Discover Poel Island: nature, water and culture

Poel Island offers a range of ways to spend the day outdoors or discovering its culture: watching birds, kayaking, visiting a brick church or exploring maritime collections. There is plenty of choice for planning your visit, but the options are specific: some activities are seasonal or take place on a set day of the week, while others offer insights into the island’s natural and cultural history.

Discover nature: birds and traces of geological history

The Langenwerder bird sanctuary provides suitable habitats for waders and waterbirds; migratory birds also use it as a stopover. The offshore island lies close to the beach at Gollwitz. From a beach chair on Gollwitz beach, you can watch rare bird species.

Another way to explore natural history is to visit the Poel erratic boulder garden. There you can see rocks found exclusively on the coasts or fields of Poel Island. The garden offers insight into around two billion years of geological history. A visit can prompt a question, too: what long geological processes lie behind the stones found on the island today?

Outside the breeding season, organised guided tours through a nature reserve are offered weekly from July until around October. An ornithologist accompanies the tours, and each one is limited to 25 visitors. Since the end date is approximate and the tours are seasonal, it is advisable to check the dates before travelling.

Water and routes: from beach days to kayaking

During the swimming season, the beach at Timmendorf offers a range of water sports, including water skiing, kitesurfing and surfing. Another way to spend time on the water is the island paddle: from May to October, a six-hour kayak tour takes place on Thursdays off the coast of Poel Island and neighbouring islands. Equipment and an experienced skipper are provided for the group circumnavigation of Poel. The tour takes up a clearly defined block of time, so check the date in advance.

Almost all places on Poel Island can be reached on foot or by bicycle via signposted country roads. You can rent bicycles in Gollwitz, Kirchdorf, Am Schwarzen Busch, Kaltenhof and Timmendorf-Strand. If you want to plan your day around cycling, it is worth checking current rental options before you travel. On the water, the larger harbours in Timmendorf, Kirchdorf and Niendorf offer numerous guest berths for sailboats and motorboats, as well as service and supply facilities.

Church, maritime history and events

The island church is a brick church dating from the first half of the 13th century, built in the Romanesque-Gothic style. Its 47-metre-high tower is a landmark visible from far across the island. In addition to services, the church is open for guided tours and visits, and hosts numerous concerts. If a concert or visit is the main reason for your trip, it is best to plan around the relevant dates.

In Kaltenhof, the Maritime Collection displays historic ship’s lanterns dating from 1906 to the present, as well as numerous old nautical instruments used to navigate ships. It is advisable to check visiting arrangements in advance. In Vorwerk, a replica of the “Poeler Kogge” floats on a fire pond—another maritime highlight alongside the collection.

In Kirchdorf, the ramparts of the former fortress complex with its castle are now used for events and markets, as well as an open-air stage. A memorial in the village of Am Schwarzen Busch and a small permanent special exhibition at the island museum commemorate a disaster in Lübeck Bay. These places have different focuses: events and markets on the one hand, remembrance and an exhibition on the other.

Getting here and the wider landscape

The Poel causeway and its bridge cross the strait known as the “Breitling”, providing access to Poel Island. The Wismar University of Applied Sciences’ show garden in the Malchow district is another attraction for visitors: it serves as a practical research site for students working on biotechnology and renewable raw materials, and is open to visitors free of charge. Check visiting arrangements before you travel.

At the broader regional level of Northwest Mecklenburg, the “Northwest Mecklenburg Hills with Wismar Bay” landscape lies to the north, and the “West Mecklenburg Lake District with Lake Schwerin” to the south. Terminal moraine ridges, gently undulating ground moraine plateaus, steep and flat coastal sections, meltwater and drainage channels, and outwash plains shape the landscape of this wider travel destination. This regional context complements the picture of Poel Island without attributing the characteristics of the entire district to the island.

More destinations

Discover more destinations: Gollwitz, Wangern, Timmendorf, Amt Gadebusch, Klein Labenz, Demern, Frauenmark, Dassow-Tankenhagen.

For the broader travel overview: Northwest Mecklenburg.