The Smedshof in Wennerstorf provides a cultural and historical focus for a stay in Wenzendorf. Hiking, cycling and gliding offer further activities.
Farm History in Wennerstorf
Wennerstorf is part of Wenzendorf. It is home to the Smedshof, one of the few surviving historic farm complexes in northern Lower Saxony. Nearly all the buildings of a typical heathland farm are preserved, including the main house, sheepfold, bakehouse, pigsty and horse-powered barn.
The Low German hall house, dating from the 16th century, serves as a farm museum. It shows how people in the Nordheide worked and lived in the countryside in the 1930s. This brings together the period when the house was built and the rural everyday life of the 1930s portrayed there. The farm’s former horse-powered barn houses the Hökerladen shop and Elieses Hofcafé.
From 2026, Living History at the Wennerstorf Farm Museum will portray a family living on a heathland farm in 1931; participants wear historical clothing. Check the current dates before your visit.
Landscape and Activities
Wenzendorf is characterized by farmsteads surrounded by stone walls and old oak trees. The landscape includes extensive forests, fields and meadows; the natural surroundings offer plenty of hiking opportunities.
The R5 Wennerstorfer Land Cycle Tour is a 27-kilometre half-day tour to the Wennerstorf Farm Museum, laid out as a circular route. Its distance and classification as a half-day tour provide a specific framework for planning your day.
Gliding and Getting Here
At Wenzendorf airfield, visitors can experience gliding and take an introductory course. A passenger flight offers a different perspective: gliding almost silently, you can view the landscape from above.
Wenzendorf is connected via the Rade junction on the A1, as well as via the B3 and B75. These routes make it easier to travel to Hamburg and Buchholz in der Nordheide. If you include either city in your trip, road access is a practical factor to consider when planning.
The Wider Region: Harburg
In the wider Harburg destination, a dense network of cycling routes runs through the district, including 1,000 kilometres of signposted tourist cycle paths. This regional network is distinct from the specific R5 half-day tour to the Wennerstorf Farm Museum.
The landscapes in the wider Harburg destination also provide a broader setting. They include the Elbe marshes, the Harburg Hills, the Nordheide and, above all, the LĂĽneburg Heath. Together, they form a varied natural area with a distinctive cultural landscape.
In the wider Harburg destination, the 223-kilometre Heidschnuckenweg trail runs from Hamburg through the districts of Harburg, Heidekreis and Celle, and through more than 30 large and small heathland areas in the northern and southern heath. It is divided into 13 stages and complemented by twelve Heideschleifen circular routes ranging from 1.4 to 20.9 kilometres in length.
Discover more destinations: Tespe, Neu Wulmstorf, Buchholz in der Nordheide, Stelle, Sottorf, Rosengarten, Winsen an der Luhe, Salzhausen.
Back to the regional travel overview: Harburg.
