Göhlen

Göhlen combines a distinctive history of iron smelting with cycling tours that vary in length and daily itinerary. More than 500 bloomery furnaces, iron slag and a blacksmith’s workplace bear witness to one of the largest iron-smelting sites in northern Germany. If you are looking for a place with specific cultural and natural attractions when searching for a holiday apartment, Göhlen offers ideas for more than one kind of vacation day.

Experience iron smelting in Göhlen

At the edge of the village, a reconstructed bloomery furnace from the Migration Period stands inside a glass case. It shows how bog iron ore was used to produce iron around 1,600 years ago. The model illustrates the smelting process; its historical context reaches back to the time when Germanic iron smelting was practised in Göhlen.

A practical demonstration of the process took place on 18 August 2005: iron was smelted from bog iron ore, wood and peat in the reconstructed bloomery furnace. The method followed the iron-smelting practices used in Göhlen in the 4th and 5th centuries. Together with the surviving remains and iron slag, the furnace thus tells of different tangible traces of the same local history.

Cycling tours with different focuses

The 46 km Bog Iron Ore Villages Tour passes through the Griese Gegend and Göhlen. It is considered a day trip for experienced cyclists. For planning your day, the stated route length and this classification of the tour are therefore especially important. Göhlen is also a stage and a stop on the Bog Iron Ore Cycle Route – Villages Tour.

A shorter alternative is the 24 km Kleine Klump Tour. This circular route starts in Glaisin and Göhlen and is suitable for families with children and less experienced cyclists. Along the way, it passes the Germanic smelting site and the bloomery furnace model in Göhlen.

The Bog Iron Ore Cycle Route – Villages Tour is signposted throughout with blue TOUR signs. Its route runs mostly through flat, level terrain, has few climbs and generally follows easy-to-ride paths.

Nature and architectural history in Leussow

In Leussow, the Dörchforthsbeck was restored to a more natural state with EU funding. Animal and plant species that had already disappeared were able to return. The former bathing area was also included in the restoration project. It became a place used for recreation and relaxation by people from the municipality and beyond. Here, nature restoration and a place for recreation are part of one jointly described project.

Another attraction for visitors is Leussow’s church, with its churchyard and rectory. The present landmark church was built in 1872/73 in the Neo-Gothic style, replacing a Romanesque brick building with a wooden tower. Leussow therefore brings together two distinct themes: the development of the cultural landscape along the Dörchforthsbeck and the architectural history of the church.

Göhlen is listed as a municipality in the region of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Flusslandschaft Elbe Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. When choosing your destination, you can follow your specific interests: the traces of iron smelting and the differently classified cycling tours in Göhlen, or nature and architectural history in Leussow. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Göhlen, these themes provide a factual basis for deciding which experiences should be the focus of your stay.

Other places at this level: Rastow, Groß Laasch, Warlow, Lübesse, Leussow, Bresegard Bei Eldena, Uelitz, Wöbbelin.

Return to the higher-level travel overview: Amt Ludwigslust-Land.