Fuhlendorf: Puzzle Trail, Bodden Lagoon and Maritime History

Fuhlendorf is located on Redensee Bay in the Bodstedter Bodden lagoon. Natural bathing spots, a circular trail through Fuhlendorf Forest and the shipwreck JOHANNA offer different experiences: here, water, nature and the maritime past come together. The nature discovery trail leads through the forest with puzzle stations; the town’s history stretches from sailing boats to a former shipyard.

Forest Trails, Puzzles and Water

The main route of the Fuhlendorf nature discovery trail is a circular tour of about 2.2 kilometres through Fuhlendorf Forest. It also has two extensions: “Puzzle Animals,” about 860 metres long, and “Forest Eye,” about 800 metres long. The three distances offer different options: the main loop is longer than either extension, while “Forest Eye” is slightly shorter than “Puzzle Animals.”

The trail has seven stations. Each one features a hidden gemstone and a letter board, woven into a puzzle story. One station introduces the wolf, red fox, wild boar, red deer, roe deer and Eurasian jay. Visitors can discover animal tracks and imitate the animals there. The forest trail thus becomes a series of small discovery challenges that can be tackled together.

A public path leads through a marshy woodland on the Bodden coast to the lagoon, offering a close-up view of the JOHANNA. Check local path conditions before visiting. If you’re planning a break by the water, there are natural bathing spots with sunbathing lawns on Hafenstraße and Seegang.

Sailing Barge and Boatbuilding History

The JOHANNA shipwreck on Fuhlendorf’s Bodden beach is a steel mizzen barge, also known as a sailing barge, with a wooden bottom. It was built in 1899 by D. W. Kremer in Elmshorn. The vessel is 19.04 metres long and 4.77 metres wide, with a registered tonnage of 38.00 GRT. These exact measurements make the JOHANNA’s historic vessel type tangible, while the public path allows visitors to view it up close.

Fuhlendorf’s maritime history is also reflected in the figures for sailing boat construction: between 1871 and 1914, 40 sailing boats were built in Fuhlendorf and 12 in Michaelsdorf. The Dornquast boatyard was located on Hafenstraße in Fuhlendorf from 1885 until the early 1950s. These dates provide a distinct historical context for boatbuilding, without attributing individual boats to a particular shipyard.

Culture and Visitor Information Across the Municipality

K-Drei e.V. Fuhlendorf is a non-profit cultural association founded in 2018 on the southern Bodden coast, in the municipality of Fuhlendorf. Its main areas are cinema, art and communication. The association brings together cultural practitioners and people interested in culture from Fuhlendorf, Bodstedt, the surrounding region and Berlin. So, alongside its maritime traces, the town also has a cultural connection.

In the municipality, Bodstedt traditionally hosts the Bodstedter Zeesenboot regatta on the first weekend in September; it is the oldest event of its kind. As specific event dates may vary, it’s worth checking the date when planning your trip. The municipality also has an extensive network of cycle paths connecting to neighbouring municipalities and linking up with the Baltic Sea Cycle Route. Bodstedt Harbour has a harbour basin belonging to the municipality of Fuhlendorf, with jetties, visitor berths and a slipway.

For local visitor information, the Southern Bodden Coast Tourist Office in Fuhlendorf sells tickets for town tours, guided excursions and municipal events. It also issues tourist fishing licences and fishing permits for inland and coastal waters. An information point with local maps is located on Dorfstraße/Alte Dorfstraße.

Fuhlendorf and Vorpommern-Rügen

Looking at the wider destination of Vorpommern-Rügen can also help with trip planning. Vorpommern-Rügen district is known, among other things, for the Störtebeker Festival; it is also home to an estimated 60 museums. These regional attractions complement experiences in Fuhlendorf and provide a broader cultural backdrop across the district.

When looking for accommodation in Fuhlendorf, it helps to first decide what you want your trip to focus on: the forest loop and puzzle stations, a break at the natural bathing spots, or maritime history? The regatta, harbour and cycle path network offer further options across the municipality.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Saal, Trinwillershagen, Kenz-Küstrow, Pruchten, Löbnitz, Bartelshagen II near Barth, Lüdershagen, Divitz-Spoldershagen

Go to the broader travel overview: Amt Barth.