Lychen: Rafting Tradition and Waterways

Rafting tradition and raft trips

The two dates put the rafting tradition in context: the name “rafting town” has been permitted since 2008, and the rafting craft has been recognised as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2023. The annual Rafting Festival on the Oberpfuhl Promenade provides an occasion to celebrate. There is an entertainment programme and activities for children and adults on both days of the festival. So if you’re travelling with children, you’ll find activities expressly aimed at different age groups.

Visitors can also experience the subject on the water outside the festival: Treibholz offers public raft trips in Lychen aboard the tourist raft “Pläätz”; you can join without booking in advance. Check before your trip whether the rides are currently taking place. This lets you consider a raft trip as a programme item in its own right, without equating it with the other water activities.

Waterways and getting your bearings locally

The Lychen boat rollers are a wooden walkway with a roller system. Waterway travellers can use them to transfer their boats between Nesselpfuhl and Oberpfuhl. This serves a different purpose from a raft trip: here, the aim is to move your own boat between the two bodies of water mentioned.

The Lychen Pinnen Path combines wayfinding with information about the town. The posts along the path provide information about each location and its history; they also offer an overview map. A QR code links to an audio guide in German and English. Along the way, you can choose between the map, the brief information on the posts and the audio guide.

Cycling tours and the Märkischer Landweg

Cyclists can take circular tours of 10 to 35 kilometres in Lychen. The stated range gives an idea of the tour lengths without specifying a particular route or how long it takes. The Märkischer Landweg is on a different scale: the 217-kilometre trail passes directly by Lychen. In the wider Uckermark travel region, the route runs across the region in ten stages and through three National Natural Landscapes.

The distinction between the local circular cycling tours and the longer route is useful for planning: you can choose the scale of your activity without treating the trails as the same kind of outing. You can also factor in Lychen Markt when planning. The market is the central bus stop; from there, you can reach, among other places, the tourist information office, the Rafting Museum, and water and hiking trails. If you plan to travel by bus, check the current timetable.

Lychen in the wider Uckermark travel region

The Uckermark Nature Park of Lakes lies within the wider Uckermark travel region. It is set amid the Uckermark’s abundance of water and gently rolling landscape, and includes many clear-water lakes, kettle holes and moors. The nature park offers more than 150 kilometres of waterways for paddling and over 600 kilometres of signposted hiking trails. This regional perspective complements Lychen’s local activities with a distinct setting for water-based activities and hiking.

The Gramzow Railway Museum offers a different cultural perspective on the Uckermark. It displays historic railway vehicles from different periods, exhibitions on track construction, workshop operations, railway operations and transport services, as well as technical installations outdoors and in buildings. On operating days, the museum railway offers rides on historic railway vehicles and the chance to drive rail trolleys yourself.

The different holiday interests can help guide your choice of accommodation in Lychen: a raft trip, transferring your own boat, circular cycling tours or information along the Pinnen Path. If travelling by bus is part of your plans, include Lychen Markt, the central bus stop, in your considerations and check the current connections.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Mark Landin, Brüssow, Angermünde, Schenkenberg, Gramzow, Nordwestuckermark, Pinnow, Grünow

Go to the wider travel overview: Uckermark.