On a warm summer day in late July 2022, I joined a friend and a bunch of his colleagues on a hike among the thousand lakes of Mecklenburgische Seenplatte. This area has the largest continuous system of lakes and canals in Germany, surrounded by vast forests, marshes and only few towns. The area is located in the southern part of the northern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and is often nicknamed the “Land of a Thousand Lakes”.
I have fond childhood memories from two summers spent at Lake Fleesensee, part of the lake complex, so when I was invited on the hike, I knew it was an opportunity I couldn’t miss.
Our route was planned beforehand; we followed a route from Komoot which took us from the medieval town of Waren, along the lakes of Feisnecksee and Müritz and through dense forests.
We set off from Berlin in the morning and took the train north to Waren. Our hike began at the train station and took us through the centre of the medieval harbour town, past the 13th-century Church of St. George, through the main square which dates back to the 14th century, and down to the lively and atmospheric harbour.
I wanted to explore the town further, but we were on a bit of a time schedule to catch the train back to Berlin in the evening. It was nice to leave the planning to someone else for once, so I could just enjoy the hike and snap photos without worrying about the finding my way.
We hiked halfway around Lake Feisnecksee, which unfortunately is a haven for nudists. I’m all for doing as you please as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else, but do they really have to be naked that close to a public trail? Anyways, the beautiful nature made up for the awkward moments. Soon, however, we left the lake behind, and headed inland through the Warener Tannen forest. We made a small detour to the tiny lake of Wienpietschseen where water lilies rest on the surface and a loud frog seemed determined to make us aware of his presence.
Soon, we reached the shore of the enormous Lake Müritz, which is the second-largest lake in Germany after Lake Constance in Bavaria. I was starting to get tired by this point, but an ice cream/soda break at a campsite certainly helped.
The last part of the hike was really beautiful as we neared Waren again, and were rewarded with beautiful views of the town’s medieval skyline. A few of us went swimming in the crystal clear lake before continuing the last stretch back to the train station.
A long and nice hike of 20-something kilometres had come to an end, and I could certainly feel it in my legs! It had been too long since I last went for a good hike, and it was great to get back to hiking. I was also so happy to re-experience this part of Germany that I loved so much as a child! Next time I’m in the area, I’ll make sure to come by Fleesensee as well.
Want to hike the same route?
Unfortunately, it seems that the route we followed has been deleted from Komoot, but there are still plenty of beautiful routes to follow in the area. See more here!
Leave a Comment