone as more than a striking rock: the information connects its characteristics with its long formation history. There is a rest area at the boulder garden; check its condition before your visit.
The hilly terminal moraine landscape provides the wider local setting. The boulders and terrain reflect the geological forces of the last Ice Age, while the signs draw attention to the characteristics of individual rocks. Anyone interested in landscapes and geological history will find two different scales here: the broad shaping of the terrain and the specific granite boulder from Sweden.
Hiking Trails and Natural History
The boulder garden is located on a six-kilometre nature and history trail between Metelsdorf and Schulenbrook. In addition, the circular trail at the boulder garden includes an ice-age kettle hole and the Metelsdorf springs. These descriptions refer to different routes: the six-kilometre trail connects Metelsdorf and Schulenbrook, while the natural features mentioned are part of the circular trail at the boulder garden. Check the route locally before setting out on your hike.
The kettle hole adds a distinctive landform to the picture of the landscape shaped by the Ice Age. The springs, in turn, bring nature and local history together: their water was supplied to Wismar for more than 400 years, until 1967. When planning your trip, you can therefore distinguish between a hike focused on the landscape and the historical traces associated with the springs, without treating the two route descriptions as the same.
Early Settlement and Wismar’s History
Tridamsberg near KlĂĽssendorf is a Bronze Age burial mound, built around 2000 BC. Archaeological finds from the municipality also document its early settlement history. Together, these clues span a long period: the burial mound points to a specific place and an approximate date of origin, while the finds relate to the early settlement history of the municipality as a whole.
The ties to Wismar also go back a long way. Large parts of the municipality belonged to the Holy Spirit Hospital in Wismar for almost 600 years. This is distinct from the history of the Metelsdorf springs, which supplied Wismar with drinking water for more than 400 years, until 1967. When exploring local history, you can therefore consider both the historical affiliation of large parts of the municipality and the springs’ role in supplying the city.
Getting There and the Regional Setting
To reach the Metelsdorf springs, take exit 8, Wismar-Mitte, from the A20, then follow the B208 and local roads to Maibruchweg. Check the route locally before setting off. This specific route description relates to the springs and should be distinguished from the hiking trails at the boulder garden.
In the wider destination of Northwest Mecklenburg, the landscape region “Northwest Mecklenburg Hill Country with Wismar Bay” is distinguished in the north, and the “West Mecklenburg Lake District with Lake Schwerin” in the south. The district’s landscape also includes terminal moraine ridges, gently rolling ground moraine plateaus, steep and flat stretches of coastline, meltwater and drainage channels, and outwash plains. This regional context complements the closer look at Metelsdorf’s hilly terminal moraine landscape without equating the different landscape regions.
Discover more destinations: Hohen Viecheln, Bad Kleinen, Bobitz, LĂĽbow, GroĂź Stieten, Ventschow, Barnekow.
Go to the main travel overview: Amt Dorf Mecklenburg-Bad Kleinen.
