Holsteinische Schweiz
Encyclopedia
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, reminiscent of Swiss landscape
Little Switzerland (landscape)
A little Switzerland or Schweiz is a landscape, often of wooded hills. This Romantic aesthetic term is not a geographic category, but was widely used in the 19th century to connote dramatic natural scenic features that would be of interest to tourists...
. Its highest point is the Bungsberg
Bungsberg
The Bungsberg is the highest point in the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein . It lies in the region known as Holstein Switzerland in the municipality of Schönwalde am Bungsberg between Scheelholz and Mönchsneversdorf....
(168 metres above sea level). It is a designated nature park
Nature park
A nature park is a landscape protected by means of long-term planning, use and agriculture. These valuable landscapes are preserved in their present state and promoted for touristic purposes....
as well as an important tourist destination in Northern Germany situated between the cities of Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
and Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
.
Geography
Holstein Switzerland lies in eastern Schleswig-HolsteinSchleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
. This picturesque region in the historical county of Wagria has no precise political or geographic boundaries. Most of the area falls within the districts of Ostholstein and Plön, roughly between the cities of Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
and Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
and extends as far north as the Baltic coast. Its major towns include Bad Malente-Gremsmühlen, Lütjenburg
Lütjenburg
Luetjenburg is a town of the district of Ploen, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located approx. northeast of Ploen, and east of Kiel.-History:thumb|left|Lütjenburg um 1895...
, Oldenburg in Holstein, Preetz
Preetz
Preetz is a town in the district of Plön, in Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany. In the town centre is a small lake, the Kirchsee.-History:...
and the old Residenz
Residenz
Residenz is a very formal, otherwise obsolete, German word for "place of living". It is in particular used to denote the building or town where a sovereign ruler resided, therefore also carrying a similar meaning as the modern expressions seat of government or capital...
seats of Eutin
Eutin
Eutin is the district capital of Eastern Holstein located in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. As of 2005, it had some 17,000 inhabitants....
and Plön
Plön
Plön is the district seat of the Plön district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and has about 13,000 inhabitants. It lies right on the shores of Schleswig-Holstein's biggest lake, the Great Plön Lake, as well as on several smaller lakes, touching the town on virtually all sides...
.
The charm of this region is its ever-changing landscape of the Young Drift moraines
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
of the Schleswig-Holstein Uplands
Schleswig-Holstein Uplands
The Schleswig-Holstein Uplands is one of the three landscapes of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein; the others being the marsch and the geest...
which were formed during the last ice age. Small woods alternate rapidly with hedged, arable fields and the terrain is characterised by its many lakes nestling amongst low hills. Amongst the more well-known lakes are the Großer Plöner See
Großer Plöner See
The Großer Plöner See or Lake Plön is the largest lake in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located near the town of Plön...
, the Dieksee
Dieksee
- Geography :It has an area of , a maximum length of about 3.4 kilometres and a maximum width of 1.6 kilometres.The lake is up to 38 metres deep, its surface elevation is about and it is crossed by the River Schwentine from east to west...
and the Kellersee
Kellersee
The Kellersee is a lake in the Holstein Switzerland region of North Germany.It lies east of the village of Malente on the River Schwentine, has an area of , is up to 27 metres deep and lies at a height of...
. Rivers and water meadows abound, such as the Schwentine
Schwentine
The Schwentine is a river in the North German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It is approximately 62 kilometres long and rises on the hill of Bungsberg, the highest point in the state, near the village of Kasseedorf in Ostholstein. It then runs from its source to Kiel where it flows into the Kiel...
, which flows into Kiel Fjord
Kiel Fjord
Kiel Fjord is an approximately long fjord or firth of the Baltic Sea along the shores of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Formed by glacial movement during the last Ice Age, it lies between the Danish Wold and Wagria. It originates at the Hörn in centre-city Kiel and merges into the Bay of Kiel.The...
or the Kossau
Kossau
The Kossau is a stream in the district of Plön in eastern Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It drains the Tresdorf lake and flows past Lütjenburg before entering the Großen Binnensee. The stream was dammed by Rantzau Castle in the Middle Ages to form a lake which existed until the 18th century. It is...
, which discharges into the Großer Binnensee
Großer Binnensee
Großer Binnensee is a lake in Kreis Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. At an elevation of , its surface area is 4 km²....
. The highest elevation is the Bungsberg
Bungsberg
The Bungsberg is the highest point in the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein . It lies in the region known as Holstein Switzerland in the municipality of Schönwalde am Bungsberg between Scheelholz and Mönchsneversdorf....
near Schönwalde
Schönwalde am Bungsberg
Schönwalde am Bungsberg is a municipality in the district of Ostholstein, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany....
. With the only ski lift
Ski lift
The term ski lift generally refers to any transport device that carries skiers up a hill. A ski lift may fall into one of the following three main classes:-Lift systems and networks:...
in Schleswig-Holstein and a height of 168 metres (551.2 ft) above NN it is also the highest hill in the state.
Origin of the name
The German name for the region, Holsteinische Schweiz, goes back to the 19th century when holidays to Switzerland were particularly popular amongst the well-to-do. As a consequence, other regions strove to add the name "Switzerland" to their description. On 20 May 1885 Johannes Janus opened the Hotel Holsteinische Schweiz at MalenteMalente
This Article is about a German location. For the DJ with the same name, see Malente .Malente is a municipality in the district of Ostholstein, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is about 5 km northwest of Eutin and 35 km north of Lübeck....
on the Kellersee
Kellersee
The Kellersee is a lake in the Holstein Switzerland region of North Germany.It lies east of the village of Malente on the River Schwentine, has an area of , is up to 27 metres deep and lies at a height of...
which enjoyed enormous popularity. The name of the hotel was then transferred to Holsteinische Schweiz station
Holsteinische Schweiz station
Holsteinische Schweiz station is a railway station by the Kellersee lake on the Malente-Gremsmühlen–Lütjenburg railway in Schleswig-Holstein. It was opened on 25 May 1890...
and, later, to the whole region.
History
Holstein Switzerland has been settled for several thousand years. In the Early Middle AgesEarly Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...
part of the area was occupied by the Slavic Wends
Wends
Wends is a historic name for West Slavs living near Germanic settlement areas. It does not refer to a homogeneous people, but to various peoples, tribes or groups depending on where and when it is used...
, whose traces may still be found, for example, in Oldenburg, and who founded the settlements of Plön and Eutin. In the Middle Ages, from the 9th century onwards, the region was colonised and controlled by the Carolingian Empire
Carolingian Empire
Carolingian Empire is a historiographical term which has been used to refer to the realm of the Franks under the Carolingian dynasty in the Early Middle Ages. This dynasty is seen as the founders of France and Germany, and its beginning date is based on the crowning of Charlemagne, or Charles the...
. In the late Middle Ages the towns developed into small centres of local commerce and the local feudal lords (Landadel) expanded their fortified manor houses. At the beginning of the recent era, these manorial seats formed the basis of aristocratic estates (Adliges Güter) which dominated the landscape and the economy from about 1500 until the 20th century. From the 16th century Plön and Eutin became residences of various branches of the House of Oldenburg
House of Oldenburg
The House of Oldenburg is a North German dynasty and one of Europe's most influential Royal Houses with branches that rule or have ruled in Denmark, Russia, Greece, Norway, Schleswig, Holstein, Oldenburg and Sweden...
.
These estates had a thriving cultural scene which, for example, led to Eutin being described at the turn of the 19th century as the "Weimar
Weimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
of the North". Until the middle of the 19th century the area was dominated by Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, which initially ran the region as a feoff, but eventually integrated it into the Danish nation-state
Nation-state
The nation state is a state that self-identifies as deriving its political legitimacy from serving as a sovereign entity for a nation as a sovereign territorial unit. The state is a political and geopolitical entity; the nation is a cultural and/or ethnic entity...
. In 1867 Holstein Switzerland was transferred to Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
as part of Holstein
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
.
After the end of the First World War some of the traditional estates were broken up. Following the Second World War, tourism has played a leading role in the economy of the region.
Tourism
The rural landscape is still characterised by large, aristocratic estates and historic forms of farming that are mainly tied into large farm estates and their associated manor houses. These include Panker, Testorf, Rantzau and Hagen in ProbsteierhagenProbsteierhagen
Probsteierhagen is a municipality in the district of Plön, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany....
. Several of the castles, such as Eutin
Eutin Castle
Eutin Castle in Eutin in the north German district of Ostholstein is the cultural centre and nucleus of the town and, together with Gottorf and Glücksburg Castles, belongs to the most important courtly secular buildings in the state of Schleswig-Holstein....
and Plön
Plön Castle
Plön Castle in Plön is one of the largest castles in the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein and the only one located on a hill. The former Residenz of the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Plön was built in the 17th century during the Thirty Years War and has had a colourful history in which it...
may be visited and many of the estate farms are open to the public during the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival
Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival
The Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival is a classical music festival held every year in summer time all over the state of Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany....
or other events. Salzau Estate houses the state cultural centre.
For walkers, the nature park trail (Naturparkweg
Naturparkweg
The Naturparkweg is a nature trail which links the five nature parks in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It runs fromEckernförde via Aschberg, Sehestedt, Westensee, Brammer, Aukrug, Brokstedt, Wiemersdorf, Fehrenbötel, Blunk, Bad Segeberg, Bad Oldesloe to the Lauenburg Lakes.The trail is...
) links the five nature park
Nature park
A nature park is a landscape protected by means of long-term planning, use and agriculture. These valuable landscapes are preserved in their present state and promoted for touristic purposes....
s in Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
. There is an extensive network of cycle paths and quiet lanes and tracks for cyclists. Some of the large lakes are plied by pleasure boats and canoeing
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
and other water pursuits are also possible. There are several seaside resorts close by on the Baltic coast
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
.
Lakes
In order of size:- Großer Plöner SeeGroßer Plöner SeeThe Großer Plöner See or Lake Plön is the largest lake in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located near the town of Plön...
3000 ha - KellerseeKellerseeThe Kellersee is a lake in the Holstein Switzerland region of North Germany.It lies east of the village of Malente on the River Schwentine, has an area of , is up to 27 metres deep and lies at a height of...
560 ha - DiekseeDieksee- Geography :It has an area of , a maximum length of about 3.4 kilometres and a maximum width of 1.6 kilometres.The lake is up to 38 metres deep, its surface elevation is about and it is crossed by the River Schwentine from east to west...
386 ha - Lanker SeeLanker SeeThe Lanker See is a lake in the region of Holstein Switzerland in North Germany. It lies south of the town of Preetz in the district of Plön, and is crossed from south to north by the River Schwentine.The Lanker See has wealth of small bays....
324 ha - Behler SeeBehler SeeThe Behler See is a lake in the Holstein Switzerland region of North Germany. It lies between Timmdorf to the east and the town of Plön to the west...
277 ha - PostseePostseePostsee is a lake in Kreis Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. At an elevation of 20.6 m, its surface area is 276.4 ha....
276 ha - Kleiner Plöner SeeKleiner Plöner See- Geography:It lies west of the town of the Plön, has an area of , is up to about 31 metres deep and has a surface elevation of around . The lake is owned both by the state of Schleswig-Holstein as well as various private individuals....
239 ha - Großer Eutiner SeeGroßer Eutiner SeeThe Großer Eutiner See is a lake in Holstein Switzerland, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It lies northeast of the town of Eutin.It has an area of , is up to 17 metres deep and lies at a height of about . It northern side borders directly on the woods of the Seeschaarwald...
230 ha - StockseeStockseeStocksee is a municipality in the district of Segeberg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany....
207 ha - Trammer SeeTrammer SeeTrammer See is a lake in Landkreis Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. At an elevation of 20.03 m, its surface area is 1.63 km²....
163 ha
- Suhrer See 137 ha
- Schluensee 127 ha
- SchöhseeSchöhseeSchöhsee is a lake in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. At an elevation of 22 m, its surface area is 0.78 km²....
78 ha - Süseler SeeSüseler SeeSüseler See is a lake at Süsel, Kreis Ostholstein, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. At an elevation of 24 m, its surface area is 0.77 km²....
77 ha - Seedorfer See 76 ha
- Sibbersdorfer SeeSibbersdorfer SeeThe Sibbersdorfer See is a lake in the district of Ostholstein within the region known as Holstein Switzerland in the North German state of Schleswig-Holstein.It lies between Sibbersdorf and Fissau, north of the Großer Eutiner See, near the town of Eutin....
55 ha - Stendorfer SeeStendorfer SeeThe Stendorfer See is a lake west of Kasseedorf in Holstein Switzerland, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.The lake lies east of the Stendorf Manor House in the parish of Kasseedorf and is surrounded by a rolling moraine landscape....
54 ha - Seekamper See 45 ha
- Kleiner Eutiner See 37 ha
- UkleiseeUkleiseeUkleisee is a lake in Landkreis Ostholstein, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. At an elevation of 26.5 m, its surface area is 0.32 km². This lake is a kettle hole, remaining from Weichselian glaciation....
32 ha