Selmsdorf combines Palinger Heath and paths by the water with tangible traces of church and border history. This lets you choose different priorities when planning your trip: landscape and outdoor activities alongside historic sites and memorials. Selmsdorf is in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, in the wider Western European region.
Palinger Heath and paths by the water
Palinger Heath is an inland dune area that has been protected since 1992 and is part of the Green Belt. Numerous hiking trails offer views of the Green Belt, including sections of the historic border patrol road. The heath, landscape views and border patrol road give a hike here a connection to both nature and history.
The Selmsdorfer Forstweg stop can serve as a starting point for hikes along the Selmsdorf banks of the Trave. If you plan to travel by public transport, check the latest connections before setting off. Trail conditions can also change.
Teschow and the connections between the riverbank and the lake
Teschow is a triangular historic village on a peninsula between the Trave, Pötenitzer Wiek and Dassower See. From a viewpoint on the peninsula, you can look towards the Travemünde ferry port, the Trave and Dassower See. Developed paths for walking and cycling connect the banks of the Trave, Dassower See and Teschow. This makes both a viewpoint and several named landscape areas central to finding your way around.
A Lübeck–Grevesmühlen cycling route follows a cycle path through the outskirts of Selmsdorf towards the town centre. This is another cycling connection to the area, in addition to the paths linking the banks of the Trave, Dassower See and Teschow. It is worth checking current trail conditions before setting off.
Church and history of remembrance
St. Mary's Church houses an organ dating from 1869, built by Barnim GrĂĽneberg, an organ builder from Szczecin. Also preserved is a wooden epitaph dating from 1658, which comes from the previous church. The church therefore contains artefacts from two different centuries.
The regional project “Without Borders from Lübeck to Boltenhagen” uses memorial steles and information boards to commemorate the division of the region and its earlier history. A survey from December 2020 lists five sites in the Selmsdorf area: At the Lübeck-Schlutup border, Alte Grenzstraße, Former barracks, Teschow and Zarnewenz.
The area's earlier transport history can also be put into context: the historic transit route from the Selmsdorf–Schlutup crossing ran along the former F104 and F105 roads towards the ferry connections to Gedser and Trelleborg. This describes a former route, not current timetable information.
Northwest Mecklenburg as a broader landscape setting
In the wider travel destination of Northwest Mecklenburg, the landscape classification places the north in the “Northwest Mecklenburg Hills with Wismar Bay” and the south in the “West Mecklenburg Lake District with Lake Schwerin.” Across the district, the landscape is shaped by terminal moraine ridges, gently rolling ground moraine plateaus, stretches of steep and flat coastline, meltwater and drainage channels, and outwash plains. This regional classification describes Northwest Mecklenburg as a whole; the specific travel features named for Selmsdorf are the heath, riverside paths, Teschow and the memorial sites.
Discover more destinations: GroĂź Siemz, Papenhusen, Lockwisch, Menzendorf, Roduchelstorf, LĂĽdersdorf, Niendorf, Dassow.
For the wider travel overview: Amt Schönberger Land.
