Ostprignitz-Ruppin: Experience Heathland and Landscapes

The Kyritz-Ruppiner Heide is a striking natural feature of Ostprignitz-Ruppin. The district is predominantly rural: wide-open spaces and tranquillity, green beech and pine forests, meadows, shady avenues, and numerous lakes and rivers define the landscape. The Ruppiner Seenland is one of the district’s travel regions. Hiking, cycling and horse riding offer different ways to explore this landscape.

Heathland, biodiversity and views

The Kyritz-Ruppiner Heide covers 12,000 hectares within Ostprignitz-Ruppin and has been part of Stechlin-Ruppiner Land Nature Park since 2021. It is one of Europe’s largest contiguous areas of Calluna heathland. Numerous protected and endangered animal species find a habitat here, including more than 70 bird species. The heathland has also provided a habitat for wolves since 2008.

From the 15-metre-high Heathland Tower on Heinz-Sielmann-Hügel, the view extends far across Ostprignitz-Ruppin’s varied landscape. The tower offers another perspective on the district’s landscape, complementing the views of the heathland.

Hiking and cycling

Stechlin-Ruppiner Land Nature Park lies partly within Ostprignitz-Ruppin and invites visitors to hike and cycle. One specific hiking route is the Ruppiner-Land circular trail, part of which follows the European long-distance hiking trail E 10. If you would like to include this long-distance route in your hiking plans, this partial connection provides a useful point of reference.

Cyclists will also find a variety of themed routes. The Fontane Cycle Route passes places and landscapes described by Theodor Fontane in his work “The Wanderings through the Mark Brandenburg.” The 108-kilometre Bischofstour runs, among other places, through Heiligengrabe and Wittstock and invites you on a journey back to the Middle Ages through the Prignitz landscape. The route runs entirely on developed, signposted cycle paths. Heiligengrabe and Wittstock have rail connections to Berlin and Hamburg.

Electrically assisted fat bikes offer another way to explore the Kyritz-Ruppiner Heide. The trails are unpaved and often sandy, allowing visitors to experience the local flora and fauna with minimal impact. This makes it different from the Bischofstour, which runs entirely on developed, signposted cycle paths. Trail conditions are therefore one specific factor to consider when choosing your cycling tour.

Horse riding and cultural stops

The Brandenburg State Stud in Neustadt (Dosse) is a special attraction for horse-riding enthusiasts in Ostprignitz-Ruppin. The 160-kilometre Stud Route between the Redefin and Neustadt (Dosse) studs forms a regional riding trail network in cooperation with Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The stud and riding trail offer a distinct focus alongside hiking and cycling tours.

Wusterhausen/Dosse offers a cultural stop: the impressive half-timbered Baroque building at Am Markt 3 now houses the tourist information centre, the Museum of Trails and the library, and serves as the town’s cultural centre. Its various uses make the building a specific place to visit if you would like to combine your stay with a visit to the town.

Discover more destinations: Rheinsberg, Lindow, Fehrbellin, Kyritz, Langen, Neuruppin, Rüthnick, Gartow, Wusterhausen/Dosse, Berlinchen, Heiligengrabe, Temnitztal, Wittstock/Dosse, Märkisch Linden, Temnitzquell, Neustadt, Vielitzsee, Storbeck-Frankendorf, Breddin, Zernitz-Lohm.

For the broader travel overview: Brandenburg.