Zarnewanz is a destination where village history, architectural styles, and routes through the countryside offer different ways to explore the area. The municipality was first mentioned in historical records in 1268; topics range from the Winkelhof house style to the historic beet railway. When planning your stay, you can consider the local cultural highlights and the hiking area as two distinct focal points.
House Styles and Manor House History
The so-called Winkelhof house style was developed in the late 1920s and still has a major influence on the appearance of Zarnewanz today. The Zarnewanz manor house can also be viewed as a historic building in its own right: it was built around 1850, stands in the centre of the village beside an adjoining park, and is privately owned.
The manor house’s history also includes a later religious use. A chapel was set up in the former dining hall and consecrated in 1931 by Heinrich Behm, the regional superintendent from Bad Doberan. The chapel was deconsecrated in 2022. The sequence of its construction around 1850, consecration, and deconsecration brings several stages in the building’s history of use into view.
A second connection to manor houses can be found in Stormstorf, a district of Zarnewanz. The manor house there was built in 1871; it is privately owned and occupied. The manor complex, with its manor house and park in Stormstorf, is listed in the district’s register of historic monuments. The different construction dates help when comparing it with the Zarnewanz manor house: around 1850 in Zarnewanz and 1871 in Stormstorf.
Hiking Trails and the Beet Railway
In the Zarnewanz hiking area, signposted trails run along an old beet railway line. One hiking trail leads from Zarnewanz through Gnewitz and Stubbendorf to Ehmkendorf, passing through the Recknitz Valley. The route through the Recknitz Valley connects a series of places; the trails along the railway line also place hiking within the history of local transport.
The 65-kilometre beet railway was put into operation in 1895–1896, at the same time as the Tessin sugar factory was built. The Tessin Narrow-Gauge Railway Company connected, among other places, Zarnewanz and Gnewitz. The former railway is therefore part of the village’s history and also explains the historical significance of the trails along its old route. Further afield in the region, traces of the former Tessin railway can still be seen in many places; information boards recall its route and history.
Cycling is also part of the area’s historical orientation: a cycle path along the L 18 in the village of Zarnewanz was completed in June 2000.
Protected Areas and the Recknitz Landscape
Two protected areas provide different geographical reference points: parts of the municipality of Zarnewanz lie within the “Reppeliner Bachtal” nature reserve. The 115-hectare “Stormstorfer Bachtal” landscape conservation area is bounded to the north by Stormstorf.
The Recknitz natural landscape broadens the perspective further. The entire Recknitz catchment area is a habitat for many rare and endangered animal and plant species and is featured in the visitor information for the Zarnewanz hiking area. Local protected areas thus sit alongside a broader perspective on the Recknitz, which is covered in the hiking information. Nature-related highlights therefore encompass both locally relevant protected areas and the entire Recknitz catchment area.
Discover more destinations: Stubbendorf, Thelkow, Selpin, Cammin, Nustrow, Grammow, Gnewitz
For the broader travel overview: Amt Tessin.
