Discover Sterup: cultural trail, church and farm offerings

Sterup combines a moderate circular walk with St. Laurentius Church and seasonal farm offerings. The nature and cultural trail passes 14 sights, including the church as one of its stops. Between moraine ridges, the Lippingau tunnel valley, a biotope pond, beech forest and stream ravines, the landscape shaped by the Ice Age becomes a tangible part of your trip. Sterup is officially designated as a recreational resort and is part of the Ostseefjord-Schlei tourism region.

Explore the landscape and culture on foot

A four-kilometre moderate circular walk starts in the town. Information boards along the Steruper Weg explain plants, nature, geology and historically significant buildings of cultural interest. This makes it possible to explore the route through both its landscape and the subjects covered on the boards. Opened in 2015, the nature and cultural trail presents 14 sights and includes St. Laurentius as one of its stops.

The trail crosses a moraine ridge shaped by the Ice Age into the Lippingau tunnel valley, passes the Schönungsteich biotope pond, and continues through beech forest and the Sterup stream ravines. This sequence brings together a variety of landscape features along one route: geology, pond, forest and ravines each give the trail its own character. If you enjoy combining nature themes and cultural history on a walk, you will find both reflected in the trail’s concept.

St. Laurentius: architectural history and furnishings

St. Laurentius Church dates back to the 13th century and was initially a chapel affiliated with St. Mary’s Church in Esgrus. A later change left its mark on the building’s history: in 1887–1888, the former wooden west tower was replaced by a 52-metre-high brick tower. The building’s history thus brings together its medieval origins and a striking 19th-century renovation.

The furnishings include a late Gothic winged altarpiece from around 1500 and a late Gothic side altar from the 16th century. There is also a Riffelbild (ribbed painting) by Hans Breckenfeld, dated 1751. Their different dates offer several points of interest for art and history enthusiasts. As a stop on the nature and cultural trail, St. Laurentius complements the landscape themes with a tangible example of Sterup’s cultural history.

Seasonal farm offerings

A farm shop offers homemade fruit products, new culinary creations, homemade liver sausage and apple juice made from the farm’s apples. The selection varies depending on the season and availability. Also on offer are eggs from the farm’s own hens and seasonally prepared pork; both are subject to limited seasonal availability.

Timm’s Erdbeerhof offers strawberries, raspberries and blueberries for picking and for sale at various stalls. Pick-your-own and sales are seasonal. The self-service shop “Timms Hofschätze” stocks handmade kitchen products all year round, though the selection varies. It also offers handicrafts and gift ideas; this selection may change as well. If you are planning to buy a particular seasonal product, check its availability in advance.

Schleswig-Flensburg as the wider regional context

The wider destination of Schleswig-Flensburg includes other themes that extend your perspective beyond Sterup. Haithabu and the Danevirke have been UNESCO World Heritage sites since June 2018. With a total area of 773 hectares, Geltinger Birk is the largest nature reserve in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg. More than 130 bird species can be observed on Holnis, including around 65 breeding species. These distinct regional examples offer additional cultural and nature themes to consider when planning your trip.

Find accommodation to match your interests

When choosing accommodation, you can first consider which experiences you would like to shape your stay: the circular walk and its landscape and nature themes, the architectural and art history of St. Laurentius, or the seasonal farm offerings. If you choose Sterup as your destination, tailor your accommodation search to these interests. If you would like to include other themes from the wider destination of Schleswig-Flensburg, you can also take this broader context into account in your plans. This way, your search reflects what you would like to discover while you are there.

Discover more destinations: Steinbergkirche, Stoltebüll, Maasholm, Rabenholz, Quern, Kronsgaard, Nieby, Rabel.

Back to the wider travel overview: Geltinger Bucht.