Outdoor adventures in spring

A narrow blue stripe on a white tile - you can almost miss the signpost to the nature park trail, which is emblazoned on a wooden post. The hiking trail runs from Lake Schaalsee across the inland of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to the Szczecin Lagoon and runs for 907 kilometers through all 7 nature parks, through the UNESCO Schaalsee Biosphere Reserve and the Müritz National Park  – and thus also through the Sternberger Seenland Nature Park.

Alisa, Michel and Lisa turn onto the path along the Glammsee bathing paradise at the war memorial. The sounds of Warin fall silent immediately, surrounded by green thickets. Even the soft rustling of thousands and thousands of ants under the leaves can now be heard. The three of them stroll happily along the bank and through the forest, which is now particularly lush and green in spring. They soon reach the Graupenmühler Brücke in the Radebach valley. Here, moors cover the forest floor and a frog jumps onto the path. „How sweet they are“, shouts Alisa, taking the little quaker in her hand and carrying him safely along the path. At Lake Labenz near Friedrichswalde, the water glistens in the midday sun, a wooden jetty juts out over the reedy shore. Perfect for a picnic and a cool down for the feet!

And that's when Lisa discovers the first beaver track: gnawed bark from a tree on the bank. Quite clearly! Having recovered from the short break, the last stage – past the inland salt marshes near Sülten – is a piece of cake. But it's also beautiful here, because thanks to the salty groundwater, there are colorful flowers along the way, with the church tower on the hill behind it - simply magnificent. And you've already reached the banks of the Warnow river.

The nature triathlon is almost over! Six kilometers still separate Alisa, Michel and Lisa from the lakeshore in Groß Raden, where the open-air archaeological museum, including the old Slavic castle wall, shows how people lived here peacefully with nature a thousand years ago. On the bike, you now notice every little climb, your legs are slowly getting tired. A long-eared owl sits in the tree and turns its head 180 degrees, watching the three of them as they hiss up the small hill - and then laugh as they descend again in the light of the setting sun.

In the field, a fox flees from one hay bale to the next, all the way into the forest. Finally, the lakeshore appears on the right. The three friends hurriedly put their backpacks on the grass. A wooden footbridge at the bathing area leads out onto the lake – and offers a view of the sunset. What a day! Alisa holds out her hand to her two companions. As if the clapping had been the starting signal, something suddenly swims off the shore of the lake. Of course, Lisa recognizes it first - a beaver. The peeking head crosses the lake at high speed in the spring-like evening light and parts the water. Right here is one of the beaver lodges.

Yes, the three of them now understand why the beaver feels so at home in the idyllic landscape of the Sternberger Seenland Nature Park. It is a hidden paradise for animals and people who are guests in this natural environment.

Unique experiences await you not only in the Sternberger Seenland Nature Park, but also in the other protected areas in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. To understand nature even better, we recommend a visit to one of the nature experience centers beforehand.