Discover Hornstorf: Church, History and Cycling Routes

Hornstorf offers several specific points of interest for a stay: a long local history, St. Laurentius Village Church and cycling routes in the area that lead in different directions. Wismar Bay is about five kilometres away. Hornstorf was first mentioned in a document in 1282; its oldest building is the Gothic village church. These prominent landmarks and an early date give the town’s history a tangible context. When planning your trip, you can decide whether history, cycling or your outward and return journeys should be the focus.

Village Church and Historical Traces

St. Laurentius Village Church is the oldest building in Hornstorf and was built in the Gothic style. The church also has a special function for pilgrims: it houses a pilgrim’s room, providing pilgrims on the Via Baltica with a place to rest. This adds a specific connection to the pilgrimage route alongside the building itself.

As of 28 February 2025, further historical traces are listed as protected monuments: a fieldstone portal at the former cemetery, an 1808 Harms grave on Hauptstraße and a group of farm buildings at Schwedenschanze 3–11. The typical farmhouses on Schwedenschanze were built as part of the resettlement in the 1930s. The grave points back to 1808, while the farmhouses represent a later building phase shaped by the period of resettlement. Hornstorf thus brings together different periods, each reflected in specific buildings and places of remembrance.

Getting to Hornstorf and Routes in the Area

When the Wismar–Rostock railway opened, Hornstorf gained a rail connection in 1883. Regional trains from Schwerin or Rostock can take travellers back to Hornstorf; check the timetable for your travel date. From Hornstorf, the Osttangente provides access to Wismar city centre and the island of Poel, as well as connections to the A20 and A14 motorways. This gives you different options for your outward and return journeys, depending on whether you plan to travel by train or use the road network.

There are also several options for cycling tours. A cycle path alongside the B105 runs as far as Benz/Kalsow and was completed in summer 2019. From Benz/Kalsow, you can continue on the Baltic Sea Cycle Route towards Boltenhagen and Lübeck. Regional cycling connections also include a route towards the island of Poel; cycle routes in the southern part of the region extend as far as Schwerin. When planning your stages, it is worth distinguishing between these destinations: Benz/Kalsow is the starting point for continuing along the Baltic Sea Cycle Route, while Poel and Schwerin represent other directions in the area.

Plan Your Stay Around Your Interests

When looking for accommodation, you can first consider how you would like to spend your days: should local history be the main focus, or would you like to plan cycling stages towards the destinations mentioned? The history of St. Laurentius and the historical traces offer specific themes to guide your exploration of the town; the various cycling connections raise different planning questions. Your personal priorities can help you choose a suitable starting point for your own travel plans.

Northwest Mecklenburg as a Broader Context

The wider travel destination of Northwest Mecklenburg brings other landscapes into view. To the north, the district includes the “Northwest Mecklenburg Hills with Wismar Bay”; to the south, the “West Mecklenburg Lake District with Lake Schwerin”. Terminal moraine ridges, gently rolling ground moraine plateaus, steep and flat coastal sections, meltwater and drainage channels, and outwash plains shape the landscape of Northwest Mecklenburg. This broader perspective can help you consider landscapes beyond Hornstorf and decide which of the regions described interests you most.

Discover more destinations: Krusenhagen, Blowatz, Boiensdorf, Benz Bei Wismar, Neuburg.

Go to the wider travel overview: Amt Neuburg.