Discover Metelsdorf: Erratic Boulder Garden, Springs and History

Metelsdorf lies in a hilly terminal moraine landscape formed around 10,000 years ago during the last Ice Age. The erratic boulder garden provides a tangible connection to this geological setting: at its centre is a granite boulder from Småland, Sweden, around 1.8 billion years old. Two very different time scales are brought together here—the formation of the landscape and the long history of the rock. The 2,000-square-metre green space brings this geological history together in one place. Information signs explain the age, origin, colour and use of the boulders. If you are travelling with children, you can use the signs as a starting point for conversation and draw their attention to individual stones.

Erratic Boulder Garden and Ice Age Landscape

There is a rest area at the erratic boulder garden; check on site whether it is available for use during your visit. You can plan a visit to the garden as a dedicated geological highlight, while the hiking trail combines landscape and history over a longer route. This lets you decide whether to focus mainly on the boulders or include the trail in your day’s plans.

Hiking and Springs

The erratic boulder garden is on a six-kilometre nature and history trail between Metelsdorf and Schulenbrook. A circular trail at the garden takes in an Ice Age kettle bog and the Metelsdorf Springs. The loop brings together a landform dating from the Ice Age and a place with its own history of water supply. Check route details locally before setting out, as trail information can change.

To reach the Metelsdorf Springs by car, follow the route from junction 8 of the A20, Wismar-Mitte, via the B208 and local roads to Maibruchweg. Check this route again locally before travelling.

Archaeological and Historical Traces

Archaeological finds in the ground at Metelsdorf document the early settlement of the municipality. Near Klüssendorf stands Tridamsberg, a Bronze Age burial mound built around 2000 BC. The Metelsdorf Springs supplied Wismar with drinking water for more than 400 years, until 1967. Large parts of the municipality belonged to the Hospital of the Holy Spirit in Wismar for almost 600 years. The area’s history ranges from early settlement traces and the burial mound to the long history of the springs and the connection with the hospital. For anyone interested in exploring different historical periods, these places offer a range of starting points for planning a trip.

Plan Your Stay Around Your Interests

If historical traces are your priority, archaeological finds, Tridamsberg and the history of the springs offer different points of interest. Choose your accommodation based on the themes you want to include in your trip, and check its location against the routes you plan to take.

Northwest Mecklenburg in a Wider Context

Within the wider destination of Northwest Mecklenburg, the north encompasses the landscape region “Northwest Mecklenburg Hills with Wismar Bay”; to the south lies the “West Mecklenburg Lake District with Lake Schwerin”. Terminal moraine ridges, gently undulating ground moraine plateaus, steep and gently sloping stretches of coast, meltwater and drainage channels, and sandur plains shape the district’s landscape. This broader landscape context complements the specific traces of the Ice Age that characterise Metelsdorf itself.

Discover more destinations: Barnekow, Lübow, Hohen Viecheln, Groß Stieten, Ventschow, Bobitz, Bad Kleinen.

Go to the wider travel overview: Amt Dorf Mecklenburg-Bad Kleinen.