Discover Bad Schwartau: Nature, spa park and history

Bad Schwartau combines the Schwartau lowlands and adjoining beech forests with a spa park, nature trails and striking cultural landmarks. If you enjoy spending time outdoors, you’ll find wet meadows, groves and bodies of water among the area’s defining landscape features; if you’re interested in local history, you’ll encounter a Gothic chapel and a former district court building in the Neo-Renaissance style, among other sights. This mix offers different ways to shape your travel plans, without separating nature and culture into distinct themes.

Schwartau Valley and spa park: nature in many forms

Most of the Schwartau Valley is part of the Natura 2000 network. Its recreational landscape includes wet meadows, willow scrub, alder forests, and flowing and still waters. Botanical and zoological rarities are also highlighted in the protected areas around Bad Schwartau. Early morning is a particularly good time for birdwatching.

The spa park lake is the focal point of the spa park. The Philosophenweg marks the park’s boundary towards Mönchkampwald. The adjoining Riesebusch meadows are home to the Alte Schwartau and a mosaic of natural landscape types, with paths for walking and observing nature. The scenery varies even within these green spaces: the lake defines the spa park, while the meadows and their waters draw your attention to a variety of habitats.

Nature trail, walks and cycling

A 2.5-kilometre nature trail combines information with interactive stations. These include a green classroom, a boardwalk, a picture book and a tree telephone. The green classroom is designed as a place for people of all generations to learn about local flora and fauna. The nature experience area also features information boards, tree-ring models, a bee wall, nesting boxes and information about different biotope types.

Parks, natural meadows and fields, level walking paths and Pariner Berg are also recommended for walks and exploring. You can combine bicycle rental with routes through forests towards the Baltic coast and Holstein Switzerland. Check current route conditions before setting off. For an outdoor activity with children, there’s a mini-golf course in the spa park; check its availability and seasonal opening before your visit.

Chapel, art and local history

St. George’s Chapel, also known as the St. George’s Leper Chapel, is associated with a leprosarium dating to 1258; a chapel was added in 1289. The High Gothic brick building has three pointed-arch windows on each side and a gabled roof. Today, it is used for church services and small concerts. If you plan to attend one of these events, check whether the chapel is in use before your visit.

The former district court stands on the market square. It is a listed building dating from 1909/1910 and designed in the Neo-Renaissance style. The spa park is also home to the Pythagoraeder, a polished stainless-steel artwork about 3.5 metres high. If you want to see it, check its location in the spa park before setting off.

The name Bad Schwartau also reflects part of the town’s history: Schwartau received official recognition as a spa town in 1913 and was thereafter called Bad Schwartau. The history of Schwartauer Werke began in Bad Schwartau in 1899; the company is also associated with the nickname “jam town”. Together, the chapel, the former court building and this local industrial history tell different sides of the town’s story.

Finding your way around when looking for accommodation

Bad Schwartau is in Lübeck Bay in southern Schleswig-Holstein. Several direct bus routes connect Lübeck central bus station (ZOB) with Bad Schwartau; check current connections and timetables before travelling. When choosing accommodation, first consider what you’d like to focus on during your stay: walks and nature watching, cycling trips, or architecture and local history. This way, you can tailor your search to the experiences that interest you most in Bad Schwartau.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Stockelsdorf, Schönwalde Am Bungsberg, Malente, Heringsdorf, Ratekau, Sierksdorf, Altenkrempe, Weißenhäuser Strand

To the main travel overview: Ostholstein.