Discover Dechow: Lake, Moor and Village History

Dechow lies at the southern edge of Lake Röggeliner See. Preserved brick and thatched half-timbered houses, a village walk and Werderhaus give the village a cultural side alongside its connection to the water. Nearby, the Moor & Koppel walking trail offers another perspective on Borgmoor. This gives you different options when planning your trip: a break by the lake, exploring local history or a circular walk through the moorland surroundings.

Lake Röggeliner See and nature at Borgmoor

Dechow, with the districts of Röggelin and Lankow, lies at the southern edge of the 177-hectare Lake Röggeliner See. The lake is designated as a resting-bird sanctuary for migrating greylag geese, great egrets and various duck species. A bathing area with a jetty invites you to take a break and enjoy a picnic. The lake thus offers both its importance as a resting area and a specific place to pause by the water.

The area along Borgmoor near Dechow is a habitat for dragonflies, grasshoppers, the rare hazel dormouse, cranes and other rare bird species that raise their young there. The Moor & Koppel walking trail is a circular route of about three kilometres along Borgmoor near Dechow. It starts at the car park of the Gläserne Molkerei at Meiereiweg 1, 19217 Dechow. The approximately three-kilometre circular route starts at the car park of the Gläserne Molkerei at Meiereiweg 1, 19217 Dechow.

Village walk, houses and Werderhaus

During the village walk, small information panels and QR codes outside 19 houses and one undeveloped plot provide information about the history of these properties. The walk draws attention to individual houses and their history, rather than treating local history only as an abstract subject. Preserved buildings in Dechow include brick houses and thatched half-timbered houses. They have been restored in accordance with heritage conservation requirements using traditional local materials such as wood, clay and reed. The different building styles and materials are thus as much a part of the village landscape as the historical information provided by the walk.

Another cultural landmark is Werderhaus. It has an Art Nouveau hall and a stage, and serves as a social meeting place and a cultural venue for all generations. The hall and stage describe the building's architectural features; its function combines social gatherings with culture.

The Gläserne Molkerei opened a second site in Dechow in 2012, in the Schaalsee UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The farm shop of the Gläserne Molkerei in Dechow is permanently closed; check its status before visiting.

Northwest Mecklenburg as a broader landscape setting

At a broader level, Northwest Mecklenburg encompasses the “Northwest Mecklenburg Hills with Wismar Bay” landscape region in the north and the “West Mecklenburg Lake District with Lake Schwerin” in the south. Terminal moraine ridges, gently undulating ground moraine plateaus, steep and flat stretches of coast, glacial meltwater and drainage channels, and outwash plains shape the landscape of Northwest Mecklenburg. This is the wider landscape setting of the district; Dechow’s own landmarks remain Lake Röggeliner See, Borgmoor and the village’s history.

Gadebusch Castle and the Radegast Valley Landscape Conservation Area are also examples from Northwest Mecklenburg. Gadebusch Castle in Gadebusch is a Renaissance castle dating from 1573 and a rare example of Mecklenburg or North German Brick Gothic Renaissance architecture. Its features include reliefs in the regional Johann Albrecht style. The Radegast Valley extends across about 600 hectares between the southern edge of Rehna and Lake Neddersee near Gadebusch. It includes the Radegast’s strongly meandering, near-natural course, as well as adjacent grassland, reed beds, trees and wet woodlands.

If you are looking for accommodation in Dechow, you can choose what to focus on based on the specific attractions of the village and its immediate surroundings: water and a picnic at Lake Röggeliner See, village history and houses, or the Moor & Koppel walking trail along Borgmoor. This lets you start your search with the experiences that interest you during your stay.

Discover more destinations: Groß Molzahn, Vitense, Thandorf, Rieps, Carlow, Schlagsdorf, Wedendorfersee, Holdorf.

For the broader travel overview: Amt Rehna.