Semlin: Lake, Cycling Routes and Sailing

In Semlin, water, outdoor activities and village history come together. The village is one of the tourist-developed destinations in the Hohennauen-Ferchesar Lake District. When choosing your stay, you can consider the cycling routes, bathing area and half-timbered church as different points of interest.

Cycling Routes and the Lake District

The Hohennauen-Ferchesar Lake District is 10 km long and connected to the Havel and Lake Witzker. The Rathenow–Semlin cycling route (Semliner Chaussee) is about 12 km long there and back, and offers several places to stop in Semlin. This distance covers the outward and return journeys together and gives you an approximate total length for the cycle tour. The Ferchesarer Weg hiking trail passes through the golf course in Semlin. The cycling route can be assessed by its approximate total length and places to stop, while the hiking trail can be considered by its route through the golf course.

Water, Sailing and Leisure

The Semlin bathing area at Bauerndeich on Lake Hohennauen is a designated EU bathing site; its water quality is checked regularly. To reach it, follow Dorfstraße to the lake, then turn right and continue along the lakeshore to Bauerndeich. In the Westhavelland region, Semlin is often called a mecca for sailing. A holiday and leisure farm in Semlin offers swimming, boat and bicycle rental, fitness facilities, a sauna, wellness services and a wide range of dining options. It also offers family-friendly accommodation. These are different points of reference for planning your day: the designated bathing area with directions, and a farm with a variety of leisure and dining options.

Village Church, Monument and Events

The half-timbered church in Semlin is simple and typical of village churches in the Havelland; it was built in 1730–32. Its architectural style and date make it a historic village building. The Semlin Witches’ Monument is described as the first monument of its kind in the former East Germany. The Semlin Summer Festival and the Semlin Three Lakes Run are both held annually. If you would like to plan your trip around either event, check the dates when planning.

Rathenow as a Wider Travel Destination

Rathenow’s historic centre, with sections of the old town wall, Kirchberg and St. Marien-Andreas Church, lies on the old town island, which is surrounded by four branches of the Havel. Rathenow is crossed by the Havel Cycle Route, the Havelland Cycle Route, which forms part of the Hamburg–Berlin cycle route, and the 1,111 km Tour Brandenburg. The 348 m-long Weinberg Bridge connects Optikpark with Weinberg. A bridge for pedestrians and cyclists connects Kirchberg with Weinberg; built in 2001–2002, it re-established the connection after 700 years. The Optik Industrie Museum Rathenow displays around 1,200 exhibits on the history of optics. In the birthplace of pastor Johann Heinrich August Duncker, opposite the church’s west portal, he operated his first optical workshop from 1800. The Bismarck Tower on Rathenow’s Weinberg was inaugurated on 24 June 1914 in honour of former Imperial Chancellor Prince Otto von Bismarck; alongside the church tower, it is the city’s second landmark.

Discover more destinations: Märkisch Luch, Gollenberg, Milower Land, Kleßen-Görne, Rhinow, Dallgow-Döberitz, Brieselang, Havelaue

To the main travel overview: Havelland.