Discover Elmendorf: Nature and History

Elmendorf offers a range of ways to explore nature and history: an FFH site in the Oldenburg Geest, old oaks and beeches, a bathing area and historic traces. Hiking and a guided tour along the north shore of Lake Zwischenahn add their own highlights. When planning your visit, you can decide whether to focus on the landscape, exercise, a day of swimming or culture.

Woodland and landscape

North of Lake Zwischenahn lies the 28-hectare “Elmendorfer Holz” FFH site in the Oldenburg Geest. As a local recreation area, it is also highly significant in connection with tourism around Lake Zwischenahn. The site's protected status and its recreational function offer two different perspectives on the woodland: it is part of the landscape and, at the same time, an option for leisure activities.

Oaks and beeches up to 180 years old grow in Herrenholz Dreibergen. Since 2018, the western part of Herrenholz on both sides of the old church path has been left to develop naturally. These details give the woodland its own character: alongside the great age of some individual trees, the way a particular part of the woodland is managed is also part of its story. Those interested in trees and landscapes will find specific features here to look out for.

Hiking, a guided tour or a day of swimming

A guided tour in Dreibergen can be arranged on request throughout the year and explores the north shore of Lake Zwischenahn. If this way of discovering the area interests you, you can include it in your plans as a separate activity; arrangements may change, so it is worth confirming before your visit.

Another option is the bathing area in Dreibergen, with a spacious sunbathing lawn and a small sandy beach for relaxing or taking a refreshing swim. This means you can choose between a guided look at the north shore and a break by the water, depending on what you have in mind for the day. The 12.18-kilometre Lake Zwischenahn Trail adds another option for hiking. It offers a different focus from the bathing area or guided tour: here, hiking itself is the main attraction.

Historic traces

In the 17th and 18th centuries, Gut Blexhaus was a postal station with hereditary inn rights. This historic role brings together two aspects: postal services and the rights of an inn. It is one of the local history topics that stands apart from the landscape and leisure activities.

Within the wider destination of Bad Zwischenahn, a castle belonging to the Counts of Elmendorf stood on the site of Elmendorfer Burg in the mid-12th century. Information boards explain its history; admission is free. St. John's Church in Bad Zwischenahn was founded in 1124 by Count Egilmar, the first hereditary count of Oldenburg, as a daughter church of Wiefelstede. Details inside the church include a medieval wall cabinet and a 15th-century baptismal font.

More to discover in the wider destination of Bad Zwischenahn

The Ammerland Open-Air Museum is one of the oldest open-air museums of its kind in Germany. The museum comprises 17 houses and outbuildings in the heart of the spa park, harmoniously integrated into the landscape. Here, you can discover what life was like 300 years ago. The windmill at the open-air museum dates from 1811 and was initially built in neighbouring Westerstede. It is a two-storey gallery Dutch mill with a working milling mechanism for grinding grain and an oil mill mechanism for producing oil. The museum therefore focuses both on everyday life in the past and on the technology of the mill.

The spa park also offers a seasonal highlight: rhododendrons in vivid colours are especially prominent in May and June. For a different view of Lake Zwischenahn, the Weisse Flotte offers daily cruises from April to October. A round trip from the Bad Zwischenahn landing stage and back takes about 70 minutes. Passengers can break their journey in Dreibergen or Rostrup and board again later. Timetables may change, so check the latest information before travelling.

To the main travel overview: Bad Zwischenahn.